Three Weeks In Paradise. 13. Mljet

Today Mekicevica is going to do another island hop towards Mljet, our furthest destination on this trip.
We plan to get to Pomena on the NW of Mljet. The wind has veered to the W and we did the whole passage on a broad reach. The entrance to Pomena is a bit tricky, with several islands and a complicated shaped coast at the entrance of the bay. The increased swell as the depth goes suddenly from 80m to 20m adds to the fun. But we made it with no problems, entering the bay under sail.

Past the entrance of the bay in calmer waters towards Pomena.

The town quay at Pomena was the worst rip-off: you pay a fortune for the privilege of using a mooring rope. No showers, no bathrooms, no water, no electricity. Nada! We solved the problem by sneaking into the bathrooms of the hotel terrace and by using the beach shower.
After mooring we still had time start exploring the natural beauty of the island. Unlike most of the surrounding islands it was never really settled. Little farming, means that the island retained the dense vegetation. Moreover, it has a series of salt-water lakes connected to each other and to the sea only by narrow passages. Visiting boats are not allowed into these lakes.

Mljet: dense vegetation and beautifully coloured lakes.

On the largest lake (Veliko Jezero) there is an island with an XIIth century monastery, where  a ferry boat took us for a visit.

Approaching the monastery of Sveta Marija on Veliko Jezero.

We finished the day with a swim in the green waters of Malo Jezero and dinner out.