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Trip Report #4-2003: Greece to MontenegroFiled from Stari Grad, Hvar, Croatia043 11.0 N 16 35.8 EJune 25, 2003
Photo: Kotor, Montenegro Once we sailed out of the Gulf of Corinth and the Gulf of Patras, we were in the Ionian Sea again. It seems as though we fairly flew through the Ionian islands that we enjoyed so much when we were here the first time, a few years ago. The days were very warm and hazy, so hazy that picture taking was almost impossible. We kept a routine of leaving early in the day, motoring until the wind came up in the afternoon, and then sailing until sunset. We anchored in a small bay on the rocky island of Atoko and left at dawn bound for Nidri, where we stayed two days in Vlikho Bay. The bay is huge, virtually protected on all sides, and has 20 foot depths all around with good holding. We could swim, enjoy the town and get to the internet there. We found a new internet cafe close to the dinghy landing with very fast connections and new equipment. Best of all, Tom could use his USB card reader there to save time. Internet cafes in Greece seem to charge a set fee of 4.50 Euros ($5.36 USD) per hour. We heard from friends, Terry and Sue on Mardling, that they were still in Gouvia Marina on Corfu and we were determined to see them. We left Vlikho Bay early in the morning and motored to the Levkas Canal in time to catch the 8am bridge opening. By 4pm, we were anchored in the harbor of Lakki on the north end of Paxos. The harbor is ringed with tavernas and is a popular place for small tripper boats and charter boats, but we had plenty of anchoring room, away from the slight swell coming into the harbor. The next day, we were up early again and on our way to Corfu. Halfway to Corfu, Tom was making his ritual rounds of the mechanical things on the boat. He checked the bilges and found that we had a pretty significant oil leak. There was no wind and we had to motor; so he added oil, mopped up and found the source of the leak; and we continued on while monitoring and assessing the situation. We made it to Corfu and anchored in the bay outside of the Gouvia Marina. Tom was pretty certain that the problem was a loose drain plug nut on the bottom of the engine, nothing major, but very difficult to reach. The engine would have to be cool for him to work on it, so he waited until the following day, when he was able to tighten the offensive nut. After a long swim on the day of our arrival, we went into the marina to have dinner with Terry and Sue at Taki's. To start, we enjoyed a delicious trout pate, one of Taki's specialties, on toasted bread . Tom had grilled fish and I had a rabbit stew flavored with cumin, both of which were superb.
Photo: With Terry & Sue at Taki's on Corfu We had a great time with Terry and Sue and it was sad to leave them, because they are heading east and we are heading west and we don't know when we'll see them again. We left the anchorage at Corfu at 6 am and were on our way to Montenegro. We would have to sail through the Strait of Otranto and along the long, isolated coast of Albania. We stayed 12 to 20 miles off the coast of Albania for two reasons. Albania is still experiencing a great deal of social upheaval and criminality; and in the past, there have been many reports of criminal activity and piracy. There are also many remaining old minefields along the coast, reportedly safe now for surface navigation, but not for anchoring. We saw 2 freighters and 2 ferries from Italy steaming into the major seaport of Durres during the night, but no other ship traffic. In the morning we passed the border between Albania and Montenegro, and we breathed a sigh of relief. When we first planned our trip to the Adriatic, we were primarily interested in Croatia. Friends encouraged us to stop at Montenegro, and we're so glad we did. Montenegro is one of the six, mostly autonomous, socialist republics that previously made up the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a non-aligned communist state since World War Two. After a period of seeming stability following the death of Tito, war broke out in the area, precipitated by Slovenia's vote for independence followed by similar actions from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzogovenia. Presently, it remains, along with Serbia, part of the Republic of Yugoslavia. When we hoisted the courtesy flag in Montenegro, it was the red, blue and white flag of Yugoslavia. We entered the Bay of Kotor, which is a long inlet with 3 smaller bays within it, separated by 2 narrow passages. The points defining the entrance to the bay were guarded by large bunkers, no longer used. Customs was located at the town of Zelenika on a very large stone pier lined with large black ship fenders. There were no other boats on the pier. Tom took our boat documentation, passports, insurance papers, crew list and cargo declarations, to the small building with the big Yugoslav flag flying. The customs officials were very friendly and efficient and the process took about a half hour. It cost us approximately $110 USD to enter the country and obtain a cruising permit which is good for one year. Many people bypass the country because of the cost of entry.
Photo: South point at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor The sail into the bay was fantastic. It is the only fiord in the Mediterranean area and is surrounded by high mountains all around. This provides some beautiful scenery but also some violent weather. Sudden storms with high catabatic winds off the mountains occur here and anchoring and tying up need to be done with great care.
Photo: Narrow passage in the Bay of Kotor
Photo: Well-lighted point in the Bay of Kotor
Photo: Mountains dwarf towns in the Bay of Kotor
Photo: Island of Sveti Dorde in the Bay of Kotor, previously site of a Benedictine Abbey As we entered the harbor of Kotor at the head of the bay, we were surprised to find three American boats tied to the wall there, all people we knew from the Mediterranean Cruiser's Net, but had not met personally. We were really happy to meet them and after they helped us tie up, we all went into the Old City for dinner.
Photo: Tom, Joe (Right Choice), Jane (Escape Key), Ildi (Right Choice), Diane (Persistence), Fred (Escape Key), Peg, Will (Persistence) The food and wine in Montenegro are excellent and there is excellent produce in the market. The monetary unit is the Euro and we thought that prices were somewhat similar to the prices in the U.S., except for fuel, which is very expensive here, as in the rest of Europe. Tying to the wall in Kotor cost 7.20 Euros ($8.60 USD), including electricity and water, a night for our 12 meter boat. Tomatoes cost approximately 1 US dollar per pound (compared with 17 cents a pound in Turkey). A liter of extra virgin olive oil cost $6 USD. A nice dinner out cost about $30 to $50 a couple.
Photo: The market in Kotor, Montenegro We enjoyed touring the old walled city of Kotor and climbing the path up to the fortress at the top of the hill.
Photo: Street scenes in the Old City, Kotor, Montenegro
Photo: Part of the path up to the fortress from the harbor, Kotor
Photo: The harbor from halfway to the fortress
Photo: Starboard Home, far left, with 3 other American boats, Kotor We rented 2 cars and traveled through Montenegro, visiting the old capital, Cetinje, where we stopped for lunch and had the best pizza we've had in a long time. The countryside of Montenegro is beautiful and none of it is flat. Cows roam along the roads, grazing on the grasses growing on the hillside.
Photo: Cows grazing along the road in Montenegro In Cetinje, we toured the palace of Peter the 2nd, who was governor, bishop and renowned poet of Montenegro, and the nephew of Peter the 1st. The palace houses the first billiard table in this area, and the museum is called Billiarda.
Photo: Billiarda, Home of the governors of Montenegro The drive through the countryside afforded us some awesome views of the fiord.
Photo: View of the fiord, Kotor, Montenegro We drove up to the mausoleum of Peter the II, who requested that it be built after his death on a mountain overlooking Montenegro. The climb to the top was hard work, but we all made it. One section incorporates a stairway within a tunnel, presumably to protect people from the high winds on the crest of the mountain.
Photo: Tom & Peg at the site of the Mausoleum of Peter II
Photo: Ildi, Peg, Diane, Joe, Tom, Jane, Will & Fred at the top We enjoyed our short stay in Montenegro. It's a small, but very green and beautiful country. The people are very attractive and we were amazed at how TALL and slim they are. We're fairly tall ourselves, but we were dwarfed by the Montenegrans. They are very family oriented and more than one family stopped by our boat so they could get a picture of their young children on our boat. They also seem very reserved at first, but many walking by the boat stopped to chat with us. Most people speak some English and many are quite fluent. After 5 short, enjoyable days, we left to go to the Mediterranean Cruisers' Net Rendezvous in Stari Grad on the island of Hvar in Croatia. Davidjenje, Peg & Tom aboard s/v Starboard Home
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Grand Daughters' web pages: Anna's Home Page, Anastasia's Home Page Isabelle's Home Page
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