Greek Islands here we come!

Arriving at Montenegro, we motored up the Estuary to Kotor which seemed to take an eternity. The Estuary/Harbour is one of the biggest in Europe. On the way through, you can see old Submarine enclosures that are dug into the surrounding Hills, remnants from a previous era.

The Port Authorities at Kotor were the best we have dealt with to date and were very welcoming, we even stayed tied up to the main Wharf there longer than we should have but no one seemed to mind.

Kotor is situated right at the end of the Estuary/Harbour and is surrounded by steep high hills and I could see remnants of some remaining snow on one of the highest points. I’d say it must get bitter here in the Winter and the Bora wind comes down off the Hill sometimes reaching speeds over 200 km/h. We anchored overnight just in front of a derelict Hotel (Hotel Fiord) which looks like it was built around the time just prior to the civil war in the 1990s, The timing could not have been worst for the new venture and it was a shame to see it in the state it was. Someone had put a lot of thought into it with Tennis Courts and nice grounds at one stage.

The next day we motored out and went to Bar which is further south. We arrived at the Marina there and what is becoming a common theme, no one answered the VHF. We finally got hold of someone off a phone number after circling around for a while and got tied up for the night.

Bar had an area on the Foreshore for Families to come, eat and play and it was good to see so many people there using it. There were Families everywhere and the facilities were great, especially for the Kids.

We left Bar, heading for Corfu on our first decent long trip which would take us 26 hrs. Along the way we had some fun when just off the Albanian Coast at the closest point (5 NM) around midnight on a Moonless dark night, we lost our depth data and the alarms were going off every 45 secs. Then the Auto pilot played up and was out 30 degrees which had us heading towards land. On top of  that the Shallow Water alarm started to sound. By my reckoning we were in 450 meters of water and 5 miles off the shore, but being so dark uncertainty entered my head and I shot down below to take a fix on where we were on the Chart just to check we were we I thought we were.

Then Shelly yelled out that according to the AIS there was a ship in front of us,  it gave me details of a large tonnage ship directly in front of us. Bloody Hell, all this going on and now we are going to get run down by a massive ship that we couldn’t even see! Turned out it was a yacht called Tainui from Australia which we called up on the VHF and they were just on the inside of us and confirmed also our position. All was correct so we set the course and continued on steering off the Boat Compass and taking Hand held GPS coordinates to back up occasionally. Then the auto pilot and depth data came back on line on their own for some reason. Technology can be a good thing but can’t be relied upon.

We reached Corfu at 10 am and the common theme of the Harbour master not answering the VHF raised its head again. Do they have some aversion to picking up a VHF radio perhaps?

 We sandwiched Falshator into the old town Inlet besides an English couple and proceeded to get checked into Greece.

What an unbelievable experience that was, it took 3 hrs  and much walking to collect many stamps and signatures on bits of paper and dealing with not very cooperative people to put it nicely, before we got our Transit log and were all done, just what we didn’t need after 26 hrs of sailng and being awake!

So it was back to the boat and a couple of beers with the English neighbours. We decided not to stay there as they were dredging the entrance and the water was not good so headed out and anchored just out of Gouvia Marina for the night for some much needed sleep.

The next day we were in the Marina and caught up with the German couple we met in Dubrovnik as well as a couple from Switzerland who had a Hanse 445 too. We had a night of progressive drinks at each others boats before heading off to Dinner at one of the Mariners restaurants and had a great meal and more drinks that went on for a bit and we got to bed at 2 am. Thought this boating life was supposed to be relaxing!
We spent a day exploring Corfu township and its history and even had a ride on a Horse and Cart while checking it all out.

After a couple of days in the Marina, we were off going south and stopped at a little bay called Mongonisi on North Paxoi Island which is a great little spot.

We anchored there and went ashore to the local bar as you do and were joined by a Norwegian couple who were anchored next door to us. They were doing a similar thing to us and had spent a year on their boat and were on their way home to spend time with their family. The next morning we had coffee on their boat and he showed me some good spots to see in the Greek Islands for our travels. We left the Norwegians and Mongonisi and headed for Levkas. The Gennaker was hoisted and we had an excellent sail all the way down to Levkas doing 8-9 knts all the way.

   The Gennaker attachment stretched after all my nice splicing-bought in Croatia, made in Taiwan :)

The sails came down and we prepared to enter the Northern entrance to the Levkas channel. This was a pretty unnerving experience as it was blowing nearly 20 knots at this stage and I was not 100 % on where the channel was which is only shallow at the best of times. It wasn’t where the Pilot book said it was nor the Charplotter so I had to navigate it just by the colour of the water and the odd little red buoy that was there. The shallow depth alarms were going off again as we gingerly entered in and a few more grey hairs appeared but we made it in. Then we had to wait 15 mins for the Bridge to open which opens on the hour every hour. There was a narrow channel of 6 meters depth in the middle and 1 meter on the sides, so I spent the 15 mins going in reverse and forwards as there was too much wind about to sit and wait.

The Bridge siren was set off at the top of the hour and a portion of the bridge was raised. This was only 6 meters wide so care had to be taken going through with only 700 odd mm clearance either side of the boat.

It was a small journey up the canal till we got to the basin by the marina where we had arranged to go onto the finger that is run by the local Volvo specialist.

Once again there was no water and we backed the boat into a 3 meter space pushing the other boats aside with the alarms going off for shallow water and the depth gauge reading 2.1 meters, at a draw of 2.25 meters we were sitting in the mud. After the experiences of getting in and getting tied up and finally relaxing, the beer tasted pretty good!

Going South

Korcula was beautiful but it was time to keep moving and we headed down to the Island of Mjet where we tied up to a Dock outside a family Restaurant called Marans. The water was crystal clear and even though it was still a bit on the cold side for us old softies we both had to venture in. I donned my mask and ventured under the boat to make sure the Keel, Rudder and sail Drive were still there, all accounted for and looking good. Then it was up and a quick fresh water solar shower before a drink on the boat and then off to have a great dinner at Marans where Shelly said the Shrimp cocktail was up there with the best.

The next morning we cast off and motored out and set sail for Dubrovnik. The wind was on the nose so we were hard on with around 12 knots and steaming along at a steady 6 knots.
The wind increased to 20 knots and we reduced sail but still kept a steady 7-8 knots. I am pleased with the performance, the boat likes to be hard pressed and never feels uneasy on the Helm.

                                         Little Falshator all sign written up :)

After staying the night in a bay just NW of Dubrovnik we headed up to the ACI marina which is towards the end of the estuary that has a constant flow of Fresh water coming down it.
The Marinas are getting dearer the further we seem to go with Dubrovnik charging 87 euro (NZ $140) for a night and then they charge you extra to wash the boat down! Still the facilities there were good, with Fuel, Showers, Laundry, Supermarket and the bus right outside.
We were in good company with a father and son in their boat from Austria on one side of us and a German couple and some English on the other side. We had  the Austrians for dinner one night and had drinks with the others. I take my hat off to Allan the Englishman who was 70 and sailing his boat back towards England, he had been sailing for over 50 years and looked a picture of health, especially compared to this broken down 50 something year old.

After getting the Ray Marine specialist for the area to check out more 'teething problems' which also took forever to get done-3 days, we were off to the Harbour master and Immigration to clear out of Croatia and making for the Kings Wharf at Dubrovnik, which is right in the hub of Dubrovnik and we tied Falshator up to the Pier there along side the other Cruise ships that were there.
Once there we were told that they were too busy with the Cruise ships and to proceed down to Cavtat to clear out there. Now Cavtat is about 1 hr down the coast from Dubrovnik and Id heard that its not the easiest to get processed there. The wharf staff at Dubrovnik told us we had plenty of time as they worked till 3 pm on a Saturday at Cavtat and assured us that all would be good, so we motored the Hour down the coast. We got there around 1.45 pm and I radioed in, but got no reply. so we anchored in the bay and I rowed the boat in along with our Papers, only to find that the Harbour master only works till 1 pm and had gone home and they didn't work Sunday at all. So here we are in Cavat (which is a beautiful spot to be stuck for a couple of days!) and still waiting- I don't think Croatia wants us to go!

On our way!

After what seemed like forever, we are finally on our way and after fixing a few Teething problems with the Boat, we are now enjoying her.
The Watermaker is making 50 litres an hour and has a great taste to it. The Solar panels are doing their job as well, and even on a cloudy overcast day have sailed the boat on Auto Helm all day, and along with the Fridge and Nav Gear on they kept plenty of charge in the House Batteries.

We have been visiting the outer Islands from Split with some great Anchorages as well as spending some time in Milna and tying up to the Dock at Hvar which was an experience in itself backing the Boat into a small gap with no bow thruster and amazing how they packed all the boats in there. Spent the night having a few "quiet" drinks on the boat with some Germans that were parked next door to us which didn't finish till 4 in the morning. Had to get out of there as it was not healthy on the Liver :) Not a cheap exercise though staying on the dock there and paying the Port Authority  620 kuna (NZ $135) for the berthage, but hey when in Rome...

From there we stayed in a bay at Orebic Peninsula  for the night and are at present in Korcula which is famous for where Marco Polo came from and is beautiful. The history of these places never ceases to blow me away

Getting a taste

We were very lucky to be invited by our friend Zeljko, from the Croatian Yachting team around to his family home again where his wife and himself cooked us an amazing meal of Traditional BBQ (no gas-we had to cut the wood and have a few home brewed wines watching it burn down)pork, beef and fish along with Octopus which Shelly wasn't that keen on. He then took us up to the look out point at the highest point of the Hills looking over Split which was amazing. We are blown away by him and his Families Hospitality.

After many a day waiting for some form of work to be completed there came a time when we had to leave the marina. OK, we had paid for the Month and the month was up and so we had to get out of Dodge so to speak. :)
The Watermaker and Solar Panels are all up and running and doing everything I had hoped for with 50 litres of Fresh Water being made an hour from the water maker, and the Solar Panels when we tested them on a cloudy day, returning 16 amps.

                             The Echotec Watermaker, neatly installed under the front Berth.

We have had some 'teething' issues with some of the gear on board along the way as can be expected and now the Computer for the Electronic Nav Gear needs replacing amongst a couple of other things and won't be here for a few days. So the decision was made to get out and spend some time around the beautiful Islands of the Croatian Coast and go back to Karstela when they arrive.

I put the Gennaker in the sock this morning and test flew that in the Marina and can't wait to give that a good airing. The weather was great and we had a good sail out to Milna and anchored close in and had a quick bite to eat. Another check on the weather and we decided to move to another bay a bit more sheltered from the South Easterly that was predicted to come up through the night.

We picked a little bay where we could get close in and had plenty of depth and had Dinner on the back of the boat and watched the sun go down.

Looking forward to getting out to Hvar tomorrow and getting that Gennaker up!

All dressed up and no where to go

We have been living on the boat at Karstela Marina for 4 days now and the work is slowly progressing on the Solar panel support and the Bimini and Spray Dodger. The water maker is on board but still in parts, hopefully it  should be in and working  by the weekend.
We had to rerun the 2nd reefing line with another this morning as the one supplied from Germany was around a metre short and we couldn't get the main all the way up when I tried to the other day.
Falshator is ready for her maiden sail but we are pinned in at the Marina as the weather is not playing party. Its been blowing 40 plus knots here the last day or so and we had wicked thunder storms last night, the forecast is for more of the same tomorrow, so looks like the inaugral sail is on hold for a bit. Even though we are held securely by the four corner bollards, we are at present sitting on a 10 plus degree list just from the windage on the bare Mast and the Lazy Bags and the howling noise from the wind through all the Marina Yachts rigging is not exactly soothing. But thats all part of the game! :)

We have enjoyed the time aboard and have spent the last few days just getting to know the boats systems and Shelly has enjoyed playing house and setting her up.
When the box turned up from New Zealand and we moved the stuff from the Apartment out to the boat, we both wondered where the hell everything was going to go, but she has swallowed up everything with ease and there is still plenty of empty voids.  We have been down shopping for more odds and ends and getting her set up they way we want her inside.
I'm impressed by how much stowage there is on board and anticipate that when it comes to the longer legs, there will be plenty of room for supplies.

Below are a few shots of the inside

Zeljko, one of the Croatian Yachting team, took us for a tour of Salona and we ended up at his house in Klis. We met his family and had special treats of home made Smoked meats and Anchovies and Capers in his own Olive Oil, all washed down with his home made wine which was superb. He also makes his own Whiskey and Liquers, a talent handed down by his Father and from generations prior. The family have lived in the same family home for over 500 years and it just oozes History.
He gave us a couple of bottles directly out of one of his Barrels and we will leave them for  a special occasion.
His wife has offered to cook us some Octopus, which Im dying to try but Shellys not that keen for some reason :)

The old shopping bag on wheels! Ideal for walking back with supplies from the local. :)

Day tripping

The weekend came upon us and there is still not a lot happening on the boat due to items that still haven't turned up. (I think it would have been quicker to mount the outboard to our box of personal goods and motor it up here myself!)
So we decided to get out of Split and see some sights.
The Fortress of Klis is an amazing castle/Fortress that was built originally in the BC era. It is situated on a high ridge way up in the mountain ranges with 360 deg views taking in Split and the Sea area around it and all areas coming into Split by land as well.
How they built this is beyond belief as it is on a very narrow ridge and has sheer drops all round. It had been a sight of numerous take overs, especially by the Turks. The French even had their flag there for a bit, but now rests firmly in Croatian hands. Could not get over how we were so high up on a ridge there and there were water wells everywhere.
It now has a thriving community built below it on the slopes and is well worth a visit.

                   Sitting on one of the wells!


From there, we drove some 2 hrs up to Krka National Park which has the pictureous Waterfalls that they used for Milling flour and the Mills still stand and are part of the park attractions. It dates back to the Roman era who established a Military camp there. It was also the place of the first Hydro station back in 1895 generating power so Sibenik had power before many other European Cities did.
The stairs to the top which are a sight of their own, were a challenge for us not being in exactly tip top fitness, but we managed it without any heart attacks. Another great place to see, and the drive back through the country was interesting to see how people out there live their lives.

She's in the water!

Finally today we got the boat into the water! After all the waiting around, the crane arrived and we had very little time to paint the remaining hull spots where the supports had been with anti foul. The boat was lifted off the supports and it was a flurry of action. Shelly performed the ceremony with the breaking of the Bottle of Champers (which we had brought all the way from NZ, compliments of friends Robyn and Stuart) and a little speech. Then she was in the water with Vicko on board starting the engine. He stopped momentarily and waved his hands around frantically, then disappeared down stairs. A crease of the old worry line developed on my forrid, but then he came up with a beaming smile yelling in his broken english - "Its Ok, No leaks!"
He proceeded to drive Falshator out of the crane dock and turn her around and bring her in Bow in. In another flurry of action, the Mast was wheeled up beside the boat, a sling wrapped around it and within 5 mins the mast was in.
Shelly handed me another Bottle of the fizzy stuff with which I climbed on board, popped the cork and spilled some over Falshators Port and Starboard forward sides, -another thing we had to do according to Google. Then everyone on board including the Mast boys had a celebratory drink to the new boat.
We then had discussions with local Contractors on building the Solar Panel support off my drawings. Its proving to be a bit of a challenge with the language barrier and the fact that they hadn't built anything like it before. The area caters for the huge Charter business, so no need for Solar Panels and Water makers. Which by the way there is still no sign of the water maker or our Box with the Solar panels in it. We just have to adapt the Split philosophy on this- Hey, no stress, it will happen!

Ok, back to my pizza and the $3.00 bottle of red wine :)