Sunday Aug 20, 9pm, boat from Split to Hvar – Today we decided to make a big push for the city of Split so we could have a trip to the island of Svar, often laden with paradise-like descriptions, before crossing the Adriatic to Ancona, Italy and continuing the ride from there. However, that meant a calculated 240+ km ride. With some deft route finding and quick spins around Zadar, Sibenik, and Trogir, we made it to catch the evening boat to Hvar with a strong 30+ kmh average and a total of 228 kms. The first 75 km were very hard on the tired legs and early morning lack of focus, but Zadar on were good. We shortcut the route with an inland venture through rolling hills and blisteringly high 30s C heat and included a stop at what seemed like a Western saloon with multiple lambs on spits, tumbledweeds, and cowboy, laid back attitude. And the water was so cold.