Camp Palme On The Peljesac Channel - A Windsurfer's Paradise

Camp Palme has an ideal location for camping and sailing in the heart of the Peljesac Channel. A high ridge of the thin Peljesac penninsula is extra high and steep here before it twists further east and opens up space for the Orebic flat just a few miles further south east.

So sailing will be best just north west of the City.

When I was there for a number of weeks, I had a chance to observe the locals come out on the strongest days of Mistral in the summer. They knew exactly when the wind will be blowing at its strongest. The view of that local guy was picture perfect. He took a smallest, hurricane sail, and he had to make do with a huge volume, long and fat Mistral board. As he speeded off from the beach and into the waves coming toward him, you would see an image you can see nowehere else - a huge board 90% high up into the air, and a big guy in complete control of the smallish sail, holding onto the boom and standing on the tail of that huge Mistral board which was pretty much the only part of the huge board besides the fin that was still touching the water.


Why is camp Palme ideal for windsurfers and kiters? The steepness of the ridge, the ridge's perfect northwest-southeast direction and the proximity of the next island over, Korcula, make the Peljesac Channel, and especially this spot by camp Palme an ideal location for high speed windsurfing, kitesurfing, and sailing.

The view from camp Palme over to city of Korcula

You can see in the picture above a few speeding windsurfer sails. They are pretty close to the shore of the Peljesac penninsula. Most windsurfers are like this, they will just pick the spot that feels like it has the strongest wind and stick there, cruising in and out. But when the conditions are just perfect, like the first day of Mistral after the period of stormy weather is over, you can take your windsurf all the way over, to the island of Korcula. The wind will be so strong and will last well into the evening, so you will be able to make the trip back and forth across the channel no problem.

Windsurfing The Mistral

You'll be able to leave your vessel at the beach at the banks of the City of Korcula and take a stroll to the city if you are not too tired. If you are familiar with Venice and Dubrovnik, the two competing pearls of the Adriatic sea, city of Korcula is more like Dubrovnik. Its silhouette is dominated by a strong and high stone wall that protected the city from the dangers of the pirates coming from the sea. The inner city is a mesh of curving streets and 3-4 floor houses built of stone. The legend has it that the famous explorer Marco Polo was born in Korcula and only later traveled to Venice and onwards to his travels to East Asia, China, bringing back to Europe many dishes and clothes that were until then only to be had in China. Venice, of course, vehemently disputes Korcula and claims itself as a birth place of Marco Polo.