I’ve never seen surfskis being rented out to tourists, but that’s what Vojo and Milusa do and it’s a great idea. It’s cool to see the sport spreading, especially in a place like Montenegro.

After some eggs and traditional Montenegrin cheese for breakfast I left Prcanj in the sunshine feeling replenished and very happy to have properly clean clothes. Thank you Vojo and Milusa 🙂

Following the shore I hadn’t yet paddled I arrived in Tivat, the largest town in the Bay where huge super yachts were moored up in the harbour and places were taking off the the airport. I didn’t bother stopping and crossed over to the other side, passing a another monastery on the way.

I came to a military camp, paddling past old nissen huts with broken asbestos roofs and stacks of mortars. I took my phone out to take a picture of a submarine and two guys came running over telling me to leave. In fairness, there was no sign.

Leaving the Bay of Kotor I whooped as a tuna shit out of the water in front of me, and I came to the Croatian border, and the most southern point of the country, an uninhabited peninsula with a fortress atop of the rocky cliffs. This land has played an important strategic role throughout history and was subject to territorial dispute following the Yugoslavian breakup.

I’d heard this border is more strictly policed, but unless the lady fishing off the rocks was undercover, I passed through unnoticed. It’ll be interesting to see how confused the border force is if I pop in to Italy.

Out of the shelter of the bay quite a swell was running, sucking up against the cliffs, and for the next 10kms the shore was continuous sharp rock, rising up to a barren ridge covered in a sparse carpet of vegetation. That’s the landscape here in Croatia, it’s raw and desolate, shaped by the unforgiving wind. The rocky coast means there will be long sections where I’m vulnerable, unable to come ashore, and it will make finding a spot to camp perhaps more difficult.

But it feels like an achievement to have reached Croatia and as I paddled in to the setting sun, I felt excited about exploring some of it’s 1200 islands.