Sailing with Balvenie - Croatia to Italy

8:25 PM Mon 12 Oct 2009 GMT

'Anchored outside the old city walls of Dubrovnik' Yacht Balvenie

Amanda Church and Mark Farrell continue their tales of sailing in the Mediterranean on their 47ft fractional rigged, centre cockpit sloop, Balvenie. This week they sail from Croatia to Italy:

The anchorage at the head of Zaton Bay just north of Dubrovnik is large, shallow and protected from all but westerly winds. However the very steep sided hills that encompass the bay seem to draw the wind at night, so just after you tuck yourself in and turn off the lights get ready for the 25knot blasts out of the northeast, they carry on all night long and die away at dawn.

The water stays flat, the holding is good but sleep is disturbed - oh well....

Next morning, instead of taking the bus into Dubrovnik, we decided to take Balvenie around and anchor off the old town for the day and if conditions permitted even stay the night there. The weather looked calm and settled so we motored the few miles around and anchored amongst the cruise ships outside the old harbour and city walls.

This is a great spot in settled weather and we dinghied into the ancient harbour, the breakwater the oldest in Croatia and first constructed in the 7th century - with several additions and repairs since!

Dubrovnik old town is an absolute gem and we decided to do the city walls walk which takes a couple of hours and is a complete circuit high above the town walking on the top of the solid thick walls. The views both out to sea and down into the heart of the town are excellent and we could even keep an eye on Balvenie most of the time.

Looking down on tiny Balvenie from the top of the fortress walls - Yacht Balvenie

We were also watching the weather as large thunder clouds were building, and although no wind was forecast you never can be sure. The walk was great, if somewhat busy as there were 4 large cruise ships in port. Back down in the town square there was live theatre, musicians and a real carnival atmosphere.

Dubrovnik has bounced back so well after the pounding they received in the early 1990 war, two out of three properties needed repairs from shelling, and they have carried these out to blend in with the original materials and architecture as well as possible. It's a lovely place and we would have liked to spend longer wandering through all the alleys but the weather was closing in so we headed back to Balvenie.

Although there still was no wind a large swell had come in which made the dinghy ride back and then getting back onboard a real challenge, both drenched in salt water we finally got on, just tied the dinghy on as lifting it onto the davits was not a possibility in the seas, and we pulled up anchor immediately - motored a short distance into the lee of a small nearby island where the water was flatter, raised the dinghy then headed south in the very wobbly seas the few miles to Cavtat.

We were concerned the anchorage there would be exposed to this swell but with no other option but to head back to Zaton Bay we continued on, we could see only 3 others masts in the anchorage but they looked steady, the outlying islands and headland providing enough cover for a reasonably comfortable stay. We were surprised at the lack of boats there but found out later that while we were in Dubrovnik one of the thunderstorms had hit here and they had 40knots through the anchorage and most boats had to leave.

Street musicians - a xylophone made of beer bottles - Yacht Balvenie

The weather this year has been far more unsettled than last, possibly because we are in higher latitudes than we were in Turkey but it has made for a more stressful time, always watching the skies and the wind.

We went ashore for our last night in Croatia, Cavtat is a lovely little place, first settled by the Greeks around 300BC, it's just tiny and is a great option for checking in and out of Croatia.

With clear skies, calm seas and a good forecast the next morning we motored around to the customs dock, completed our check out in a matter of minutes, got a couple of loaves of the best bread I have found in Croatia, changed the rest of our kuna into euro, let the lines go and pointed the bow southwest towards Brindisi, Italy here we come!

We left Cavtat with calm winds, flat seas and a weather forecast indicating no more than 10knots from the north, sounds just perfect for an overnight passage southwest to Italy. After an hour or so we had enough breeze to sail at 5 knots, it was a lovely day so all was good with the world. But we have learnt that good things never last and although the winds didn't exceed 20knots the sea state increased and we must have been getting the leftover slop from the strong winds that had been blasting the Northern Adriatic for several days.

Bumpier and bumpier it got but while we were still able to sail it wasn't too bad. Around 10pm the wind dropped out completely, the boom was banging backwards and forwards so we did a nighttime sail drop - never a favourite in sloppy seas but necessary. We reefed down to the 3rd reefing line, hoping that some sail sheeted hard in would give us more stability than none at all. The motor went on and we wobbled about in the direction of Brindisi.

We had a full moon, normally such a delight on an overnighter as you lie back and watch it glistening above, not this time though, it kept moving so much that just looking at it was making me feel seasick! The wind picked up again at dawn but we kept with the 3rd reef and motorsailed the rest of the way, as we neared the 1 1/2 mile breakwater at Brindisi the seas were very confused but we eventually turned the corner of the breakwater into flat water at last, oh how nice! We dropped sail and motored the last miles up into the inner harbour and dropped anchor in a space really not quite big enough and went to sleep.

We were awoken a couple of hours later by a local fisherman who was trying to explain to us that the navy would move us on and we should move closer to the moored fishing boats. There really wasn't enough room for us so we decided to tie up to the town quay, we had been told it was free as long as you weren't tied up next to the potted plants! So with all our fenders and mooring lines at the ready, we successfully nudged ourselves into a 'no charge - plant free' area, home for a few nights.

Welcome to Italy.

Brindisi doesn't have the best of reputations, it's a main port town for those entering and exiting Italy on the many ferries that ply the waters between here, Greece and Albania. Few tourists seem to stay and explore but we really enjoyed it.

By day the quay area is a little shabby - well we didn't have potted plants - we were worried about security so emptied the cockpit and stowed most things below. By night it is completely different, it's a pedestrian area, alive with hundreds of locals out for their evening promenade and catchup with family and neighbours, just lovely.

Local men sit all hours of the day and night on the quay fishing between the boats, never catching anything, but seemingly content with their lot. After our initial concerns we felt as safe and secure as anywhere else we have tied up to on a town wall.

There were strong winds forecast in a couple of days and it was carnival time, Brindisi's Patron Saints Day, over the weekend so we wanted to stay for the festivities.

We went for an excursion by train to the nearby town of Lecce. It boasts more than 40 churches and palazzi, most in 16th and 17th century baroque architecture, built out of a local cream and gold stone. There is also the 12th century cathedral in the Piazza del Duoma, and an unearthed 2nd century AD amphitheatre, discovered in the early 1900's when underground vaults were being dug for a nearby bank. The whole town all glimmers in the sunlight and when the thunderstorms pass overhead and the heavens open there are some very cute trattorias to while away a couple of hours over a tasty lunch!

Day trip to Lucce - Yacht Balvenie

Unfortunately our time on the wall was coming to an end, we had been asked to move off while the festivities were on over the weekend, and we thought we would have great spots for seeing everything. With 35knots forecast for the next couple of days we and two friend boats moved over to the Brindisi Marina. Fortunately it was now shoulder season so it was almost affordable - unfortunately it is quite a distance by bus from town.

We shared the hire a small car for a day with two friends and headed inland into the heart of Puglia. I had read about the Trulli stone houses unique to this area, so we headed northwest through scenic country lanes towards Alberobello.

Alberobello day trip from Brindisi - Yacht Balvenie

Enroute we discovered Locorotondo and what a find it was, set high on a hill top it's a tiny town built from ivory coloured sandstone, it houses a maze of alleys with cute tidy houses, hanging vines and flowers complete the postcard picture and it made a great stopover for an excellent pasta lunch. This town is rated as a borghi piu belli d'Italia, one of the most beautiful towns in Italy and it was just lovely, strangely there was hardly anyone else there.

Alberobella Village, Puglia - Yacht Balvenie

We moved on after lunch to Alberobello, much more touristy but a great spot, the little round white stone houses look like they were built for goblins and pixies, all straight out of a fairytale. There are over 1500 of these pointy shaped old houses in the area and they were well worth the visit.

Saturday evening was the climax of carnival weeked, the small inner harbour and dockside where we had been tied was jampacked with local craft all taking part in the festivities. There were thousands of people out on the streets, the rains and winds abated for a few hours and the city certainly came alive.

An excellent fireworks display had many oohhs and aahhs from the onlookers and a large procession formed to follow the statue of the patron saint to her resting place. As we headed back to the marina and Balvenie, the winds increased again and howled for the next 36 hours. To be continued....

Cruising Info for Brindisi - Italy:
Anchorages -
Upper Harbour Anchorage... 40 38.571N 17.56.564E 8m mud, only stayed a couple of hours, there is not really enough room. Might be better off up past the small marina on the right and naval yard on the left
Town Quay ... 40 38.513N 17 56.698E 5.1m sidetied for free. As you approach the wall the free spots are towards the right hand end but behind the area cordened off for the small ferry. Very little wash from the ferry. In a strong north easterly you get pinned on the wall and quite a chop, so if there is room go past the ferry area, past the fuel dock and there is room for a couple of boats it has more shelter in NE winds. There is also a big long quay on the northern shore, not many cleats but we heard of boats having tied there in northerlies. No power and water unless you go to the 'potted plants' end where you have to pay.
Brindisi Marina ... 40 39.618N 17 57.827E Bow or stern to, mooring lines provided, call first and dinghy will assist. Quite exposed to the wind but safe enough. ?32 a night shoulder season (september).
Other options ... The Lega Nevale Marina is much closer to town and very protected, however it is tiny and had no space available. A couple of yachts anchored outside the Brindisi Marina close to the breakwater while we had the strong NE winds. In the cruising guide this area is marked as proposed berths but is currently empty.
Internet - no unlocked internet in Italy, could find no wifi cafes despite Lonely Planet saying there are plenty on the main street. Ended up buying a USB Sim and have spent 10 days trying to get it to work, more on that later!
Money - ATM's in town and one at the marina
Provisions - Small supermarket close to port on Corso Garibaldi, morning fruit and veg stalls and a couple of bakeries in behind the post office on Via Ferrante Fornari. Marina very remote with only a restaurant there.
Sightseeing -
Helpful Tourist Office right on the Town Quay
Day trip to Lecce ?4.60 return per person 2nd class train, very regular about every 1/2hour. Takes about 30 minutes
Day trip to Alberobello ?50 for a Fiat Panda plus ?15 petrol. We walked to the airport from the marina (quite a long way!!) and got the car from Auto Europa
Formalities -
Leaving Croatia, no charges very qucik in Cavtat but must tie to Customs Dock

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Cruising Info for Zaton Bay, Dubrovnik Old Town and Cavtat - Croatia:
Anchorages -
Zaton Bay ... 42 41.958N 18 02.555E 14m mud
Dubrovnik Old Town ... 42 38.391N 18 07.024E 10m sand and weed, can see the bottom to find sand patch. We stayed day only but know of boats that overnighted here in calm conditions, possibly pay anchorage if overnight if you are onboard at the wrong time!
Cavtat - Tiha Bay ... 42 35.138N 18 13.175E 10m. We found holding hold both times here but others had problems and boats dragged. In the main bay we have been told that it is an expensive pay anchorage but I have also been emailed by a cruiser who anchored twice over summer and weren't charged. ??!!
Internet - unlocked good signals at both Zaton and Tiha, didn't try Dubrovnik
Money - no ATM at Zaton, plenty at others, also bank in Cavtat to change those last Kuna
Provisions - Great small supermarket in Zaton on road at head of bay, adequate supermarket, good veg stalls and great bakery in Cavtat
Sightseeing - You can visit Dubrovnik by bus from either Zaton or Cavtat. Dubrovnik Wall Walk 50k pp and we also got the audio commentary at 40k pp which gave us more than enough history!
Formalities - Checking out in Cavtat took less than 10 minutes and there are no charges. As with checking in you MUST tie up to the customs dock, it was empty so we side tied.

by Amanda Church and Mark Farrell