Leg 83 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Dubrovnik to Herceg Novi
Past the walls of Dubrovnik and Lokrum to Cavtat to be stamped out of the Schengen area, then down the Konavle coast and between Prevlaka and Mamula into the mouth of the Bay of Kotor, to Portonovi at Herceg Novi in Montenegro.
08:30 CEST from Dubrovnik. 2 hours 35 minutes after sunrise (05:57 CEST), after the rest day in Dubrovnik.
Arrive
About 17:01 CEST at Herceg Novi. In the late afternoon, after the stop at Cavtat, with about 2 hours 40 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 19:43 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.3 m: no practical effect
Wind
Sea breezes; a jugo is on the nose
Boat
35 to 38 ft sailing yacht, 1.9 m draught, 6 kn under sail, 5.5 kn under engine
Crew
Skipper and 3 crew, 2 watches of 2. Passports, crew list and boat papers ready for 2 border stops
Track and waypoints 1 to 9, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 07:30 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No wind above force 5, and no jugo above force 4.
Exit formalities at Cavtat confirmed, and the Portonovi berth and clearance booked.
Visibility 2 nm or more.
If the weather is wrong, stay in Dubrovnik. Cavtat is a sheltered stop on the way.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 0.5 nm off land except at the harbour ends. Distances and courses are calculated from them. Plot every one on the current chart before use. Courses are true.
#
Waypoint
Latitude
Longitude
Course
Leg nm
Total nm
ETA
Notes
0
ACI Marina Dubrovnik
42°40.3′N
018°07.4′E
08:30 CEST
Depart.
1
Rijeka Dubrovačka
42°40.0′N
018°06.0′E
254°T
1.1
1.1
08:46 CEST
Down the inlet.
2
Rijeka Dubrovačka entrance
42°40.2′N
018°05.0′E
285°T
0.8
1.8
08:58 CEST
Under the bridge.
3
Daksa
42°40.0′N
018°04.0′E
255°T
0.8
2.6
09:09 CEST
Round the islet.
4
Off the old town
42°38.5′N
018°06.0′E
136°T
2.1
4.7
09:34 CEST
1 nm off the walls.
5
South of Lokrum
42°36.5′N
018°08.0′E
144°T
2.5
7.2
10:04 CEST
Clear of the island.
6
Cavtat approach
42°35.5′N
018°12.5′E
107°T
3.5
10.6
10:46 CEST
Check on the chart
7
Cavtat
42°34.9′N
018°13.0′E
148°T
0.7
11.4
11:00 CEST to 12:30
Stop for exit formalities with the border police. Position approximate.
8
Off Konavle
42°26.4′N
018°22.8′E
140°T
11.2
22.5
14:21 CEST
2 nm off the cliffs.
9
Bay of Kotor entrance
42°23.1′N
018°32.4′E
115°T
7.8
30.3
15:55 CEST
Between Cape Oštro (Prevlaka) and Mamula. Q flag and Montenegrin courtesy flag. VHF 16.
10
Portonovi, Herceg Novi
42°25.7′N
018°35.1′E
037°T
3.3
33.6
17:01 CEST
Marina with a border crossing on site. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Dubrovnik · Wed 18 Aug · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
01:20
0.0 m
HW
07:34
0.2 m
LW
12:18
0.1 m
HW
18:33
0.4 m
From the Split station.
Herceg Novi · Wed 18 Aug · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
01:20
0.0 m
HW
07:34
0.2 m
LW
12:18
0.1 m
HW
18:33
0.4 m
From the Split station.
Wednesday 18 August 2027. Tides. The range here is 0.1 to 0.3 m: tides make no practical difference. Wind and air pressure move the sea level more than the tide does.
Both ends use the Split station, about 100 nm away. Treat the times as a guide only.
Tide times are predictions made for this plan from the TICON-4 harmonic constants (DGFI-TUM) with the Neaps tide predictor, because the official 2027 tables were not yet published when it was written. Tested against the official APDL table for Leixões on 23 July 2026, the predicted times were within 8 minutes and the heights 0.1 to 0.2 m lower. Heights are above lowest astronomical tide. Check every time against the official 2027 table before sailing.
Daylight. Sunrise at Dubrovnik 05:57 CEST. Sunset at Herceg Novi 19:43 CEST.
Weather
The Konavle coast is steep with no harbours between Cavtat and the Bay of Kotor.
The Bay of Kotor is sheltered once inside.
Forecasts to check
Croatian DHMZ forecast for the South Adriatic (meteo.hr) also covers the Montenegrin and northern Albanian coasts.
Dubrovnik Radio and NAVTEX Split (station Q, 518 kHz) cover the South Adriatic.
Montenegrin and Albanian weather broadcasts on VHF: Check the pilot book
Hazards
Leaving the Schengen area. Montenegro and Albania are outside Schengen, so the crew's passports must be stamped out of Croatia at a border police port before leaving. Whether this can be done at Dubrovnik (Gruž) or at Cavtat in 2027, and how the EU Entry/Exit System applies to yacht crews, could not be checked. The plan stops at Cavtat for it.
Entering Montenegro. Go directly to a port of entry, flying the Q flag and the Montenegrin courtesy flag; crew stay aboard until cleared. Portonovi marina, at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor, has a border crossing on site. A vignette (navigation permit) is bought from the harbour master for 1 week to 1 year and is required even for a fuel stop; a tourist tax per person also applies. Listen on VHF 16 (and 11) in Montenegrin waters. These details come from cruising reports, not an official page; check them before sailing.
Prevlaka. The sea border between Croatia and Montenegro at the mouth of the bay is unresolved; the waters off Herceg Novi were declared neutral under a 2002 arrangement. Keep to the middle of the entrance.
Mamula is a fort island turned resort at the entrance. Its light (Fl 3s) is listed with an uncertain status.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Dubrovnik
Start
Within the first hour
ACI marina.
Cavtat
Waypoint 7
Weather turns
Harbour. Check the pilot book
Portonovi
Destination
First choice
+382 67 932 999.
Pilotage
Leaving Dubrovnik
Go down the Rijeka Dubrovačka, round Daksa and head south-east past the old town and Lokrum to Cavtat.
Into the Bay of Kotor
Approach the entrance between Cape Oštro and Mamula, flying the Q flag. Call the harbour master on VHF 16.
Turn east inside the entrance to Portonovi. Call the marina (+382 67 932 999) and clear in at its border post before anyone goes ashore.
Lights on the way
Grebeni
Fl(3) 10s, 27 m, 10 M
Mamula
Fl 3s, 35 m; status uncertain
Communications
Portonovi marina
+382 67 932 999
Harbour master Dubrovnik
+385 20 418 988
Emergency at sea, Montenegro (coast guard)
VHF 16 · 129
Emergency on land
112
Search and rescue at sea, Croatia (MRCC Rijeka)
VHF 16, DSC 70 · 195
Contingencies
Border police not available at Cavtat. Go back to Dubrovnik (Gruž) and do not leave Croatia unstamped.
Person overboard. Shout, point, throw the danger buoy, press MOB, DSC distress alert, Mayday on 16.
Before leaving
Forecasts read and logged before the go or no-go time
Croatian notices to mariners and Montenegrin notices to mariners checked for the route
Waypoints entered and checked against the chart
Ship's log started in UTC
Crew briefing: route, watches, safety gear, MOB, fog
Exit formalities arranged
Portonovi berth and clearance booked
Montenegrin courtesy flag and Q flag ready
Fuel for 7 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 8 hours
Lifejackets with crotch straps, jackstays rigged, harnesses
Liferaft, grab bag, flares in date, handheld VHF
Radar, AIS and navigation lights tested
Passports, boat papers and insurance aboard
Sources
Prevlaka and Mamula: English Wikipedia.
ACI Dubrovnik: aci-marinas.com.
Montenegro and Albania formalities: noonsite.com (cruising reports, dated); Portonovi: portonovi.com; Orikum Marina: marinaorikum.com.
Albanian and Montenegrin lights: Lighthouse Directory (ibiblio.org/lighthouse), characteristics and heights only.
Croatian lights: plovput.hr (official list). Radio and NAVTEX: plovput.hr.
Tides: predictions from TICON-4 harmonic constants (Hart-Davis, Dettmering and Seitz, DGFI-TUM, 2025, doi 10.17882/109129) with Neaps (openwaters.io). Check against the Instituto Hidrográfico 2027 tables.
Sunrise and sunset: calculated (NOAA method).
Lights: The Lighthouse Directory (Rowlett), ibiblio.org/lighthouse, Portugal pages revised August 2024. Cross-check with the IH List of Lights, volume I.