Deja Vu

Arrival in Albania

Tuesday 26th June – We had an uneventful trip from Erikoussa to the Gulf of Vlore. The highlights included the sunrise over Albania again and a visit from a pod of dolphins!

Hoisting the flag — Hoisting the Albanian flag

As we rounded the long peninsular that forms the entrance to the Gulf of Vlore we spotted hundreds of abandoned bunkers littering the hillsides . This is supposed to be a very busy port, but we saw no boats, no one, nothing at all. It was eerily silent.

The Gulf of Vlore appeared empty of boats despite being a huge expanse of water. Ahead we could see the new oil export terminal and the buildings of Vlore. We headed for the main harbour to check-in as instructed and after berthing alongside a car ferry, were met by our apponted agent. Nigel left with him to do the formalities and Mo was in charge of the boat. As soon as Nigel and the agent had left she was beset by a gang of teenage boys wanting food, money, cigarettes and anything else they could think of. She engaged them in conversation that consisted mainly of No, and an attempt to enagage about football. Meanwhile Nigel and the agent were now offsite in an internet cafe copying papers and filling forms. Returning to the boat we were free to go and off we set to the small Orikum Marina, about 6 miles to the south.

This is a small but friendly Marina with a hairy entrance, narrow and shallow. Moored up and showered, we entertained three Americans from a neighbouring boat, the only other visitors, for cocktails. Dinner which we shared with them was in a nearby restaurant which provided excellent food and wine at prices left behind by the rest of Europe 20 years ago.

Wednesday 27th – We had not planned to sail this day as the forecast was for strong winds.

They were not wrong apart from the strength which the forecasters had underestimated. We took a taxi for the morning to visit the mountains of Southern Albania driving through the national park. The views were breathtaking as we climbed from fertile valley through alpine forest and into the clouds and on up, must have been well over 2000ft to a view of Northern Corfu and across to Otranto in Italy. We also saw a small boat with three Americans in a very uncomfortable looking sea, they were warned!

Road trip to National Park in Southern Albania — Road trip round National Park

A road apparently funded by the Italians zig-zagged down the mountainside to the coast where we visited beautiful and little developed sandy beaches. What a land of opportunity this is! Returning to the Marina for the afternoon we walked down to see the waves hitting the somewhat inadequate breakwater. (see above) I would not like to be around when the wind and sea really get going.

Farewell to Greece

Due to an unforeseen electrical problem we were obliged to spend 2 further nights in Corfu’s Gouvia Marina to get it fixed, and this we did with impressive efficiency by the local Marine company.

We opted for another trip into Corfu Town to visit the rather impressive forts that proudly guard the town and we did not want to leave Greece behind without another mention of Corfu Town. As described before the town has a lot of character and charm in its labyrinth of narrow streets. This time we headed for the fort and discovered a different part of town and once again enjoyed stunning Venetian style buildings, large squares and narrow streets with surprises around each corner.

Venetian style buildings — Venetian style

The Old Fortress was worth visiting, although the lack of any kind of information about its history was staggering. We had to gen up after the visit!

Built in Byzantine times on a natural peninsular, the Venetians turned it into an island during the 15^th century and successfully held out against several onslaughts by the Ottoman Turks in the 16^th century. The British has a presence 1815-1864 and thereafter, when Corfu became part of Greece, the fort was little used. During WWII the island was occupied by the Italians and then the Germans. Many internal parts of the fort were destroyed at that time.

inside the fortress — Inside the fortress

We left Corfu on Monday 25^th June, having checked out of the country officially, and we headed north.

We cleared the top of Corfu and set about tacking in the Westerley wind to the first of the Diapondia Islands, Erikoussa. Here we anchored in Porto Bay for the night – we could not of course go ashore! – in preparation for an early start north through the straits of Otranto to Albania.

Anchored in Porto Bay — At anchor in Porto Bay

Corfu and Paxos

Corfu is a long narrow island, over 30 miles long, and we checked into Greece at Gouvia Marina close to Corfu Town about half way down on the east coast. This well sheltered marina has reasonable facilities, and most importantly a swimming pool that we made good use of. It is home to many ‘live aboard’ couples on their boats, many of them English. We were disappointed to find a shortage of bays on the south east coast to anchor in, there were some on the north coast that we had passed by and a couple on the west coast, a long sail away. We took an afternoon bus ride into Corfu old town and were delighted with its character and atmosphere. It is on the cruise liner circuit and there were 2 large liners in port disgorging their passengers into the town. We hoped they were spending in the many lovely shops as the restaurants did not have much chance of attracting custom from them.

We soon set sail to Paxos and arrived on the north of the island in Lukka Bay. Lovely but oh so busy with anchored yachts. With little room left we anchored on the outside and suffered a rather rolly night. The village here though was charming, brimming with welcoming restaurants, bars and cafes and we took the dinghy ashore to enjoy a beer on the waterfront before retiring for the night.

A couple of miles down the coast was the main town on Paxos, Gaios, where we headed the next day. We anchored off to swim during the day and then went into the town for the night. Another delightful place. Paxos is renowned as the jewel in the North Ionian isles and it is clear to see why. Would love to go back again sometime.

Time to turn back on Friday June 22^nd, we headed north across to the mainland and anchored in Monastery Bay. It has been so hot, swimming is as much as we wanted to do, as often as possible!

end of a hot day — End of a hot day in Monastery Bay

Saturday June 23^rd sees us back in Gouvia Marina to provision the boat and check out of Greece, as we plan our journey back to Croatia.

South to Corfu

A couple of sessions in the internet cafe studying weather forecasts and grib files convinced us that we had a good weather window to make a break for Corfu, a journey of just over 170 miles from the south of Montenegro, which we reckoned would take 30-35 hours.

It occurred to Mo that this journey time was much the same as travelling to New Zealand, a distance of over 13,000 miles!

Having restocked at Herceg Novi we set sail for Bar, the southernmost port of Montenegro where we could officially check out of the country. We had a fair wind and a broad reach and did most of the sail using the cruising chute. For those of you who have sailed with Mo and Nigel, you will be familiar with the angst this furling sail has caused over the seasons. This final attempt to use it effectively actually worked well so it looks like the chute is officially back on the sail list! Bar had a large and safe marina and the pontoons within it were owned or managed by different agencies. It was just pot luck that we fetched up on one largely occupied by Russians. Nigel befriended a local skipper who soon had our gas bottle filled thanks to his network of local friends. Bar itself had little to commend it, save the mountain backdrop, but it was functional for stocking up and setting of again.

Early on Sunday June 17^th, we checked out of Montenegro and motored off to find some wind.

We did not have to wait long for enough wind just aft of the beam to fly the cruising chute again. We set the compass course to South and made great distance averaging a very good 7 knots.

The wind freshened up to 20-25 knots so we reverted to white sails, and continued to make excellent speed until the going down of the sun killed the wind. Unfortunately the quartering sea did not calm and the night trip, under motor was exceeding ly uncomfortable. It was an exciting night of dodging ferries and cruise liners going through the narrow passage between Albania and Italy. Like bats they all travel at night so we were kept busy and were grateful for our radar and AIS!

We hugged the South Albanian coast as dawn broke. Mo was delighted to be on watch when the dolphins came to play around the boat’ s bow wave as as the wind came back we sailed the next 60 miles down to Corfu arriving around 2pm on Monday 18^th June.

Corfu lies at 39 degrees latitude and it is significantly hotter than Croatia and Montenegro lying at 42 degrees.

In true Greek style there was quite a relaxed approach to getting the registration formalities organised. The Port Authorities were only working a half day, so back to them tomorrow.

Quick essential cooling down swim in the marina pool before heading off to the bar to plan what we are going to do on Corfu!

Enjoying the Gulf of Kotor

With a forecast of strong winds we decided to stay in the Gulf of Kotor and explore further. We enjoyed recreational sailing with plenty of stops for refreshing swims and long lunches.

Typical shoreline in the Gulf — Typical shoreline - the old and the new

We found a sheltered overnight anchorage at Risan in the north west corner of the Gulf.

The Gulf of Kotor — Cruising the Gulf of Kotor

After a quiet night we awoke to storm clouds and rain, at which point the men donned wet jackets to do the morning bread run.

Ashore we explored the interesting roman mosaics before setting off to find a new lunchtime anchorage for a swim.

Roman mosaic at Risan — One of many roman mosaics at Risan

We ended the day anchored back at Kotor. Nigel’s seafood spaghetti was a big hit and the night backdrop of the illuminated city wall was stunning.

Kotor at night — Kotor by night - the walls illuminated

Our sail on Thursday 13^th June was a well reefed beat in a freshening wind to Herceg Novi, where John and Ada planned to depart for Dubrovnik airport the next day. It got a bit too exciting as we clocked a few gusts of 35knots and Nigel did stirling stuff mooring up in the strong cross wind. Deja Vu did some rocking and rolling tied up on the harbour wall whilst we all went to explore this very attractive seaside resort.

Moored at Herceg Novi — Rockin' and rollin' at Herceg Novi

Old town Herceg Novi — Up in the Old town

Climbing hundreds of steps to the Old town, we found the 16^th century fort on top, now usefully used a stage setting for Summer concerts and festivals. We were well rewarded with glorious views.

Following a recommendation from a Norwegian regular staying in the area, we ended the day dining at Konoba Feral. We ate enough steak to last us all week.

Friday dawned and it was farewell to John and Ada as their taxi swept them away leaving Nigel and Mo to plan the next stage of the trip. We hope to travel down the coast of Montenegro to Budva and or Bar in the next couple of days and thereafter the weather will dictate our next course.

Kotor

En route to Kotor, the biggest old urban area in Montenegro, we anchored up in Dinj Morinj for a much needed swim. Wow was the water cold in large patches, it felt like alpine melt, and we were sure there was a stream entering in the bay mixing with the otherwise acceptably warm water! We motored past Perast and the two delightful churches built on mounds of stones offshore from the town.

All of us on board, Nigel, Mo, John and Ada were overwhelmed with the town of Kotor. Even as we approached we could see the city walls coiling up the mountainside to fortress ruins on the top – it looked like a mini version of the Great Wall of China.

Approaching Kotor, can you see the walls?

At sea level, the walls encircled the old town and access was by only 3 gates, one of which was almost opposite where the boat was moored up.

Roman origins, Byzantine and Venetian buildings have given Kotor a unique mix of cultural influences. It was listed with UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1979.

The Cathedral of St Tryphon was a highlight, as was the Maritime Museum with its interesting audio tour.

The areas has longstanding traditions with ship building, defence and maritime activity.

We all set off to climb the city walls, and only John and Ada made it to the very top. Nigel and Mo set off to find refreshement in the cafe below!

Arrival in Montenegro

We had a brisk beat from Cavtat to the Boka Kotorska and we hoisted our Montenegro and customs flags as we rounded the forts that dominated the entrance to the famous ‘fjord’.

The scenery all around us was just stunning. The sun drenched mountains aloft just fell into the blue sea and we soon felt enclosed by them as we proceeded into the first of the three main bay areas.

We cleared customs at the new Porto Montenegro marina at Tivat. Warmly welcomed by a fellow Brit yacht with a much coveted bucket of ice, we were obliged to have a gin and tonic there and then! No complaints from the crew, we excitedly made plans to explore this extraordinarily beautiful area.

Leaving Croatia

John and Ada Roberts, our Farnham friends, joined us as Faye and then Tom returned to the UK. John and Ada feasted on a fast afternoon tour of Dubrovnik and we set sail the following morning, Friday 8^th June. It was warm and sunny with just enough breeze to sail down to Cavtat and this included a tack past Dubrovnik Old Town walls. Seeing this lovely city from the sea added a whole new perspective to its grandeur.

dubrovnik from the sea — Dubrovnik Old Town from the sea

We made time for a swim in Tiha bay before going into Cavtat and tying up on the harbour wall alongside the cafes and bars. We all enjoyed a happy hour in one of them before eating a great chicken meal on board.

Cavtat happy hour — Happy Hour in Cavtat

Big day on Saturday 9^th June as we checked out of Croatia and being told to leave immediately, we enjoyed a brisk beat down to the Gulf of Kotor in Montenegro.

Farewell to Croatia for now, we will be returning in a few weeks.

A week with Tom and Faye around Dubrovnik

June 2nd-June 7th

We provisioned the boat and got ready to go then headed north in a lively sea back up to Mljet. The forecast was grim and we needed a sheltered place to enjoy whilst 3 days of gales and storms passed through. Mljet offered shelter and the National Park to enjoy. We hiked and visited the Monastery on the island in the lake, we explored in the dinghy and the hardy ones went snorkelling. Most importantly we did celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee with a very fine bottle of champagne, courtesy of Tom.

monastery — Another view of the Benedictine Monastery

As the weather improved we had a good sail to Sipan and enjoyed a gourmet meal at Marko’s Restaurant in Sipanska Luka.

From there we anchored off a beach for a day of swimming and sunbathing, before heading for Dubrovnik once again. Our last night altogether was at anchor in Luka Zaton, just 3 miles from the Marina where we were to deposit Faye on Thursday 7th for her return flight home.

zaton — Eating on board at anchor in Luka Zaton

It was not long before John and Ada, our friends from Farnham, arrived to spend the next week with us. Tom has a later flight and returns on Friday 8th June, when we plan to travel further south and out of Croatia.

A Day in Dubrovnik

June 1st and Tom and Faye arrived on time to Dubrovnik. By noon they were on board, pretty exhausted having got up at 4am to make their respective flights.

We spent the afternoon in Dubrovnik old town and we all agreed that what they say is true. It is one of the loveliest old towns in Europe. The Old Dubrovnik we saw today dates from after the earthquake of 1667, when the original medieval town was destroyed by fire. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site .

Some of the most complete fortifications to be found anywhere, and in parts rise high to 25metres. The fortress walls define the old town. We wandered around in awe of the ornate architecture and the steps rising up to many levels intersected by tiny narrow streets accommodating the local houses, apartments, shops and restaurants.

We climbed many steps seeking different views, but these were best obtained from the top of the cable car ride.

aerial view — Aerial view of the Old Town

At the top, we found the fortress and a very poignant exhibition of the recent war when Dubrovnik was under attack from Serbian forces . It is very hard to believe that this was barely 20 years ago. Then bombs were falling and damaging precious buildings and homes, now tourists flock to admire the same buildings, many patched up with European funds.