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.