Ok so it’s been quite a start to our new live-aboard life; 800 nm, 166 hours, 67stops and 32 unique locations in just two and a half months on board GypsyDjango. It has been seven months since leaving SA and come September 3rd and I will have been in five countries this year, with two more to come - not bad for the year of lock-down 😉
Whoop whoop!!!! Ahead of us now, heading South, we have at least 1900 NM between us and our chosen destination for winter - where we hope to be by the start of November after our Mediterranean crossing.
“Shew I think I need a holiday, Kevin promised I could wake up on the ocean, enjoy my coffee and sip Gin and Tonics, in no particular order”
The aim is to first sail from Split to Dubrovnik, a route which we having been saving for the second portion of the trip, with a few days at Kolocep - the island where the idea for this life was born.
After we clear customs in Dubrovnik in early September we will visit Montenegro, a very beautiful and secret little gem of a country. The entire area can be crossed in two days under sail but we will aim to take around five as we explore some of the most beautiful locations in this region.
The coastline of Montenegro is just over 300 km long with only 14 islands and can be divided into two parts; the Bay of Kotor (in which the Tivat, Kotor and Herceg Novi Rivieras are located) and the coastline of the Budva, Bar and Ulcinj Rivieras (open to the Adriatic Sea).
While we have managed to avoid mass tourism in Croatia - thanks to Covid and our choice of the more secluded, coves and bays - it will be special to discover a new country which by and large typically escapes the same mass tourism pull. We currently offer Airbnb adventure sailing trips in Greece around the Ionian Islands and there have been no serious takers this year; can you imagine if we offered little unknown Montenegro as a destination? Everyone wants to come to Croatia; it is exceptionally popular and we have reconfirmed why. Thank heavens, considering it’s the country that made Kevin and I make this momentous shift in our lives. However down South we must go and Montenegro we are coming! Looking forward to exploring the charming medieval coastal towns - where Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Turks have all gazed out to sea - of a country that’s been on our list for a while now.
It is with more than a touch of sadness that we leave you beautiful Croatia. You have certainly delivered on all our expectations and as we say farewell to our favorite spots, I feel that the time has passed far too quickly. Too soon my “home” is again disappearing; but I must not forget my “home” is no longer a country but rather a GPS position on a wide ocean onboard GypsyDjango.
Leaving Montenegro we have a brief exit from the EU as we sail along the Albanian coastline, but you will have to wait for my next blog for that - I need to keep creating content to keep you interested after all 😉
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