Bigova is an inlet off the main Adriatic coast about 6 miles south of the Gulf of Kotor. Whilst the Gulf is very nice we have been hanging around a while and were getting rather bored (Chris particularly!) so decided to find somewhere else for a while. It only took a couple of hours motoring in flat calm seas to exit the Gulf, chug down past a small island with a fort on it (maybe another time) and enter Bigova bay. Whilst it is enclosed from most directions there’s a very long fetch to the northern side of the inlet so any strong winds from the north-west or west are likely to kick up a good swell at Bigova itself, however, whilst we spent our three days there though it was very peaceful. The southern end of the bay has all the local mooring buoys plus a number for the restaurant but there is the chance to anchor in around 10m outside this which is what we did on company with a French yacht.

When we had settled and were looking around we both thought the small catamaran at the other end of the bay looked familiar but couldn’t place her. Later that afternoon two people in a small boat came out past us and started chatting to the French yacht. They then motored over to us and, when he took of his hat and sunglasses, we realised that this was a French guy we had met in the Balearics last year, now accompanied by his wife. He had then been in the process of loading his Cat onto a transport ship to bring her around to the Adriatic and had clearly now settled in Bigova and recognised our boat as we came in.

Marc and Anne invited us to visit their house the next day and we spent a couple of hours talking sailing and hearing the story of the house purchase. They were just walking by a year ago and were spoken to in French by the householder and ended up buying the property which has a lovely terrace with a view over the bay. The house came with the small boat and the Cat is on a buoy within sight of the terrace – a rather good set-up for a ‘slowing down’ stage in a sailing career. They are a very interesting couple with a lot of sailing experiences so we had a very pleasant afternoon.

We spent three days in the bay, the water is incredibly clear, even in 10m you can see the bottom from the deck which is very unusual. Marc told us that the salt water there is mixed with lots of rainwater running from the hillside caverns which helps the clarity – it also makes it colder than normal but still pleasant for a swim once you’re in.



'Grispolis' restaurant by the quay at Bigova

On the Saturday night we went for a meal at the restaurant there, ‘Grispolis’. They claim to use only locally caught fish and it shows in the resulting dish. We enjoyed the starter of local ham and the sea bass that we shared was fantastic, filleted at the table for us and with firm and tasty flesh - the best fish this year. We will return there before we leave the area and recommend a visit if you’re in Bigova.

At the table next to us that night was a couple from a different French yacht that had arrived in the bay that day so we got chatting. Marc and Françoise of ‘Glaz’ also came over for a coffee the next morning so we could swap tips about Croatian waters (their destination) and Greek waters (our next year’s plan) Glaz is a ‘race oriented’ 59ft with a tall mast and a draft of 2.8m! - that’s deep (we are 1.2m and most mono-hulls come in well under 2.2m) it does restrict where they can visit and even refuel but no doubt does wonders for sailing performance!

We have concluded that Chris’s thigh problem was originating from his lower back rather than the leg and have been working on that with exercise, massage (Carolyn enjoys the bit when he winces) and regular swimming. Its improved things but he is still unable to bend down or put strain on the leg. It’s frustrating as there are many jobs that could be done but all require contortions and small spaces! The chiropractor is booked as soon as we return to England.



Kotor from the anchorage at night. This shows the extent of the fortifications built up the mountain - its a very big yacht in the foreground!

The last few days we have returned to the anchorage off the island of Stradioti for three nights spent Wednesday back at anchor off Kotor and are now moored on the quay there as we need to do some restocking of the food and booze supplies. We will probably stay here and try to relax until Jeff and Sandra join us on Monday.

Main Photo: The bay at Bigova with Splice at anchor in the background