Onboard the Andrea Cay: Our Final Days in Croatia... sadly

After dropping Barbara and Sheridan off in Trogir last Saturday, we rented a car and drove to Split, where we spent most of the day at the walled Palace of Diocletion. Our private guide gave us a great feel for life within the walls from the time it was built by the Emperor as his “retirement home” in the 3^rd century, through the middle ages when it had a population of 6000 at its height.

With a 24 hour window of calm seas, we motored south the following day to Dubrovnik, where we were “trapped” for the next four days due to high winds and seas. What a great place to be stuck, as there is so much to see and do in this area! With winds of more than 30-35 mph, there were no safe anchorages, so we were forced to go to a marina and “med moor”, something John swore he would never do. This is basically the only way you can dock anywhere in the Mediterranean. For those who may not be familiar with med mooring, it is a little nerve wracking. You must back your boat up and place the stern along the dock. And, as you’re “backing in” between boats on either side of you, you must drop both the anchors off the bow, which you later tighten up to secure the boat. You have about 2 feet of clearance on each side and crew from the other boats are nervously watching your attempt at threading your way between their boats, as high winds are add to the challenge. Of course, all boats (including ours) have huge fenders out to protect them. Captain John did a masterful job (in spite of his protests) with some helpful coaching from Captain Joc. We were all relieved and excited to be at a dock for a few days, since it gave us the freedom to come and go more easily.

We rented another car for the four days and on day one, drove the beautiful coastal road to Kotor, Montenegro. After wandering around the city and then having the best pizza in the old town that we’ve had yet, we hiked the 1300 steps to the fort at the top, working off our pizza and wine lunch! The views were even more incredible this time since the sun was shining brightly. The two-hour drive back to Dubrovnik in the dark that evening was a little hairy, but our fearless chauffeur, Peter Andretti, got us to the boat safe and sound where we rewarded him with his very own bottle of wine.

Due to our intermittent cold and rainy weather over those next few days, John and Nancy dragged Peter and Carol back to the bridge table. It’s hard to believe that two accountants can have so many problems adhering to “rules”. It seems that whenever we play, Peter looks as tense as if he were in the dentist chair and Carol reverts to the Erickson family tradition of “If I can’t win, I’m not playing”.

When we got a break in the weather, we ventured back to Dubrovnik, where there is no end to exploring this fascinating town. In the fort above the city is an great museum depicting the six month siege against the town during the Croatian War of Independence 1991-95. The Yugoslav/Serbian army shelled the fortified city from the water and the hills above, but the local Croatian resistance forces, consisting of only 1500 men, and equipped only with old Soviet guns from 1942, protected the town from invasion until international pressure forced the government troops to withdraw. The city was severely damaged – over 68% of the buildings took direct hits, and much of the city burned. The restoration of the city is nearly complete and Dubrovnik is the gem of Croatia once again.

Our last night in Dubrovnik, we went to a small wine-tasting bar, where we learned a lot about the different wines of the country. However, Peter and John promptly ignored all recommendations we were given when they stocked up on wines the next day! We listened to a classical guitarist playing on the steps of the cathedral, as we finished our evening with dinner at one of the many outdoor cafes.

Our last morning, after a failed attempt to get a ferry to a near-by island for a hike, Carol and Nancy finally had 2 hours of successful and fun shopping in Dubrovnik where they were forced to spend the last of their Croatian “kunas”. And then… a final outdoor lunch overlooking the fort, as we witnessed the invasion of thousands of cruise-ship tourists, pouring across the drawbridge into Dubrovnik.

We left Dubrovnik Friday afternoon for a 40 hour (2 night) run to Syracuse, Italy, where we arrived this morning. The Adriatic finally calmed down and we had a very easy run.