Rab, Lopar and the Mišnjak crossing: one road, two ferries

Rab is reached only by ferry, and everything that happens to a vehicle there is shaped by that. One state road runs the length of the island, two ferry links carry cars, and a car that cannot be driven has to be dealt with before it can leave.

An island with one road and two ramps

The D105 is the island's only through road: 22.7 kilometres from the ferry port at Lopar in the north, through Supetarska Draga, Mundanije and the town of Rab, to the ferry port at Mišnjak in the south past Barbat.

Two crossings, two different journeys. Jablanac to Mišnjak is the short link from the coastal road under Velebit and takes about a quarter of an hour. Valbiska on Krk to Lopar takes around an hour and a half and is the route used by drivers coming down the motorway through Rijeka. The fast catamaran from Rijeka carries passengers only.

A boundary worth stating: the mainland stretch of the D8 under Velebit, the bora and the queue on the coastal road itself belong to the Senj–Karlobag entry. This one starts at the ramp.

Away from the D105 the roads narrow quickly: the old centre of Rab is a walled town of stone lanes, and the approaches to the bays are single track with passing places. Most of the damage we see from the island happens at walking pace.

The damage patterns of the island

At the ramp and on the ship. Loading is done at an angle and in a queue: contact with the ramp edge under the front bumper, kerbing a wheel while manoeuvring, and low-speed contact between vehicles waiting in line. Damage to the underside of the front bumper is the single most common finding from any island journey.

Narrow streets and stone. Walls, corners and bollards leave marks at a defined height with stone dust in them, which is why the mark is worth photographing before the car is washed. Mirror contact in a passing place belongs to the same group.

Summer traffic on the D105. One road carries everything: cars heading for the ferry against the clock, scooters and quads hired for the day, and delivery vehicles. Rear-end contact where the road narrows and overtaking on the straight sections near Supetarska Draga are the typical events.

Where the vehicle gets inspected

A vehicle that cannot be driven has to be recovered off the island, and that costs a ferry crossing. Ask the recovery operator which port it is going through and where it will stand — Rijeka and Senj are the usual destinations, and the answer decides how quickly an inspection can happen.

We come to the vehicle. The order matters: photographs where the vehicle stands, before it is moved to the ramp or loaded, then the inspection. If a claim starts on the island and the car is later driven home, the second set of photographs at home should show the same damage from the same angles.

If the damage is noticed only after you are back, say so plainly and date it. Fresh damage looks different from damage that has stood for a fortnight in salt air, and describing the sequence honestly is stronger than presenting it as if it were found straight away.

Frequently asked questions

My car was damaged on the island and cannot be driven. What happens now?

It is recovered onto a ferry and taken to the mainland, usually towards Rijeka or Senj. Ask which crossing is used and where the vehicle will be stored, and note both. Once the car stands somewhere reachable, an inspection is normally possible within two days.

I hit the ramp edge while loading. Is that worth documenting at all?

Yes, and it is easier than it looks. Photograph the underside of the front bumper at a low angle, the ramp itself with the vehicle on it if that is still possible, and the ticket with the date and the crossing. Ramp contact has a characteristic pattern and it separates cleanly from road damage.

A wall in the old town marked the wing. How is that assessed?

By the height of the mark, its direction, and the material left in it. Stone leaves a different trace from another vehicle's paint, and both are visible before the car is cleaned. Photographs taken on the spot, with the corner or wall in the same frame, settle most of these cases without any further argument.