18,19 & 20 April 2026 - Bari and Meljine, Montenegro - At last

Final preparations and shopping were the first priorities, getting as much of the fantastic Italian food as we would need for a few days.

We were confident that all of the work had been completed satisfactorily, but we were keen to have a shakedown sail to prove this.  The weather on Saturday was against this, but Sunday morning dawned very peacefully and was ideal.  We slipped away from our mooring and out of the harbour, Equinox was once again in her true element and form. We spent a happy couple of hours going through a range of manoeuvres, which assured us that all was well, before returning to the lifting dock to make our exit simpler.

Thereafter on Sunday we had our main meal at our favourite local café and then tried to rest as much as possible.  The alarm was set for 01:00 on Monday morning, and with all possible preparations previously done, we slipped away from the boatyard at 01:20.

The crossing was about 106 nautical miles, so that is the equivalent of 1 3/4 channel crossings from the Solent to Cherbourg. We had to motor for a substantial part of the crossing but had the sails up to motor sail the last part.  In the initial miles we encountered a few other boats and then had a rather busy period from about 4:00 - 6:00 while we crossed the shipping lanes.  Various merchant ships and fishing vessels were about and we had to take some avoiding actions to ensure that we were well clear of these. Once we were through all of these, we then did not see another vessel of any description for about 10 hours and we were close to the Montenegro coast.

Our departure timing was to allow us to arrive while the customs / immigration police and the harbour masters office were all still open.  These were due to close at 19:00 and as the customs dock is rather primitive and exposed, we were keen not to have to spend the night on it. In the end, we docked there at about 18:10, which gave us ample time to complete the formalities.  Both offices gave us a cheerful welcome and armed with stamped passports and a cruising permit, we headed off to the marina that we had booked nearby.  Here we also had a warm welcome and appropriate help from the marinaros.

Despite trying to share the watches over the night, neither of us had got as much rest as we might have liked, and so we ate quickly, washed down with a celebratory glass (or 2) of wine and were soon turning in for a well earned nights sleep.

Miles today            117

Miles this season   117

Steve (and Tricia)

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