We had a good night sail across to the port of Dubrovnik.  Stan woke me at 6.30am to experience the magnificent sight of the sunrise over Croatia (see photos).  The mist amongst the mountains, the unique smell of the forrest meeting the sea greeted us to this magic land.  Small villages dotted in between the valleys all along the coast.  We had to clear customs and immigration in the port before proceeding to the Marina in the Gruz under the big suspension bridge.

Our love affair with Croatia had begun and we will take you along with us as we explore this wonderful land.

We sailed into the big harbour of Gruz where all the ferries and cruise ships dock and Leo and Ida went up to clear us all and the boat with Customs and Immigration.  They had to fill out a form allowing them to list 28 crew that can come on and off the boat while they are in Croatian waters.  They are getting quite strict on this account so they can protect their infant charter boat industry.

We then proceeded up the river under the suspension bridge to the marina which has been completely rebuilt since the war when it was bombed out destroying a fabulous old hotel and over 100 boats moored there at the time.

There is a very good bus service into Dubrovnik and we were all anxious to get into this magnificent old town that we had heard so much about.  It was twylight when we came over the hill to the gates of the old city and we were mezmerised by its beauty, certainly one of the great old cities of the world and its reconstruction has been a mighty effort.

Tourism is now the main industry of Croatia and they have certainly gone about it in a most professional and friendly way.  It is not in your face tourism with all the shops carefully tucked away behind arches and up alley ways leaving the cobbled streets free for strolling along and enjoying the ambience of this centries old town.

A 2 km walk around the top of the walls is a must to give a perfect view of the unique tiles on the roofs, the clock tower, the old cathederal and view of the harbour (see photos).  85% of these tiled roofs were destroyed by shells during the war and a world wide search during the reconstruction to find the right colour tiles came back to a small disused kiln just out of Dubrovnik was reopened and became a growing business restoring these special tiles.

The very well equiped Maritime Museum was a very cool place to spend the next hour or so out of the heat and browsing through the wonderful maritime history of Croatia.

Buzzs Bar was where we all finally met up at for a cool bear and the best view in Dubrovnik in comfortable chairs under big umbrellas perched high outside the city walls watching all the boats passing between the mainland and Lokrum Island.  *See photo.

Back to the boat and another swim in the marina pool the crew decided to take up the invitation of a man who had come around the marina with flyers for his restaurant up the river and over the other side.  He picked us up in his little boat at twylight and we enjoyed a delightful dinner of local quisiene and of course wine on a garden patio surrounded by the most colourful hyydrangers that are so hard to grow in Australia.

Peter had a long chat to Olga from the Sunsail Charter office and she said the charters were a bit down on last year and they are a bit worried because they have ordered all new yachts as of next year she was also looking for people for the job of skippering the boats down to Greece at the end of the season in November, but the weather could be a bit dicy then.