I'm feeling more than a bit guilty for not writing this up for a month, but my only excuse is that things were pretty hectic during that time (nothing to do with being lazy then.)
That was the end of the rat...thank goodness! We were worried that there may be have been more than one on board, but after a few rodent free days, it was clear that he was a lone operator, and we began to relax again. So far, the only evidence of his presence is the chewed mosquito screen - and as we heard about a yacht which ended up with seven thousand euros worth of damage after a rat got on board, we feel we got off quite lightly.
With Frank back after his trip to Jersey, we had just a couple of nights on our own before my Goddaughter, Sarah, was due to arrive. She was eager for a few days of sunshine, so we were aghast when we checked the forecast to discover that storms were scheduled to arrive soon after she did! And sure enough, after one beautiful day, during which we picked her up from Cavtat, motored down to Porto Montenegro and lazed around the pool for the afternoon, the clouds gathered, the heavens opened, the thunder roared and the lightning dazzled! The storm went on for 36 hours and was spectacular, with the wind rising from nowhere, battering the marina, and then falling away again. Once it had passed through, we hired a car and drove to Kotor, and then up into the mountains above the Boka Kotorska. The views were sensational, and the landscape away from the coast was amazing, especially the huge plateau at the top of the mountain. On the way back to Porto Montenegro, we got our first view of Sveti Stefan, the landmark island which originally housed a monastery and now a hotel, used in all the advertising blurb for this region.
By morning, conditions had improved and we were able to fill the tanks and retrace our footsteps up to Croatia. Having hoped to have a night at anchor off one of the islands, we were disappointed when the wind (which wasn't particularly strong) was all over the place, and so we opted to go into the creek at Zaton which had provided us with good shelter in the past. Sarah finally got some proper sunbathing in, but by evening the wind was rising a bit, and our anticipated meal at a restaurant had to be cancelled as we didn't fancy the dinghy trip or leaving Zaffina when she was getting blown around.
We ended up having a pretty appalling night! Huge gusts of wind kept pushing us around, seemingly coming from any direction, and the noise of the waves on the hull, combined with the anchor alarm which kept going off, prevented any of us from getting a good night's sleep. In fact, it was the worst night we can ever remember at anchor...and Sarah's first!! Not a great experience for her.
The next day we all flew home, as Frank and I were coming back to Jersey for Chris and Jenna's wedding. (What a fabulous occasion!) As Ken and Hilary were due to join us whilst we were still away, we left the keys for them and told them to make themselves at home till we got back! It was strange to return to Zaffina with guests already on board! As soon as we'd unpacked, we dropped the lines and headed out to sea, taking them to Sipan for our first night together, and introducing them to Kod Marka, the lovely restaurant which we have christened "fish or meat" due to the lack of menus. It was up to its usual standard, although I think the waiter, Gino, was pleased that we were a little less rowdy than last time...down to the company!
Croatia was determined to impress, and in lovely conditions we started the trek up towards Hvar, but as we went northwards, the wind came up again. With Ken at the helm, there was a sudden shriek as the bow cushions detached, flung themselves into the air and then into the sea! We had an impromptu and, I'm pleased to say, very successful man-overboard practice, rescuing both cushions before they got waterlogged and sunk beneath the waves.
With sea conditions deteriorating, we went into Mljet for the night and celebrated Ken's birthday with another good meal in the tiny village. Anchored in the pool nearby, Zaffina was inundated with wasps! Although they didn't seem inclined to sting, thank goodness, they were strangely attracted to the brightwork, and loads of them could be seen crawling over the rails, the wheel and elsewhere. They even landed on us, crawled around for a bit and then flew off. In the end, I made a jam jar trap which they were more interested in and kept them off us.
Our next stop was the lovely little town of Korcula, and the next episode in our eventful week - another rope around the prop! As we were directed into our mooring space, the marinero pulled up the line diagonally across the berth - and then wondered why it got tangled. Again, the marina admitted liability, and all was sorted amicably.
We finally completed our trip to Hvar the next day, returning to the lovely marina at Palmazana which was almost empty. When we went across to the town - the taxi was a high speed rib this time, rather than the slow boats on the route in the summer - we discovered that it was a local saint's days and there were massive processions around the harbour, bishops, monks, choristers and locals, singing and chanting as they headed into the cathedral. It was quite a sight to behold. In the evening, we went to a fabulous concert in a Fransiscan Monastery, where we sat beneath the stars in the cloisters and enjoyed an excellent programme of music. By contrast, when we came out and wandered back to the square, there was a live rock concert blaring out at full volume!
Ken and Hilary opted to get a ferry back to Dubrovnik so we could continue our wanderings around and north of Hvar for our last week, but when we enquired about the timetable, we discovered the last ferry had left several days earlier and the next one was due next year! The winter timetable simply didn't exist, and the only solution was for us to take them back to Korcula, where they could get a boat and bus to the airport. So, over a beautifully calm sea, we returned to Korcula town.
Hilary and I were shopping in Korcula when she suddenly realised that she had lost one of her diamond earrings. We went back to all the shops we'd visited and then back to Zaffina but there was no sign of it. The only possibility we could think of was that it had dropped into the water when she jumped down from Zaffina (we were moored side to) so the following morning, our heroic skipper armed himself with a mask and jumped into the marina. After his first foray into the deep he emerged with a battered tea spoon and we sent him straight back in again, but the second time, amazingly, he was triumphant and returned to the surface bearing the diamond earring in his hand. I'm going to send him down for treasure more often! Hilary was delighted.
We checked the forecast and realised that last week would have to be curtailed - high winds were on their way and it was time for us to start heading back towards our winter berth. Ken and Hilary departed on the 6am bus and after watching the sunrise, we dropped our lines and headed back to Mljet, where Frank nosed into an inlet we hadn't been in before. It was sensational! A tiny hamlet, with a few restaurants, a couple of hotels and a handful of houses, faced a little port, completely sheltered from just about every direction. We anchored in an adjoining bay and spent a glorious night on board, watching the sun go down over a completely flat sea. It was hard to believe that things were going to change in just a couple of days.
For our last night out of port, we returned to Jakljan, another favourite, and it seemed as if Croatia was trying to persuade us to stay, conditions were so perfect. During the afternoon, Frank backed Zaffina up to a tiny pontoon in the anchorage, I leapt ashore and he paraded our lovely Azimut in the bay in front of me, whilst I took photographs and videos for Motor Boat & Yachting Magazine. In the evening we watched the sky melt from blue to lemong to gold as the sun dropped and the night descended. We promised ourselves a swim with the sunrise, but when we got up in the morning, the day was beautiful but the sea was not - a passing boat must have emptied its black water tanks in the vicinity, and there was no way we were swimming in that! So sadly, we pulled up the anchor and returned to Dubrovnik Marina.
We had just 24 hours to clear the boat ready for our return home. In fact, it was more like 4 hours as the sun was still out when we got into port, and I spent most of the day lying out on the bow, taking in the last of the glorious weather, before rushing round, getting packed and clearing us out! By morning, the wind was starting to come up and things felt a bit cooler. We went to the office to check the time of the lift - Zaffina was being taken out of the water for the winter - to be told that the rate we'd been quoted didn't include the use of the crane! A rather large argument ensued, during which Frank threatened to take the boat down to Montenegro for the winter, whilst I blanched at the thought of making the journey again, until eventually they backed down and peace broke out. After that, everything happened remarkably quickly; we took Zaffina around to the lift out dock, manoeuvred her into position and then she was lifted. It's quite an emotional experience, seeing your home being removed from its natural environment, dangling overhead, and then put away for the winter! The hull was amazingly clean, barely a barnacle in sight!
And that was it, summer over.
Roll on 2012!
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Tuesday 14th September 2011
We wondered how Lily would get on with living on board. She's only 22 months old, and obviously has no experience of this lifestyle which is second nature to us, but we needn't have worried...she was great! The only place where there was room for her travel cot was in the middle of the saloon, which raised the question of whether or not she'd be happy sleeping in such a strange environment, but there wasn't any problem; if she was tired, she settled happily in there and if she wasn't, she let us know in no uncertain terms!
We decided to take things fairly gently for the week, as Jo wasn't too familiar with the boating life either. After a night in Dubrovnik, we meandered up to nearby Sipan and, after an afternoon in Jakljan, found a lovely, peaceful anchorage nearby for the night. Very conveniently, it had stone bollards for us to tie up to once we'd dropped the anchor, which ensured that we weren't bothered too much by the gentle wind which sprung up.
Our ultimate destination for their visit was Korcula, but we couldn't bypass Mljet without a stop off, and this time we went into the bay near the village where we dropped anchor and again tied up to the shore. It was a lovely position to be in and a quick hop across to one of the restaurants which line the seafront for our dinner. Last time we ate there, the place was full to capacity; this time it was almost empty, but the waiter expressed relief that it was so quiet after, he told us, three months of full houses!
Jo and Tim fell under Korcula's charm, as have all our guests, and we returned to the restaurant at which we'd had breakfast with Christian, Adam, Leonie and Brian a couple of weeks ago. It was just as good for dinner as it had been early in the morning, and Lily kept us entertained long into the evening. This time, however, we didn't follow it with a visit to the cocktail bar on top of the tower! As the weather forecast was a bit iffy, we stayed in port for a couple of night, and had one of the most overcast days we've had for a while, which included a brief shower of rain in the early morning. It was still warm, very warm and very sticky, despite the cloud, which had cleared through by late afternoon. Tim and Jo went out for a dinner a deux whilst Frank and I babysat on board Zaffina.
The next day we went back to an anchorage that has become a favourite, just across from an old monastery and by the channel leading up to Korcula town. Again, conditions were lovely as we whiled away the afternoon, and Frank and I had a fabulous dinghy trip before we left, zipping around some of the tiny islands nearby and deciding which one Christian needs to buy for his shack, his donkey and his bar! Lily got more and more confident in the water during the course of the week, and apart from swimming around in her little pink armbands, her favourite game was pushing either her Daddy or her Papa off the bathing platform and into the sea!
The trip down towards Dubrovnik was slightly bumpier than we've been used to lately, but not too bad. We put the speed up where the sea was a bit rougher and then slowed down again as we reached the shelter of the mainland coast. We had considered going into Sipan again but with the wind in the northeast, there wasn't too much shelter there so we went instead into Luka Zaton, the inlet near Dubrovnik, where we knew we would have an easy night. After an afternoon near the village, we moved deeper into the inlet to get the most protection when the breeze came up again later in the day, but we needn't have bothered; before we took the dinghy ashore for dinner, things had calmed down entirely and the whole inlet was calm for the night.
Tim, Jo and Lily left us on Thursday and, after four weeks of guests, Frank and I were looking forward to a couple of lazy days a deux. We retraced our footsteps up to Jakljan for our first night on our own, and had a lazy dinner under the stars. Frank woke me first thing in the morning (ie before 8am) and insisted that I join him for a swim whilst the water still had that calm sheen which is there before the first breath of wind flits across the sea. It was glorious, and certainly woke me up! After breakfast, we upped the anchor and took Zaffina off to explore the Stonski Canal which was lovely. We meandered up river for about half an hour, past tiny villages, wading birds and elegant villas, to salt pans and walled towns. A restaurateur was eager for us to tie up outside his establishment when we reached Stron but we declined and turned back towards the south, before striking out for Mljet.
We've frequently seen boats in a fabulous anchorage by an islet off Mljet and that was what we were aiming for as we crossed the channel between the mainland and the island. It was free when we got there, so after dropping the anchor, Frank backed Zaffina up towards a little concrete promontory and I swam ashore with the rope, making her fast to one of the bollards provided for that purpose. We were delighted with our position and had a lovely day, going across to the islet and climbing to the top where we enjoyed some sensational views and took loads of photos. In the evening, we went ashore for an extremely average dinner at a little restaurant and then returned to Zaffina for the night.
Frank woke me early in the morning. He'd been up on deck and discovered some droppings there and on the bow. Rat droppings. Horror of horrors, when we looked further, we realised that our nocturnal visitor had managed to get behind the window screens and was, without doubt, now somewhere inside our lovely Zaffina. After a search through the boat, which only showed us more droppings and some half chewed grapes, we upped anchor and returned to Dubrovnik, our romantic days at sea at an abrupt end. Frank managed to get a rat trap and after setting it with some smelly cheese, we booked into a hotel in the city, arranging with Boris, who runs a local chandlery and boat businesses, to check the trap in the morning.
He called the following morning to say no luck - more droppings but no rat. He put out more traps for us and some glue which is used locally in these situations. We booked another night in the hotel! The next day...success! Boris messaged to tell us that the rat had been caught and was now in the cage. Frank was due to go home to Jersey for a few days, but we decided that I should stay another night in the hotel just in case Roland had brought any friends with him when he'd done his trapeze act across the rope. Fortunately, this wasn't the case, and yesterday we had Zaffina thoroughly cleaned, inside and out, before I moved back on board last night. It was a bit spooky coming back alone at 10pm and hoping there wouldn't be any more nasty encounters, but the cleaners had done a fabulous job and, I'm relieved to say, there is no evidence of Mr Rat's visit remaining on board!
I have now ordered some rope shields to prevent any more unwelcome, nocturnal visitors climbing on board and we're determined never to have a repeat of such a nasty experience!
We decided to take things fairly gently for the week, as Jo wasn't too familiar with the boating life either. After a night in Dubrovnik, we meandered up to nearby Sipan and, after an afternoon in Jakljan, found a lovely, peaceful anchorage nearby for the night. Very conveniently, it had stone bollards for us to tie up to once we'd dropped the anchor, which ensured that we weren't bothered too much by the gentle wind which sprung up.
Our ultimate destination for their visit was Korcula, but we couldn't bypass Mljet without a stop off, and this time we went into the bay near the village where we dropped anchor and again tied up to the shore. It was a lovely position to be in and a quick hop across to one of the restaurants which line the seafront for our dinner. Last time we ate there, the place was full to capacity; this time it was almost empty, but the waiter expressed relief that it was so quiet after, he told us, three months of full houses!
Jo and Tim fell under Korcula's charm, as have all our guests, and we returned to the restaurant at which we'd had breakfast with Christian, Adam, Leonie and Brian a couple of weeks ago. It was just as good for dinner as it had been early in the morning, and Lily kept us entertained long into the evening. This time, however, we didn't follow it with a visit to the cocktail bar on top of the tower! As the weather forecast was a bit iffy, we stayed in port for a couple of night, and had one of the most overcast days we've had for a while, which included a brief shower of rain in the early morning. It was still warm, very warm and very sticky, despite the cloud, which had cleared through by late afternoon. Tim and Jo went out for a dinner a deux whilst Frank and I babysat on board Zaffina.
The next day we went back to an anchorage that has become a favourite, just across from an old monastery and by the channel leading up to Korcula town. Again, conditions were lovely as we whiled away the afternoon, and Frank and I had a fabulous dinghy trip before we left, zipping around some of the tiny islands nearby and deciding which one Christian needs to buy for his shack, his donkey and his bar! Lily got more and more confident in the water during the course of the week, and apart from swimming around in her little pink armbands, her favourite game was pushing either her Daddy or her Papa off the bathing platform and into the sea!
The trip down towards Dubrovnik was slightly bumpier than we've been used to lately, but not too bad. We put the speed up where the sea was a bit rougher and then slowed down again as we reached the shelter of the mainland coast. We had considered going into Sipan again but with the wind in the northeast, there wasn't too much shelter there so we went instead into Luka Zaton, the inlet near Dubrovnik, where we knew we would have an easy night. After an afternoon near the village, we moved deeper into the inlet to get the most protection when the breeze came up again later in the day, but we needn't have bothered; before we took the dinghy ashore for dinner, things had calmed down entirely and the whole inlet was calm for the night.
Tim, Jo and Lily left us on Thursday and, after four weeks of guests, Frank and I were looking forward to a couple of lazy days a deux. We retraced our footsteps up to Jakljan for our first night on our own, and had a lazy dinner under the stars. Frank woke me first thing in the morning (ie before 8am) and insisted that I join him for a swim whilst the water still had that calm sheen which is there before the first breath of wind flits across the sea. It was glorious, and certainly woke me up! After breakfast, we upped the anchor and took Zaffina off to explore the Stonski Canal which was lovely. We meandered up river for about half an hour, past tiny villages, wading birds and elegant villas, to salt pans and walled towns. A restaurateur was eager for us to tie up outside his establishment when we reached Stron but we declined and turned back towards the south, before striking out for Mljet.
We've frequently seen boats in a fabulous anchorage by an islet off Mljet and that was what we were aiming for as we crossed the channel between the mainland and the island. It was free when we got there, so after dropping the anchor, Frank backed Zaffina up towards a little concrete promontory and I swam ashore with the rope, making her fast to one of the bollards provided for that purpose. We were delighted with our position and had a lovely day, going across to the islet and climbing to the top where we enjoyed some sensational views and took loads of photos. In the evening, we went ashore for an extremely average dinner at a little restaurant and then returned to Zaffina for the night.
Frank woke me early in the morning. He'd been up on deck and discovered some droppings there and on the bow. Rat droppings. Horror of horrors, when we looked further, we realised that our nocturnal visitor had managed to get behind the window screens and was, without doubt, now somewhere inside our lovely Zaffina. After a search through the boat, which only showed us more droppings and some half chewed grapes, we upped anchor and returned to Dubrovnik, our romantic days at sea at an abrupt end. Frank managed to get a rat trap and after setting it with some smelly cheese, we booked into a hotel in the city, arranging with Boris, who runs a local chandlery and boat businesses, to check the trap in the morning.
He called the following morning to say no luck - more droppings but no rat. He put out more traps for us and some glue which is used locally in these situations. We booked another night in the hotel! The next day...success! Boris messaged to tell us that the rat had been caught and was now in the cage. Frank was due to go home to Jersey for a few days, but we decided that I should stay another night in the hotel just in case Roland had brought any friends with him when he'd done his trapeze act across the rope. Fortunately, this wasn't the case, and yesterday we had Zaffina thoroughly cleaned, inside and out, before I moved back on board last night. It was a bit spooky coming back alone at 10pm and hoping there wouldn't be any more nasty encounters, but the cleaners had done a fabulous job and, I'm relieved to say, there is no evidence of Mr Rat's visit remaining on board!
I have now ordered some rope shields to prevent any more unwelcome, nocturnal visitors climbing on board and we're determined never to have a repeat of such a nasty experience!
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Wednesday 1 September 2011
August has gone - how the heck did that happen???
As I write, we're sitting in the marina in Dubrovnik, one set of guests left yesterday (Adrian and Family) another arrives in an hour (Tim and Family) so there really hasn't been much time to get on the computer and write up what we've been up to. Apologies.
As anticipated, we went from Palmazana - I think that's the right spelling this time, but don't quote me - up to Viz, a few miles out to the west. It was one of our slightly bumpier crossings, but then we've got used to the sea being pretty calm since we've been back here, and I can't say it was bad at all. On the southwest point of Viz, we found a nice little bay to anchor in, not the prettiest but it did give good shelter which was as well because there were quiet a few whitecaps on the sea later in the day and we decided to stay there for the night, eating on board and spending the rest of the evening playing charades (with a certain amount of cheating I fear!)
Next day we pottered around the coast of Viz, getting in really close to some of the small caves which indent the rocky shore line and then, when we were a bay or two away from Viz Town, finding a submarine pen hidden from view in an inlet! Frank nosed Zaffina right in, a wierd experience, with the noise of the thrusters echoing round the chamber. After exploring it for a while we went into Viz town itself, on a blisteringly hot afternoon and immediately set out to find some cool drinks - which turned out to be a bit on the wierd side! Christian and Leonie ordered pina colada which turned out to be about half an inch of a yellowy, milky looking liquid in the bottom of a glass and nothing else! Leonie then decided to have a spritzer instead, at which point the waiter brought her a tumbler of white wine and a glass of neat lemon juice! She was not impressed.
In the afternoon, four of us went to a nearby beach where Frank decided to go swimming with his one week old telephone in his pocket. It didn't enjoy the sensation. A group of elderly Croatian ladies were sunbathing near us and suddenly all went for a dip; they swam out a certain distance and once away from the shore, all broke into song together. It was lovely. In the evening, the port was much livelier than it had seemed during the day, with crowds promenading along the seafront but bang on 11pm,everything closed and they all disappeared - much to the changrin of the kids who were hoping for some nightlife!
The next day saw us heading down to Korcula as we'd heard of the sword dancing there and hoped to catch it. It was a beautiful trip, pottering along slowly and hugging the shoreline, and we were lucky to get a berth in the port. Once there,we booked a table at our favourite restaurant, forgetting to check the time of the sword dancing...and of course the two things clashed. Sod the sword dancing, we ate well! After dinner, our guests dragged us off for a drink, choosing a tower set in the walls of the town which had a bar on the roof, and was accessed by various rather dangerous staircases and a rickety wooden ladder! Health and safety would have a field day at home, there nobody cared! We made it up - and, more importantly, down - the ladder but didn't go too mad on the cocktails for fear of falling off the top!
Had a brief shop after breakfast in town the following morning, then back to sea but not very far. We anchored off by a beautiful old monstery, where deer were grazing near the water, and spent half the day just swimming and sunbathing in perfect conditions. Early evening saw us en route down to Mljet, another of our favourite places, where we anchored in a stunning little cove, tying up to the shore and swimming in the sea after dinner, with hundreds of fish following us around.
As Brian had only 9 days with us, we had to keep on heading south, and spent the following night at anchor at Sipan, taking them to another of those restaurants that we've really enjoyed on this trip. This is the one where there are no menus, simply a choice of fish or meat. Brian and Adam had meat, but that turned out to be just the main course, as the first 3 courses were still fish, even for meatlovers! The waiter eventually had to ask us to keep our voices down a little, when our singing after dinner wasn't entirely appreciated by other tourists (why not, I have no idea!)
We dropped Brian off in Cavtat as we made the usual arrangements for checking out of Croatia, then pootled off down the coast to Montenegro. We had told the kids about the yacht club there, with its amazing swimming pool, and I think it lived up to expectations.
The temperature was extremely high, day after day, but I think it peaked when we were in Montenegro. Adam and I went shopping at 9am one morning and before we'd gone more than half a dozen paces, the sweat was pouring off us. Someone said it was knocking on 40 degrees and whether that's true or not, I don't know but it sure felt like it. We were relieved, later in the day, to get out and anchor off a nearby island where we could dive into the water to cool off, and then we all sat in the cockpit watching a small fire on a hillside turn into an enormous blaze as it spread through the dry undergrowth. Eventually a couple of small aeroplanes doused it with great dollops of water and by the time we left, things seemed to be coming under control.
We had a quick spin around the fjord so our guests could see the famous landmark islands with their little churches on them, then, after spying some more fires breaking out on another hillside, we started the trek back up to Croatia where we managed, for the first time, to secure a berth in Cavtat. It wasn't as calm as we'd anticipated, and considering we were in port, we had quite a bumpy night, but it was lovely to be there and, whilst Christian and Leonie went out for a romantic dinner a deux, we had a not so romantic dinner a trois with Adam!
Our last day with my brood was spent at anchor in the inlet near Dubrovnik before we went into port and then into town for the evening, where we had an excellent meal at a restaurant where the boys (inc Frank) all lusted after the manageress who had the longest legs (and shortest skirt) imaginable!
Last Wednesday was turn around day - Christian, Adam and Leonie left, Adrian and his family arrived, all within a couple of hours! We opted to take them in to Dubrovnik for their first night, so they could see this beautiful city, and had a meal in the restaurant overlooking the old port that we had enjoyed a couple of times before. In the morning, we set out to sea, on course for Mljet which immediately turned into a favourite place for everyone. We anchored off again, close to where we had been a couple of nights earlier, and the children spent most of the afternoon and evening in the water. Dinner was a barbeque under the stars, then more swimming before bed - an idyllic day!
We have been incredibly lucky with the sea conditions, and they stayed good as we sailed from Mljet to Lestovo, an island we hadn't visited before. It was very pretty but we decided not to stay there and sailed on to Vis, where we showed our guests the submarine pen - they were as intrigued by it as we had been and impressed that Frank could negotiate Zaffina right inside. We anchored near one of the islands opposite Hvar for the night, then next stop was Palmizana, which was, amazingly, almost empty! We couldn't believe it, and feared that perhaps there was a mighty storm due to pass through and that everyone was taking shelter elsewhere, but that wasn't the case - apparently at the end ofAugust, things drop off for a while because prices are still high so everyone hangs on until Sept and gets a better deal on their holiday! The last time we were here, we'd spotted what looked like a fabulous restaurant on the other side of the island, and made our way there for dinner. It was fab - sitting on the terrace with paper lanterns swung through the trees and swaying in the breeze; the meal was pretty fab too!
The next day, Adrian and I took the dinghy over to Hvar to have a quick spin around the supermarket, as the fridge was looking somewhat depleted! We all went over later in the day, and ended up hiking up to the castle which stands guard over the town - the views were brilliant, although the walk up there in the heat of the day was pretty tiring! After a pizza dinner in the square, we wandered around the town for a while then got a taxi back to our anchorage.
We were debating whether to go back to Korcula with our guests, but everyone wanted to return to Mljet, which had proved to be their favourite spot of the holiday, so we retraced our footsteps south, stopping again at the monastery for a swim break before anchoring close to where we'd been previously at Mljet. It was as gorgeous this time around and a good choice for the night. The children had a great time driving the dinghy round the anchorage and going further afield with Adrian or Frank driving, and we enjoyed another barbeque dinner. Nobody wanted to leave the next day, so we stayed at anchor until the afternoon, when we moved a few miles to Sipan where we again dropped the hook for a swim. As the anchor went down, I noticed something fall into the water - one of the bolts from the anchor release had sheared off and disappeared, so it was rather nerve wracking when the time came to pull the anchor back up. Fortunately it came up ok, but once in place it was clearly not serviceable any longer, so even if we had wanted to anchor again, we were not able to. We drifted back into port at Dubrovnik over a calm sea and after our guests had all had a swim in the marina pool, we went out for a quiet last night at a small restaurant nearby.
And then suddenly it was quiet again! Adrian, Michael, Dominic, Howie and Chantelle departed yesterday morning so we spent the remainder of yesterday and this morning cleaning Zaffina in readiness for Tim, Jo and Lily who arrive shortly. Last night we met up with Ed Bailhache and Kath who are touring Europe, and had dinner together in Dubrovnik - another lovely evening. And that's about it really!
As I write, we're sitting in the marina in Dubrovnik, one set of guests left yesterday (Adrian and Family) another arrives in an hour (Tim and Family) so there really hasn't been much time to get on the computer and write up what we've been up to. Apologies.
As anticipated, we went from Palmazana - I think that's the right spelling this time, but don't quote me - up to Viz, a few miles out to the west. It was one of our slightly bumpier crossings, but then we've got used to the sea being pretty calm since we've been back here, and I can't say it was bad at all. On the southwest point of Viz, we found a nice little bay to anchor in, not the prettiest but it did give good shelter which was as well because there were quiet a few whitecaps on the sea later in the day and we decided to stay there for the night, eating on board and spending the rest of the evening playing charades (with a certain amount of cheating I fear!)
Next day we pottered around the coast of Viz, getting in really close to some of the small caves which indent the rocky shore line and then, when we were a bay or two away from Viz Town, finding a submarine pen hidden from view in an inlet! Frank nosed Zaffina right in, a wierd experience, with the noise of the thrusters echoing round the chamber. After exploring it for a while we went into Viz town itself, on a blisteringly hot afternoon and immediately set out to find some cool drinks - which turned out to be a bit on the wierd side! Christian and Leonie ordered pina colada which turned out to be about half an inch of a yellowy, milky looking liquid in the bottom of a glass and nothing else! Leonie then decided to have a spritzer instead, at which point the waiter brought her a tumbler of white wine and a glass of neat lemon juice! She was not impressed.
In the afternoon, four of us went to a nearby beach where Frank decided to go swimming with his one week old telephone in his pocket. It didn't enjoy the sensation. A group of elderly Croatian ladies were sunbathing near us and suddenly all went for a dip; they swam out a certain distance and once away from the shore, all broke into song together. It was lovely. In the evening, the port was much livelier than it had seemed during the day, with crowds promenading along the seafront but bang on 11pm,everything closed and they all disappeared - much to the changrin of the kids who were hoping for some nightlife!
The next day saw us heading down to Korcula as we'd heard of the sword dancing there and hoped to catch it. It was a beautiful trip, pottering along slowly and hugging the shoreline, and we were lucky to get a berth in the port. Once there,we booked a table at our favourite restaurant, forgetting to check the time of the sword dancing...and of course the two things clashed. Sod the sword dancing, we ate well! After dinner, our guests dragged us off for a drink, choosing a tower set in the walls of the town which had a bar on the roof, and was accessed by various rather dangerous staircases and a rickety wooden ladder! Health and safety would have a field day at home, there nobody cared! We made it up - and, more importantly, down - the ladder but didn't go too mad on the cocktails for fear of falling off the top!
Had a brief shop after breakfast in town the following morning, then back to sea but not very far. We anchored off by a beautiful old monstery, where deer were grazing near the water, and spent half the day just swimming and sunbathing in perfect conditions. Early evening saw us en route down to Mljet, another of our favourite places, where we anchored in a stunning little cove, tying up to the shore and swimming in the sea after dinner, with hundreds of fish following us around.
As Brian had only 9 days with us, we had to keep on heading south, and spent the following night at anchor at Sipan, taking them to another of those restaurants that we've really enjoyed on this trip. This is the one where there are no menus, simply a choice of fish or meat. Brian and Adam had meat, but that turned out to be just the main course, as the first 3 courses were still fish, even for meatlovers! The waiter eventually had to ask us to keep our voices down a little, when our singing after dinner wasn't entirely appreciated by other tourists (why not, I have no idea!)
We dropped Brian off in Cavtat as we made the usual arrangements for checking out of Croatia, then pootled off down the coast to Montenegro. We had told the kids about the yacht club there, with its amazing swimming pool, and I think it lived up to expectations.
The temperature was extremely high, day after day, but I think it peaked when we were in Montenegro. Adam and I went shopping at 9am one morning and before we'd gone more than half a dozen paces, the sweat was pouring off us. Someone said it was knocking on 40 degrees and whether that's true or not, I don't know but it sure felt like it. We were relieved, later in the day, to get out and anchor off a nearby island where we could dive into the water to cool off, and then we all sat in the cockpit watching a small fire on a hillside turn into an enormous blaze as it spread through the dry undergrowth. Eventually a couple of small aeroplanes doused it with great dollops of water and by the time we left, things seemed to be coming under control.
We had a quick spin around the fjord so our guests could see the famous landmark islands with their little churches on them, then, after spying some more fires breaking out on another hillside, we started the trek back up to Croatia where we managed, for the first time, to secure a berth in Cavtat. It wasn't as calm as we'd anticipated, and considering we were in port, we had quite a bumpy night, but it was lovely to be there and, whilst Christian and Leonie went out for a romantic dinner a deux, we had a not so romantic dinner a trois with Adam!
Our last day with my brood was spent at anchor in the inlet near Dubrovnik before we went into port and then into town for the evening, where we had an excellent meal at a restaurant where the boys (inc Frank) all lusted after the manageress who had the longest legs (and shortest skirt) imaginable!
Last Wednesday was turn around day - Christian, Adam and Leonie left, Adrian and his family arrived, all within a couple of hours! We opted to take them in to Dubrovnik for their first night, so they could see this beautiful city, and had a meal in the restaurant overlooking the old port that we had enjoyed a couple of times before. In the morning, we set out to sea, on course for Mljet which immediately turned into a favourite place for everyone. We anchored off again, close to where we had been a couple of nights earlier, and the children spent most of the afternoon and evening in the water. Dinner was a barbeque under the stars, then more swimming before bed - an idyllic day!
We have been incredibly lucky with the sea conditions, and they stayed good as we sailed from Mljet to Lestovo, an island we hadn't visited before. It was very pretty but we decided not to stay there and sailed on to Vis, where we showed our guests the submarine pen - they were as intrigued by it as we had been and impressed that Frank could negotiate Zaffina right inside. We anchored near one of the islands opposite Hvar for the night, then next stop was Palmizana, which was, amazingly, almost empty! We couldn't believe it, and feared that perhaps there was a mighty storm due to pass through and that everyone was taking shelter elsewhere, but that wasn't the case - apparently at the end ofAugust, things drop off for a while because prices are still high so everyone hangs on until Sept and gets a better deal on their holiday! The last time we were here, we'd spotted what looked like a fabulous restaurant on the other side of the island, and made our way there for dinner. It was fab - sitting on the terrace with paper lanterns swung through the trees and swaying in the breeze; the meal was pretty fab too!
The next day, Adrian and I took the dinghy over to Hvar to have a quick spin around the supermarket, as the fridge was looking somewhat depleted! We all went over later in the day, and ended up hiking up to the castle which stands guard over the town - the views were brilliant, although the walk up there in the heat of the day was pretty tiring! After a pizza dinner in the square, we wandered around the town for a while then got a taxi back to our anchorage.
We were debating whether to go back to Korcula with our guests, but everyone wanted to return to Mljet, which had proved to be their favourite spot of the holiday, so we retraced our footsteps south, stopping again at the monastery for a swim break before anchoring close to where we'd been previously at Mljet. It was as gorgeous this time around and a good choice for the night. The children had a great time driving the dinghy round the anchorage and going further afield with Adrian or Frank driving, and we enjoyed another barbeque dinner. Nobody wanted to leave the next day, so we stayed at anchor until the afternoon, when we moved a few miles to Sipan where we again dropped the hook for a swim. As the anchor went down, I noticed something fall into the water - one of the bolts from the anchor release had sheared off and disappeared, so it was rather nerve wracking when the time came to pull the anchor back up. Fortunately it came up ok, but once in place it was clearly not serviceable any longer, so even if we had wanted to anchor again, we were not able to. We drifted back into port at Dubrovnik over a calm sea and after our guests had all had a swim in the marina pool, we went out for a quiet last night at a small restaurant nearby.
And then suddenly it was quiet again! Adrian, Michael, Dominic, Howie and Chantelle departed yesterday morning so we spent the remainder of yesterday and this morning cleaning Zaffina in readiness for Tim, Jo and Lily who arrive shortly. Last night we met up with Ed Bailhache and Kath who are touring Europe, and had dinner together in Dubrovnik - another lovely evening. And that's about it really!
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Tuesday 16 August 2011
Croatia is everything we hoped it would be, and far, far more. We went home for a couple of weeks to enjoy a little bit of rain, wind and fog and a wedding (congrats Davina and James) and then, with great excitement and much checking of the weather forecast, hopped on a flight or two back down to Dubrovnik.
Since we’ve been back, the weather has been exactly as the forecast predicted: endless blue skies, cloudless days, warm balmy nights and just the occasional light wind rising in the afternoons. Perfect.
More guests came down to Zaffina with us, this time Christian, Adam, Leonie and Brian. On the way back from the airport, our taxi driver dropped Adam and me off at a big supermarket where we did a huge trolley dash in readiness for their time with us. Adam was highly amused by the café alongside the store which went by the appetising name of Café Scorpion! The rest of their first day with us went exploring the port and the pool and then in the evening we took them into Dubrovnik and gave them an idea of why we had raved about the city quite so much! In the early evening light, it looked even more beautiful than last time we’d seen it and quite a bit more crowded as, with all of Italy taking the month of August off and heading off on holiday, this really is the height of the season in Croatia. Fortunately we’d managed to book the restaurant we had promised to take them to, and overlooking the little fishing harbour, we dined on octopus, black rice, fresh fish and tender steak. After dinner we drank cocktails at a popular outside bar until the boys decided to drop ice cubes down the back of Frank’s trousers and we headed back to Zaffina. A good start to any holiday!
We’d promised ourselves that if we had a good sea, we’d move straight up towards Hvar the day after our arrival and sure enough, the wind was down and the sea was calm so once the port formalities were completed, we meandered back up the winding channel that connects the marina with the sea and pointed the boat to the north. Our only problem was that the plotter wasn’t plotting and navigation had to be done manually but in such perfect conditions and an easy sailing ground, it wasn’t a problem.
By the afternoon we’d reached a small island just south of Hvar where we’d anchored once before, and decided to drop anchor there again, this time slightly deeper into the inlet. A bit of a breeze had come up towards the end of our trip and was blowing across the anchorage which made life a little awkward when I swam ashore with the rope – the first time we tried to tie on, Zaffina pulled away before we were attached and the end of the rope shot back into the water and promptly coiled itself into innumerable knots. As I tried to untangle the knitting, Frank had the difficult job of trying to keep Zaffina in place until eventually we were secured by both anchor and mooring rope to the land. The boys swam ashore to check out the nearest café/bar whilst the rest of us lazed on board until the sun dropped in the sky and we broke out the barbeque for dinner. Afterwards, the six of us piled in to the dinghy and returned to the bar for liqueurs and ice creams, where we played a silly rhyming charades game until the staff, fed up with their clientele (not just us) turned all the lights off to encourage all to depart!
We woke to perfect conditions on Sunday and after demolishing a few croissants and swimming in the fish filled water around the boat, we upped anchor for the short trip to Hvar. Frank called up a marina on the nearby island of Parmezana but was told there was no room. However, once we got close, we decided to nose in and see if perhaps a space was available and thank goodness we did…berths are obviously allocated on a first come first serve basis, and with just four spaces left, we were given a perfect position near the marina entrance.
The marina here is more of a winding inlet with permanent pontoons around the edge than a proper construction but it is absolutely lovely. Crazy paved pathways lead from the boats throughout the island and the scent of pine, lavender and herbs hangs in the air. The ever present cicadas start their music when the sun comes up and serenade us throughout the day and on the other side of the island, just a ten minute walk away, there are two or three tiny, crowded beaches and some shady restaurants around a teeming anchorage. The taxi service runs from here to Hvar whenever there are at least five people ready to go, although they prefer to make you wait until they have a full boat, and can take between ten minutes and half an hour depending on which of their boats is running when you want to leave!
We opted for dinner in Hvar on Sunday night, and the town proved as beautiful as we had hoped. Our chosen restaurant had views over the main square and the marina, the food was good, the wine flowed and the music was…well, there was music! After cocktails at a noisy rooftop bar, Frank and I caught the boat back to Parmezana whilst our guests stayed behind to sample the nightlife. Their return coincided with the sunrise the following morning, as they’d decided to experience the full moon party, along with around 996 other people! (And bumped into several Jersey acquaintances whilst they were there!!)
Naturally yesterday was a somewhat quiet day – well, to start with anyhow! Frank and I left them all in their pits whilst we pottered across to have breakfast in Hvar and explore the town, another maze of tiny, winding streets dotted with tiny, cave-like shops. On our return, the four party-goers were waiting for the boat-taxi, bleary eyed and weary looking, (and one, who shall remain nameless, with a multitude of cactus thorns in his foot!) but ready to face the remains of the day! They took off for town as we prepared for an afternoon on the beach, where we spent a considerable amount of time cooling off in the deliciously refreshing water of the Adriatic.
All, especially the Famous Four who had had an eventful afternoon in town, had a quiet evening on Zaffina! I don’t think they’ll forget Hvar in a hurry, nor do I think Hvar will forget them (although not for want of trying!) Today we’re hoping to strike out for Vis, a few miles to the west of here, but we’ll be sorry to leave Parmezana as it’s such a delightful little island and such a perfect marina. We'll be back!
Since we’ve been back, the weather has been exactly as the forecast predicted: endless blue skies, cloudless days, warm balmy nights and just the occasional light wind rising in the afternoons. Perfect.
More guests came down to Zaffina with us, this time Christian, Adam, Leonie and Brian. On the way back from the airport, our taxi driver dropped Adam and me off at a big supermarket where we did a huge trolley dash in readiness for their time with us. Adam was highly amused by the café alongside the store which went by the appetising name of Café Scorpion! The rest of their first day with us went exploring the port and the pool and then in the evening we took them into Dubrovnik and gave them an idea of why we had raved about the city quite so much! In the early evening light, it looked even more beautiful than last time we’d seen it and quite a bit more crowded as, with all of Italy taking the month of August off and heading off on holiday, this really is the height of the season in Croatia. Fortunately we’d managed to book the restaurant we had promised to take them to, and overlooking the little fishing harbour, we dined on octopus, black rice, fresh fish and tender steak. After dinner we drank cocktails at a popular outside bar until the boys decided to drop ice cubes down the back of Frank’s trousers and we headed back to Zaffina. A good start to any holiday!
We’d promised ourselves that if we had a good sea, we’d move straight up towards Hvar the day after our arrival and sure enough, the wind was down and the sea was calm so once the port formalities were completed, we meandered back up the winding channel that connects the marina with the sea and pointed the boat to the north. Our only problem was that the plotter wasn’t plotting and navigation had to be done manually but in such perfect conditions and an easy sailing ground, it wasn’t a problem.
By the afternoon we’d reached a small island just south of Hvar where we’d anchored once before, and decided to drop anchor there again, this time slightly deeper into the inlet. A bit of a breeze had come up towards the end of our trip and was blowing across the anchorage which made life a little awkward when I swam ashore with the rope – the first time we tried to tie on, Zaffina pulled away before we were attached and the end of the rope shot back into the water and promptly coiled itself into innumerable knots. As I tried to untangle the knitting, Frank had the difficult job of trying to keep Zaffina in place until eventually we were secured by both anchor and mooring rope to the land. The boys swam ashore to check out the nearest café/bar whilst the rest of us lazed on board until the sun dropped in the sky and we broke out the barbeque for dinner. Afterwards, the six of us piled in to the dinghy and returned to the bar for liqueurs and ice creams, where we played a silly rhyming charades game until the staff, fed up with their clientele (not just us) turned all the lights off to encourage all to depart!
We woke to perfect conditions on Sunday and after demolishing a few croissants and swimming in the fish filled water around the boat, we upped anchor for the short trip to Hvar. Frank called up a marina on the nearby island of Parmezana but was told there was no room. However, once we got close, we decided to nose in and see if perhaps a space was available and thank goodness we did…berths are obviously allocated on a first come first serve basis, and with just four spaces left, we were given a perfect position near the marina entrance.
The marina here is more of a winding inlet with permanent pontoons around the edge than a proper construction but it is absolutely lovely. Crazy paved pathways lead from the boats throughout the island and the scent of pine, lavender and herbs hangs in the air. The ever present cicadas start their music when the sun comes up and serenade us throughout the day and on the other side of the island, just a ten minute walk away, there are two or three tiny, crowded beaches and some shady restaurants around a teeming anchorage. The taxi service runs from here to Hvar whenever there are at least five people ready to go, although they prefer to make you wait until they have a full boat, and can take between ten minutes and half an hour depending on which of their boats is running when you want to leave!
We opted for dinner in Hvar on Sunday night, and the town proved as beautiful as we had hoped. Our chosen restaurant had views over the main square and the marina, the food was good, the wine flowed and the music was…well, there was music! After cocktails at a noisy rooftop bar, Frank and I caught the boat back to Parmezana whilst our guests stayed behind to sample the nightlife. Their return coincided with the sunrise the following morning, as they’d decided to experience the full moon party, along with around 996 other people! (And bumped into several Jersey acquaintances whilst they were there!!)
Naturally yesterday was a somewhat quiet day – well, to start with anyhow! Frank and I left them all in their pits whilst we pottered across to have breakfast in Hvar and explore the town, another maze of tiny, winding streets dotted with tiny, cave-like shops. On our return, the four party-goers were waiting for the boat-taxi, bleary eyed and weary looking, (and one, who shall remain nameless, with a multitude of cactus thorns in his foot!) but ready to face the remains of the day! They took off for town as we prepared for an afternoon on the beach, where we spent a considerable amount of time cooling off in the deliciously refreshing water of the Adriatic.
All, especially the Famous Four who had had an eventful afternoon in town, had a quiet evening on Zaffina! I don’t think they’ll forget Hvar in a hurry, nor do I think Hvar will forget them (although not for want of trying!) Today we’re hoping to strike out for Vis, a few miles to the west of here, but we’ll be sorry to leave Parmezana as it’s such a delightful little island and such a perfect marina. We'll be back!
Friday, 22 July 2011
Friday 22nd July 2011
And after a zillion loads of washing, our next guests arrived! Actually, we managed to squeeze in a couple of lovely nights at anchor whilst we were still on our own, off the island of Sipan just a stone's throw from Dubrovnik. A deep inlet close to the village of Sipan gives great shelter and was the perfect place to drop the hook and this time when we put a line to shore, it was a far more manageable swim than my previous marathon effort.
Someone had recommended a restaurant in Sipan, so we booked it for our second night here and turned up in the dinghy to find we had the best table, in the corner of the terrace right over the water - gorgeous. The meal was pretty gorgeous as well! No menu - the waiter just came and asked if we wanted meat or fish and when we opted for fish, course after course was presented to us, including tuna carpaccio, a risotto to die for, octopus meatballs and a mouthwatering bass. Before we left, we booked a table for two nights hence and spent the interim looking forward to it!
Our next guests arrived on Friday, so we pottered back to Cavtat, where we had a rather awkward arrival, to pick them up. As we needed to fill the water tank, we were allowed briefly on a berth between two superyachts, but as we reversed back into position on the anchor, we ran out of chain and had to start the whole procedure again, all this with the entire crew of both the aforementioned massive craft looking on. Not good! Of course, by the time we were onto the second manoeuvre, the wind was blowing and Zaffina was continuously being pushed towards one or other of our neighbours, much to their horror. Eventually we got into place and it was with considerable relief that we were finally tied up.
Our guests arrived whilst I was out doing a quick supermarket sweep, and as soon as we were all on board and the water tank was filled (at a cost of £50!!) we were back out to sea and heading towards Sipan again. We spent the first of another two nights there in an inlet we'd visited with our previous visitors, where there is nothing but an abandoned hotel on the shore, and the second night back near the village where together we all enjoyed the meal Frank and I had been eagerly anticipating for two days.
New batteries were due to be fitted on Zaffina, so we took ourselves into Dubrovnik Marina on Sunday night in anticipation and all was carried out quickly and successfully on Monday morning, leaving us the rest of the day for a visit to the city. Even having seen it before, we were still bowled over by the beauty and majesty of this walled citadel and we discovered another fabulous restaurant for lunch with views over a busy little port where the tourist boats arrive and depart. In the evening we dined in one of the lively squares, songbirds swooping overhead and crowds milling about throughout the meal.
It was back to Cavtat (now known as Satnav)over a bumpy sea the next day. We attempted to get back on the private mooring which had proved so useful a couple of weeks ago, but it was impossible to lift the rope required to attach Zaffina's stern and in the end we had to abandon our attempt and instead drop the anchor in a bay close to the port. It wasn't as sheltered as we had hoped and the wind was constant, so what had promised to be a relaxing day on the water turned into quite a noisy, breezy one. Our guests left early the following morning but, with no spaces available in the marina and the sea too rough to make a dash down to Montenegro, we stayed put and endured a very forgettable 18 hours of rock and roll. The wind finally abated some time during the night before last and early yesterday morning we went back into port in order to complete the tedious check out facilities (we asked if we could go ashore in the dinghy to do the paperwork but no, we had to move Zaffina and tie up briefly on the quayside, which turned into another saga when the anchor chain started to play up!)Finally we were on our way and within a couple of hours, entering the Boka Kotorska and approaching Porto Montenegro. The further we went, the more the wind came up again and we were glad that we had set off so early in the morning; it wasn't until we got into the fjord that the water flattened out until it was silky smooth for our approach into port.
And here we are, back in Montenegro and giving Zaffina a good clean inside and out. The weather is still extremely hot - we read that Croatia has had the hottest first half of July in the last 100 years! - although there's a bit of cloud around and there was a shower at some point during the night. Fuel in Montenegro is less than half the price we'd have to pay in Croatia so as soon as the forecast is good (more gusts predicted over the weekend), we'll book up to refuel and then head back north. Since we were last here just two weeks ago, amazing changes have been wrought on the quayside. About eight new shops and several bars have opened in buildings which were still under construction a fortnight ago, a rough area has been transformed into a small park complete with dozens of fully grown trees, the yacht club and swimming pool have opened and a bakery is almost ready to start baking! Now all that's needed is a few superyachts to provide the custom to keep everyone in business, but they all seem to have disappeared! Guess we'll just have to do our best!!
Someone had recommended a restaurant in Sipan, so we booked it for our second night here and turned up in the dinghy to find we had the best table, in the corner of the terrace right over the water - gorgeous. The meal was pretty gorgeous as well! No menu - the waiter just came and asked if we wanted meat or fish and when we opted for fish, course after course was presented to us, including tuna carpaccio, a risotto to die for, octopus meatballs and a mouthwatering bass. Before we left, we booked a table for two nights hence and spent the interim looking forward to it!
Our next guests arrived on Friday, so we pottered back to Cavtat, where we had a rather awkward arrival, to pick them up. As we needed to fill the water tank, we were allowed briefly on a berth between two superyachts, but as we reversed back into position on the anchor, we ran out of chain and had to start the whole procedure again, all this with the entire crew of both the aforementioned massive craft looking on. Not good! Of course, by the time we were onto the second manoeuvre, the wind was blowing and Zaffina was continuously being pushed towards one or other of our neighbours, much to their horror. Eventually we got into place and it was with considerable relief that we were finally tied up.
Our guests arrived whilst I was out doing a quick supermarket sweep, and as soon as we were all on board and the water tank was filled (at a cost of £50!!) we were back out to sea and heading towards Sipan again. We spent the first of another two nights there in an inlet we'd visited with our previous visitors, where there is nothing but an abandoned hotel on the shore, and the second night back near the village where together we all enjoyed the meal Frank and I had been eagerly anticipating for two days.
New batteries were due to be fitted on Zaffina, so we took ourselves into Dubrovnik Marina on Sunday night in anticipation and all was carried out quickly and successfully on Monday morning, leaving us the rest of the day for a visit to the city. Even having seen it before, we were still bowled over by the beauty and majesty of this walled citadel and we discovered another fabulous restaurant for lunch with views over a busy little port where the tourist boats arrive and depart. In the evening we dined in one of the lively squares, songbirds swooping overhead and crowds milling about throughout the meal.
It was back to Cavtat (now known as Satnav)over a bumpy sea the next day. We attempted to get back on the private mooring which had proved so useful a couple of weeks ago, but it was impossible to lift the rope required to attach Zaffina's stern and in the end we had to abandon our attempt and instead drop the anchor in a bay close to the port. It wasn't as sheltered as we had hoped and the wind was constant, so what had promised to be a relaxing day on the water turned into quite a noisy, breezy one. Our guests left early the following morning but, with no spaces available in the marina and the sea too rough to make a dash down to Montenegro, we stayed put and endured a very forgettable 18 hours of rock and roll. The wind finally abated some time during the night before last and early yesterday morning we went back into port in order to complete the tedious check out facilities (we asked if we could go ashore in the dinghy to do the paperwork but no, we had to move Zaffina and tie up briefly on the quayside, which turned into another saga when the anchor chain started to play up!)Finally we were on our way and within a couple of hours, entering the Boka Kotorska and approaching Porto Montenegro. The further we went, the more the wind came up again and we were glad that we had set off so early in the morning; it wasn't until we got into the fjord that the water flattened out until it was silky smooth for our approach into port.
And here we are, back in Montenegro and giving Zaffina a good clean inside and out. The weather is still extremely hot - we read that Croatia has had the hottest first half of July in the last 100 years! - although there's a bit of cloud around and there was a shower at some point during the night. Fuel in Montenegro is less than half the price we'd have to pay in Croatia so as soon as the forecast is good (more gusts predicted over the weekend), we'll book up to refuel and then head back north. Since we were last here just two weeks ago, amazing changes have been wrought on the quayside. About eight new shops and several bars have opened in buildings which were still under construction a fortnight ago, a rough area has been transformed into a small park complete with dozens of fully grown trees, the yacht club and swimming pool have opened and a bakery is almost ready to start baking! Now all that's needed is a few superyachts to provide the custom to keep everyone in business, but they all seem to have disappeared! Guess we'll just have to do our best!!
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Tuesday 12th July
Our visitors came, and our visitors went home! The last ten days have been hectic and writing this blog is one of the tasks that somehow got ignored whilst we had a full boat. My other excuse is the fact that we've had problems getting online (it's always tricky in another country when you don't know the systems and, even if you do manage to buy a sim card, you can't ready the instructions!)
Regular visitors to Zaffina, Tim and Annabelle, arrived in Montenegro 12 days ago, along with Charles and Liz, and as anticipated, the weather immediately took a turn for the worse. It was still hot though, but the overhead expanse of blue was obscured by grey tinged clouds by the time our guests boarded, and it was a few days before things settled down again. We stayed in port for the first night, then took ourselves off to explore the fjord, spending a glorious, still, night at anchor before heading back to the ancient walled town of Kotor. Saturday night was spent at Le Galeon, a restaurant Frank and I had already visited, but this time we sat on the covered terrace as the rain belted down around us. It didn't dampen the spirits and the evening was punctuated by much laughter and culminated in the six of us abandoning our seats and dancing to the live music - something the other diners and staff clearly weren't used to!
Sunday started with a headache.
The weather was still iffy and having decided to stay in Kotor marina for another night, we wandered into the walled town to find somewhere for lunch. We hit lucky with a little restaurant which had only been open for a couple of days, where the staff were eager to please and the rooftop terrace gave us a lovely view over a square buzzing with tourists. After lunch, we continued our exploration of the town, and Charles, Liz, Frank and I somehow found ourselves on the path leading up to the castle which stands high on the cliffside overlooking the fjord. Tim and Annabelle had the good sense to abandon us and head back to Zaffina, whilst we climbed, and climbed, and climbed. By now, the sun had decided to come out again and blast heat at us, and whilst the views were amazing, the hike to the top was pretty exhausting, and the price of the bottled drinks on sale got progressively more expensive the higher we climbed! It wasn't quite the Itex Walk, but it still felt like quite an achievement when we reached the top, and quite a relief when we reached the bottom again!
Our main task on Sunday was to refuel in Porto Montenegro. Fuel here is half the price of Croatia or Italy but there is one stipulation - you have to leave the country within 24 hours of refuelling, so Monday morning saw us up and out at around 7am, and finally on our way to Croatia. As we left the fjord, the heavens opened, and instead of the glorious arrival in bright sunshine which we had anticipated, we sailed into Cavtat in the pouring rain!
Tim had been offered use of a mooring in Cavtat and once we had finished our check in formalities, we manoevred Zaffina into the space which was just a stone's throw from the picturesque waterfront. It wasn't until the middle of the afternoon that the last raindrops fell and the sun eventually came back out, but since then, the weather has just got better and better.
The four of us went for a walk around the little town before finding a restaurant on the quay for dinner, and the following morning Tim and I zipped up to the supermarket and fruit & veg market for a fridge restock in readiness for nights at anchor. Once back on board, we left harbour and headed north past Dubrovnik. We had heard about all the islands off the coast of Croatia, but hearing about them and seeing them are two different things! There are dozens and dozens of islands, all with inlets and coves to explore, and the sea conditions were perfect as we made our way to Mljet. We had also heard about the habit of pulling into a cove and being offered lazy lines by restaurateurs, and sure enough, when we got to our destination, we were immediately offered a mooring on the quayside lined with restaurants. The deal is that if you take the line, you eat at the restaurant, so it was a relief to discover that we had chosen well, and the restaurant we moored up to was probably the best in the village!
Mljet was lovely and is already earmarked as a place to return to, but we wanted to explore further with guests on board, and the next day our destination was the island of Korcula, where we anchored off in a wide bay and spent the afternoon swimming, eating and sunbathing. And maybe drinking a little wine. In the evening we went into Korcula Town which we had been told was lovely and sure enough, it lived up to expectations - another ancient, walled town, oozing with character. We ate dinner outside the walled town, in another new restaurant, and again we had a fabulous meal, after which we decided we ought to at least have a look at the town centre. As we walked across the bridge and under an arched gate in the moonlight, our feet treading on stones worn smooth by centuries of footsteps, the town bells chimed for midnight and it was a magical, memorable experience.
The morning brought us back down to earth! As we came to pull out of our mooring we had been warned to drop back properly before engaging the engines, for fear of getting one of the ropes tangled. What the marina staff had failed to tell us was that the rope was actually already caught around the prop, and must have been since we arrived as they had given us the wrong lazy lines...cue another diver and a long delay as the whole fiasco was sorted out. By the time we left Korcula (with the marina having admitted it was their fault) it was early afternoon and the day was baking hot. We had another glorious trip up to an island whose name I can't even remember, just south of Hvar. We dropped anchor in a secluded inlet and then Frank decided we should follow local practice and drop a line back to shore and attach it to a tree. No prizes for guessing who had to swim ashore, which turned out to be a much greater distance than originally anticipated, and it wasn't until three ropes were tied together that our line finally reached the chosen tree! Still, it was worth it for the fantastic anchorage, a great barbeque and the glorious evening we spent under the stars. When I went back for the rope prior to our departure the following day, I kept hold of it after untying from the tree, and thoroughly enjoyed being pulled rapidly across the water and back to Zaffina! Not quite waterskiing, but fun nevertheless!
Our next anchorage was quite a contrast, in a busy bay where all size and manner of boats were moored. Again the weather was beautiful and the water warm, and the time passed all too quickly. In the morning we passed close to Hvar Town as we moved back southwards, and immediately promised ourselves that we will make a visit later in the season as it looked lovely. However, time was running out for our guests, and we had to get back down to Dubrovnik, a four hour trip away. The sea conditions were exceptional - some of the best we've ever experienced, and Zaffina glided across water which barely had a ripple in it. Before we reached the town, we stopped at another small island and chose a bay in which to drop the hook for the afternoon. It was another great choice, and just a stone's throw from Dubrovnik but only a couple of other boats shared the anchorage so we had a peaceful afternoon in the sun. The water, by the way, is deliciously warm but still refreshing.
Early evening saw us heading up to the Dubrovnik Marina, and yesterday we decided the explore the town itself. Dubrovnik is fabulous; if you haven't been here, then put it on your list of places you must visit. The temperature was 36C in the shade, so sightseeing was pretty exhausting but worth it. We had seen plenty of pictures of the town but nothing quite prepares you for the impact it makes, and we wandered around marvelling at the beauty of it. After returning to the marina for a swim in the pool, we got a taxi back into Dubrovnik (it's about 10 mins away by car) and ate at a stunning restaurant overlooking the sea. It was a memorable last night for our guests and again, the evening air rang with laughter.
And today? Well today is quiet. Everyone has gone except for Frank and me, the boat has been cleaned externally and the fourth batch of washing is in the machine! It's very hot and I think that very shortly the pool is going to prove an irresistible attraction!
Regular visitors to Zaffina, Tim and Annabelle, arrived in Montenegro 12 days ago, along with Charles and Liz, and as anticipated, the weather immediately took a turn for the worse. It was still hot though, but the overhead expanse of blue was obscured by grey tinged clouds by the time our guests boarded, and it was a few days before things settled down again. We stayed in port for the first night, then took ourselves off to explore the fjord, spending a glorious, still, night at anchor before heading back to the ancient walled town of Kotor. Saturday night was spent at Le Galeon, a restaurant Frank and I had already visited, but this time we sat on the covered terrace as the rain belted down around us. It didn't dampen the spirits and the evening was punctuated by much laughter and culminated in the six of us abandoning our seats and dancing to the live music - something the other diners and staff clearly weren't used to!
Sunday started with a headache.
The weather was still iffy and having decided to stay in Kotor marina for another night, we wandered into the walled town to find somewhere for lunch. We hit lucky with a little restaurant which had only been open for a couple of days, where the staff were eager to please and the rooftop terrace gave us a lovely view over a square buzzing with tourists. After lunch, we continued our exploration of the town, and Charles, Liz, Frank and I somehow found ourselves on the path leading up to the castle which stands high on the cliffside overlooking the fjord. Tim and Annabelle had the good sense to abandon us and head back to Zaffina, whilst we climbed, and climbed, and climbed. By now, the sun had decided to come out again and blast heat at us, and whilst the views were amazing, the hike to the top was pretty exhausting, and the price of the bottled drinks on sale got progressively more expensive the higher we climbed! It wasn't quite the Itex Walk, but it still felt like quite an achievement when we reached the top, and quite a relief when we reached the bottom again!
Our main task on Sunday was to refuel in Porto Montenegro. Fuel here is half the price of Croatia or Italy but there is one stipulation - you have to leave the country within 24 hours of refuelling, so Monday morning saw us up and out at around 7am, and finally on our way to Croatia. As we left the fjord, the heavens opened, and instead of the glorious arrival in bright sunshine which we had anticipated, we sailed into Cavtat in the pouring rain!
Tim had been offered use of a mooring in Cavtat and once we had finished our check in formalities, we manoevred Zaffina into the space which was just a stone's throw from the picturesque waterfront. It wasn't until the middle of the afternoon that the last raindrops fell and the sun eventually came back out, but since then, the weather has just got better and better.
The four of us went for a walk around the little town before finding a restaurant on the quay for dinner, and the following morning Tim and I zipped up to the supermarket and fruit & veg market for a fridge restock in readiness for nights at anchor. Once back on board, we left harbour and headed north past Dubrovnik. We had heard about all the islands off the coast of Croatia, but hearing about them and seeing them are two different things! There are dozens and dozens of islands, all with inlets and coves to explore, and the sea conditions were perfect as we made our way to Mljet. We had also heard about the habit of pulling into a cove and being offered lazy lines by restaurateurs, and sure enough, when we got to our destination, we were immediately offered a mooring on the quayside lined with restaurants. The deal is that if you take the line, you eat at the restaurant, so it was a relief to discover that we had chosen well, and the restaurant we moored up to was probably the best in the village!
Mljet was lovely and is already earmarked as a place to return to, but we wanted to explore further with guests on board, and the next day our destination was the island of Korcula, where we anchored off in a wide bay and spent the afternoon swimming, eating and sunbathing. And maybe drinking a little wine. In the evening we went into Korcula Town which we had been told was lovely and sure enough, it lived up to expectations - another ancient, walled town, oozing with character. We ate dinner outside the walled town, in another new restaurant, and again we had a fabulous meal, after which we decided we ought to at least have a look at the town centre. As we walked across the bridge and under an arched gate in the moonlight, our feet treading on stones worn smooth by centuries of footsteps, the town bells chimed for midnight and it was a magical, memorable experience.
The morning brought us back down to earth! As we came to pull out of our mooring we had been warned to drop back properly before engaging the engines, for fear of getting one of the ropes tangled. What the marina staff had failed to tell us was that the rope was actually already caught around the prop, and must have been since we arrived as they had given us the wrong lazy lines...cue another diver and a long delay as the whole fiasco was sorted out. By the time we left Korcula (with the marina having admitted it was their fault) it was early afternoon and the day was baking hot. We had another glorious trip up to an island whose name I can't even remember, just south of Hvar. We dropped anchor in a secluded inlet and then Frank decided we should follow local practice and drop a line back to shore and attach it to a tree. No prizes for guessing who had to swim ashore, which turned out to be a much greater distance than originally anticipated, and it wasn't until three ropes were tied together that our line finally reached the chosen tree! Still, it was worth it for the fantastic anchorage, a great barbeque and the glorious evening we spent under the stars. When I went back for the rope prior to our departure the following day, I kept hold of it after untying from the tree, and thoroughly enjoyed being pulled rapidly across the water and back to Zaffina! Not quite waterskiing, but fun nevertheless!
Our next anchorage was quite a contrast, in a busy bay where all size and manner of boats were moored. Again the weather was beautiful and the water warm, and the time passed all too quickly. In the morning we passed close to Hvar Town as we moved back southwards, and immediately promised ourselves that we will make a visit later in the season as it looked lovely. However, time was running out for our guests, and we had to get back down to Dubrovnik, a four hour trip away. The sea conditions were exceptional - some of the best we've ever experienced, and Zaffina glided across water which barely had a ripple in it. Before we reached the town, we stopped at another small island and chose a bay in which to drop the hook for the afternoon. It was another great choice, and just a stone's throw from Dubrovnik but only a couple of other boats shared the anchorage so we had a peaceful afternoon in the sun. The water, by the way, is deliciously warm but still refreshing.
Early evening saw us heading up to the Dubrovnik Marina, and yesterday we decided the explore the town itself. Dubrovnik is fabulous; if you haven't been here, then put it on your list of places you must visit. The temperature was 36C in the shade, so sightseeing was pretty exhausting but worth it. We had seen plenty of pictures of the town but nothing quite prepares you for the impact it makes, and we wandered around marvelling at the beauty of it. After returning to the marina for a swim in the pool, we got a taxi back into Dubrovnik (it's about 10 mins away by car) and ate at a stunning restaurant overlooking the sea. It was a memorable last night for our guests and again, the evening air rang with laughter.
And today? Well today is quiet. Everyone has gone except for Frank and me, the boat has been cleaned externally and the fourth batch of washing is in the machine! It's very hot and I think that very shortly the pool is going to prove an irresistible attraction!
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Wednesday 29th June
Our first few nights in the country were spent in Porto Montenegro, a modern marina where we feel like a little tiddler compared to our superyacht neighbours. The facilities are good here, there's a few restaurants around and the town is within easy walking distance. We didn't want to do anything much to start with, and were both quite happy to stay in port doing chores on Zaffina, visiting the nearby beach and wandering into town for provisions. Shopping in the supermarket involves loads of guesswork, as I really can't understand a word on the labels and it's easy to muddle something like mustard with mayonnaise when it's in a pot with a picture of yellowy sauce on the label! Still, so far so good (pretty much!) Local taste seems to run to very smoky cold meat and I haven't yet managed to find anywhere selling plain old unsmoked ham or even a light parma ham, but it means there's a lot of trial and error going on in the galley. Oh, and they seem to like liquid yoghurt rather than milk.
When eventually we set out to explore, we moved deeper into the fjord, which is utterly stunning. If you've seen adverts for Montenegro, you'll have an idea of what it's like, especially as the first landmark we came across was the tiny island used in all their tourist campaigns, dominated by a large church which is in turn dominated by a sky blue cupola. We dropped the anchor in a bay within spitting distance of this iconic isle and settled down for a glorious afternoon and evening on the hook. The water was as still as glass as the sun went down and as the lights in the nearby towns came on, they were reflected at great length on the motionless sea. We dined by candlelight, hardly believing our good fortune, and a good bottle of wine helped us sleep that night. Just as well really, as the wind came up with a vengeance in the early hours, and the peaceful image of the night before was well and truly shattered by dawn!
By 7am we were on the move, searching for shelter, but it seemed that wherever we went, the wind changed direction and followed us. Our anometer recorded blasts of around 40mph. Eventually we opted for the far corner of the fjord, which seemed less blustery than elsewhere and again put down the anchor. The wind ebbed and flowed throughout the day, sometimes simply not there at all, other times blowing a hooley, rising and falling with no warning whatsoever. By early evening we had had enough, and this time our search for shelter took us into the town of Kotor, where we tied up with relief.
Kotor is a World Heritage Site and you can see why - it's a picturesque, walled town, with tiny winding alleys too narrow for cars, leading to sunlit squares full of restaurants and cafes. We dined well in surroundings which probably hadn't changed in centuries, calamari stuffed with prawns for me, and common sole - although it didn't look that common to us - for Frank, and an ice cream on the way back to the boat.
There was a little market set up in an arcade near the port and the following morning I spent a ridiculous amount on beautiful fresh fruit and veg, discovering later in the day that most of it could be bought for half the price in a nearby supermarket! Still, part of the pleasure was in the selection and purchase...I'm always a sucker for ripe cherries and soft, velvet peaches! We dined out again in the evening, and had the best meal we've had so far in Montenegro at a beautiful restaurant on the quayside opposite the town, looking across at the floodlit walls and castle above.
After two nights in port, we were determined to get back out on the water, and on Monday we again took ourselves off into the fjord, and again found the wind was all over the place. We anchored in the same position as we had previously and this time the wind was dying away rather than coming up, leading to a lovely (and only slightly blowy) night. Things were dead calm when the sun rose, and Frank and I lay on the bow, pouring over the crossword and watching a tiny fishing boat dropping its net nearby. At this point, alarm bells perhaps should have been going off...a few minutes later, as the fishing boat drifted off, so the net drifted towards us, and with a sudden gust of wind, Zaffina and the fishing net were as one. Not a good combination. A furious fisherman returned and started yelling at us - pretty rich as he was the one who had laid the net in such close proximity - and by tugging at the rope, he managed to completely entangle it. We dived beneath the stern to try to release it but to no avail; net and prop were united and no amount of tugging was going to clear the problem. To cut a long story short, a diver was eventually called for, who managed to release the net within minutes, and then, surprise surprise, we were given the bill for his services! Not a good start to the day - we agreed to pay a proportion of the charge and, with a crowd now watching from the quayside, pulled up the anchor and went on our way.
More wind.
Someone said that Montenegro would be the perfect cruising ground if it wasn't for this wind which comes and goes without warning, and I think they were right. We'd hoped to go to Perast, another small and pretty town, but we gave it a miss when we saw the swell nearby, and instead headed into the outer part of this inland sea where we found a fairly sheltered anchorage behind a private island, and here we settled for the rest of the day. A nearby boat was flying the St Helier Yacht Club pennant and turned out to be Lady A, belonging to Tony & Vesna Able whom we had been told were down here (thanks Peter G!)- they left shortly afterwards, but briefly came alongside to say hello en route - they are in Porto Montenegro so we'll meet up soon.
Another near drama later in the evening, when a small yacht chose to drop its anchor in close proximity to Zaffina. We were sure that, at some point, we would drift too close to one another, and sure enough, as the evening drew on and dark descended, we realised that their bow was remarkably near to our stern. They immediately decided that it was our problem (a bit rich as we'd been in position well before they arrived) but they eventually agreed to move and at last we could relax and enjoy what was left of the evening. And finally we had a perfectly still night at sea, which was followed by an early morning skinny dip and a return into Porto Montenegro for work to be done on the outboard.
Just as well, cause that wind's come up, yet again, and it's blowing a gale out there. Anyone would think we had visitors due to arrive tomorrow!
When eventually we set out to explore, we moved deeper into the fjord, which is utterly stunning. If you've seen adverts for Montenegro, you'll have an idea of what it's like, especially as the first landmark we came across was the tiny island used in all their tourist campaigns, dominated by a large church which is in turn dominated by a sky blue cupola. We dropped the anchor in a bay within spitting distance of this iconic isle and settled down for a glorious afternoon and evening on the hook. The water was as still as glass as the sun went down and as the lights in the nearby towns came on, they were reflected at great length on the motionless sea. We dined by candlelight, hardly believing our good fortune, and a good bottle of wine helped us sleep that night. Just as well really, as the wind came up with a vengeance in the early hours, and the peaceful image of the night before was well and truly shattered by dawn!
By 7am we were on the move, searching for shelter, but it seemed that wherever we went, the wind changed direction and followed us. Our anometer recorded blasts of around 40mph. Eventually we opted for the far corner of the fjord, which seemed less blustery than elsewhere and again put down the anchor. The wind ebbed and flowed throughout the day, sometimes simply not there at all, other times blowing a hooley, rising and falling with no warning whatsoever. By early evening we had had enough, and this time our search for shelter took us into the town of Kotor, where we tied up with relief.
Kotor is a World Heritage Site and you can see why - it's a picturesque, walled town, with tiny winding alleys too narrow for cars, leading to sunlit squares full of restaurants and cafes. We dined well in surroundings which probably hadn't changed in centuries, calamari stuffed with prawns for me, and common sole - although it didn't look that common to us - for Frank, and an ice cream on the way back to the boat.
There was a little market set up in an arcade near the port and the following morning I spent a ridiculous amount on beautiful fresh fruit and veg, discovering later in the day that most of it could be bought for half the price in a nearby supermarket! Still, part of the pleasure was in the selection and purchase...I'm always a sucker for ripe cherries and soft, velvet peaches! We dined out again in the evening, and had the best meal we've had so far in Montenegro at a beautiful restaurant on the quayside opposite the town, looking across at the floodlit walls and castle above.
After two nights in port, we were determined to get back out on the water, and on Monday we again took ourselves off into the fjord, and again found the wind was all over the place. We anchored in the same position as we had previously and this time the wind was dying away rather than coming up, leading to a lovely (and only slightly blowy) night. Things were dead calm when the sun rose, and Frank and I lay on the bow, pouring over the crossword and watching a tiny fishing boat dropping its net nearby. At this point, alarm bells perhaps should have been going off...a few minutes later, as the fishing boat drifted off, so the net drifted towards us, and with a sudden gust of wind, Zaffina and the fishing net were as one. Not a good combination. A furious fisherman returned and started yelling at us - pretty rich as he was the one who had laid the net in such close proximity - and by tugging at the rope, he managed to completely entangle it. We dived beneath the stern to try to release it but to no avail; net and prop were united and no amount of tugging was going to clear the problem. To cut a long story short, a diver was eventually called for, who managed to release the net within minutes, and then, surprise surprise, we were given the bill for his services! Not a good start to the day - we agreed to pay a proportion of the charge and, with a crowd now watching from the quayside, pulled up the anchor and went on our way.
More wind.
Someone said that Montenegro would be the perfect cruising ground if it wasn't for this wind which comes and goes without warning, and I think they were right. We'd hoped to go to Perast, another small and pretty town, but we gave it a miss when we saw the swell nearby, and instead headed into the outer part of this inland sea where we found a fairly sheltered anchorage behind a private island, and here we settled for the rest of the day. A nearby boat was flying the St Helier Yacht Club pennant and turned out to be Lady A, belonging to Tony & Vesna Able whom we had been told were down here (thanks Peter G!)- they left shortly afterwards, but briefly came alongside to say hello en route - they are in Porto Montenegro so we'll meet up soon.
Another near drama later in the evening, when a small yacht chose to drop its anchor in close proximity to Zaffina. We were sure that, at some point, we would drift too close to one another, and sure enough, as the evening drew on and dark descended, we realised that their bow was remarkably near to our stern. They immediately decided that it was our problem (a bit rich as we'd been in position well before they arrived) but they eventually agreed to move and at last we could relax and enjoy what was left of the evening. And finally we had a perfectly still night at sea, which was followed by an early morning skinny dip and a return into Porto Montenegro for work to be done on the outboard.
Just as well, cause that wind's come up, yet again, and it's blowing a gale out there. Anyone would think we had visitors due to arrive tomorrow!
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
TUESDAY 21ST JUNE 2011
Ok, where were we? Oh yes, back in Riposto - that seems like such a long time ago! We left Zaffina there and went back home to Jersey for a week and when we got back to Sicily it seemed as if summer had really set in. When we arrived, Etna was puffing gently and it was a great feeling to get back on board, under the shadow of the great volcano. Forecast checked and rechecked, fridge restocked, fresh flowers bought and we were ready for the off on Friday. First stop was the refuelling pontoon - the price has gone up and up since we started our long trip from the UK three years ago and now we just gulp and hand over the credit cards once it's all totted up. Once we were refuelled, we struck out across the channel towards Italy, sad to be leaving Sicily behind but excited at the prospect of new ports and new places.
We set our sights on a tiny port called Roccello Ionica and had a lovely trip across, passing the southernmost tip of Italy, the extreme toe of the boot, en route. We covered around 70 miles before we turned into the marina, although to call it a marina is a bit of an exaggeration - it is just a tiny port, no staff to help us in so we went side-to against a wall, and no facilities which was a bit of a pain as our generator refused to work. We had a cold dinner on board then popped along to the nearby pizza restaurant for pudding and coffee, and just let the warm evening wrap itself around us as we watched people tucking into the most enormous, rectangular pizzas!
In the morning I popped back on shore to get some coffee from the restaurant, which was open at 7.30am, and we were back at sea by 8. Our first encounter with dolphins was a brief one, a couple just put in an appearance and then disappeared, but a short while later we were surrounded by them and what a performace they gave us; it must have been a whole school of teenage show offs! We lingered a bit to watch the show, then reluctantly set off again, as we had around 120 miles to cover. Frank sat on the bow for a while, just enjoying the view, and saw three turtles in the water, diving for cover as Zaffina approached. At one point, a whole shoal of tiny flying fish erupted into our bow wake and flew alongside us for a while. Again the sea conditions were great so it was an easy trip and by the time we put into Santa Maria di Leucca - on the heel of Italy - the temperature was up into the 30s.
This is the place where Mussolini decided to build a ceremonial entrance into Italy, so there is an enormous double stone staircase reaching from the marina high onto the cliff above where a towering lighthouse stands sentinel over the coast. Originally, the two flights of steps must have had a huge water feature - waterfalls and fountains probably - cascading down between them but now there's barely a trickle, although it doesn't take much imagination to conjur up a picture of it in its heyday. We walked (slowly) to the top, where a bridal party was just emerging into the sunshine from an elegant church, and we watched for a while as the bride and groom posed for dozens and dozens of photographs, whilst their guests wandered off to a nearby cafe, obviously knowing they had a long wait before the reception!
Sadly we were only able to spend one night in Santa Maria as the wind was due to rise and if we didn't move on the following morning, things would be tricky in the Adriatic.
So...at 6am (yes, really) we were on our way again. The wind had already risen but it was behind us which meant that although the water was churning and there was quite a swell, Zaffina took it all easily and gave us a comfortable ride. It was a long and not particularly enjoyable trip - Frank descibed it was long, lonely and lumpy and I think that about sums it up. We were at sea for the best part of eight hours and for about half of the journey we couldn't see another boat. The wind was stronger than forecast and as we finally turned towards Montenegro, we were battling against the swell and about 2 miles out we got a good soaking. By then there was also a certain amount of cloud cover, so it wasn't the glorious arrival we had anticipated, but as we turned into the fjord, the water calmed and the clouds receded, and our jaws dropped - it is simply gorgeous here!
We hadn't booked and had a moments worry when we called up Porto Montenegro to ask for a berth and they said they'd come back to us. Fortunately, there was room and it was with delight and relief that we tied up, both pretty exhausted but elated that the long trip was behind us. In three days we did over 350 miles which is quite a journey, but it was worth every moment.
We spent yesterday giving Zaffina a thorough clean both inside and out, then pottered along to the nearby beach for a couple of hours of sunshine and swimming. It's a fraction cooler here than it was in Santa Maria, which means you don't break out in a sweat the moment you get into the sun; instead it takes about 5 minutes!
It's strange being in a country where we really don't speak any of the language - oh, not quite true, I've learnt to say thank you in Montenegran! We can't wait to explore but we'll have another night or two here in port whilst we get the generator looked at and also the outboard on the dinghy which has been playing up, before we venturefurther up the fjord and into picture postcard-land.
We set our sights on a tiny port called Roccello Ionica and had a lovely trip across, passing the southernmost tip of Italy, the extreme toe of the boot, en route. We covered around 70 miles before we turned into the marina, although to call it a marina is a bit of an exaggeration - it is just a tiny port, no staff to help us in so we went side-to against a wall, and no facilities which was a bit of a pain as our generator refused to work. We had a cold dinner on board then popped along to the nearby pizza restaurant for pudding and coffee, and just let the warm evening wrap itself around us as we watched people tucking into the most enormous, rectangular pizzas!
In the morning I popped back on shore to get some coffee from the restaurant, which was open at 7.30am, and we were back at sea by 8. Our first encounter with dolphins was a brief one, a couple just put in an appearance and then disappeared, but a short while later we were surrounded by them and what a performace they gave us; it must have been a whole school of teenage show offs! We lingered a bit to watch the show, then reluctantly set off again, as we had around 120 miles to cover. Frank sat on the bow for a while, just enjoying the view, and saw three turtles in the water, diving for cover as Zaffina approached. At one point, a whole shoal of tiny flying fish erupted into our bow wake and flew alongside us for a while. Again the sea conditions were great so it was an easy trip and by the time we put into Santa Maria di Leucca - on the heel of Italy - the temperature was up into the 30s.
This is the place where Mussolini decided to build a ceremonial entrance into Italy, so there is an enormous double stone staircase reaching from the marina high onto the cliff above where a towering lighthouse stands sentinel over the coast. Originally, the two flights of steps must have had a huge water feature - waterfalls and fountains probably - cascading down between them but now there's barely a trickle, although it doesn't take much imagination to conjur up a picture of it in its heyday. We walked (slowly) to the top, where a bridal party was just emerging into the sunshine from an elegant church, and we watched for a while as the bride and groom posed for dozens and dozens of photographs, whilst their guests wandered off to a nearby cafe, obviously knowing they had a long wait before the reception!
Sadly we were only able to spend one night in Santa Maria as the wind was due to rise and if we didn't move on the following morning, things would be tricky in the Adriatic.
So...at 6am (yes, really) we were on our way again. The wind had already risen but it was behind us which meant that although the water was churning and there was quite a swell, Zaffina took it all easily and gave us a comfortable ride. It was a long and not particularly enjoyable trip - Frank descibed it was long, lonely and lumpy and I think that about sums it up. We were at sea for the best part of eight hours and for about half of the journey we couldn't see another boat. The wind was stronger than forecast and as we finally turned towards Montenegro, we were battling against the swell and about 2 miles out we got a good soaking. By then there was also a certain amount of cloud cover, so it wasn't the glorious arrival we had anticipated, but as we turned into the fjord, the water calmed and the clouds receded, and our jaws dropped - it is simply gorgeous here!
We hadn't booked and had a moments worry when we called up Porto Montenegro to ask for a berth and they said they'd come back to us. Fortunately, there was room and it was with delight and relief that we tied up, both pretty exhausted but elated that the long trip was behind us. In three days we did over 350 miles which is quite a journey, but it was worth every moment.
We spent yesterday giving Zaffina a thorough clean both inside and out, then pottered along to the nearby beach for a couple of hours of sunshine and swimming. It's a fraction cooler here than it was in Santa Maria, which means you don't break out in a sweat the moment you get into the sun; instead it takes about 5 minutes!
It's strange being in a country where we really don't speak any of the language - oh, not quite true, I've learnt to say thank you in Montenegran! We can't wait to explore but we'll have another night or two here in port whilst we get the generator looked at and also the outboard on the dinghy which has been playing up, before we venturefurther up the fjord and into picture postcard-land.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Saturday 4 June 2011
Doesn't time fly when you're having fun?
We ended up spending two nights in Portarosa cause the weather was very iffy. Rather than sitting round on board, we hired a car for a day and set off to explore the area, but we got stuck on a back road through small and not very attractive towns and it wasn't until we got to Milazzo that we hit the coast and things improved - mainly because that was the point at which we found a very good restaurant for lunch!
Whilst in port we also took the opportunity to get an engineer on board to have a look at a few things including the grey water pump which had been playing up. Arturo spoke perfect english, which made things so much easier, and worked into the early evening to make sure everything was fixed properly. Brilliant!
The forecast for Thursday was a bit iffy, with the possibility of thunderstorms around but with gentle winds, we decided to make a move anyhow. We could only just make out the Aeolian Islands as we came out of port and there was a lot of dark cloud over mainland Sicily but the sea was calm, which was the main thing, and remained that way as we glided along the north coast of the island.
The Messina Straits are the stuff of legend - literally! Think Scylla and Charybdis and this is where it all happened. Scylla was, apparently, a multi-headed sea monster who would reach from the cliffs to the water to pluck unlucky seamen from their boats and eat them, whilst Charybdis was (or were?) the whirlpools on the opposite side of the Straits, waiting for boats sailing too close to avoid the monster. Fortunately Scylla was having a bad hair day as we went through and didn't put in an appearance with any of the multiple heads, but we did sea many a whirlpool on the surface of the water towards the Sicilian side of the Straits, and apparently things settled down considerably after an earthquake in the region in 1793 so goodness knows what it was like before that!
We had also read about some unusual fishing craft, the swordfish boats, and we lucky enough to see one in action. They have a high mast sticking up from the centre of the boat and another one sticking forward at the bow. The skipper sits high up in the gantry and spots swordfish, which apparently like to have a little doze on the water round here. Once sighted, he approaches the fish and the harpoonist, whose place is at the end of the horizontal mast, does the messy business and hooks the fish. We saw the whole procedure as we passed one of these boats, and at the end, the fishermen proudly held up their catch for me to take a photo!
The west coast of Sicily is utterly gorgeous - villages trailing along the seafront in the traditional faded pastel hues of this part of the world, and small towns clinging impossibly to the sides of towering hills. We slowed as we went past Taormina and immediately vowed to get a hire car and explore from the land. The sea conditions remained terrific for the whole trip, although through the Straits it was fascinating to sea how the wind whipped up whitecaps in tiny, isolated areas.
Our first night around here was spent in Riposto, in the shadow of Mount Etna which put on quite a display for us, the spumes of smoke illuminated in shades of pink and gold by the dying sun as it slid below the horizon.
Yesterday we went up to the fish market, where I'm sure we saw "our" swordfish, to stock up with fresh fruit and veg. The stallholder insisted on singing at the top of his voice as he served us, until other customers told him in no uncertain terms to shut up! (Maybe they were scared that we'd join in...) Once back on board, we were quick to move out of port and onto the calmest sea imaginable. We pottered across the bay at a lazy 10 knots and dropped the anchor beneath Taormina, where we enjoyed an idyllic day in the sunshine. We had promised ourselves a night there as well, but the generator decided not to work, which meant the batteries wouldn't be recharged, so in the end we came back into port and enjoyed a roast dinner in the cockpit, savouring the warm evening along with the red wine!
And today it's warm but overcast, so we're hoping to find an engineer to take a look at the generator before we pick up a hire car and go off for a spot of exploring!
We ended up spending two nights in Portarosa cause the weather was very iffy. Rather than sitting round on board, we hired a car for a day and set off to explore the area, but we got stuck on a back road through small and not very attractive towns and it wasn't until we got to Milazzo that we hit the coast and things improved - mainly because that was the point at which we found a very good restaurant for lunch!
Whilst in port we also took the opportunity to get an engineer on board to have a look at a few things including the grey water pump which had been playing up. Arturo spoke perfect english, which made things so much easier, and worked into the early evening to make sure everything was fixed properly. Brilliant!
The forecast for Thursday was a bit iffy, with the possibility of thunderstorms around but with gentle winds, we decided to make a move anyhow. We could only just make out the Aeolian Islands as we came out of port and there was a lot of dark cloud over mainland Sicily but the sea was calm, which was the main thing, and remained that way as we glided along the north coast of the island.
The Messina Straits are the stuff of legend - literally! Think Scylla and Charybdis and this is where it all happened. Scylla was, apparently, a multi-headed sea monster who would reach from the cliffs to the water to pluck unlucky seamen from their boats and eat them, whilst Charybdis was (or were?) the whirlpools on the opposite side of the Straits, waiting for boats sailing too close to avoid the monster. Fortunately Scylla was having a bad hair day as we went through and didn't put in an appearance with any of the multiple heads, but we did sea many a whirlpool on the surface of the water towards the Sicilian side of the Straits, and apparently things settled down considerably after an earthquake in the region in 1793 so goodness knows what it was like before that!
We had also read about some unusual fishing craft, the swordfish boats, and we lucky enough to see one in action. They have a high mast sticking up from the centre of the boat and another one sticking forward at the bow. The skipper sits high up in the gantry and spots swordfish, which apparently like to have a little doze on the water round here. Once sighted, he approaches the fish and the harpoonist, whose place is at the end of the horizontal mast, does the messy business and hooks the fish. We saw the whole procedure as we passed one of these boats, and at the end, the fishermen proudly held up their catch for me to take a photo!
The west coast of Sicily is utterly gorgeous - villages trailing along the seafront in the traditional faded pastel hues of this part of the world, and small towns clinging impossibly to the sides of towering hills. We slowed as we went past Taormina and immediately vowed to get a hire car and explore from the land. The sea conditions remained terrific for the whole trip, although through the Straits it was fascinating to sea how the wind whipped up whitecaps in tiny, isolated areas.
Our first night around here was spent in Riposto, in the shadow of Mount Etna which put on quite a display for us, the spumes of smoke illuminated in shades of pink and gold by the dying sun as it slid below the horizon.
Yesterday we went up to the fish market, where I'm sure we saw "our" swordfish, to stock up with fresh fruit and veg. The stallholder insisted on singing at the top of his voice as he served us, until other customers told him in no uncertain terms to shut up! (Maybe they were scared that we'd join in...) Once back on board, we were quick to move out of port and onto the calmest sea imaginable. We pottered across the bay at a lazy 10 knots and dropped the anchor beneath Taormina, where we enjoyed an idyllic day in the sunshine. We had promised ourselves a night there as well, but the generator decided not to work, which meant the batteries wouldn't be recharged, so in the end we came back into port and enjoyed a roast dinner in the cockpit, savouring the warm evening along with the red wine!
And today it's warm but overcast, so we're hoping to find an engineer to take a look at the generator before we pick up a hire car and go off for a spot of exploring!
Wednesday 1 June 2011
Frank flew down to Sardinia last week and I followed at the weekend, just in time to see the closing ceremony for the Jeux des Iles which had taken place in Sicily. Jersey achieved eighth place, an amazing result considering the size of the teams entered by islands that are closer, geographically, to this one. I think half of the population of Sardinia had entered, together with most Corsicans so Jersey’s comparatively small number put on a fantastic competition.
On Sunday morning we were ready to head off into the bright blue yonder; as usual, we intended to get under way at about 9am but by the time we had pottered around and refuelled, it was nearer to midday before we were finally out at sea, but that really didn’t matter in the slightest as conditions were excellent for our crossing to the Aeolian Islands. The first three hours or so were pretty boring, with just the occasional fish jumping from the water to entertain us until we saw the outline of the first island, Alicuda, appearing out of the mist. When we got close, we saw it was little more than a large rock with a few homes scattered about; a pretty inhospitable place to live and no sign of any roads so those whose houses are high up the hillside must be very fit! With a light wind springing up and increasing cloud cover, we turned to the east and skirted the south coast of Filicuda, which had little more to recommend it than its smaller neighbour, and then decided to pass between the islands of Salina and Lipara in search of some shelter. So far we weren’t overly impressed with the Aeolians – the volcanic sand makes the beaches look less than welcoming, and we hadn’t seen anywhere that looked particularly attractive. Fortunately things were about to change! Lipari Town promised the best shelter and as we approached the coast, we could tell that we had hit gold! In fact, the only thing we didn’t really enjoy during our two night stay was the mooring – on a pontoon which was constantly rocked by wake from the many ferries and hydrofoils heading in and out of port, whenever possible at breakneck speed!
Lipari is sensational! We instantly fell in love with the place, and seeing it before the season was properly under way was just perfect; it was buzzing, but not overcrowded. The town is a maze of narrow streets, coloured by gift shops, cafes and food stalls. Perched high in the centre, dividing the stretch of seafront, is a castle and church, whilst the harbour area (commercial and fishing craft only, so on the opposite side to our mooring) is an idyllic postcard scene come to life. The weather also played its part, the encroaching clouds of our arrival having dispersed and been replaced with a wide arc of blue sky and it would have been hard to improve upon our brief stay.
Yesterday we meandered north, to Panarea, from where we could see Stromboli gently puffing in the background, and found one of those perfect anchorages in which to drop the hook. What can I say? The Mediterranean is already warm the sea is clear, ripe melon and parma ham compliment one another beautifully, rose wine slips down so very easily when the sun is shining…all the ingredients for a memorable afternoon. Sadly the various weather forecasts we checked all suggested that the conditions would not be favourable for a night at anchor, so late in the afternoon we started making our way back to mainland Sicily, passing close to the island of Volcanoe en route – as the name suggests, another volcanic outcrop, also with wisps of smoke constantly rising from its caldera.
We thought that Portarosa was going to be something special, but it’s not! It has turned out to be a pretty soulless marina and worse still, the wind that was forecast never materialised, so last night would have been just perfect at anchor.
Still, you can’t win them all, and life is pretty good!
On Sunday morning we were ready to head off into the bright blue yonder; as usual, we intended to get under way at about 9am but by the time we had pottered around and refuelled, it was nearer to midday before we were finally out at sea, but that really didn’t matter in the slightest as conditions were excellent for our crossing to the Aeolian Islands. The first three hours or so were pretty boring, with just the occasional fish jumping from the water to entertain us until we saw the outline of the first island, Alicuda, appearing out of the mist. When we got close, we saw it was little more than a large rock with a few homes scattered about; a pretty inhospitable place to live and no sign of any roads so those whose houses are high up the hillside must be very fit! With a light wind springing up and increasing cloud cover, we turned to the east and skirted the south coast of Filicuda, which had little more to recommend it than its smaller neighbour, and then decided to pass between the islands of Salina and Lipara in search of some shelter. So far we weren’t overly impressed with the Aeolians – the volcanic sand makes the beaches look less than welcoming, and we hadn’t seen anywhere that looked particularly attractive. Fortunately things were about to change! Lipari Town promised the best shelter and as we approached the coast, we could tell that we had hit gold! In fact, the only thing we didn’t really enjoy during our two night stay was the mooring – on a pontoon which was constantly rocked by wake from the many ferries and hydrofoils heading in and out of port, whenever possible at breakneck speed!
Lipari is sensational! We instantly fell in love with the place, and seeing it before the season was properly under way was just perfect; it was buzzing, but not overcrowded. The town is a maze of narrow streets, coloured by gift shops, cafes and food stalls. Perched high in the centre, dividing the stretch of seafront, is a castle and church, whilst the harbour area (commercial and fishing craft only, so on the opposite side to our mooring) is an idyllic postcard scene come to life. The weather also played its part, the encroaching clouds of our arrival having dispersed and been replaced with a wide arc of blue sky and it would have been hard to improve upon our brief stay.
Yesterday we meandered north, to Panarea, from where we could see Stromboli gently puffing in the background, and found one of those perfect anchorages in which to drop the hook. What can I say? The Mediterranean is already warm the sea is clear, ripe melon and parma ham compliment one another beautifully, rose wine slips down so very easily when the sun is shining…all the ingredients for a memorable afternoon. Sadly the various weather forecasts we checked all suggested that the conditions would not be favourable for a night at anchor, so late in the afternoon we started making our way back to mainland Sicily, passing close to the island of Volcanoe en route – as the name suggests, another volcanic outcrop, also with wisps of smoke constantly rising from its caldera.
We thought that Portarosa was going to be something special, but it’s not! It has turned out to be a pretty soulless marina and worse still, the wind that was forecast never materialised, so last night would have been just perfect at anchor.
Still, you can’t win them all, and life is pretty good!
Sunday, 8 May 2011
2011 - Here we go again!
Saturday April 23rd 2011
Another year, another voyage! We’ve been back on board Zaffina for a few days now and we’re getting back into the swing of life on board, although this first session on our boat is a short one as we’re just down here for a week. We flew to Tunisia on Monday, leaving behind the glorious Jersey sunshine and arriving in a slightly less glorious Hammamet. It was disappointingly cool compared to the heatwave gracing the UK this week and after the revolution, completely devoid of tourists. Talk about Empty Chairs at Empty Tables – the cafes and restaurants were almost deserted and the street traders were obviously longing for customers who have all gone elsewhere this year. Everyone recognises that they’re in for a dire season, although apart from the emptiness, there is little sign of any change wrought by the upheaval in the region.
Zaffina was in fantastic condition when we got back on board; she wouldn’t have a looked out of place in a boat show and we were relieved to find her so immaculate. It didn’t take long for us to feel at home on board and it’s lovely to be back on the water.
Our intention was to leave on Wednesday but the forecast was mixed – the weather report in the Capitainerie promised a force 8 off Cap Bon, which we would have to pass close to when leaving Tunisia, but other forecasts painted a very different and much calmer picture so we decided to take a chance on things, on the understanding that if it was too lumpy, we could also return to Hammamet. Frank went to check out with customs and immigration, bringing two officers on board to check for stowaways. When they were happy that we didn’t have any illegal crew or guests (Ian is with us, but they didn’t seem too worried about him) they then asked for a “gift”, telling us that either Dinars or Euros would be fine…no mistaking their meaning then! We paid up, albeit reluctantly, because we just wanted to be off and were worried that any failure to grease their palms would result in a delayed departure, and five minutes later, we were on our way.
Conditions were fine once out of port, and they continued to be fine as we approached Cap Bon. We were naturally apprehensive that the forecast force 8 would materialise but instead, things just seemed to improve as we went along, and the five hour crossing was pretty darn good! Zaffina sped along at an easy 25 knots, crossing the shipping lanes with ease and coming into Sicily at the port of Marsala. Naturally, we were delighted to have the first open sea crossing of the year behind us, and with so little fuss, and we celebrated with a cool bottle of rose on arrival.
It was just as well we came over when we did – there is no way we would have been able to contemplate the crossing any time in the last three days, as the wind rose up and gave us a reasonable battering in port; we were moored starboard-to, and had to put out a load of extra ropes to keep Zaffina tight to the pontoon. Amanda flew down to Sicily to join us on Maundy Thursday.
Marsala is quite a big town with a lovely old town centre to it; beautiful churches, narrow winding streets and windy piazzas. Yesterday being Good Friday, there was an enormous and silent procession – thousands of people followed a statue of Mary from Church to Church in a parade that lasted for seven hours and finished at midnight. There had been another procession the day before, with an actor playing Christ carrying the crucifix throughout the town. Despite this show of religious fervour, all the shops were open throughout and the town was packed.
The forecast promised that the wind would die down this morning, but although it was a little less gusty, it certainly hadn’t dropped off as much as anticipated when we emerged from our cabins. Again we decided to take a chance on it, and nosed out of port into a blustery channel. However, as soon as we turned to the north, the wind and the swell were pushing us along and for the second time in as many trips, what had threatened to be an unpleasant journey turned into a thoroughly enjoyable crossing. Half way to Palermo we slowed down when we found ourselves surrounded by dolphins; they put on an amazing display, leaping out of the water and diving under the boat, and I still managed to miss them in all but one photograph!
And now we’re in Palermo where it is sheltered and, even more amazingly, the sun has come out. Perhaps we’ll get a lovely Easter after all…fingers crossed!
(Sorry about the delay in posting this, couldn't remember how to log onto the blog! We're back in Jersey now and will continue with updates once we're on board again in a couple of weeks time. F)
Another year, another voyage! We’ve been back on board Zaffina for a few days now and we’re getting back into the swing of life on board, although this first session on our boat is a short one as we’re just down here for a week. We flew to Tunisia on Monday, leaving behind the glorious Jersey sunshine and arriving in a slightly less glorious Hammamet. It was disappointingly cool compared to the heatwave gracing the UK this week and after the revolution, completely devoid of tourists. Talk about Empty Chairs at Empty Tables – the cafes and restaurants were almost deserted and the street traders were obviously longing for customers who have all gone elsewhere this year. Everyone recognises that they’re in for a dire season, although apart from the emptiness, there is little sign of any change wrought by the upheaval in the region.
Zaffina was in fantastic condition when we got back on board; she wouldn’t have a looked out of place in a boat show and we were relieved to find her so immaculate. It didn’t take long for us to feel at home on board and it’s lovely to be back on the water.
Our intention was to leave on Wednesday but the forecast was mixed – the weather report in the Capitainerie promised a force 8 off Cap Bon, which we would have to pass close to when leaving Tunisia, but other forecasts painted a very different and much calmer picture so we decided to take a chance on things, on the understanding that if it was too lumpy, we could also return to Hammamet. Frank went to check out with customs and immigration, bringing two officers on board to check for stowaways. When they were happy that we didn’t have any illegal crew or guests (Ian is with us, but they didn’t seem too worried about him) they then asked for a “gift”, telling us that either Dinars or Euros would be fine…no mistaking their meaning then! We paid up, albeit reluctantly, because we just wanted to be off and were worried that any failure to grease their palms would result in a delayed departure, and five minutes later, we were on our way.
Conditions were fine once out of port, and they continued to be fine as we approached Cap Bon. We were naturally apprehensive that the forecast force 8 would materialise but instead, things just seemed to improve as we went along, and the five hour crossing was pretty darn good! Zaffina sped along at an easy 25 knots, crossing the shipping lanes with ease and coming into Sicily at the port of Marsala. Naturally, we were delighted to have the first open sea crossing of the year behind us, and with so little fuss, and we celebrated with a cool bottle of rose on arrival.
It was just as well we came over when we did – there is no way we would have been able to contemplate the crossing any time in the last three days, as the wind rose up and gave us a reasonable battering in port; we were moored starboard-to, and had to put out a load of extra ropes to keep Zaffina tight to the pontoon. Amanda flew down to Sicily to join us on Maundy Thursday.
Marsala is quite a big town with a lovely old town centre to it; beautiful churches, narrow winding streets and windy piazzas. Yesterday being Good Friday, there was an enormous and silent procession – thousands of people followed a statue of Mary from Church to Church in a parade that lasted for seven hours and finished at midnight. There had been another procession the day before, with an actor playing Christ carrying the crucifix throughout the town. Despite this show of religious fervour, all the shops were open throughout and the town was packed.
The forecast promised that the wind would die down this morning, but although it was a little less gusty, it certainly hadn’t dropped off as much as anticipated when we emerged from our cabins. Again we decided to take a chance on it, and nosed out of port into a blustery channel. However, as soon as we turned to the north, the wind and the swell were pushing us along and for the second time in as many trips, what had threatened to be an unpleasant journey turned into a thoroughly enjoyable crossing. Half way to Palermo we slowed down when we found ourselves surrounded by dolphins; they put on an amazing display, leaping out of the water and diving under the boat, and I still managed to miss them in all but one photograph!
And now we’re in Palermo where it is sheltered and, even more amazingly, the sun has come out. Perhaps we’ll get a lovely Easter after all…fingers crossed!
(Sorry about the delay in posting this, couldn't remember how to log onto the blog! We're back in Jersey now and will continue with updates once we're on board again in a couple of weeks time. F)
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