After arriving from Italy with Pete and Deb we started on some boat chores and got the electric bikes out so we could “motor” around and get provisions. Rented a 7 person van to go and explore the area around Tivat. High on the list was a trip along the Serpentine Road to the top of the mountain and exploration of Mausoleum of Petar II. Over 1300 steps to get to the top and well worth the visit and only 8Euros. Well worth the dollars spent.

After the mausoleum we travelled through the countryside till we found the road to Budva. Budva known for its well-preserved medieval walled city, sandy beaches and diverse nightlife. Budva is 2,500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast. Had a lovely time moving around the castle a cocktail on the beach and one of those aaah.. isn’t that sweet watching the Gales have a moment before heading back to Porto Montenegro. We are definitely stopping here on the way back and find a nice anchorage so that we can go ashore again.

Left Porto Montenegro and headed to the Bay of Kotor for a few days before we had to check out of Montenegro. The Bay offered a great anchorage. So calm like a millpond. Hiked up to the Fortress of St John on a dull and drizzly day. It was great for us as there was no one in the fortress and some great views looking down into the bay.

After checking out of Montenegro we travelled up the coast stopping at a few anchorages and little towns. At times it all becomes a blur where we stopped first and what we did. There has been more and more swimming off the back of the boat as the weather has become warmer. This coming week we are in for 30C plus days. Managed to spend a few days at Lopud Island. Found the hike up to the fortress (another fortress/church) at the top of the island and then access to the other side of the island where they had a beach bar. A little early yet for the beach bar as the tourist boats have not started up yet. And because we were on the restaurant mooring ball they came and picked us up for an evening meal.

Caught the ferry into Dubrovnik and a tour of the Walls of Dubrovnik and have been considered to be amongst the great fortification systems of the Middle Ages constructed mainly during the 12th–17th centuries. A lot of the Games of Thrones series was filmed in and around the Walls.

Walked the walls for the grand price of 250Kruna which is around $50 each but well worth the views. Unfortunately it has become or is a haven for tourists and there are endless cafes and ice cream bars along the top of the wall. Kinda takes away the sense of history. When we exited from the walls there seemed to be a lot more tourists.

After Lopud came Sipan. This is where Mike brought out the drone and captured some terrific views. You can see it here. Decided that exercise was in order so walked across the island to another little town called Suđurađ and had a coffee and a wander around. All together was over 10km walk.

After Sipan came Okuklje. Tied up to the restaurant pier and used the electricity and water to do laundry. Had to eat in the restaurant that night and then took off the next day after we had a hike up the island to the old church. Galene stayed behind an extra night while we made our way to the next stop at Prapratno which is on the mainland and has a camper park. Not much here just the camp site and a restaurant, ferry terminal and little walk out to the point beyond the ferry terminal.

Wanted to have a look around Korcula. This is the town where they say that Marco Polo was born, even though history books have him coming from Venice. At the time the whole region was the republic of Venice. Wherever he was born whether it be in Venice or in Korcula his legend is a big part of the region even to the point of having a museum in Korcula for Marco Polo. After our wander around Korcula we said screw the bus and took a water taxi back to the boat.

We anchored with lines ashore, which is a very Mediterranean thing and we are getting better at it, in a nearby bay called Lumbarda and then during the evening the wind picked up to 37 knots and we ended up dragging anchor. We had to cast off the lines and leave them in the bay while we took anchorage in another bay for the rest of the night. First light we were back to Lumbarda to retrieve our lines. Thankfully they were washed into the shore and didn’t cause a navigational hazard.

Loviste was next. A very calm anchorage so we stayed 3 nights before heading to Hvar with its lively night life.

Anchored in a small bay outside of Hvar before moving around to a mooring ball outside the restaurant. We wanted to leave the boat on a mooring ball while we took the water taxi into Hvar and wandered around the old town and found Napoleons Fort.

Stari Grad next, anchored in a small cove overnight before moving around to Stari Grad as the winds were due to pick up and we wanted to be tied up. Good thing we got there early, we had no reservation but we were one of the first in so lots of room and close to the showers. As the day wore on and the wind picked up there was a bit of a shit show watching all the charter yachts come in and try to tie up.

Got the bikes out to travel around a little bit picking up supplies and doing more laundry. Biked across the island to another little township.

After a few days in Stari Grad waiting for the wind to subside, we even stayed an extra day, we headed off to Split. We had visited Split last year in October when we brought the boat into Montenegro. There was a sailmaker in Split where we modified our inner foresail so we knew a little bit about the area. We stayed in Split for 6 days while we got some work done on the AIS component. You may be able to tell now how much easier it is to locate us through MarineTraffic. Now it just works with no errors. It actually has us in Blue Lagoon where we are spending the next 2 nights.

Split was a great place again, however we didn’t spend as much time exploring the Palace like we did last time. There are so many tourists around that we just want to get back to the quaint little anchorages with the gorgeous views. One thing I will say is that there is so much history and if you are real history buff you can spend a long time just in one area trying to figure it all out. I even found my own beauty academy 🙂 .