January 9-31, 2023

Porto Montenegro, Tivat

January 9 to January 31, 2023

A guy from the hotel drove us back to the airport in the morning.  It was very interesting talking to him and learn all about the culture and history or Serbians.  He explained why they support the war in Ukraine and many other historical facts. 

We were approaching the Tivat airport, the pilot tried to land and just as we got close to land, she pointed the nose back up and went around in a circle. She tried this 2 more times!!  I thought we were going to die. 

She finally came on the loud speaker and said it was too rainy and windy to land.   She needs to be able to see the runway and she could not with all the rain. 

So we are heading to Podgorica.    Neither of us have any idea where this is.

We landed fine in Podgorica.   We were trying to figure out what to do.   We were in the airport when someone yelled and pointed outside. Everyone was getting on a bus.  I didn't even have time to go to the bathroom. 

We hopped on this bus and went on a very mountainous and snowy ride.  The bus stopped 1.5 hours later at the Tivat Airport, it was pitch black, and pouring rain, nothing was open.  The bus driver took all our bags out from under the bus and threw them into a puddle on the ground.  There was cars picking people up but no cabs. 

We finally found this one guy who said he would drive us for a ridiculous amount of money. He said it cost more because we had so many bags. It turns out the AirBnb was literally 4 km away in town.  He dropped us off, dumped our bags again int he rain while we tried to figure out which apartment was ours.  Luckily the lady came out and let us in to our apartment. There was a washer/dryer thank god so we could dry our clothes and there was a heater!! 

We found a restaurant, close to town for our first Montenegrin meal.

Tivat

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Our AirBnb was close to the marina so we were able to just walk from there.

Porto Montenegro was impressive. A luxury superyacht marina featuring waterfront homes and a vibrant nautical village in the UNESCO protected Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. It was really stunning and I thought, okay I could live here for a few months!

The boat broker is in the UK so we met with Blue Saga's owners. We met Vu and Isabella at a restaurant in Porto Montenegro for breakfast then we went over to look at the boat for the first time. 

The first look at the boat was a little overwhelming with all the electrical systems.  One thing we noted was that it is not in the pristine shape that was advertised.  

Tivat

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Walking around Tivat, getting to know the neighbourhood.  Found an amazing bakery that cooks with a wood oven.  We discovered this pastry called a burek. OMG, so good.  Burek is made from layers of dough, alternating with layers of other fillings in a circular baking pan and then topped with a last layer of dough. 

Radovići

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We contacted a local broker and he picked us up at Porto Montenegro and drove us to Lustica Bay to see another catamaran for sale. 

This one was a 441 NautiTech, the owner was Russian and just left it and hasn't come back so all his stuff was strewn all over the place.  He was not willing to negotiate on the price and many things needed upgrades.  

Chris thought we would be better off with Blue Saga. 

Tivat

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Today we are taking Blue Saga to the boatyard called Navar to haul it out and have the survey. It is very close to the Marina so just a quick motor over there.

The generator wouldn't turn on, turns out the maintenance had not been done to it. 

Tivat

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They ended up keeping the boat there overnight. 

So today we walked over to Navar and brought the boat back to the slip in the Marina. 

Chris said that we should go for a sail! But Vu did not want to, he was quite anxious to get back to Porto Montenegro.

Tivat

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Going for the test sail today. 

We had a lot of people on the boat.

There was us 2, the owners Vu and Isabella, then the boat surveyor, the rigger, the electrician and one other guy. 

Tivat

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Right past the marina in the Maritime Heritage Museum and the Tivat Submarines.

THE SUBMARINE

A decommissioned submarine! The Heroj P-821 submarine.

There are two submarines on display but only one (the larger one) is open to the public. They are located just outside the Maritime Heritage Museum.

The largest submarine is the P-821 Heroj (Hero in Serbian). It was built at the special shipyard in the city of Split (now Croatia). The submarine became part of the Navy of Yugoslavia in 1968.

For more than two decades, the submarine has been actively used to gather information. Most often, her missions took place in the waters of the Adriatic Sea.

In 1991, the vessel required major repairs, so it was delivered to the shipyard in Tivat. However, the planned work was never carried out. In 2004, the submarine was withdrawn from service, and later turned into a museum exhibit.  After reconstruction and adaptation, Heroj was open to visitors, so now everyone has the opportunity to inspect it.  The submarine could go down to a depth of 210 meters. This type of submarine could stay underwater for up to 45 days. However, the P-821 never made trips for more than 10 days.

Heroj is a champion in the number of voyages among Yugoslav submarines.  And 726 working days.    In total, the submarine went over 46000 nautical miles.

The smaller submarine is called the P-912 Una. This is a subversive-type boat that can go down to a depth of 120 meters.

It was also built in Split, but much later. And this submarine served less than 10 years, from 1984 to 1993.

In 2018, a third vessel appeared on the territory of the museum. This is the longboat BM 58 Barbara.

For many years, the vessel stayed at the Sava Kovachevich naval base, on the site of which Porto Montenegro was constructed. Barbara has been exploited for more than eight decades in different purposes.

There are several anchors on the gravel covered area. 

Tivat

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Such a beautiful walk from the Marina to Donja Lastva along the waterfront.  Only a few kilometres. 

Mrčevac

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Took a walk North of the Tivat Airport to Mrcevac and came across some very cute puppies on the way back. 

Kotor

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        We took a bus to Kotor and did the Kotor Fortress Hike: Kotor City Walls to St. John’s Fortress.

Kotor is a fortified town on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast, in a bay near the limestone cliffs of Mt. Lovćen. Characterized by winding streets and squares, its medieval old town has several Romanesque churches, including Kotor Cathedral.

The Kotor Fortress stands on the San Giovanni Hill (St. John Hill) at 260 meters above sea level, overlooking the Old Town of Kotor and the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. 

The Kotor Fortress is part of a medieval fortification system that encircles the Kotor Old Town as well as the adjacent hillside. These fortifications consist of gates, bastions, towers, and defensive walls (ramparts). 

Starting in the Old Town of Kotor, it takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to walk up the 1350 steps to the hilltop Kotor Fortress. Along the way, you’ll pass the Church of Our Lady of Remedy. 

The Kotor Fortress is also called the San Giovanni Fortress and St. John’s Fortress. Info Boards and tourist maps also refer to the fortress as St. John’s Castle, San Giovanni Fortress, and Castel St. John. 

What a beautiful place! 

Tivat

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Montenegro Food. 

Montenegrin Sopska Salad -  Montenegrin Sopska salad is pronounced "Shopska".  It is very popular all through the Balkan countries.  This salad is a real delight and perfect when fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are abundant.  The fresher the better! 

Also, what makes Montenegrin sopska salad special is the copious amounts of cheese that covered on top.  The cheese is typically sirene or a farmers cheese that is soft and has a hint of saltiness. 

So much bbq'ed meat and bread! I'm going to gain so much weight! 

Tivat

Tried to rent a car from the airport today but they wanted us to sign a ridiculous form that said even 1 year after returning the car they could charge our visa!! I have never heard of such a ridiculous claim so we left without the car. 

Budva

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Rented a car from someone else. It's not the best car but should do, doesn't even have a phone charger.

Took a ride to check out Budva.

Budva’s old town is like a smaller, condensed version of Dubrovnik, Croatia. It’s a historic walled city that juts out into the sea, filled with picture-perfect stone buildings with orange tiled roofs.

Just outside the walls of the old town, you’ll find the Budva Dancing Girl statue, a beautiful sculpture with one of the best views of the old town behind it. This is worth a stop for photos at the very least.

Citadel Fortress is a must-visit in Budva’s Old Town. This ancient fortress dates back over a millennia, and its strategic location perched on the Adriatic Sea made it an important fortification throughout Budva’s history.

Beaches are what Budva does best — and Budva is THE place in Montenegro to experience great Adriatic beaches. There are quite a few beaches in and around Budva.

You shouldn’t expect sandy beaches here. In Montenegro (and the eastern side of the Adriatic), beaches here are almost always pebbled beaches, with wonderfully clear water.

Gruda

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Key Day!

Vu and Isabella picked us up in their Tesla and we took a drive over the border to Gruda, Croatia to have lunch and sign the boat paperwork.  It is now officially ours.

Tivat

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Working on the boat - cleaning the bilges, amoung other things.

Tivat

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Almost everything was taken off the boat by the previous owners, so we need to buy alot of household items.  It's annoying because in Canada I switched a few all inclusive apartments to vacant apartments and I couldn't give the household contents away.  If I had known I could have brought lots with me.  It's expensive here in Montenegro and its all in Euros too. 

"We can’t direct the wind but we can adjust the sails” - Thomas S. Monson