Month: June 2024 (Page 1 of 2)

Trip was mildly horrified when I told him I wanted to go to Lakka Bay on Paxos. If you read the reviews, it’s clogged with charter boats that are constantly hitting each other and ripping each others anchors out of the sand. I told him we were heading south either way, and if he didn’t like it we could move on. At the least the sailing for the last hour or so was good, so he was in a good mood when we arrived.

We were lucky, there were only a dozen or so boats there, so we went right up to the front row (shallow water) and dropped the hook. The color of the water in this little protected bay is simply stunning. You can easily see why everyone wants to visit.

It was Saturday, charter fleet turnover day (everyone has rushed back to base), the one day a week things are quiet here. We were going to relish it!

Shore is cute. We walked around, bought olive oil and orange cake (for which this island is so famous), and had lunch. But all the great photos here are of the water, it’s the jewel. According to Greek mythology, Poseidon created the island Paxos to demonstrate his love for his wife Amphriti and its beauty represents their eternal bond. Awwwww.

And rather than lots of inconsiderate sailors, all we’ve seen are people nodding and talking and being rather polite in this tight little spot. Several have even appreciated our classic looking little boat and admired me on the manual windlass (the tour boat skipper watching me up anchor kept giving me a broad smile and multiple thumbs up). No regrets.

With the solstice upon us, we had an easy two-overnight trip down the coast. Unfortunately there wasn’t much wind, but the wind we did get made for some great sailing. The full moon made it easy to see for miles, even well past midnight. We dropped anchor in Sarande, Albania early in the morning. We didn’t clear in or go ashore, but friends Johan and Jenny of s/v Panic Major were back in our original anchorage and they came over (after we took long naps) for a good, long catchup. Jenny had outdone herself with the BBQ she had packed and we feasted for hours on board. It was so fun we stayed an extra day and spent the next day with them as well. Such good friends.

It was finally time to move on to Greece. The passage to Corfu is only 16 miles, an easy mid day run. Once again, we didn’t have good wind till the end of the trip (when the winds were picking up), but we take what we can get. We dropped anchor north of the city in a spot closer to the authorities that we needed to visit to clear in to the country.

The first day was a trip to the port police, followed by a long hot walk to immigration and customs (where they told us we had to go to the other customs office which is now closed). When arriving in your own boat, the formalities of clearing into a new country are mind boggling sometimes. These are the things we take for granted when we fly somewhere (customs and immigration all right there at the airport, no port police to visit).

The next day we split up – Trip went off to finalize clearing in and I went off to do laundry. Hannah had told me not only about the laundry but a great little shop up the street. I managed to snag a two dresses and two tops for 32 euro (when we went back later, Trip, of course, found yet another styling blazer for only 15 euro – pic to come when he finally wears it). We met for gyros for lunch, where Trip started his quest to pronounce thank you in Greek (epharisto). The taverna restaurant told him to stick to English, but he persists!

The next couple of days were a mix of errands and wandering around the old town, as well as moving the boat down to the picturesque, if busy, anchorage in front of the old fort. Stopping frequently for breaks (it is HOT these days), we walked up to the top of the fort and admired the entire bay.

The fort provides a great view of the city, and the bay is huge. It also allows for plenty of mega yacht watching. The cost to charter the three boats above (collectively) is well over 1 million euros a week! Unfortunately the tender drivers to these mega yachts tend to speed through the anchorage to the dinghy docks, making things a bit rolly. On the flip side, we had a stunning view of the fortress lit up at night, and were even rewarded with a concert and fireworks one evening.

Croatia was wonderful, some of the easiest sailing we’ve done in years, but it was time to move on. We got up at the crack of dawn and cleared out of Dubrovnik with no fuss. We were a little apprehensive, as we had not been able to check in with port police further north, and had been warned that we might be fined for this. Trip dressed his best (ok shoes, brushed hair, shirt with a collar and nice shorts) and we had no issues. I was shocked to see another boat pull up alongside (also to clear out) and the skipper and crew get off in bare feet to manage formalities – I think there’s a reason some authorities have issues with yachties when the yachties don’t show respect.

After all these days of easy sailing, Croatia decided to hand us a test on the way out. Our final night the winds had shifted from the SE to the NW. This would be favorable for us sailing south. However, an overnight storm stirred up the water, and what we thought would be smooth sailing were lumpy, bumpy big seas with a short period. The wind had come up stronger than forecast, and the sail was like riding a bucking bronco. Exciting for us, as everything was in our favor and we made it into Montenegro hours before we were expected, but glad it was only a day sail as those conditions can wear on the crew.

We came straight into Porto Montenegro with mixed results. After accepting ‘help’ from a marinero who didn’t pull the lines fast enough, we managed to smash the dinghy into the underside of concrete lip on the dock and do some damage. On the up side, we were able to stay on the dock there for a couple of hours, which allowed us to top off water tanks, do a load of laundry, take shore showers, and even pop over to a marina-sponsored BBQ which allowed us to catch up with friends that were still in Tivat.

It was a leisurely week in Montenegro. We dropped the anchor right in front of the Tivat promenade and enjoyed the show of all the local tour boats as well as a very talented water-jet-pack rider.

It was also time to catch up with friends. We were lucky to have enough time to see people en masse (BBQ, curry night), as well as catch up more personally one on one. We even managed to get in one last darts night.

And of course, more boat projects – namely dinghy fiberglass repair to the new crack.

And then it was time to head south.

It was time to rest for a few days. The wind was no longer in our favor and we had some boat projects to get done before clearing out of Croatia. Luckily, Kolocep Island was just the place to do it.

Natual swimming holes on the outside of the island. Note: the nude beach was luckily empty that day!

Kolocep is the first island outside of Dubrovnik, and is a popular day stop. Not that many boats stay overnight though, and the island doesn’t have any cars, so it was quiet enough to be just our style.

We went ashore after a day or so to explore and immediately found one of the friendliest cats and one of the most chill. Can you tell by their photos?

Each day we’d work in the morning, have lunch ashore, and then go explore. We found cool little coves, perfect spots for a cold beer. And lots of gorgeous flowers all in bloom.

We also discovered little old tractors of a sort with towing trailer that could haul gear or people all over the island. This is how the locals get themselves and their gear around.

We had heard about Okuklje from fellow cruisers, and as it was the location of the one expensive restaurant we were willing to try in Croatia, we wanted to give it a go. At Maestral, the chef is French trained, and like other places, you get a dock or a buoy for free if you eat there. Again, since it was the weekend, things were pretty quiet and we had no problem getting a reservation.

The village is tiny, just a cluster of houses and restaurants centered around a small bay. We grabbed a mooring and simply enjoyed the view, till it was time for a swim and dinner.

Dinner was totally worth it. We shared a sea bream ceviche, and Trip had a pistachio laced pasta, while I enjoyed the restaurant’s signature dish, squid ink fettuccine with shrimp and cheese foam. (I normally detest foam and think it’s a gimmick but this was amazing). Thank you Tihomir & Linda! (the owners).
It was really hard to move on in the morning (we strongly considered staying several days longer), but some winds against us were finally about to set in, so it was time for one more burst of sailing.

It’s hard to rush through such beautiful places, but we were only able to allot ourselves a month in Croatia, and the winds have truly been fabulous for sailing. From Korcula, we were off to Polace, which is part of the Mljet National Park. It was now high season, and the cost to be in the park with your boat is 100 euros per day! Luckily, we found out that if you take a mooring or dock space from a local restaurant, you don’t have to pay that fee. Even more luckily we had a recommendation from a fellow cruiser about this particular restaurant. And the best part was that Friday nights are dead quiet because all the charter fleets are headed back to home base for flipping on Saturday. We had the entire dock to ourselves.

We had some time till dinner, so we took a walk to the remains of a former basilica.

Then we went for a swim at the locals beach.

And then it was time to clean up for dinner.

We had pre-ordered ‘peka’, one of the most popular Croatian dishes. The cook builds a fire early afternoon, and lets it burn down to ash. They then add protein (lamb in our case) and whatever vegetables are in season), cover the dish with an iron ‘bell’, and let the dish braise for hours. It’s not inexpensive because of the time and effort needed, but it was a fabulous dish to sample right there. Of course the wine (plavac grape) is local from the island as well. What a treat.

Since it was so quiet on the dock, we didn’t have to rush out the next morning. We got up and walked into the national park itself, enjoying all the wildlife along the way. There is a huge lake inside the park, and the ticket includes a ferry that takes you around the lake and out to a monastery on an island.

It was a just a taste, and again we could have stayed longer, but we’re grateful we had the time to visit.

The winds we’ve experienced in Croatia have made for some of the best daily sails we’ve ever experienced (10 knots, relatively flat seas). The sail from Hvar to Korcula was probably the best of the best. We were wing on wing (main out on one side, jib out on the other), scooting down the coast toward Korcula. Apparently others had the same idea about the wind as we came across a few dozen kiteboarders and wing foilers who looked like they were having the time of their lives.

We scooted past Korcula town and dropped anchor by the Badija Monastery. Winds were still blowing pretty good, but the island sheltered us from the worst, and there was no fetch. We decided to explore the island first.

The monastery was lovely to visit, and sad as it had been looted over the years and turned into a hotel before it was finally returned to the church. Restoration has not really begun, and you could see the decay everywhere.

The island itself is idyllic, and we took an hour to walk the perimeter. I still cannot get over the color of the water in Croatia.

At the very end of the walk, we were lucky enough to come across the wild deer that live on the island.

On our way back to the boat, we noticed a neighboring catamaran struggling to up anchor. We went over to assist and found that they had hooked a huge piece of dead coral on their bridle (I have no idea how they could have done this). We managed to help get a spare line around the coral to free their bridle, and they were on their merry way.

It was too far to town with our little dinghy, but luckily there are water taxis available. After a slight mixup with the one we ordered, a friendly driver named Goran gave us a ride into town.

Korcula town is lovely. We sat by the water and had pad Thai (first time we’ve had Asian food in Croatia, but luckily it was recommended by a fellow cruiser), then wandered town in search of ice cream and local wine. We could have easily stayed an extra day or two, but the good sailing winds were calling.

The winds finally shifted in our favor, and with a great sail we were off to Hvar Island. Stari Grad wouldn’t give us the protection we needed, and Hvar Town is too expensive (100 euros per mooring!), and the anchorages were too far for our little dinghy engine, so we opted for a bay where we could simply relax.

We were a little closer to the rocks than I was comfortable, but the winds promised to be light for the evening, so we settled in. At dawn, I woke up to thunder (never a good sound in a tight anchorage), but was treated to an end-to-end double rainbow while checking our anchor and boat position.

After visiting Krka National Park, we took a ferry down river to the town of Skradin. Here we found a lovely restaurant overlooking the marina that served the famous ‘risotto skradinski’, a dish that takes up to 12 hours to make. Meat is roasted on the bone and then broth made from the bones and simmered for hours. The veggies and rice are added at the very end, and the dish is very tasty. It goes perfectly with one of the wines from the local Bibich winery (made famous by Anthony Bourdain and No Reservations).

We had just enough time after lunch to walk up to the fort overlooking town, and then to the Old Timer Car Museum. The collection of Yugoslavian, Russian and American classic vehicles was crammed into a building the size of an airplane hangar, but we got a personal tour of the whole place. The highlight for me was the VW Beetle outfitted by a local company called MB Verbanus with a wrought iron shell complete with 24k gold leaf and Swarovski crystals!

One of the places I regretted passing by without visiting was the Krka National Park with the famous waterfalls. You can bring your boat up a long narrow river to the town of Skradin and hike from there to the falls. We simply didn’t have the time as it was out of our way as we were moving south. But we had an extra day in Split of relatively calm weather (we could safely leave the boat), and take a bus to the falls.

Best decision ever. The falls take your breath away as you walk along inside the park.