Pavlov goes to the Beach

Montenegro shares the four main wind types common to the Adriatic coast. There are the normal off shore and on shore winds that follow a daily cycle, called the mistral and the sirocco. These are pleasant good sailing winds that are generated by local heating and cooling. Then there is the Jugo, a south-easterly wind, and the Bora, a cold north-easter. We'd met the Jugo a few times, a warm humid wind that generally brought storms and rain. Last night, we met the Bora for the first time.

The Kotor Fjord

The narrow entrance connecting upper and lower lobes of the fjord

Mountains flowing down to the fjord

The Bora is a cold wind that whistles down from the high mountain peaks, forming a roll cloud that is symptomatic of its sudden appearance. Because it is an adiabatic wind, it is very gusty and can come from several different directions. It can rapidly reach gale proportions. Its the stuff of sailors nightmares.

Looking north into the fjord

Porto Montenegro from the sea

The town of Tivat

We were anchored in a small secluded bay at the end of the southern-most part of the fjord, in Uvala Krtole. We'd already been there one night, and felt secure with the anchor well bedded into mud, that gold standard of anchoring. The wind started getting up on our second day there, and became increasingly gusty from multiple directions, the boat swinging around like a mad horse-fly.

End of the narrow channel

Looking across to Perast

We went to sleep, but Megan finds sleep elusive in these kinds of conditions. The boat is like a huge drum that amplifies all the sounds from outside; waves banging the hull, halyards slapping the mast and the hundred sympathetic vibrations that ring throughout a tightly rigged sailing machine. The random thumps and bangs keep Megan awake, and so she choose to sleep in the cockpit, partly to keep an anxious eye on things.


Without warning, she looked up and saw trees just next to the cockpit! Pavlov had slowly dragged its anchor through the mud and had come to rest on the soft ground just off the shore. She'd literally taken herself to the beach. Normally, mud is ideal for anchoring because the anchor just works its way in deeper and deeper. However, this was thinner gooey mud and was quite plastic to the anchor. We we safe however, the keel keeping us off the shore-line. Luckily, there was little sea-state or waves that could have lifted us up the shore and made getting off difficult.

Our Lady of the Rock church

Another view

Church on the small island next to Our Lady of the Rock

Another view

We retired to bed, and attempted to get a little rest before first light. At dawn, the wind subsided slightly, and we were able to get off with a combination of full throttle and hauling in on the windlass. We spent the next day recovering and hoping that the Bora would eventually subside. Megan's sleep was fitful the next night, but we stayed put.


This morning, the wind had subsided, at least it was now blowing a relatively gentle 15-20 knots. We motored up through the narrow channel joining the two lobes of the fjord, and pulled up to a wonderfully secure feeling dock in the old village of Morinji.

Small village dock in Morinj

View up the fjord from Morinj dock

Beach cafe next to our dock

The local fishermen tell us that we should be safe from the Bora tonight. Morinji has exceptionally tall mountains on all sides, so it can develop very strong and gusty winds at night. We are hoping however, that this dock will provide us with a gentle nights sleep!

Waterways that powered old mills in Morinj

Neighbourhood obituary board

As it turned out, it was an extremely peaceful night. Morinj is a tiny non-touristy village that used to have waterwheel powered mills. The powerful stream coming down from the mountains behind the village is routed through and under many of the buildings. Water power must have been a feature in the past. There was an interesting board by the roadside that served as a village obituary notice board. We'd noticed this curious feature in other villages in Montenegro.  There was a modern but very tasteful and lovely cafe with its own beach 'built in'. We felt we had come from hell and arrived in heaven. Indeed, something to pique our interest, as Anne said. The boat was so secure, we caught the local bus to Risan and then on to Kotor. But that's another story. Ciao!