Route and current position of Barmaley: Logbook: DAY 1: 28.3.2026 – Saturday: Kremik – Night cruise direction Biševo Arrival to Marina Kremik in Croatia. Chek in to the sailboat Barmaley...
The longest day, but perhaps also the most beautiful in terms of cruising. The return mode has set in. Nobody doesn’t even want to see the sea anymore. Boats, sunshine, and ice cream. Damn no! We drive the first 115km to Durres in the morning on the glassy surface. Here, the “marina” is actually just a pontoon between tankers and ferries. Even so, they want 40 EUR for two hours at the mooring. The agent Llambi Papa arrives. The captain is a fighter, who will take care of the formalities for another 100 EUR. Then a chipped pickup truck arrives with 250 L of gasoline. Unfortunately, the most expensive gasoline in Albania. For something they’re mining here they charge pretty much. 2.55 EUR per liter is pretty cheeky. Well, we jump in and cruise north. We enter the internal waters of Montenegro. The coast guard of the Bay of Kotor is not happy about that. They’re scolding us on the radio, but Croatia is just around the corner, so they’re leaving us alone. The last 50km is a murder in the waves. Classic forecast 0.2 m, but reality about 1 m but we are making it to Cavtat for clearance. Within a few minutes we are cleared in the EU. They don’t care about VAT or the papers from the boat. But even so, the Croats didn’t deny thenself when a guy on a boat arrived and demanded 40 EUR for anchoring in the bay.
Today was a day of bureaucracy. The day we were supposed to say goodbye, the women’s group was supposed to fly home and we were supposed to continue on our own. Customs and passport control in Corfu took about 2 hours. Greek are such a classic paper devils. Flying around the port with the list for various stamps. Then all we had to do was jump into the boat and cross to Sarande. Here, the already prepared agent Agim was waiting for us. He was very fast for 100 EUR. In ten minutes, everything was taken care of and we went to get gas and continued to Orikum. The coast of Albania is beautiful, but not so friendly for boats. No bays, high mountains. Orikum is the only marina in Albania in the true sense of the word. We immediately spent 2 nights here. We rented motorbikes here and went on offroad trips. The scooters are not very good at offroad, so one of them got a bit broken and it was also a real mess while we returned it back…
In the morning we set off to explore Paxos. We visited interesting coastal villages like Loggos and Gaios. We then anchored in a beautiful bay, from where the police kicked us away and nobody really knows what for. No problem, we anchored in another one. Then in the afternoon all that was left was the crossing from Paxos to Corfu. A bit wild but ok. In Corfu, a farewell dinner for 400 EUR awaited us.
This morning was driven by the opening times of the bridge between Lefkada and the mainland. It opens at 8:00 am, which we didn’t make, and later at 10:00 am, which we fortunately made. Even so, the 120km crossing between Lefkada and the island of Paxos was relatively quiet. The beaches on the islands of Paxos and Antipaxos are beautiful and idyllic. Unfortunately, the population corresponds to this. You can forget about anchoring. There is no place and who would want to stand next to a boat where a party is going at full speed and steamers full of tourists are passing by. It’s impossible to find privacy. We try different places, shoreline, anchor, but nothing really works for us. We take refuge in the sheltered bay of Limeniskos bay, where we anchor and survive the day.
Unpredictable winds forced us to leave the marina before eight. Even so, we were hit by the sea. Fortunately, the transfer to the anchorage at Varko beach in mainland Greece was not far away. On the way to Marina Lefkas, we sailed through the channel separating the island of Lefkada from the mainland. The night in the Marina was more like a good shelter and a strategic location for the morning departure than beauty and privacy. The purchase in the supermarket near the marina for 300 EUR was a shock.
Another day in paradise. Hot as hell. The sun won’t let you rest and keeps trying to knock you down. I don’t understand why everyone wants to go to places like this. There are so many other beautiful places in the world. I only want to go north. First, after sailing from Vasiliki Bay, a gale with waves knocks us down, so the only option is the displacement. We reach the Papanikola Cave, where it looks like Wenceslas Square. Boat after boat. We look for shelter from the wind and anchorage further north. After we get blown almost to the shore, we give up and prefer to return to the reserved pontoon in Syvota. Here we spend the rest of the day, each in our own way.
As we were enjoying the anchorage yesterday, we got caught in a trap again. Side gusts and a tip about 2m from the shore. Not a very pleasant situation, but we escaped. Greece doesn’t give it away for free. So we sail to the western side of the island of Lefkada, where we find a bay surrounded by steep rocks, accessible only by boat. There is a cave and beautiful places. Unfortunately, another lesson of Greek anchoring. You simply don’t throw an anchor into the rocks! Diving to 6 meters is nothing to be envied. We escaped and sail to Vasiliki beach. It is famous for its katabatic wind Eric, which attracts the world windsurfing scene. In the city port of Vasiliki, the Romanian billionaire mocks us, what kind of jerks are we that we are going on such a trip with this boat and with this crew. With shame, we leave for the beach to anchor on the sand.
Thanks to the captain’s excellent planning, the trip from Patras to the island of Kefalonia went without a hitch. The surface was like a mirror, no slamming, no stress. Just dolphins and the sun. Halfway through, we stopped behind the island of Oxeia to collect shells and rest at anchor before the final crossing to Kefalonia to the town of Sami. Here, cleverly convinced how great sewwolves weare, we tied up to a concrete wall by the wavebreaker. We set off for the Melissani cave. A karst cave with a sunken ceiling full of brackish cold water. A nice trip on dinghies in crystal clear water. We ended the walk with lunch at a Greek restaurant. And now. What a stupid captain, right? The calm sea turned into a raging beast and when we arrived at the pier it was clear that it was a mess. The boat was flying about a meter and a half up and down in the waves. The laminate was torn, the rail was torn… Great! We jump on the boat and set off. We look for an anchorage in the strait between the islands of Vathy and Kefalonia. No chance! It is too deep and there are too many rocks. We find a buoy and a rope near the shore, where we tie up to it like kings across a small fjord.
Nothing special. Just a crossing and the beginning and end were in the dirt. But the means worked out and the crossing of the Gulf of Corinth worked out despite the specifics of this area. The Gulf of Corinth, where the Meltemi winds mix and the calmer character of the longer waves of the Ionian Sea met. We interrupted the 120km long crossing on the island of Trizonia, where we practiced Greek anchoring on the shoreline in combination with an anchor. After a swim, we set off for the city of Patras, which was actually just a boring, but necessary stop on the way to Kefalonia. But it wasn’t that boring. Not only we refuel the tank by bunker truck, wind the anchor into the screw, but also the excited guy called the police on me. He didn’t like that I was running around the port naked. He was rude and wanted to fight, but when he saw that I was also drinking, he called the police instead. I modestly explained to them that since we were in Greece, I’ve only seen statues of naked athletes and warriors in museums. They didn’t have an answer, so they left speechless.
Two days in Corinth. The port of Corinth and the whole city is actually very cosmopolitan. Black people hang around the parking lots and the port and beg openly. They want to steal something! I know that. Corinth is a disgusting city, unfortunately, but suitable for saying goodbye to Jitka and accompanying her to Athens and picking up Dasha at the airport. Unfortunately, the Gulf of Corinth is still quite under the influence of the Meltemi and then we stay in the port for another day because of the mega-strong waves. We rent a car and I pinch a fingers into the car window of a darker-skinned immigrant when he sticks his claws in there. We drive about 250km to Ancient Delphi and back. A beautifully spent day without stress from the sea.
A day of farewell to Jara and Jitka. There was no other way to end it than to kick them out of their beds at six o’clock. Enjoy 70km in a glide towards the Corinth Canal. Towards the end it started to blow again, but the waves didn’t build up much higher and we were still able to glide. For 123 EUR we got a pass to probably the most interesting canal in Europe – the Corinth Canal. Over 60 m high walls fall vertically down into a narrow canal. The whole fun is over 6 km long and seems to be another wonder of the world. The farewell continues in the city of Corinth with annoying begging gypsies in the city port. The heat like in an oven and a luxurious fish restaurant is a beautiful end of the day.
We are slowly learning to read the sea and the Greek weather. We are no longer getting into stupid things. An early start is the key to fly over the mirror surface seas from Nafplio to Porto Heli to fill up the tank. Then we fly to Hydra Island. A Greek island where there are no cars. Boats and donkeys are used for transportation. Also the reason why we can’t park in the charming town of Hydra. One boat over the other and people walking on the decks. Thank you. Plus dozens of superyachts in front of the entrance. We prefer to continue across the bay to the other side to anchor in the bay. It wouldn’t be a day without trouble, so the anchor chain is screwed under a rock. We dive, try to free it and see that we are not the only ones. There are several abandoned anchor chains lying around on the ground. We tear ours out with the help of the engine. Fearing loss, we create an illegal mooring from one of the wedged chains and spend the rest of the day diving. In the evening, we cross over to the town of Poros, where we provoke the harbor patrol. Saying that we are parking where we are not allowed and we provocatively move only a few dozen meters further. Who can keep up chasing each othes? We win!
A day in the port. A day for culture and a break from the ship’s problems. A day when we visited the cradle of the ancient Mycenaean culture, almost 3500 years old. Museums, stones, tombs. In the evening, a walk through the medieval port city of Nafplio.
Another test day. The cruise started at 7:00 with a glide around the town of Poros. Then around the islands of Hydra, Dokos and Spetses. When turning northwest towards Porto Heli, we again witnessed the huge impact of the strong wind on the sea state. By this time, the surface like a mirror had changed in an instant to a breaking wave with more than a meter high waves. It is not possible to cruise sideways on the waves, but it is also unpleasant to sail completely towards the waves. The strategy is clear: set a slight angle to the waves and continue pushing to Porto Heli. Here we refuel at the pier. 285 liters for 600 EUR directly from the tank. Today’s destination was clearly Nafplio. We sailed out, but on the way, we were simply leaning a little sideways while gliding. Oh, something is wrong with the flaps. So we anchor in a beautiful clean little bay and the discovery is that the right flap simply does not work. But it works somehow badly and then it does not work at all. Well, we call the Volvo Penta service and the verdict is: “It has to be taken out of the water and replaced! We have free slot in 2 weeks.” So we start drilling and pulling wires out of it, trying things around as much as we can, Nothing. The plan is to cut the flap so that it at least goes straight. Finally, with some luck, we managed to hammer the flap in and we continue with the trim tabs pulled in. The crew’s new functions is a balancing act, so whenever the wind is bad or the ship is unbalanced, the human mass has to move around the ship. It’s also difficult to get to the gliding without the flaps, but it works. We arrive in majestic Nafplio at 7:30 PM.
A lazy day. The boat set off around noon and slipped past the island of Agistri and the Methania peninsula into the Gulf of Poros, where we dropped anchor in Vidi bay, not far from the wreck of the Rodhini ship, which sank more than 40 years ago. The water around was not inviting and the bottom was full of mud, but the anchor held well there and the bay was perfectly sheltered. Safety and calm water were a stronger attraction than another adventure and finding an anchorage in the late hours. We stayed at anchor until morning.
After a long time a quiet day. First a leisurely coastal crossing in the wind shade behind the islands of Agistri and Nisida Kyra. Then a short crossing on the mirror like water to the sunken city of Epidaurus, where we enjoyed diving to the ruined sunken Roman villa. In the afternoon we moved to Porto Epidaurus and set off by bus to the ruins of the ancient city of Epidaurus dominated by the majestic Amphitheater for up to 13,000 people. Meeting Jim, who crossed the Atlantic on a plywood boat, was just the icing on the cake.
Sunday was supposed to be calmer. Yes, calmer in the wind and it was. But the waves take some time to calm down. Especially in the Saronic Gulf. Because of the waves, gliding is not possible and even sideways on the waves cannot be continued. The sideways tilt causes the crew to roll and fear in their eyes. So we have to cruise. So 45 degrees on the waves is possible. 45 degrees down too. It’s a struggle again. I can’t say that we enjoy it. We drive 28km to the island of Aegina in 2 hours and thanks to the cruising, 5 km more than in a straight direction. On the island of Aegina in the village of Agia Marina we climb a hill and visit the Temple of Aphaia. In the afternoon we continue to the small island of Moni, where we observe deer and peacocks. However, the number of tourists drives us away and we go to the city port of Aegina, where we obligingly tie up illegaly.
Edge! The limits of a 30ft motorboat found today! If until now it was just concerns, today we reached the edge of both our capabilities and the capabilities of the boat itself. The morning crossing between Palaia Fokaia and originally Glyfada turned into a fight for survival. The reason? Meltemi again. How the hell can the wind a kilometer from the coast create 2m waves at a distance of about 6m? It’s a storm. Gusts of around 30 knots and riding against these waves is a treat. Every third wave knocks us down under the water and the ship becomes a submarine for some a few seconds. A helicopter circles above us and watches what kind of idiots have gone out to sea in the dark. We can’t hear the radio. When we try to turn down the waves and cross, the high waves and the side gusts knock us so hard that we can wash our hands off the deck – The roll is enormous. Ok, this is probably not the way forward. We have to stay in the bay. So we drop anchor by the beach. Of course, it holds poorly. We find a concrete block that we tie ourselves to, but it also moves. Soon a diver comes along screaming that we ruined his mooring and that it’s his turn to get out and he rips our anchor from the sand. He shouts that he’ll cut our ropes if we don’t get out. There’s nothing left to do but stretch out a shore line and tie ourselves off to it. It’s about 1 p.m. and everyone is as exhausted as if it were 3 a.m. Jitka and Jarda arrive at the site and we wait until evening, when the winds are supposed to calm down. In the evening we sail to the town of Glyfada, the city marina, where we spend the night.
The early test of courage only worked towards Cape Katafygy near the island of Patroklos. Here we changed course to the north. The long waves turned into short, one-meter-high, short scumbags blown up by the Meltemi. Progress is almost impossible even in the displacement. Luckily we reach the anchorage near the town of Palaia Fokaia, where we find moorings and buoys. We brazenly tie up to one buoy. Luckily no one wanted it back. Immediately after arrival, the weathered Welshman Chris paddled over. He says: Look, there’s a 50-foot ship over there and its mooring is moving, it’s already moved 200 meters today. Come save it with me. He forces me to climb on board and drop the anchor together. He’s a bit of a fanatic. He climbs onto other ships and tells the story and I try to get help. It works, someone came for the ship and the ship disappeared. In the evening we invite Chris for. the dinner and chat about boats, he is an interesting person. The next day unfortunately we just hang out in the bay because the 30 knot gusts are probably not interesting for us. We are waiting for Saturday when reinforcements are supposed to arrive for the Jungmanni crew.
A crossing, or rather an escape from the windward side before the upcoming Meltemi stage. On the way from Porto Rafti we filled up with fuel and headed for the Sounion bay, where the Temple of Poseidon stands. We spend two nights in the bay.
Rest day and traveling around Athens with one goal. Buy a drone. It worked. Heat, people, buses, trolleybuses, matras. Humus!
Calm after the storm, smooth sea and we went swimming in a clear bay. But then came the most critical moment of the expedition. We were going like uors 20 knots, about 7nm from the mainland in the strait between the island of Andros and the town of Karystos. When the engine started to make a significantly deeper sound. So I slowed down and it didn’t take even a few seconds and the plotter started to scream saying that the engine was overheating and that it was 100 degrees. Why the hell? And why now? I pulled the transmission out to see if there was something in the propeller, it wasn’t! The coolant in the engine compartment seemed a bit bubbly. Pan-pan, or May-day? Instead of an alarm, a diving team came in. I dived to the propeller and it was clear right away! Plastic bag! Normally, a bag sucked in the seawater. A piece of a garbage bag caused such a mess. I heroically operate the bag from the nozzles of our gearbox and pull it out like a life’s catch. The repair is successful and we roll further into the azure bay to anchor with the others to pull shells from the water. In the evening we take Ivča to the airport across the bay. Although we have to change course by 90 degrees halfway through due to poor navigation. After a right-angle turn we get into a headwind and jump over the waves again like at a rodeo. This Aegean breeze can simply turn the sea into a broken mess, which you can only drive through with chewing gum against seasickness.
A forced rest day after a night storm in the city port of Gavrio for 15 EUR per night. Compensation in the form of a whole day of spinning ferries and catamarans, which regularly threw us onto the concrete pier. One group spent the day spending money. Another one persuaded an old woman in the village to lend them motorbikes without a driver’s license. Motorcycle races around the island of Andros were a good option.
If certain crossings were feared until now, we should have been scared of today. Departure at 6:30 from the bay and the entire offshore crossing was supposed to be something on a SW course around the island of Psara to the island of Andros. The forecast promised a calm day with waves of max 0.5m, so why not? But after some time, 0.5m turned out to be about 1.2m – 1.3m. Pitch, Roll, Yaw. All kinds of tilting that only a boat can do, to the extremes. Pounding on the waves. Fear in the eyes of the crew. Waves overboard. Finally, real offshore fun. To calm our fears, we took a break of about 2 hours on the deserted island of Psara for diving and swimming. In the afternoon, when we arrive in the town of Gavriro, a catamaran tries to kill us, but we escape. A night on the town pier for only 15 EUR. At night, waves, storms and rain, and most importantly, a delicious Greek dinner.
We ate something bad and everyone felt sick. The windy and wavey weather also played into our hands. A day of recovery in a bay in the south of the island of Lesbos was welcome.
Another of the feared crossings was between Canakkale and the island of Lesbos. Thanks to the early risers, we were still under brunk. But thanks to waking up at 5:00 we were literally driving on a mirror. The boat was not slamming, dolphins were jumping around and everything actually went very smoothly until the island of Lesbos, where we got stuck in customs formalities in Mytilini. We don’t have an agent, we tell ourselves. But it only took us three hours, but the cost “only” 65 EUR in fees. After a war of papers, we are back in the EU. Another passenger, Ivča, is waiting in the Mytilene marina. We refuel the boat and anchor to the south of the island. The Ochsner with five people, a full tank and water is already going very hard into the glide.
The crossing was comfortable. No waves, just glide. It didn’t take long and we sailed under the Dardanelles Bridge, which is the longest suspension bridge in the world with a main span of 2023 meters, connecting the European and Asian shores of Turkey. We were immediately at the Canakkale marina. An agent was already waiting there, who received another 400 EUR. So, sailing through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles is about 1000 EUR for formalities. In the meantime, we put petrol in the boat and after stamping our passports and transit log, we set off illegally to the Turkish mainland. Visiting the Trojan Horse, a barbershop with Ouzo, drinking, swimming naked. Everything that is on the edge of morality in Turkey happened without being caught.
After refueling in the morning and discovering that even Turks pay this friendly tax of around 500-600 EUR for entering Turkey, we head out with a smile on our faces into the Sea of Marmara. The water is calm and the progress is fast. Near the coast of Marmaraereglisi we change course to the SSW towards the Marmara Islands. After weaving through the waterways between tankers and container ships, we find ourselves in another fairy tale. Thanks to the already mentioned friendly tax, no pleasure boats are moored here and we find the idyll of Pasalimani Island in a forgotten bay all to ourselves. Here we spend the night at the anchor.
A must stop in Istanbul. How else but to spend a lot of extra money on sights, food and souvenirs. Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Cistercians, Galata Tower. People everywhere…
One of the most feared crossing of the expedition is here! Crossing the Black Sea from Bulgaria to Istanbul. After visiting the customs office at 5 am and accompanied by a customs officer, we set off with the Q flag towards the Bosphorus. The first two hours were good, but then it started. The classic broken Black Sea, waves that get in the way and are difficult to read. It’s wave after wave, so it just stupid to glide at the meter hight waves. Displacement sailing is out of the question, the tendency of the weather is getting worse and it’s a matter of time. Part of the crew, hidden in the cabin, reads the artificial intelligence whether the fiberglass ship can break in the waves. The other part of the crew on board is crying that they don’t wanna die. At the entry of the Bosphorus, the border police harassed us, but they let us go. The Bosphorus is beautiful, red flags with a crescent moon and a star fly everywhere and protect us beautifully from the waves. The cruise through Istanbul is a reward. Then we enter the Sea of Marmara and sail to the western Istanbul marina. We naively think that we will handle the formalities ourselves. We were mistaken by the friendly agent with hot water, whom the local mafia entrusts with handling the formalities for a fee of 550 EUR. We raise the Turkish flag, we are officially in Turkey!
After the boat was cleaned and refueled for the crossing to Istanbul, we set off in calm conditions to nearby Tsarevo. To a sleepy port that offered one undeniable advantage – customs clearance. There are too many customs officers for nobody here, and the harbor master explains to us over a beer how it works here. In the evening, we embarked on a boat-paddleboard expedition to the beach to jellyfish fight.
In the morning the story with the Nessebar marineros continued. We say we will stay one night. They said 25 EUR. We gave 50 EUR, they don’t give anything back… So we continue changing the oil but we need to borrow a motorbike to get some supplies. Marineros lent it to us, so I drove about 10 km to the shop without a driver’s license. After returning, I thanked them. In about half an hour, the marinero comes and says he wants 25 EUR for the loan. So there was an argument that they didn’t give us back the previous 25 EUR, so why the next one. Oh crap! You know what a Bulgarian says? When you have little money, only a lot of money will help you. We leave in the direction of Sozopol, where there is a beautiful marina and we buy provisions in the shop for the next few days.
The second day at sea was much easier. The sea calmed down and we were able to drop anchor on the beach and swim in the jellyfish. On the way, a Bulgarian warship contacted us to find out where we are going. After being found we were not a drone, even though we resembled one in size, and that we were going to relax, they stopped aiming on our vessel with torpedos. After another 2 hours of sailing, we reached the marina, which Jan Matoušek recommended to us at the UNESCO city of Nessebar. First impressions were great. The marina was a bit neglected, but the price of 25 EUR was ok. In the evening, we visited a Czech pub, where they supposedly cooked authentic cuisine, but unfortunately the dumplings with pork had a bit of Bulgarian flavor. Czech beer was perfect! The icecream for 15 EUR, pretty bad. Nessebar – tourist trap. Crowds, fancy girls, high heels, tourist chasers.
Constanta is a beautiful city, but same isn’t the marina owned by Turkish? We arrived in the evening, yes, but not so late that there was no one there to check in. The guard said he doesn’t open the showers for us because we hadn’t paid. OK! The depth is terrible, there’s only vegetables everywhere, gas station 0 (canisters by taxi) and we have to pay 100 EUR for it. NO! We keep going further even though the winds are blowing and the waves are rolling. Laura is screaming that she wants to go home. The boat is thrashing about on the waves and we just hope it doesn’t break up. After three hours of driving south, we turn around Cape Kaliakra to the west to the Balchik marina in Bulgaria. Border police. Why not, but why are you waving like animals and screaming into the bay again? You know, we use a radio normally? The marina is great, the environment is great. The price is 20 EUR per night. What more could you want? Long live Bulgaria!
Interesting day. Probe into Romanian lock customs and manners. Yesterday we already provided all requested documents to the Černavoda canal administration. Communication was great in English as normal grown up people. But in the morning. We are used to call the chamber on radio on the agreed channel and no one answers. But the lock guy asks another ship to call us on the radio and tell us to go to the lock administration to give more documents, that’s too much. So we call the administrator and he says no, everything is fine. Anyway, they just wanted to get rid of us so that we don’t sail with them. Waiting another hour for the next passage. And that’s classic. The monkey on the lock’s walks is asking with animal sounds screaming where we should tie up. A boat about 300m long and wide as the lock door docks right behind us. Limited speed in channel of course not respected. At the end of the channel at the Agigea chamber, the real bureaucratic hell came. The police, the chamber administration were passing us around. Passports, documents. We had to pay maybe 180 EUR to get thru. And not only to pay, but also go with the money to the upper office on the 5th floor… After passing through the chamber to the port of Constanta, the Harbour Master took us on the radio. He carefully navigated us through the port as I didn’t have a map. Finally, he handed us over to another channel to the Constanta navigation authority and they felt like they had to bother us all the way to Constanta to the marina on the radio. Exhaustion was washed away by beer and seafood. The Danube was conquered!
A long day ahead of us. The goal is clear: to reach Černavoda from Russe. We have 220 km ahead of us. We are moving quickly, there are no problems. The helmsmen change shifts in the sunshine and in the rain. Unfortunately, the navigationally challenging sections. As always, buoys outside the fairway and off the map. Some buoys on the shore. In Černavoda we replenished fuel and food. We reported to the chamber and went to the fairy tale to hang out on the shore and enjoy the sandy beach.
We sailed cruised from the Olt River to the town of Nikopol for gasoline. The plan was great. There is a petrol station right by the water. We fill up with 200 litres and set off. Well, but they say there is no petrol. Probably too much friendship with Russia? Too bad, so let’s continue to the next town, Svishtov. There is a petrol station about 600m further, but they have petrol. Filling up with 200 litres is no fun, but we manage. Together with shopping is a half-day event. At the end of the day we anchor at the fairway in the bay near the village of Batin.
The morning service stop in the Bulgarian city of Vidin turned into a police and security check again. So that they said we are not migrants. After filling up with fuel and swimming in the clean Danube, the journey continued through the navigationally difficult section around the Romanian Corabia to the confluence with the Olt river. Here we spent the night at anchor after a demanding 205 km.
It was time to leave the Iron Gates. In the morning we visited the last gas station on the water in the village of Eselentia. The wind was getting stronger and we got to the Iron Gates 1 lock. The operators in Serbia and Romania do not respond to the radio. Not even to the phones. We were lucky. A convoy of about 2×3 boats with a tugboat was just passing. We stood against the wall and a lock worker came to arrange a passage for us. Iron Gates 1 is a lock divided into two parts. After the lock we stopped in Drobeta Turnu, where the customs officers checked us and found out what? That we did not have correct papers. Not our fault, but the customs officer in Moldova Veche. After a short arrest and clarification with Moldova, they let us go. Another problem occurred at the Iron Gates 2 lock. But the Serbians are locking down and the Romanians are locking up… Seriously! The Serbs are classically not responding to anything. VHF and phone… Help came from the Romanian border police. With our combined efforts we managed to wake up the dam keeper, call him and let him lock us through. Night fell at anchor on the Bulgarian side near the village of Košava.
The Iron Gates are too beautiful to just slip through. So the next day we spent on land exploring the places with a local taxi-guide. We went to Banat to a Czech village where Czech-speaking people still live. They have a Romanian-Czech school and restaurant U Medvěda cooks Czech food and drafts Czech beer. In the evening, anchor again in the same bay by the statue of King Decebalus in Marconia.
Another key point of the expedition was the exit from Serbia and the entry into Romania into the EU. The exit from Serbia went quite smoothly in Velike Gradiste. The entry into Romania in Moldova Veche was also relatively trouble-free. They just made us wait for customs officers for an hour to tell them that we were carrying 4 beers. They don’t care about captain’s licenses, so we enter the Iron Gate. Breathtaking scenery, steep mountains, castles, and a statue of King Decebalus. Anchoring right in the bay by the king is a reward.
A relatively short cruise from Belgrade to Velike Gradiště to the marina at Srebno Jezero. One of the most popular tourist destination in Serbia. This place is located at the entrance of the Iron Gate gorge. An afternoon attempt to visit Golubac castle was blocked by opening hours. Open every day! Except Mondays. In the evening we brought in more petrol by taxi and replenished our water and other supplies before entering the Iron Gate.
In the morning, we replenished our provisions for the next few days and with a hangover we set off down the Danube. The journey didn’t take long, just over 2 hours to Belgrade. Ochsner glides like a king. There we filled up the tank. Maybe the last gas station on the water. We took a ride down the Sava in a glide. So we were shouted by the water police for speeding. Later we grounded while entering the marina. After an unsuccessful attempt, we dropped the anchor in the Belgrade shoulder of Donau.
In the morning, right after setting sails, we hit the bottom while trying to get to the marina for gasoline. Thanks God, local fishermen pulled us back out to the river. What followed was a difficult navigational section. Buoys in the middle of the fairway, or on the shore, the fairway on the sand, sharp turns. On top of all of that, a strong crosswinds. After about 140 km, we landed in Novi Sad. In the evening, we spent the night in a fish restaurant and at a disco in a Serbian company.
A day full of expectations. We all know that we are going without proper documents, or rather papers that wouldn’t fully authorize us to move on the river. After arriving in Mohács, where a major problem was not expected when leaving Hungary, the problem arose. They said Polish papers for the boat. They said we don’t have the technical certificate for the boat. So a fine of 200 EUR. Thanks, they said we shouldn’t return to Hungary. The most frightened were the ones from the Serbian Captaincy. There was no pier there for landing, so we anchored. Fortunately, the process at the customs office in Bezdan was not problematic at all. They were only interested in the papers from the boat, which they approved and passports. Some driver’s licenses for the boat didn’t even check after that. In the evening, we dropped anchor at a sandy island near Apatin.
We said goodbye to the bikes and left them at the Wiking marina. We then filled the tanks to the rim and took another 40 liters in canisters with us. Then a longer journey through Budapest to the famous resort of Baja – Viera, our previous boat cemetery. We sadly parked at the same pier as Viera’s last anchorage.
Morning walk around Budapest and sightseeing. Later repair of gummi boat and shopping of supplies for next days of cruising.
The bike trip started with a train ride to Štúrovo. From there via Esztergom to the viewpoint what is said to be the most beautiful viewpoint in Hungary – Prédikálószék. The trip ended with a fall in Szentendre. Dana and Laura arrived in the evening.
The morning lazyness turned into an afternoon Domau swimming session. In the afternoon we left Nagymaros for the Wiking marina in Budapest. The passage to the marina with a depth of 0.5m was completely on edge with our poor Ochsner SRX30. In the evening we enjoyed another swimming session in the pool on the boat in the marina.
Morning stop at the Čunovo marina. Fill up on petrol, water, recharge the batteries. Finally, say goodbye to Bianca, Tibor and Luti, who helped us a lot. The journey continued through the Gabčíkovo channel in the waves and further through the waterlock without waiting. The plan was to end the 160km cruise near the town of Nagymaros, but while trying to enter the marina we got stuck. Fortunately, no damage to the propeller. We pulled out of the place in a rubber boat and crossed back to the village of Dunapart, where we spend the night on a buoy.
Visiting Bratislava and meeting the entire Bratislava boat gang. We survived the scorching heat of 40 degrees Celsius by rowing together in 7 boats on the Jarovecké rameno.
Saying goodbye to the beautiful Wachau was made easier by meeting and getting along with Karel near Tulln an der Donau, where we refueled. Sailing through Vienna and the last canal through the Freudenau lock, which gave us a pass to Slovakia. Here we met Luti and Tibor, who willingly pulled us to the sandy beach on Šúgovský špic, where we dropped anchor and enjoyed the evening in the Slovak company.
Two days full of cycling in one of the most beautiful areas on the Danube. The wine region offered us many steep climbs and views of the landscape. Visit to the famous Melk abbey and Durnstein abbey, lots of ruins and the highest hill in the area Jauerling.
A day full of frustration from the Austrian establishment. Firstly a routine check at the Aschach lock turned into official bullying. Of course, we know that we do not have valid and sufficient documents. Sending us to Linz to the Bauhaus to buy fire extinguishers with a check, a lifebuoy, a first aid kit and a registration number on board the boat. Later they pushed temself to check it after another 50 km is really overkill. The highlight of the day of cruising was the interrogation in the Wallsee lock control room and the subsequent report to the Czech Republic. After successfully completing the ban on driving motor vehicles, I expect a ban on driving vessels. Arrival at the marina in Spitz and der Donau after 170 km just before dark.
Challenging cycling trip in the vicinity of perhaps the most beautiful place on the Danube, Schlögener Schlinge. Visiting several vantage points on the Danube loop. Unfortunately, by the end of the day, the boat was no longer transporting, and the journey stretched along the via ferrata with the bikes on the back. Mandatory arrival at the marina after 11 p.m.
On the first day we had 220 km down the Danube. Due to the huge current on the river full of holidaymakers, the progress was initially slow. We also had to pass through 6 locks. Mostly without waiting. About halfway through the day we were caught in a storm, which we weathered by mooring at the shore. The first problems came. The fuel gauge in the tank stopped working. By waiting for the last lock Jochenstein, we bridged into the night. We had to drive the last 17 km in the dark with only lights and instruments. Anchoring in Marina Schlogener schlinge.
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