Cruising The Med - Sandy and Rob's Excellent Adventure: July 2013

Jet Set at Puro Beach

On Mackenzie's last day in Europe she and I decided to go to the very chic pool here in Porto, Puro Beach.

I believe there are only 3 in the world and this one opened just in May 2013 so we are one of the first lucky visitors.

The pool is huge and has infinity edges all around its circumference. The one at the end which makes it look like the pool leads into the Mediterranean is really awesome.

Mackenzie and I had attended a Summer Opening Party here a two weeks prior and were excited to actually get to enjoy the pool on a lovely sunny afternoon.

There is a really striking "Square" sculpture right in the pool itself and a giant, white, "Thinker" at its edge by the sea.

When we arrived, a cabana boy, (no I am not kidding this is the real deal) escorted us to two beds and set out huge plush towels for us. He propped up 2 umbrellas to shade us and minutes later returned with a platter of fresh fruit and cold water. This is the life!

We really enjoyed relaxing and swimming in the pool and took some photos just before we left at around 6:30pm.

We joined Rob and the boat which is docked only a few metres away from Puro Beach and we headed to Mackenzie's restaurant of choice for her 'last' dinner at Al Posto Guisto.

We rode our bikes down the main jetty of Porto Monenegro to see all the super yachts and enjoyed the full moon as it rose above the Montenegrin Mountains.

We have Arrived at Puro Beach !

Shade and a view for 2

Great view down the pool - Many enjoying spending time at the Pool's Edge

Cabana Boy

The 'Square' Sculpture and Club in the background

Enjoy boys!

Swimming - Water 88 degrees and Fresh!

Enjoying watching Mega Yachts come and go through the afternoon

Kenzie enjoying the Pool

Namaste...

Together at the Pool's edge...

Looks like Kenzie and I can walk on water!

Faboulous Chicken Bacon Ceasar

Al Posto Guisto Italian Restaurant at Porto Montenegro

Full Moon Rising Over the Montenegrin Mountains at Porto Montenegro

Kenzie enjoying the Yachts on the Jetty and Full Moon on one of the Folding Bikes

Labels: Full Moon, Jet Set, Porto Montenegro, Puro Beach

Motor from Cavtat, Croatia to Tivat, Montenegro

We motored over to the customs wall at Cavtat on July 21 in the morning around 10:30am.

Mackenzie and I stayed with the boat while Rob checked us out of Croatia.

As we motored out of the Harbour, a fabulous sailing yacht, the Canica from Norway motored right next to us.

It was quite an amazing sail boat. I have included a photo I found of it under sail to show how magnificent it is.

Despite some rolling swell, we made pretty good time along the coast to the mouth of the Bay of Kotor.

As we turned the corner we met with 17 knot winds! This was fabulous as we could sail but sadly, Rob forgot he was wearing his new Euro hat and it flew into the sea.

We attempted to pluck it with the boat hook but it sank too quickly.

We raised the sails and were able to sail all the way in on a broad reach. This was a pleasant way to arrive back in Tivat.

The views here really are special and we enjoyed them as much as we had when we had left 2 weeks ago for Croatia.

We were able to dock at Porto Montenegro and they took care of customs for us which was a delight.

We were quick to get ourselves over to Al Posto Guisto, our favourite Italian Restaurant here for dinner.

Pizza all around and off to bed.

Norwegian Sailing Yacht, Canica - 150 feet - 15 Million Dollars after a price reduction

Coast of Croatia on the way to Montenegro - If you look closely, you can see where folks have carved out a path in the rocks to get to the sea

Quite a precarious location for a Summer Home!

Small indents all along the coast - The water is very pretty inside them when the sunlight hits them at the right angle

The fort built for WW2 at the entrance to The Bay of Kotor

Last photo with Rob's favourite hat....

Quite an estate home we passed on our way through the bay

The view of Herzig Novi and Montenegrin Mountains in the Background

An RC44 Racing Yacht

Very elite European One Design Class

This one is owned by someone from Montenegro

More lovely views and Parasailing

Labels: RC44 One Design, Tivat, Yacht Canica

Motor from Mljet to Mainland Coast to Dubrovnik - Anchoring at Cavtat Harbour

July 20, we left our anchorage in Prozura, Mljet and headed across the Kanal toward the mainland.

There was no wind. The water like glass. We were pleased to motor as we could make our own breeze and stay cool on an otherwise hot day.

We passed between the Peljesac Penninsula and the Island Sipan and followed the coast line of the mainland to Dubrovnik.

We anchored at Old Dubrovnik in the afternoon and took the opportunity to see some more of this lovely old town.

Afterward, we motored south another hour or so to Cavtat where we would check out of Croatia in the morning and head back to Montenegro.

We were fortunate to be able to anchor right in Cavtat Harbour which is so busy. We had a lovely dinner on the boat and a great sleep as there was calm water in the harbour.

Leaving Prozura, Mljet at around 10:30 am - The Water is like Glass

Passing through the small islands of Jakaljan on our way to the main land coast

Cafe on the water - lots of swimmers here enjoying the cool breeze and water

Getting Close to Dubrovnik - The shore line changes to large hotels and resorts...

Greek Salad for Lunch!

This hotel is Huge! It has a lift in the centre of the hotel up the side of the building to take guests from the sea to the main part of the hotel - I believe this is the Dubrovnik Palace Hotel

Massive Cruise Ship leaving Dubrovnik Harbour

Outside the Dubrovnik Old Wall - A cafe and swim area!

We were so surpised to see this swim area - It would not be easy to find from inside the Old City

Labels: Cavtat, Dubrovnik, Peljesac Penninsula, Sipan

Polace, Sail to Prozura

On July 19, we motored around the top of Otok Mljet to the anchorage at Polace.

Polace is a deep inlet that is very protected at the north west side of Mljet. It is part of a national park and there are lots of interesting places to anchor other than the main one near the town.

We decided to anchor near the town so we could go to shore for lunch.

We went ashore and had a nice lunch of grilled calamari and picked up some groceries.

We headed back to the boat and the National Parks people were collecting a fee so given that we were not going ashore again today we elected to motor down the coast.

This turned out to be quite a lovely evening passage and we were able to get south to Prozura where we had been a number of days before. (Where we ate the Scorpion Fish)

This is truly one of the prettiest anchorages and I am sure if we are on Mljet in the future we will be sure to stop and spend time here again.

We anchored and had a nice quiet evening ready to head to Dubrovnik the next morning.

View of across the Mljetski Kanal looking at the Peljesac Penninsula which is a very large penninsula attached at it's south end to the mainland of Croatia

Almost sunset...

Kenzie relaxing and enjoying the views...

Back in Prozura for a restful night in a great harbour!

Labels: Polace, Prozura

Motor from Luka Lovisce , Otok Scedro to Pomena, Otok Mljet, Hand Crafted Jewellery

Thursday July 18, I started my day at 7:30 with the arrival of some fabulous bread and treats delivered to the boat by our friend who had sold us the wine the night before.

I decided to wear a swimsuit as I needed to go to shore to untie our line from the tree that held us in place all evening. I did not need to...

As I was changing, Rob spotted a couple in their 50's on shore right near our tree. They kindly agreed to untie our line which was much appreciated. Then, they removed all their clothes. Nudists!

We started motoring south thinking we would likely stop at an anchorage somewhere at the south end of Korcula. We did more laundry, tidying, and projects to pass the time.

There is little to no wind and the water is flat so we motor all day. It is amazing how the wind can change 180 degrees here and how quickly the big seas calm into flat, reflective water.

It is a beautiful sunny day with temps around the mid 80's, blue skies and few clouds. I have omitted to mention weather in the past number of posts because we have become immune to weather as it is consistent almost every day here. We are very fortunate!

As we motored south, toward Korcula, we passed many holiday boats which we keep seeing in this part of Croatia. They are really power boats but all seem to sport a couple of decorative masts. They carry between 15-30 guests and have a real old school look to them. Passengers decorate the decks with their loungers and pool toys and provide great entertainment for us on an otherwise quiet travel day.

As we approached the south end of Korcula, we realized we had plenty of time to press on to the top end of Mjlet so we made the decision to continue on to Pomena, Mjlet for the evening.

Great decision! We arrived at the north end of Mjlet at around 4:30 pm having covered approximately 35 nautical miles.

Pomena is very pretty. We felt confident about our 'stern to' anchoring technique so we chose to do it again at an island called Pomestak which is a stone's throw distance from Pomena Harbour.

Rob goes to the bow and using the windless lowers the anchor and chain while I take his direction and maneuver The Lodge in reverse toward the shore.

Just as the anchor is set, I leap into the dinghy with Mackenzie and scoot to shore. Thank goodness for a good pair of water shoes as there are many sea urchins and the rocks can be slippery!

Kenzie holds the long line from the boat as I drive to shore and while she hangs onto rocks or nearby pine boughs, I go as quickly as possible with the line to our selected tree and toss the line around finishing with a bowline. Thank goodness for a good pair of water shoes as there are many sea urchins and the rocks can be slippery.

Then, we return to the boat and adjust the stern line we led ashore as well as the anchor to find a good position for the evening. It is very calm and the water is crystal clear. Wow!

Pomena has many restaurants, cafes and is clearly a popular choice with many cruisers like us. Rob and I could not resist taking the dinghy and taking a tour of the harbour after we were sure the anchor had set and the boat was secure.

We all relaxed on the boat for a couple of hours and Mackenzie and I headed to shore in Pomena to explore.

We found a lovely shop and Mackenzie got some pants and we both got a necklace made locally by a friend of the shop owner here on Mljet. She explained that her friend designs the jewelry because it is her passion and not because she needs money. This is true because the price was very reasonable for these hand made pieces!

Mackenzie was now desperate for food so the shop owner directed us to a local restaurant where we are currently enjoying dinner.

Mackenzie chose fried Calamari and I chose the grilled version.

As I write, we are finishing up with a cappuccino and some local ice cream.

Dinner was lovely and also a great chance to catch up on emails, face time, and the blog.

Thanks for reading!!

We will stay on Mljet and head to Polace Anchorage tomorrow!

Leaving Luka Lovisce - These Holiday boats had just arrived

Here are the 'Holiday Boats" we see so much of here in Croatia

We had to get this One as it was New and looked Quite Slick compared to the others...

Motoring South...

Passing by Old Korcula - We had Drinks under the Green Awnings Days Earlier on our Visit to the Old Town - Kenzie and I climbed that Bell Tower too!

As usual, the wind has died and we take time to do laundry while we travel to Mljet in the distance

The approach to the North end of Mljet

We departed the small island in the bottom right, Scedro and motored through the islands to the top centre where you see the black boat - That is The Lodge almost at Pomena at the North end of Mljet