Adriatic Sailing Day 6: A Night in the Bay
• TIVAT, MONTENEGRO — CAVTAT, CROATIA •
We have a strict departure time this morning because the Baltra has a 10am appointment at the fuel dock. While we’re gassing up, Nik’s going to have the customs office check us out of Montenegro since we’re headed back up the coast to Croatia. We were hoping to sail today, but the trip to Cavtat will take four hours using the motor and the wind is weak, so with the sails up it would double that. We all agreed to forgo sailing so we would have more time once we get where we’re going.
Cavtat (pronounced TSAV-taht) is a sleepy resort town sheltered inside an almost 360-degree bay. It’s basically a one-street village, but that one street is a beautiful seaside promenade lined with shops, cafes and restaurants spilling out onto the sidewalk. Cavtat is a nice escape twenty-five minutes south from the hustle and bustle of Dubrovnik with a lot less tourists and a ton of charm. But in addition to its easy going ambience, it serves an important place in Dalmatian history because without this ancient town, there would be no Dubrovnik as it was refugees from the original Cavtat who founded the city of Dubrovnik in 614.
We arrived at the customs dock and waited while Nik checked us back into Croatia. Once that was completed, we had about an hour to explore. We wandered along the promenade for a bit, but as the Sweden vs Switzerland World Cup game got underway, we were enticed to sit down and join the crowd for a beer.
Back on the boat, we headed around the petite peninsula to Tiha Bay, home to a long stretch of beach backed by several socialist-era hotels. We’re going to anchor here for the night and enjoy our first experience mooring. Nik offered to tender us to shore for anyone interested in going to the beach, so Erin and I took him up on that offer. We rented lounge chairs and enjoyed a couple hours relaxing in the early evening sun.
We were almost reluctant to leave when Nik showed up with the dinghy to take us back to the boat, but we wanted to watch the sunset with the rest of our group so we climbed aboard. It was another spectacular one even though the fancy yacht anchored west of us was blocking our view… “excuse me sir, but would you mind moving your boat so we can see the sunset?”
Nik cooked another amazing meal for us and we all sat down together in the saloon for “family dinner.” If you’re going on a G Adventures sailing trip, don’t get any ideas… cooking is not part of the skipper’s job description! We just lucked out with a great captain who constantly goes above and beyond to make our trip extra special. And he definitely knows what he’s doing in the kitchen… everything was delicious!
Before heading to bed, we all spent a little time hanging out, enjoying the peace and quiet of being under the stars out in the middle of the bay. Does it get any better than this?!?