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