Heavenly Hvar

After skipping through a number of amazing anchorages, we find our course set for the town of Hvar on the island of the same name. This is a city that has an energy about it. You can feel it in the air. It has been called the Mykonos of Croatia. Indeed there are a lot of nightclubs, café’s where people hang out watching the parade of people walking along licking gelatos of their cones and then their fingers. It certainly is a crowded port. Without the benefit of a proper marina, the town quay is jammed packed. But the bay the town encloses has moorings that you can tie your boat up for a slight fee. There is no real anchorage here because there is just too little space for boats to swing as the wind shifts. So we spend a day and night exploring the town and restocking our supplies. But the allure of a quiet anchorage is just too strong. So by the next day we head to an island right off the coast of Hvar.

The National Park at Miljet

Some islands seem to have inherited all the good looks in the family. Miljet is one of those islands. In Roman days, the rich and famous built grand vacation homes the remnants of which can still be found. In the 12th century some monks decided this would be the perfect place to build a monastery. It is a stone structure with vaulted ceilings and carved pillars. I have to say, if you are going to be a monk, this is the place to live. The island is heavily forested with biking paths that skirt its shoreline. There are two brackish lakes with clear turquoise water that dominate the landscape.

Marco. . .Polo

The first main islands we visit is Korcula where the town of Kortula is nested on the edge of a small peninsula surrounded with a 13 century stone wall broken up by watch towers. A cannel built by the Venetians further isolate the town. You evidently, can take the Venetian out of Venice, but you can’t take out their love of cannels. The local boy makes good is Marco Polo, who was allegedly born on this island. Though many in Venice would disagree, this island is ignoring the naysayers and is more than willing to provide the souvenirs of the young explorer to reinforce their claim.

Ston and Mali Ston

Further up the coast is the peninsula of Peljesac. We sailed into the shallow bay where at times the water was just inches below the keel of the boat. This is where the Peljesac peninsula narrows to just a few km across. Guided by red beacons on the port and green beacons on the starboard, we thread our way through the shallow shoals to the end of the bay. The Greeks first used this area to harvest salt from its natural saltpans that are still in use today. Later when the Romans took charge, they built a stonewall to guard this precious commodity. Later in the 14th century, one of the biggest fortifications in Europe was built across this narrow pinch of land to guard the rest of the peninsula from invaders. They laid more than five km of walls 41 towers, seven bastions and two forts.

1000 Island Dressing

The coast of Croatia is scattered with over a thousand islands. Most are not inhabited and the ones that are often have just a tiny village built around a sheltered bay that allowed the community to prosper. The stoned walled homes with red tiled roofs and shuttered windows have stood for centuries to shelter the families of Croatia. These coastal villages reflect the centuries of Venetian culture with churches, monasteries, palaces and fortifications that once guarded against other foreign invaders. Many of the islands have deep bays that have allowed safe harbors to nurture trade and prosperity. We often find ourselves anchored out in quiet bays with just the natural beauty of the forested coast and jagged rocks punctuating through the shoreline. For the most part, the beaches are pebbled and empty.

Crossing to Croatia

We leave Montenegro long before we are ready. But Croatia awaits us with new adventures. We enter the country at Cavtat, a postcard town strung out along the port. This is the most popular and convenient port to check in and out of Croatia. As a result we had to wait for about an hour for our turn to pull up to the Q (quarantine) dock. We shuffle through the process going from one end of town to the other paying fees, collecting the right official stamps and a few welcoming smiles along the way. After being scanned, stamped and filed, we sail on to the old walled city of Dubrovnik. It is a beautiful stony city right on the coast with a deep port on the opposite side of the peninsula. The marina there is first class with an infinity swimming pool, wifi, marble shower blocks a couple of restaurants and nicely landscaped green spaces.

Magnificent Montenegro

Just a few hours sail up the coast is the magical bay of Kotor. It is a gift to this nation to have such a large deep bay. Three stone fortresses guard the bay like Roman centurions still standing guard through the passing of time. There is a rain shower developing and the far end of the bay lightning is flashing across menacing black clouds. You could see the rain drenching that part of the bay. We head to the much closer port of Herceg Novi. It is starting to sprinkle as we cast our lines and tie up to the ancient stone quay. Within minutes, the sprinkles change to a downpour as we seek protection inside our boat. The storm blows over in about 45 minutes and we peek our heads out for a look around. We climbed to a nearby stone fortress that rises out of a steep rocked hill. The castle is not only intact, but is still in use today as a concert venue. Wonderful panoramic views unfold before us of this grand bay and red tile roofs of the town below. We hiked down the other side of the mountain and followed the wide promenade that follows the sea on the edge of town. This is a town that has money. Grand homes line up like an honor guard looking on to the parade of people strolling along the promenade that follows the shoreline.

Raising the Bar

About an hour up the coast we sail into Montenegro. As we crossed over we spot three dolphins on the starboard side of the boat doing their signature half-crest dance across the flat sea. They break the surface and descend like a needle and thread stitching together the fabric of the sea. The landscape unfolds into rugged mountains capped with white clouds ascending to the pebble and sandy beaches that kiss the turquoise Adriatic Sea. Our entry into Montenegro begins at the town of Bar, a modern well laid out city with wide palm tree-lined walkways rimming grand boulevards. Things are better kept up than Albania. Clearly this nation prospered under a more liberal government. In the early afternoon, we slide into a well laid out marina. Big swells push us through the harbor entrance and the wind is picking up dramatically. We tie up to the side and cinch the lines to the cleats as the famous Bora winds kick in full force. The winds accelerate to the point where you can hardly stand up outside. Yeah these winds definitely live up to their reputation. But by evening, just a strong breeze is left behind. Bar is an ancient city that existed in prehistoric times. The Greeks and Romans put their stamp on it along with the usual string of Venetians, Turks and a host of other occupiers. The oldest resident however is an olive tree that is over 2000 years old, making it the oldest tree in Europe and one of the oldest trees in the world. It still looks like it is thriving. Maybe there is something to this olive oil helping you age gracefully. The old original settlement of Bar is 4 km inland perched on top of a steep cliff that makes it inaccessible from three sides. Most of the original fortification came during the 10th century, but additional growth and fortification continued for centuries. Most of the old town is a maze of rubble, but some of it has managed to withstand time and held up. The thick stonewalls that surround the city seem to be as strong as the day they were laid. Some reconstruction work has also been done. It started to drizzle so we head back down the hill on stone streets lined with small shops. We stop at a small café where the young smiling owner is thrilled to serve us and show us all the stonework and woodwork he has done on his shop to carve a business and a life for him self. We stay in Bar for a couple of days to deal with the paperwork it takes to sail in Montenegro before heading further up the coast to spectacular Kotor Bay.