More of Croatia and Into Montenegro

Hi all Sue here

Well its that time of year again and we are starting to head to our winter berth in Roccella Ionica, Italy.

In August Vikki and Courtney came out for a holiday. I wasn’t sure how Courtney would take to swimming off the back of the boat as she hasn’t done it before and that deep water can be a bit daunting!! No worries she loved it, getting her out of the water was the problem!! We all had a great time Kayaking, swimming and sunbathing, my daughter actually managed to read a whole book whilst she was here needless to say I didn’t. What are Nanny Boats for but noodling around!! Courtney said this has got to be a regular date now!!

Nanny Boat & Courtney	Family Fun

After they left we then met up with our friends off Purrr again for a few days of socialising before making our way back down to Split where my sister was joining us.

Chilling on Purrr	Krka Fort

We did a bit more exploring on the way. Krka Fort was an interesting place, free to look around and pretty abandoned. Surprised the Croatians havn’t made it more of a tourist thing and started charging. Then we took a trip up Guduca River and anchored all on our own, very peaceful.

Guduca River Anchorage (Krka)	Trogir Old Town

Trogir Old Town is lovely and I wish we had been able to spend more time here. Caroline joined us here and so did Purrr and Puff. Caroline and I had a day exploring the Old Town with a view to come back at the end of her stay to do some shopping but it didn’t happen as the weather wasn’t right. I’m sure Chris was just telling us that!!

Sisters Travelling in Style	Convoy up the River

The 3 boats all went out for a really nice meal to a very quirky restaurant which involved a dinghy ride up a river. Alright going but coming back in the dark was very entertaining as it was very shallow in places and I was imagining all sorts swimming around in those grasses!!

Night Out with Friends	The Old Mill, near Trogir

it was a very good night with great friends and the owners were very friendly. Mind you I dont think they get many customers arriving by dinghy at the back entrance. The weather was a bit mixed for Carolines visit and we had more than our share of thunderstorms but we didn’t let it stop us from having a good time.

Split Walled Town	Hailstorm at Split

After Caroline left we had a couple of days exploring Split with Purrr and my favourite day was spent on a park bench people watching whilst drinking beer from an off licence that Chris and Charlie kept popping to for more supplies. It was such fun just watching the holiday makers and locals go by.

While anchored at Split we had a huge thunderstorm with winds well over 40knts and torrential rain, that was all bad enough but then it was hailstones the size of marbles battering the boat and making the sea look like it was alive. The hailstones only lasted about 5 minutes but the storm seemd to last for ages, it was probably the worst we had all summer but at least it was in the daylight.

Through the Woods on Mljet	Ready for the Walls of Ston

The weather is cooler now so it was time to start our hiking again. The woods around Mljet were a good place to start, not too hilly and some lovely views over the lakes on the south side of the Island. Then we tackled the beautiful Walls of Ston, amazing views and not too bad going up but a killer on the knees coming down all those steps. The walls stretch for about 2km across a narrow peninsula between Ston and Mali Ston and rise up to about 180m above sea level, a very impressive construction and still in very good condition generally.

The Grand Hotel, Kupari	Risanski Fjord, Montenegro

On our way to Cavtat to check out of Croatia we stopped at Kupari. Here there is a bay of abandoned Hotels, aftermath of the war. They will be demolished one day to make way for a new development but then all history will be lost. Quite a spooky and sad place towalk around. The Grand Hotel is the oldest and actually has a preservation order on it but looks as if it might fall down before that happens.

The Walls and Forts of Kotor	The Ladder of Kotor Path

Now checked in to Montenegro and the serious hiking begins!! The walk up the walls to Kotor Fort are quite a challenge and glad we didn’t have to do it in the summer months. Best to pick a day when there aren’t many cruise ships in to do it as it can get quite busy and the steps are very precarious then!!

Falling Trees!!	Vrmac Fort

Our second hike was up to Vrmac Fort. Steps at the beginning are a killer but after that there is a really good path that meanders up through a forest gradually. As always I was following on quite a way behind Chris when I heard a noise like a shot gun, as I stopped and looked around there was another loud crack and a tree came crashing down inches from Chris!! Not a breath of wind that day so why it fell we don’t know. I know my place, I will keep well back from him!! The Fort itself is very well preserved and if you take a torch you can climb in and explore. I wasn’t too keen on this but in we went and it was very eerie inside. Going up the spiral stone stairs in the dark was the worst, knowing that there might be bats or even worse rats lurking. I am such a wuss at times!!

View From Vrmac Fort	Kotor Fjord From the Top of the Ladder

Our last major hike in Montenegro was up to a Dam way above Kotor Fort, 600m up and 11km. Won’t bore you with too many pictures of the views but they were stunning and well worth the slog. Shame pictures don’t always reflect things as we see them. It was breathtaking up there, literally.

Up In The Mountains	The Ladder Pathway

We had lunch at the top of the Fjord by the Dam. didn’t stop too long though a we didn’t think our legs would work again if we did!!

Church Ruins	Looking Inland

Well that’s all for now, our summer sailing season is over. We will resume the blog in the Spring and will hopefully include lots of pictures of Tuna that we are going to catch on our passage to Roccella over the next few days. You can all stop laughing now!!

Sue & Chris OUT xx