Envoy is currently in Porto Camaro, Mljet Island, Croatia. We've had a delay in Blogging while we arranged internet access for Croatia, but will now be back to posts every five days or so.
MONTENEGRO
When we first arrived in Montenegro we bought a SIM card for our iPad for 16 Euro (about NZ$25) giving us 3Gb and 30 days usage. There is no Vodafone here so we weren’t able to get a SIM card for our Mobile Broadband and solely used our iPad for internet. The iPad has been a great investment - thanks Brooke!
Bigova turned out to be a gem of an anchorage - well protected from all except strong SW winds with clean, clear water ideal for swimming.
Ashore was a rustic taverna called Grispolis, full of ancient relics from shipwrecks brought up in fishing nets over the years.
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Grispolis had their own beautifully maintained fishing boat alongside the jetty and offered a large variety of freshly-caught fish as well as surprisingly large lobsters - looked the same as New Zealand crayfish.
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When we entered the bay we saw several vacant moorings marked “Grispolis” and avoided them assuming they were something to do with Police. We later discovered they were owned by Grispolis and available for use by restaurant patrons.
Envoy anchored in Bigova
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Kevin relaxing with a good book and cold beer in Envoy's cockpit
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We were pleased to find the local people far more friendly and chatty than at Bar.
Cruising further north to the Gulf of Kotor we found a dramatic inlet that looks like a fjord, with three large bays surrounded by rugged mountains over 1,000 metres high.
This Gulf used to be a base for the once-formidableYugoslavian navy, but now you see rusting hulks of warships and abandoned submarine pens built-into the cliffs.
Submarine pen with blast protection
Unfortunately the Gulf is rather spoiled by large amounts of floating litter, but it’s still very picturesque with by far the most atmospheric town being Kotor – a very ancient settlement largely developed in its present form by the Venetians.
Here we moored stern-to the harbour wall for a cost of Euro 42 (about NZ$67) per night including power and water. Unlike Greece there is no requirement here to report to authorities when entering a new harbour, but only on arrival and departure from Montenegro.
After a promising start in Greece the weather has been surprisingly cold here at 16-20 dC, with persistent rain and thunderstorms, so we’ve been back to wearing jeans, sweatshirts and raincoats. The Gulf of Kotor is fed by many mountain streams reducing the sea temperature to a chilly 15d – too cold to swim.
Montenegro has a fragile infrastructure and power outages are common during these storms, causing havoc for tavernas catering for tourists.
But we made the most of it and enjoyed getting lost in Kotor’s narrow cobbled lanes, and Kevin and I also visited Kotor’s Maritime Museum while the two Dianes explored some of the quirky shops.
In Kotor we met an Australian couple, Greg and Julia from yacht Mojo, and have enjoyed spending time with them. They’re heading the same way as us so we’ll be seeing more of them in Croatia.
Australian yacht, Mojo, departing Kotor
TECHNICAL - nothing to report except that the saloon window seals Chris and I replaced have had a darn good test with lots of heavy wind-driven rain and don’t leak at all.
ENVOY LOG (TO 31/5/13) - 65 days aboard so far this year, 432 miles cruised for 86 engine hours.
MONTENEGRO
When we first arrived in Montenegro we bought a SIM card for our iPad for 16 Euro (about NZ$25) giving us 3Gb and 30 days usage. There is no Vodafone here so we weren’t able to get a SIM card for our Mobile Broadband and solely used our iPad for internet. The iPad has been a great investment - thanks Brooke!
Bigova turned out to be a gem of an anchorage - well protected from all except strong SW winds with clean, clear water ideal for swimming.
Ashore was a rustic taverna called Grispolis, full of ancient relics from shipwrecks brought up in fishing nets over the years.
.JPG)
Grispolis had their own beautifully maintained fishing boat alongside the jetty and offered a large variety of freshly-caught fish as well as surprisingly large lobsters - looked the same as New Zealand crayfish.
.JPG)
When we entered the bay we saw several vacant moorings marked “Grispolis” and avoided them assuming they were something to do with Police. We later discovered they were owned by Grispolis and available for use by restaurant patrons.
Envoy anchored in Bigova
.JPG)
Kevin relaxing with a good book and cold beer in Envoy's cockpit
.JPG)
We were pleased to find the local people far more friendly and chatty than at Bar.
Cruising further north to the Gulf of Kotor we found a dramatic inlet that looks like a fjord, with three large bays surrounded by rugged mountains over 1,000 metres high.
This Gulf used to be a base for the once-formidableYugoslavian navy, but now you see rusting hulks of warships and abandoned submarine pens built-into the cliffs.
Submarine pen with blast protection
Unfortunately the Gulf is rather spoiled by large amounts of floating litter, but it’s still very picturesque with by far the most atmospheric town being Kotor – a very ancient settlement largely developed in its present form by the Venetians.
Here we moored stern-to the harbour wall for a cost of Euro 42 (about NZ$67) per night including power and water. Unlike Greece there is no requirement here to report to authorities when entering a new harbour, but only on arrival and departure from Montenegro.
After a promising start in Greece the weather has been surprisingly cold here at 16-20 dC, with persistent rain and thunderstorms, so we’ve been back to wearing jeans, sweatshirts and raincoats. The Gulf of Kotor is fed by many mountain streams reducing the sea temperature to a chilly 15d – too cold to swim.
Montenegro has a fragile infrastructure and power outages are common during these storms, causing havoc for tavernas catering for tourists.
But we made the most of it and enjoyed getting lost in Kotor’s narrow cobbled lanes, and Kevin and I also visited Kotor’s Maritime Museum while the two Dianes explored some of the quirky shops.
In Kotor we met an Australian couple, Greg and Julia from yacht Mojo, and have enjoyed spending time with them. They’re heading the same way as us so we’ll be seeing more of them in Croatia.
Australian yacht, Mojo, departing Kotor
TECHNICAL - nothing to report except that the saloon window seals Chris and I replaced have had a darn good test with lots of heavy wind-driven rain and don’t leak at all.
ENVOY LOG (TO 31/5/13) - 65 days aboard so far this year, 432 miles cruised for 86 engine hours.
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