Kim’s blog- August 9, 2013
Our abbreviated tour of the Balkans is almost over.
We entered Croatia at the town of Cavat. We had heard that Cavat was a very difficult place to dock
due to the small harbor and heavy traffic. However, Croatian officials insist that boats must check in
with customs and immigration at the first Port of Entry. When we entered the small harbor at 8:30 am, we
were elated to see very little traffic. However, by the time our fenders were down and lines set,
the rodeo had begun. We dodged boats big and small and executed our first med mooring with the stern
anchor. The trick is to head straight into the dock and drop the stern anchor about two boat lengths
before collision. Despite the anchor chain jamming, we made a perfect landing in a small space and threw
the bow line to someone on shore. We were in a tenuous spot between two large boats and Sharon was ordered
to stay on board while the Captain searched for the Port Police. An hour later, we were happy to
leave Cavat without a scratch.
We spent two days in Dubrovnik, the prettiest city we have ever visited.
Dubrovnik is like Disney Land, except that the hundreds of medieval buildings are real. We particularly
enjoined walking the city walls at dusk and dining after the brutal heat of the day subsided. In 1991,
the Serbs and Montenegrins shelled Dubrovnik mercilessly- an event memorialized all over the city. I have
been reading a good book on the breakup of Yugoslavia, but the centuries of ethnic conflict is a lot to digest.
We
also enjoyed stopping at a couple of islands along the Croatian Coast. However, at Lastovo we had one of
the worst times securing our anchor ever. There were many anchorages in the bay, but the bottom was deep
with weed and rock. For five hours, we tried to anchor in six locations, tied lines to shore and
before finally getting the anchor to hold. A charter boat then arrived and anchored too close to
us, so we were up most of the night waiting for the boats to collide.
We are
now at the most northern point we will visit in Europe- almost 43 degrees North, roughly the same latitude as New Hampshire.
We will leave Croatia from the island of Lastovo, sail southeast across the Adriatic to Brindisi, Italy- an overnight
trip of 140 miles.
s/v Georgia J
Anchored at Lastovo
Island, 42 45.892 N, 016 49.330 E
