The Speigelgracht arrives from the Virgin Islands with "The Lodge"

The Speigelgracht arrived as promised and it was exciting to see it again having left it at the docks in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands in the Carribean.

We were taken to the boat on a Zodiac which they call a "rib" here.  The ship was in the next bay over and the local police and customs took some time on board so things were slightly delayed which is par for the course.

We climbed out of the rib onto a very tilted gangway and climbed up onto the ship.  It was very greasy and we all had to find some old rags to get the bulk of the grease off.

We were 4th or 5th boat off so we took advantage of the time and climbed up and started to work.

I cleaned all the stainless steel and polished it so we could put our dodger and our canvas bimini back on.  We took down the backstays and did many projects over a 2-3 hour period which was great.  

We even got the paddle boards out and back on deck ready to go.

There was a slight breeze which we appreciated as the temperatures soared close to 100 degrees back at the marina and we were in the sun on the top of the ship.

The boat was lifted on the slings just as before and put into the water.  We climbed back on as it reached to railings of the ship.  I needed some inspiration to cross over!

Once in the water, we started the engine and hovered as we needed to wait for the scooter in its wooden crate.

We had to hang around for almost 2 hours as the crane on the ship needed to move the scooter was broken.  

They fixed the problem and loaded the crate right onto the bow of "The Lodge".

It was a perfect fit!

We motored into Zelenika to clear customs and it was very easy.  We were told they would want to open the crate but perhaps the late hour of the day and the extreme heat helped our case.  Apparently, the police boarded some of the American's boats and did quite a thorough search before releasing them.

We motored back over to Porto Montenegro where we were safely at berth C31 at around 7:30pm.

We enjoyed a great meal in the Porto at "One" and celebrated the success of our day.

At 9pm at night, it was still 89 degrees but we were very pleased everything had gone so well with the unloading.  We ran the Genset Generator and treated ourselves to air conditioning on our first night after a successful but long hot day.

                The Spielgracht just off Zelenicka in Kotorska Boka, The Bay of Kotor which is a very large bay in Montenegro.

                The ship with its infamous gang way

   Up and off we go....

  Over the railing... We had to climb over this railing and board the boat when the deck was flush with the ship

           View toward the bow of the Spiegelgracht, now high out of the water having unloaded more than 2/3 of its load just after we touched the water

                This is a view as we motored back to Tivat with the scooter in its crate loaded onto our bow

                We started the refrigeration as soon as we were back in the water and by this time, we had some cold beer for the ride in!

                Enjoying cruising in the Bay of Kotor on the way to the Marina, Porto Montenegro

Arrival in Tivat, Montenegro

We arrived into Tivat, Montenegro around 2pm on Monday, June 17.

What a fabulous place by the sea!!!

The ship was not due to arrive and unload for a couple of days so we spent our time preparing and getting to know the area.

We stayed at a local hotel called "Hotel San".  

The picture below if of myself on the pebble beach in front of the hotel.  I went for my first dip in the Medierranean moments after this photo as it was well into the 90's and very hot!

The water was fabulous.  Just cool enough to cut the heat but warm enough to enjoy floating around.

We wandered around Porto Montenegro which is the large marina and development here.  It is very new and done to perfection.  Beautiful residences, cool restaurants, and unique shops round out the upscale marina.  

There is also a very chic pool called "Puro Beach".

It is well worth checking out their property at www.portomontenegro.com.

It is a super yacht marina and thank goodness they take smaller boats like ours!

We were thrilled this is where we would start our adventure as the people were very helpful and the facilities were top notch.

A great place to get our bearings and ensure the boat is ready for sailing.

                Waterfront in Tivat near Hotel San

                View of Porto Montenegro from the patio of one of the private residences

                View of docks at Porto Montenegro at dusk

                 

This is the biggest sailing yacht we have ever seen!! over 200 feet long and the mast is over 85 metres tall.  It is apparently a hazard to the aircraft landing nearby.  It is hard to appreciate how big this is except Rob looks pretty small next to it!

                We took a cab to a wonderful village called Kotor to shop for a box to hold things for the back of our scooter.  We stopped for lunch at Hotel Astoria in the Old Town of Kotor which is a 17th centurey walled city.  Wonderful lunch and great venue!

                Puro Beach Pool at Porto Montenegro - Very Chic Indeed!

Travel to Montenegro from Rome

After two nights and a great day touring Rome, we were excited to fly to Montenegro.

Montenegro is on the Adriatic Coast in the Mediterranean and lies South of Croatia and North of Albania.  Greece is just on the other side of Albania.

We arrived in the Capital of Montenegro which is a 1.5 hour drive from the coast called Podgorica.

We stayed in a hotel there which was only a couple of days old.  Rob took a photo as it was located above a local car dealership.

The next morning we took a taxi to Tivat where the boat was set to arrive.  We drove through the mountains of Montenegro which are quite beautiful.

  You can stay the night and buy a nice car!

               The highway through the mountains to the sea

              Small town in the mountains.  All the homes in Montenegro have terra cotta spanish tiles 

  View of the coast

  Budva        Known as a party by the sea destination.  The old town is on the point in the top of this photo.  It is very pretty and a lovely place to walk around and enjoy.  It is about 45 minutes from here to Tivat

Arrival in Rome, Italy

We arrived from Toronto in Rome on June 15.  We had a full day and night to enjoy the city before flying across the Adriatic to Montenegro.

We took shuttle bus from our hotel which was about 30 minutes outside Rome and started near the Vatican in a suburb of Rome called Cipro.

We walked the city until 5pm that day.  It was very hot but worth it to enjoy this famous city.

We enjoyed walking through the Vatican and St. Peter's Square, Piazza Navona, Campo Fiori, and along the river.

We had a fabulous lunch in Campo Fiori and stopped twice for Gelato.  

                St. Petersburg Square in Vatican City with the Basilica behind us

                 

Piazza Navona famous for its 3 fountains

  Lunch in Campo Fiori where the locals like to eat and there is a famous market behind Rob where we bought some Pesto with Truffles

  Beautiful views walking along the river and respite from the heat

Leaving St. Thomas and Aerial Views of the Ship Spiegelgracht

We had a relaxing day in St. Thomas before departing for St. Maarten where we boarded a West Jet flight home.

We flew in a small Cessna 410 and as luck would have it, the runway was next to the ship.  

As we took off, we had a great view of the ship.  The Lodge is at the front starboard (right) side of the ship.

We also had a great view of the east end of St. Thomas where we had raced in the Rolex Cup with Kathy and Warren Eddy earlier in the winter.

                   

                The Speigelgracht loaded and ready to sail.  The Crown Bay Marina next door where we stayed the evening prior to loading.

                This is where we raced in the Rolex Cup off St. Thomas earlier in the season.   We had a great race to the right of the islands in this shot where the winds were incredibly shifty.   Good fun!

Views from the deck of the Ship and finding our way off!

Once the boat cradle was welded, we boarded the boat by climbing up on a ladder to reattach the backstays, lock up and do any last minute chores.

The photos show a view from our bow toward the front of the ship and a view towards the stern where you can see some power boats also loaded.  The lights of Charlotte Amalie are in the background.

Getting off of the ship was also quite an adventure!  We were led off by a crew member down tiny halls, steep stair wells and off a rope and metal gangway.

The whole exercise lasted about 4 hours from the time we arrived at the side of the ship to when we left.  It would have been even faster but the crew had a dinner break so that added about 45 minutes.  The captain of the ship who was from Amsterdam advised us he does not ever argue with dinner breaks!

Putting the backstays back on

  View from our bow toward the bow of the ship

   View toward the stern from our boat

  Almost found the exit!

  We are off!

         Rolland is in the bag I am carrying.

Loading "The Lodge" onto the Spiegelgracht

The boat was lifted onto the ship using a series of straps and a boom.

We were very surprised that they lifted the boat with Rob, myself, and the dog!  Once the boat reached the railing edge of the ship, they helped us all cross over onto the ship.

The boat was then lifted to its spot at the front starboard side of the ship.  They placed it in a cradle and spot welded it there.

The Spiegelgracht is a Seven Star ship which was set to deliver mainly personal yachts to various ports in the Med including Palma, Spain; Genoa, Italy; Tivat, Montenegro (where we would be unloaded); and two ports in Turkey.

Delivering "The Lodge" to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

We left Soper's Hole at the far west end of Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands on May 30, 2013 after checking out with immigration.

We sailed to Charlotte Amalie which is the largest harbour in St. Thomas to the Crown Marina which was conveniently located right next to where the Seven Star Ship, Spiegelgraght was scheduled to arrive and load all the boats headed to the Med.

The Beginning of Our Sailing Adventure in the Mediterranean.