I camped above a small beach on the edge of Molunat and was surprised to find two aubergines lying on the shingle as if they’d grown there. Some mystery how they got there – not a typical picnic item and they were in fine condition, so they hadn’t washed ashore, it must be a sign I’m not eating enough veg. I cooked one up with some eggs, and stowed away the other, folding up my tent before the rain arrived, dry after a clear night.

Torrential rain arrived, but there was a warm wind blowing from the south on my back, and I could see blue sky, light at the end of a tunnel, so my spirits remained high. The water is warm too which makes a huge difference since I’m sitting in a puddle. It’s around 18 degrees, about the same as the south coast of England at its warmest.

The waves built and I raced downwind from Cavat across to Dubrovnik. When the weather is poor I’m not going to stop and look around towns or explore every nook of the coast, so in the coming weeks I may make faster progress, taking direct lines. My mentality has definitely change from the start of this adventure when I was still concerned by the numbers. Now I don’t even have a watch to record how far I paddle each day – who cares!

I arrived in Dubrovnik’s Old Town and got changed under the shelter of a bridge in a boat yard where I sat on a pallet shivering and waiting for the rain to stop. In a skip I found a pair a sandals with the Norwegian flag on them that fitted me perfectly but were like ice-skates on the smooth cobbled streets. Warmed up now, I bought some yogurt and bananas, which I seem to be living off but can’t get enough of. The yogurt here comes in bottles like milk and is highly drinkable, there’s no better accompaniment to a brown spotted banana, except perhaps a thick wedge of fresh brown bread with meridian peanut butter, or brown sugar, cream and a splash of Cointreau on a banana baked on the last heat of a summer evening BBQ or even just a simple bowl of porridge. Sorry, my mind wanders, as it often does, to food.

In between showers I walked the streets of Dubrovnik, a cluster of beautiful old buildings enclosed by a huge wall with fortifications overlooking the sea, waves crashing on against the rocks.

The rain held off overnight and I camped next to my boat in the boatyard.