Taking a Sabbatical from Our Sabbatical

Slano, Croatia

October, 2017

It has been a long time since I updated this blog and much has changed since then. You may have noticed the changed header of this blog. 

Over seven years ago we left Canada and have spent most of that time in the Med. We have loved every minute of it and still haven't seen everything, so we can't bear to leave it yet. Unfortunately, due to political circumstances we are currently unwilling to travel to some of those areas. We hope that will change for the better, but in the meantime we are going to put down some roots.

As much as we absolutely loved living in Italy, we felt it was time to move on. We chose Croatia because of its natural beauty and excellent cruising grounds and because I have citizenship, so establishing permanent residence here is a snap. We have signed an annual contract in the ACI Slano marina, (

Click to See) which is at the head of a beautiful bay 30 km north of Dubrovnik.

The prospects for engaging in some money-making enterprise look great. I am near to closing on something, but it is too early to report. Anything related to tourism and yachts is booming. All the marinas are full, or nearly so, and are more expensive than the places we have wintered in Italy. I will let you know what wintering is like here; eventhough I am certain it won't be as pleasant as southern Italy.

The plan now, as far as plans go, is to spend some time here, make some money, buy a house(?), see more of Europe, and wait for some of the turmol in in the world to subside.

Branko

July 1st - Anniversary!

My Life in a hamock

Seven years ago July 1st we left Toronto,  sailed down the St. Lawrence and out to sea.   I still constantly marvel at how inexperienced and ignorant I was, still am and note that perhaps I might not have taken on this adventure if I had known more.  Nah, I still would have gone.

Our anniversary this year was celebrated in Croatia.  We arrived ,from a 24 hour overnight sail from Italy, entering the small island of Lastavo late morning.  Beautiful sunny day and anchored easily in the peaceful bay, July 1st.  

Again, as I so often do, think of all the places, people and adventures I've had in such a short time and how lucky I am.

But I also think of all the things I could be doing, helping? and sometimes, sitting on my sailboat typing, swimming, enjoying  life and feeling truly blessed, seems well self indulgent. 

Traditional wisdom says that humans need to feel their lives matter to thrive, we need to feel necessary, I sometimes think  "how does my sailboat life matter in the big scheme of things"? In my little world.. 

For today this is where I will start, because starting is the first step and continuing what you began and keeping true to the outcome is the most difficult, for me.
  A catch phrase  I've heard is "do no harm"  so yesterday and all the days following I'll limit the harm I do by reducing my paper towel usage (I love paper towels), using no chemicals, provide supportive behaviour (as best I can) and speaking kindly, oh and I'll pick up trash when I see it.

Small things make a difference don't they?  If each of us does the small good things and think of first doing 'no harm', how would that be?

Maggie

Me in a  cherry tree

Montenegro

Montenegro! 

September 2016 (very late post...)

Roofs of Kotor

A beautiful place to arrive.  A long, clean (no used tractor tires, ribar sticking out or concrete falling apart) easy customs dock to tie up, complete with a Porto Montenegro Marina helper...no charge, friendly, helpful and we weren't even staying in the marina.  Duty free fuel 50 cents a litre, gorgeous mountains, history and our friends Tim, Katie, Molly and Louie.

Anchorage near Kotor

We have been to Kotor area before.  Our third time here and still the views take my breath away.   This visit however we have found new places to see and anchor., ending up spending 1 month here.  During the check-in, Branko discovered a source of home made sclivovica (Balkan grappa) and instantly purchased a few litres.   Turned out it is delicious and we will need to restock before leaving.   The weather was lovely but a Bura was blowing in for 3 days.   Our friends in the know, recommended anchoring off sveti Marko.   Perfect spot for a north east wind.     The island of Sveti Marko was, 20 years ago, a Club Med resort.   In 1991 the island was abandoned quickly leaving behind stage gear, costumes and still standing grass huts, nothing has been changed.  So anchoring here you feel as though your in some Polynesian island village that is now uninhabited.  

MontyB

Another nice spot is Orachovaca,  just down the bay from Kotor.   Good holding, quiet and beautiful views of the bay.There are mussel farms close by that you can dinghy ( or walk) to and buy fresh from the sea.  A few days were spent in Kotor bay just watching the beauty of the mountains, Venetian forts and huge cruise ships.  Quite the juxtaposition.

We rented a car with our friends Elli and Gerard (Umata) for 2 days.  Never, ever did we expect the rest of Montenegro to be so interesting, beautiful and varied. 
Our car trip included visiting the old town of Budva (nicely refurbished with many restaurants, souvenir shops and rooms to rent) which also included a shingle beach surrounded by the old town walls.   We drove out  of busy Budva and up into the mountains, windy roads that continued to give great views of the bay,  the little island and in the distance Bar. 
I had read about a quaint town by a river that had once been the winter homes of royalty.  So up we went until the large well maintained highway had new signs directing us to turn right, everything was going so well until the road turned into a dirt track with signs only to wineries.   Obviously it was a trick to get you into these far off wineries.  By the time you've arrived, figured out that you took a wrong turn, you're thirsty and ready to spend some money.

The bonus was that in our lost state we drove up, down and then up again on one " out of the way" road, which had s ramshackle kiosk that was serviced by some strange looking people.   The 3rd time we went up this road I said,  if we pass that kiosk ( because we still didn't know where we were) again we must stop, and voila there it was.  We pulled over and were offered all sorts of wine, whisky, liquors and honey to taste.  Being that this kiosk was a shepherds shack made of sticks and the chairs made of tree stumps and plastic pails, our expectations in cleanliness was low.  Turned out that was a good thing as the cups used consisted of bottle tops, cans, bottles and a few regular small glasses, not washed just reused.   The owner was a jovial woman who knew how to entertain her clients, laughing, pouring drinks,  providing seating and telling stories ( thank goodness for Branko and his ability to understand and speak the language, otherwise we would have just sat there nodding with stupid smiles on our faces.)

Sunset in Sveti Marko

Of course we had to buy some items, overpriced though they were, the experience was worth a few extra euros.  Visky for Branko and honey for Umata. 

All the wrong turns and dirt roads were worth it once we arrived in Rijeka Crnojevic, the town sits beside the river of Crnojević - near the coast of Skada Lake.   Peaceful river with swans, willow trees and the best restaurant in Montenegro ( so said the current Lonely Planet.)

In the Fijords

 We then headed up into the mountains just to drive through the countryside, fantastic views of Kotor and surrounding bays.  

Next day we started off early to have coffee in Kotor before it got busy.   Then along the bay road to Pervast quick walk down to the village with a slightly slower walk ( up all those stairs) back to the car.  Pervast is a UNESCO site with a beautiful waterfront that looks out to the small islands that house the monastery and church.

A drive through Risan ( the oldest town in Montenegro, or so it says) and a right turn into another set of mountains.  This time our destination was Dumitor N.P., the lakes and valleys within.   Montenegro is a vastly different country once inland.   The river valley near Rudine, fertile plains with neat little farms that can be clearly seen from the road above.  The lakes of Stansko Jerezo have green islands and sand beaches but no boats nor swimmers, perhaps a closer look was necessary.   We turned before heading into the town of Niksic, well known for it's Montenegro brand beer.  Our plan was to see the Tara river gorge before noon, as later the sun no longer shines into the gorge and nothing can be seen.   Luckily we made it in time and enjoyed the view with a few hundred Serbian and Bosnian tourists, still spectacular.   We decided to take the river valley road back to Niksic ( must have a beer in Niksic!) so very stunning with the broad winding along the river, tunnels through the rock faces and sheer cliffs.  The river was light see-through blue, and very cold.   By the time we reached Niksic a cold beer and a meal sounded perfect. 

Tivat Bay

Niksic is a university town so of course it was filled with youth and trendy outdoor bars.   We even got a free round of drinks because a young man's wife just had a baby, a boy and he ( the father) was celebrating with friends.  After a meal and a beer or two we headed back to Tivat via the mountain roads.  

Once back on the boat we waited another week, behind Sveti Marko enjoying time with MontyB.   Soon the weather forecast was perfect for a 2 day sail to Greece.

M.

p.s. pictures of inland Montenegro following....

Preveza, Greece

Rome!

Pantheon

How lucky am I!

Almost forgot...no not really.

Angel bridge

Went to Rome, with my friend Linda and again with Branko.  

Rome!!!

The big C

Trevi Fountain

Linda and I, fooling around

Pag to Vis

Relaxing in the hamock

Pag to Vis - August 2016 (very very late blog...)

Shortly after the Bura we left Rab to motor down the coast of Pag, spending a night anchored in Novaija.   A decision was made to continue past the island of Pag to visit the old town of Nin.   I was thinking Nin would have loads of Pag cheese.  They did not but we did find some in the local grocery.  Expensive and tasted like, nothing really, no distinct flavor.   J and Elly however did purchase some which enabled me to have a free taste.  Very thankful to them both.

Vis Harbour

Nin has a very rich and tumultuous history. Its historical center is located on an islet only 500 meters in diameter. Nin is situated in a lagoon, surrounded by natural sandy beaches and linked with the mainland by two stone bridges from the 16th century. According to historians the area of Nin appears to have been settled 10,000 years ago. The present-day town on the islet developed 3,000 years ago and is one of the older towns on the eastern Adriatic. 

Since the 9th century B.C. Nin was inhabited by the Ilyrians, the Greeks and Romans and the Croats colonized Nin at the beginning of the 7th century. At the time of the Turkish wars, Nin was the battle-field. When Dalmatia was sold to Venice (1409), the city was economically exploited but not protected militarily.  Nin was destroyed twice,  in 1571 and in1646.

Venice gave an order to burn the town and destroy it systematically, sacrificing Nin and leaving the burnt town to the Turks, to save the town of Zadar. 

Corfu

The six of us (Umata and Bonaventure) anchored on theAdriatic side and walked the few kilometres in scorching heat to Nin.   It was worth it.  Nin a small well kept town surrounded by old saltwork sites, kite surfers in the lagoon, Roman mosaic floors, an ancient church and completely different scenery looking towards the end of the Velebit channel.  Plus we had lunch out, a rare treat for Branko and I.

Next stop, Sutomiscica on the island of Ugljan for a game of bolls, meeting with MdR folks and just relaxing.   No concessions so far,  nice safe anchorages with good holding.  A few days later we went north around the tip of Ugljan and sailed down to Vela Luka by Murter.   We were slowly heading south waiting to meet up with Branko's family.

Vis town

Since we had never been to the south of Tisno we decided to sail down the coast and tuck into the little islands and bays near Tisno bridge.  Lovely area, quiet, good anchorages, few boats, little towns and a music festival if you were so inclined, which we were.   We anchored by the festival and listened to music from early morning to early morning.

Going for a swim

Corfu 

After lazying about for a number of days we met up with Umata again for a game of hearts (Jeff and Gayle.)  On our way north we had discovered a nice anchorage in Sibenik, in the bay behind the marina, although not a swimming area it had great shopping in easy walking distance.  Plus we were still waiting for family.   They did arrive and we spent a few hours chatting along the beautiful harbor in Sibenik. The next day we sailed under the Krk river bridge and then off to the island of Zlarin for swimming, BBQ and relaxation, again.
 Branko, Dora, Domi and Sanja are Branko's cousins,  we lived with them one winter in Croatia a few years ago.  Brave souls because they then met us in the summer and came sailing, for 10 days. We enjoyed having them visit.

Soon we had to continue south, first to Rocogniza for a few nights waiting for a southerly to blow through.  On a blustery day we decided to sail to Vis.  We had never been there and the winds would be perfect to take us directly into the harbour.   A fun ride with black clouds over Split and Hvarr with the occasional strong gust we made Vis island in no time.   We entered the protected outer harbour and securely anchored right in the town harbour, no concession and only a couple of boats.   Great 360 degree view of the entire town worthy of a glass of beer while sitting snugly in the cockpit. We did not go visit all the tunnels, military areas nor beaches but we did wander throughout the town and bays close by.

Vis was inhabited since Neolithic times. In the 4th century BC by the Greeks and until 1797, the island was under the rule of the Republic of Venice then Austria.   Tito in WW2 used the island for military purposes and up until the mid nineties mines were still around.

We needed to leave before our 3 months expired so decided to check out of Vis and sail the 36 hours to Montenegro.  Half sailing and the remainder motoring.  Arrival in Tivat Montenegro mid day.  The check out was easy compared to Cavtat, dinghy to the police who did all the paperwork ( as the harbourmaster was not yet in his office. )  Although a simple and calm process the officer did make 2 mistakes.  She told Branko we could sail direct to Montenegro through Croatian waters and did not stamp our exit papers.  Montenegro insists on the paperwork being exact, if not a fine is extracted.   

Corfu fort 

Just before entering Montenegro we were stopped by the Croatian police and fined 600.00 kunas for not leaving Croatian waters immediately after checking out of Vis.  At Montenegro customs the policeman advised Branko that the paperwork had not been stamped (Montenegro requires proof of your last port) and said that usually a fine of 200.00 euros is charged.  Branko, being his charming self avoided the fee.

Mag

p.s. pictures of Nin will be following...Corfu pics are only to keep you interested

Birthdays

Tardy Post (September 2016)

In my life I have had some really memorable birthdays.   My mother started it all by ensuring her children were pampered on their birthdays.   This meant that no one
(insert siblings here) were allowed to hit, yell, be rude or get the birthday person into trouble.  It certainly was a special day!   We also got cake, presents and sometimes a party.

So, birthdays have always been a little special to me, not just mine but everyone's.   In 2002 on my birthday we bought  H2OBO.  Since leaving Toronto I've enjoyed different kinds of  birthdays, I just never knew where I might be or with who.

My 1st birthday  (after leaving Toronto) was in Hubbards Cove, Nova Scotia.   We were putting the boat back together after the hurricane had passed, holding on to a flaying jib sheet, which snapped and broke my nose.   My birthday was spent having my crooked nose realigned.  Branko, using the event to his advantage, said he gave me a nose job for my birthday.

My 2nd birthday was just after crossing the Atlantic, we were enjoying the southern coast of Spain, Almerimar.  Our friends Fumi and Yoshi were with us.  Turns out Fumi's  birthday and mine were only days apart so Yoshi and Branko made a delicious meal and we celebrated together in Japanese style.

3rd birthday was in Croatia.  We were anchored in Cavtat and had just met an interesting Australian couple.  They invited us over for dinner and I inadvertently said it was my birthday., hehehe.   This couple who did not know us, but ended up making us a delicious coconut curry, made a birthday cake, gave me presents
(which I still use and cherish) and plied us with bottles of Australian champagne.  All the while a huge storm was blowing, lighting, thunder, rain and wind, but we hardly noticed.   This couple was so interesting all else was forgotten.  They had a hot air balloon business in Alice Springs that they built from nothing.  And were at this time planning to expand the business into China.  Their stories were unbelievable.

4th birthday was sailing across the Adriatic from Montenegro to Otranto, Italy.  Branko says it was a planned moonlight cruise, very romantic.   Our friends Jeff, Gayle and the Neptune crew met us in Crotone and anchored in the commercial port they threw me a party.  Food, glorious food, live music and laughter.   Oh and presents:-)  a t-shirt I wanted with Croatian writing from Jeff and Gayle.   Vanessa learned a song I liked on her guitar and played and sung it to me.   Thoughtful people.

5th birthday was in Ragusa, Sicily.   A picnic in the Eucalyptus forest with Ange, Samantha and Branko.   Birthday cake, picnic fixings, presents (smoked mussels, thank you Ange) and just knowing how again, the thoughtfulness of people cause they knew I love a picnic!

6th birthday was in Taromina with George, Donna, Branko and Jenn.   We had dinner out at a restaurant that George and Donna knew.  Turns out the owner loves George and Donna so my birthday got more exciting with champagne, birthday cake and a minstrel show.  The food was wonderful and the generosity again of new friends left me smiling and happy.

7th birthday (7 already? Where does the time go?)  Arrival in Greece after a 2 day and night sail from Montenegro.  Entering Greece, sailing along the north coast of Corfu and then anchoring below the ancient Venetian fort in Corfu town.  Simply magical, especially after a swim in warm, clear blue waters.  A few days later we had an impromptu party on Umata in Preveza.   Paula from Safari decided that my birthday shall now be celebrated on the 16th instead of the 14th.  New friends met, again:-)
Thank you to my wonderful friends in Toronto, who never ever missed my birthday and all the new friends I've met these past 7 years.

Maggie

Soccer in Roccella

In my Italian class I met a friend from Argentina.  Her name is Camilia and she was spending 6 months in Roccella keeping her fiance company, learn Italian and visit Italy.   Her finance, Gonzalez, was a star player on the Roccella Football team.  He had been drafted from Argentina 2 years previously.

I could not believe it, not only did Roccella have a professional football team,  soccer field, drinks kiosk and announcers but so did all the other small towns in the area - Siderno, Caulonia, Giosa, Bova.
The Italian 'football' scouts travel the world to find and sign players for these teams.

Two winters living in Roccella and I never knew there was a team, nor field nor such a following of avid supporters.  Camilia arranged for 2 free tickets, we arrived late but were so surprised to see all the cars, professional field, fences, gates, police and people (and this was Sunday during siesta) I always wondered where people were during this time of day?

The game was entertaining, fast paced, no downtime, constant action.
Gonzalez even scored 2 goals of the 4, by himself - needless to say Roccella won the game!

We never knew this slice of life existed in Roccella..better go back to Italian classes and learn to read posters.

Maggie

Cherry Pickn' in Calabria

May 2017

Finished picking

The view!

Cherries

Umbrella in action

In the tree

 Monday morning, bright sunny day - we met with Ilario and started our cherry picking journey.

First:   We packed the car:

• 4 large plastic carrier bags
• 1 wooden ladder (smallish)
• 4 plastic vegetable crates
• 1 large umbrella

Off we went through the little alleyways of Roccella to one of Ilario's uncles, holder of the keys to the family home in the village of Saint Nicola.  The keys were carried in a sack, a big cloth sack, because the keys were the size of my forearm and as heavy as a 15 lb bag of potatoes...think Gormenegast trilogy.

St. Nicola is the village of Ilario's mothers family.   Nestled (the village) on a hillside above a beautiful river valley surrounded by rocky mountain,craggy hills.  

Quick story about Ilario's Mom and Dad.  

Ilario's Mom lived in St. Nicola, and at the time, their only mode of transport was feet, horse or donkey, needless to say she didn't meet that many suitable suitors, if any.  So one day there is a wedding, many different people attended and one such person was a man, who was scoping out the lovely single ladies, to find a wife for his brother, who lives in Canada. He  (the brother) had immigrated for work but wanted to marry an Italian woman (Calabrian) and well ,there weren't many of them in Thunder Bay area in the early 50's.  

The brother, thought Ilario's Mom was well suited, intelligent and interesting enough for his brother to pursue.  

First pictures were exchanged.  

They thought the other 'attractive' enough and with the Uncle's 'worthy' opinion of both parties Ilario's (soon to be) Papa made the long boat trip from Canada to Italy to meet with his potential spouse.  In a matter of days they were married but because Ilario's father had skipped out of his military service, there was a warrant for his arrest.   Sooo they got married, he left on the next boat back to Canada, she went on the honeymoon by herself..I think it was Taromina in Sicily..and then too left Italy for Thunder Bay!  Ten years and 4 boys later they came back to Roccella because Ilario's Mom wanted her boys to marry Calabrian women...only Ilario married a Calabrian woman.   Back to the cherry picking!

It took us about 20 minutes to get to Ilario's family home in the village of St. Nicola. We were visiting the residences of his mother's fathers family - unfortunately the buildings were falling into disrepair.  You could still see the majesty of the property, it contained wood ovens, olive presses, gardens, olive grove (the grove was just outside the kitchen door) stables for the animals (horses, donkeys, chickens, pigs - who all lived below the family dwelling.)  Furniture and dishes left as though Ilario's grandfather  had just gone out for a walk and was returning any moment.

The keys did not work but really there was no need as you could pull open a wooden door and grab a string and viola the door opened - guess you only needed to know about the string.

Back to cherry picking..The cherry tree, and it was just one tree, belongs to Ilario's Uncle (the key holder) and the tree was just below the town on a little hill, the tree was bursting with cherries and ready to be picked. The branches were nearly touching the ground, it was that heavy with fruit.  A few very large bees were hanging about but that was it for competition.

The bags, crates, ladder and umbrella were brought to the tree (it was a very sunny morning, I was still confused with the umbrella's use, possibly for shade when we rested?)  As we picked , we moved up the tree into the strong sturdy climbing branches.

Ah memories of my 'sour cherry' picking days as a child labourer (my Mom was the boss) came vividly to mind.  How I dreaded those 2-3 days of cherry work.  As children my mother would have us ALL go pick cherries for 1 day in an orchard outside of  Toronto (I think it's now a huge mall in Mississauga.)   Our outfits were long pants, shirt and a belt.  My Mother would attach a basket to our belts and send us up the trees to start a-pickn'.  Sour cherries are not so delicious to eat so all the cherries went into the basket and not our mouths.  Also I noticed that sour cherries are much more juicier than the bing, or perhaps I was not so careful because all I remember is all the juice running down my arms into my armpits and then sticking together (I hated that feeling.) My body was a mass of sticky cherry juice within 10 minutes of my beginning to pick and we picked for 6 or more hours (ok perhaps it was less time...but it felt like longer.)  My strategy was to keep my arms up and away from my armpits which made climbing and picking quite challenging.

Day 2-3 we spend in our backyard pitting the cherries using bobby pins.  What another messy job but this time all the sticky cherry juice was on my legs so my knees stuck together (relief for my sore underarms) - I'm not sure if my entire family disliked the cherry time but we all sure enjoyed the cherry jams, preserves, pies and sauces our Mom made.  Surely the cherry episodes were so much more work and stress for my Mom but she never said anything, only encouraged us with egg salad sandwiches and lemonade.

Pickn' the cherry

Back to Calabria.   As we moved up the tree we climbed into the branches farther out but some cherries were still too far away to reach.  Ilario, looking up and seeing my imminent fall, handed me, you guessed it, the umbrella.   "Do you want to use this?" he asks me.   I was on the second branch, I thought sitting comfortably, and shaded well from the sun.."Uh no, no thank you.."  He saw I was confused so he turned the umbrella upside down and using the hook handle he pulled the cherry laden branch towards me....now the cherries were in my grasp.    Duh!

We filled all the bags and crates within 2 hours. We had so many cherries,but Ilario had 'come picking' with a plan.  

• 3 bags to friends - we dropped them off as we drove back to Roccella
• 1 crate for the Uncle,'holder of the keys' and owner of the cherry tree
• 1 crate to family
• 1 crate for us
• 1 bag and 1 crate for Ilario and misc friends and family

We arrived back home (to Ilario's) for a lunch of battered fried zucchini flowers within 3 hours of leaving.

And our crate of cherries, what would we do with a crate of cherries?  Decided to give some away, eat alot of them and Branko made his first strudel ever, and yes you guessed it, we pitted them (using the ever versatile bobby pin) and Branko set up a drying rack using cheese cloth and the sun.  We have a big container of delicious dried cherries to eat whenever we like.  I think Branko has farmer genes, surely I won't be surprised to find a chicken aboard one day.

Maggie