One year ago Sangaris and crew sailed across the Adriatic from Vieste, Italy to Lastovo, Croatia to begin an extended season of cruising the Dalmatian Islands and Istrian peninsula. Our check-in formalities included purchasing a one year permit (1800 kuna ~ $300) for the boat to be in Croatian waters. Fast forward to June 2010 and, with the permit still valid for a few more weeks, we made a bee-line straight south to explore southern Dalmatia. But soon it was July 17th and our glorious year was up.

So, sailing by the walled city of Dubrovnik and, yes, taking loads more photos and admiring coastal properties perched on the cliffs above the sea, we went to the town of Cavtat, one of the official check-in/out towns. A chat with the officials to learn if there was some leniency to stay just a couple more days left us with a very clear "No!" so we took on some fresh market veg, cheese, bread and fruit and arranged a farewell Croatia dinner. Once again we spent a very pleasant evening with pals Sandra and Chris on a terrace overlooking Tiha Bay and the old town of Cavtat before strolling the waterfront docks loaded with mega yachts.

First stop in morning was the Harbormaster's office, then the police for exit papers, then customs and finally back to the Harbormaster to provide some duplicate paperwork for their files. Montenegro was our next stop so, with a few leftover Croatian kunas to spend, we found more fresh fruit, some cold beers and bouquets of garden grown flowers and left lovely Croatia. We've included photos of books that other sailors cruising this region may find helpful, including the new, just released "777 harbors & anchorages" of Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and, yes, Albania ... but more on that later! The cover, if you can see the details in the pic, shows the flags of all the countries as well as the historical flags of the eastern Adriatic: the three leopards of Dalmatia, the blue & white striped shield of the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik), the lion of Venice, the Fiume-Rijeka eagle and the goat of Istria.

Crusiers' notes: no anchorage fee 'on a hook' in the harbor of Tiha and an easy dinghy ride to the narrow peninsula to access Cavtat town. Small fresh market and well-supplied mini-market on main street; don't miss the bakery and café - fabulous sweet and savory treats! The guides pictured above were very helpful for cruising, anchoring and exploring towns along the way. The "777" is really the "bible" for the area and the 2010-2011 edition, complete with color photos, much improved binding (no cello tape instructions) now includes a new 50 page section on cruising Albania ... we'll add notes as we go!