Montenegro

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Revision as of 15:15, 13 September 2013

Montenegro Cruising Guide

An online cruising guide for yachts sailing to Montenegro

Montenegro
Montenegro
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Capital:	Podgorica 42°26.34′N, 19°15.26′E
Language:	Montenegrin
Currency:	Euro (€)
Timezone:	CET (UTC+1) Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
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Content - news items, etc.

The Republic of Montenegro is a country in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the north, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east, and Albania to the south. To the west of Montenegro is the Adriatic Sea.

Bay of Kotor

The Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) is the main attraction for cruisers in the region. It is in south-western Montenegro and south-eastern Croatia and is a winding bay on the Adriatic Sea. The bay, sometimes called Europe's southernmost fjord, is in fact a submerged river canyon of the disintegrated Bokelj River which used to run from the high mountain plateaus of Mount Orjen.

The Verige strait represent the narrowest section of the bay and is located between Cape St. Nedjelja and Cape Opatovo; it separates the inner bay east of the strait from the remainder and belongs to the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, A World Heritage Site.

The bay is composed of several smaller broad bays, united by narrower channels, forming one of the finest natural harbours in Europe. The bay inlet was formerly a river system. Very intensive tectonics and karstification processes led to the disintegration of this river. After heavy rain the famous waterfall of Sopot spring at Risan appears, and Škurda, another well known spring runs through a canyon from Lovcen.

The outermost part of the bay is the Bay of Tivat (Teodo) and a small naval port, currently being transformed into a state of the art Super Yacht Marina, Porto Montenegro. On the seaward side, there is the Bay of Herceg Novi (Castelnuovo), which guards the main entrance to the Bay of Kotor. The inner bays are the Bay of Risan to the northwest and the Bay of Kotor to the southeast.

On the landward side, the long walls running from the fortified old town of Kotor to the castle of Saint John, far above, formed a striking feature in the landscape; and the heights of the Krivošije (Krivoscie), a group of barren plateaus in Mount Orjen, were crowned by small forts.

There are many interesting places on the shores of the Bay of Kotor. Herceg Novi has an Orthodox convent of St. Sava nearby (Savina monastery) standing amid beautiful gardens. Eight miles (12.87 km) east of Herceg Novi, there is a Benedictine monastery on a small island opposite Perast (Perasto).

Climate & Weather

The Bay of Kotor lies within the Mediterranean subtropical belt. While summers are hot and sunny, autumn, winter and spring are rainy seasons. It is the climate type of the Mediterranean but modifications exist in the vast region. A peculiarity of the littoral Dinarids is the precipitation regime as at the Bay of Kotor, Mt. Orjen receives Europe's most heavy precipitation. Just as the monsoon rain is seasonally distributed, so too November thunderstorms sometimes pour 2000 l of water in several days, while August is frequently completely dry. With a maximum discharge of 200 m³/s of water one of the biggest karst springs, the Sopot spring, is a remarkable indicator of this seasonal variation. Most of the time it is inactive but after heavy rain a remarkable waterfall appears 20 m above the Bay of Kotor.

Two wind systems are noteworthy for their ecological significance: Bora and Jugo. Strong cold downslope winds of the Bora type appear in winter and are most severe in the Bay of Risan. Gusts reach 250 km/h and can lead to a significant fall of temperatures in several hours with freezing events. Bora weather situations are frequent and sailors keep an eye on the mountains as cap clouds indicate an imminent Bora event. Jugo is a warm humid wind and is important as it brings heavy rain. It appears throughout the year but is usually concentrated in autumn and spring.

Sources of weather forecasting here.

• Weather on Line provides detailed 7 day forecast charts for the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Atlantic.
• Greek Meteorological Service (EMY) it includes the Navtex weather bulletins.
• Wind Guru a surfer's site with worldwide wind forecasts.

Charts

BA

186 Vlorë to Bar and Brindisi to Vieste

188 Entrance to the Adriatic sea including Nisos Kérkira

1582 Approaches to Bar and Boka Kotorska

683 Bar, Dubrovnik, and Approaches to Peljeski Kanal

NIMA

54240 Dubrovnic to Pellg I Drinit

Special Navigation Notes

Any navigation notes here.

Local Radio Nets

Also see Cruiser's Nets

• Bar Radio Coast Station: Ph:+381 (0)85 9833, Mob: 067 642 179, Fax:+381 (0)85 313 600, Monitors VHF 16 and 24 (handles all types of radio traffic) Email

Arrival/Departure procedures

Arrival

When approaching the coast of Montenegro you can expect to be contacted by a navy vessel so, VHF16 must be monitored at all times. They will require the following information:

• Yacht's name
• Owner's name
• Radio call-sign
• Vessel's flag
• Vessel's registered port
• Destination
• Last port of call

Announce your arrival as early as possible to the Harbourmaster at either Kotor or Bar via the Bar Radio Coast Station on VHF16 and proceed directly for check-in.

Required documentation:

• The boat registration papers
• The insurance documents
• A cruising permit purchased on arrival at a port of entry

Note: An agent will take care, for a fee, all of the details and you do not have to to anything. FANEROMENI .

Entrance procedure, Montenegro, in Bar

The hardest part in Bar is finding the Harbourmaster's Office, which is where you need to go first. Everyone we met had had the same problem. It is in a building buried away among trees in a sort of park, seemingly quite separate from the port buildings, but not far away. And once you identify that building, it is tucked away round the back so that you only see the sign "Lučka Kapetanija", when you are right on top of it. Found it - and you're home and dry. You need all the papers mentioned above plus an ICC or another proof of competance for the skipper. These will be carefully studied. Then you have to complete the crew list form, and pay for cruising vignette and something else. In our case, 9.99 metre boat, about 45 euros in total, June 2013. This has to be paid directly into a nearby bank. Next you take the crew list form copies to the police and the customs who each keep a copy and stamp your original. Their offices are in the more predictable port building. Done! Now if staying the night you can pay the marina office. Montenegro is lovely. With a week's vignette you can enjoy lovely anchorages before and inside the Boka Kotor, on your way to Croatia. Delightful.

Departure

See note above.

Immigration

All arrivals in Montenegro must have a valid passport with the exception of those from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia and Macedonia who require only an ID card.

For stays of up to 90 days, visas are not necessary for members of the EU, Former Yugoslav Republics (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia), Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belorussia, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Israel, Republic of Korea, Japan and Switzerland.

Citizens of Albania, Russian Federation and Ukraine may stay for up to 30 days without a visa.

All other nationalities must obtain visas in advance of arrival.

Customs

Details?

Fees and Charges

• Entry fee:
• Cruising permit (in Euros) (Updated Feb'09):

Post fee updates here -

Ports & Popular Stops

• Bar
• Sveti Stefan
• Budva
• Petrovac
• Risan
• Tivat
• Kotor
• Zelenika
• Herceg Novni
• Ulcinj

Key to icons: Port of entry: Needs data:

Offshore Islands

Details?

Health

I would strongly advise you against drinking tap water in Montenegro, especially in Herceg Novi and Tivat municipality. Local people might tell you that it is safe to drink it, but far too many cases of diarrhea, nausea and similar stomach problems have been accounted. Also, be aware that some, thou not many tourist complexes run their sewage directly into the sea, not far from shore, which can be pretty unpleasant, but also poses a risk of infection.

Security

Montenegro is generally safe place to explore. Alto, be wary of pickpockets and petty thieves in large tourist places like Budva or Sutomore, especially in peak of the season.

Transportation

By Plane

• There is an international airport in Tivat, which has regular flight to and from Belgrade, Moscow, Brussels, St. Peterburg, Bari, Minsk etc.
• The other international airport is near capital Podgorica. It is connected to most bigger airports in Europe.
• Here you can find information about flights in&out of Montenegro

By Train

• There is a railway station in Bar. From there you can get to Podgorica or Belgrade. International train Belgrade-Bar goes twice a day.

Cruiser's Friends

Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.

Forum Discussions

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

External Links

• Montenegro (Wikipedia)
• CIA World Factbook: Montenegro
• Visit Montenegro
• NAUTOUR Joint Promotion and Increased Level of Safety of Nautical Tourism in Dubrovnik-Neretva County and Montenegrin Coast

Personal Notes

Personal experiences?

References & Publications

• Trevor and Dinah Thompson, Adriatic Pilot - Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, east coast of Italy, Albania, Imray Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire, ISBN 978085288970
• Heikell, R. Mediterranean Cruising Handbook, Imray Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire, ISBN 0852887795
• NAUTOR booklet guide

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