We checked out of Montenegro early in the morning and motor sailed to Catvat, Croatia in sloppy seas left over from big winds the night before. We arrived before noon to avoid stronger winds later in the afternoon. We checked into the country and obtained a 30-day cruising vignette, which gives us the ability to sail here for the next month. Croatia declared independence in 1991 which led to war with Yugoslavia and Serbian paramilitary groups.  The Croatians won the war in 1995 and ended up with much of the coastline and islands of the former Yugoslavia.  Croatia is now part of the EU.

Cameron, Travis, and Kyle Floyd have been traveling around northern Europe for the past month. They joined us on the boat for the final week of their trip on July 6. We spent a week sailing with them from Dubrovnik to the islands of Mljet and Korcula and then back to the mainland. The northern portion of Mljet is a Croatian national park and has some very pretty, protected anchorages. We spent a couple of nights in the park near the town of Polace and saw the Monastery on St. Mary’s island.   We then sailed up the Korcula area. We anchored the first night off the island for Badija. A local Catholic diocese owns the island. It has a large monastery built in the 1500s. We spent the afternoon swimming and paddle boarding in about 20 feet of very clear water. The next day we took a slip in the marina in Korcula town. It was not very full when we arrived at 1 pm. By 5 pm though, the place was packed with sailboats. Korcula is a small, walled Venetian town (like a small Dubrovnik). It is built on a peninsula jutting into the bay between the islands of Korcula and Hvar. A 2500 foot peak on Hvar overlooks Korcula town and the bay. The town has been occupied since prehistoric times. Marco Polo was born in Korcula in 1254 and the House of Polo remains in Korcula. We spent the afternoon walking around the town and eating in some good restaurants. The next day we started back towards Dubrovnik. It has been unusually hot in Croatia. We don’t have A/C on the boat so the heat can be noticeable during the day. At night, it usually cools down enough to sleep. We anchored the last night of the boys’ trip in the bay near Zaton on the mainland so they could catch a cab early the next morning to the airport to start back to Houston.  Cameron, Haley, and Travis turned 23 on July 13. Before they left, we celebrated in a small Croatian restaurant serving traditional Croatian fare. We really enjoyed having everyone on board all week.