Cavtat

Sunday 30 April 2023

Crossing to Croatia is quite pleasant except for incessant racket of exploding diesel. Boat motion is minimal; watermaker keeps tanks full; hot water is always available for showers.

But, (have you noticed the extravagant number of buts and howevers?) after having none in Greece, approach to coast of Albania has inundated us with hundreds, nay thousands, of tiny flies. They're annoying, but don't bite and Jan, "The Fly Slayer", is having a field day. Began a nap to sound of swatting and awoke an hour and a half later to same. Now, an hour after that, death toll continues to mount yet numbers don't diminish. Similarly to what one airline's employees said of their customers, "they're being born faster than we can piss them off".

Have slowed to a crawl so as not to arrive Cavtat (near agent and closest to Dubrovnik Airport) before sunrise. Until we acquire local sims, Greek mobile service is reported to work for up to 12Gb (Eurozone rule) at no extra charge, but we'll just have to see about that. Google Fi was good near Albania, so that's an option as well - can't cope when cut off from the grid. SV Inspiration Ladys, currently in St. Maarten and shortly bound for England, are installing mobile Starlink. Their experience will inform our future.

After seeing precious few fishing boats anywhere in the Mediterranean, coasts of Albania and Montenegro have been lousy with them. Began playing dodgem overnight. Don't know what they catch, but restaurants where we've located have almost exclusively served farm-raised sea bass, sea bream and salmon. Mediterranean, very low on plankton, has a commensurately small wild fish population.

Monday

Arrived Cavtat just after daylight. Took a few tries to get any purchase with ground tackle as posidonia is nearly everywhere and even clearish spots don't hold well. Besides the anchor, we also put out a fair weight of chain. Tonight is only forecast breeze of any note for several days, so if we get through until tomorrow, should be good until departure after Lesley's Thursday night arrival. Dragging, given forecast wind, would be across a relatively shallow, long bay... he said hopefully.

Agent brought paperwork, took us to petrol station (not close), is checking on park fees, gave us good local information and will pick up Lesley on Thursday night - Kuna well spent.

Tuesday

Still in place! Good sign. Feel safe to go ashore once rain stops early afternoon to maybe get sim. Tried at recommended newsstand yesterday, but they only sold sims for ten days and then needed a new sim?? What up widdat? We'll try post office today. Greek sim works fine for now, although limited in roaming Gb.

So here we are listening to Best of Gordon Lightfoot who died yesterday at eighty four. We're both great fans. RIP.
"I shall not wholly die, and a great part of me will escape the grave."
- Horace

Jack & Jan