Featured
Photo
Gyatso berthed in the yacht harbor of Batumi which is
also home to several tour boats, including Sea Star, the one
shown here, as well as a fleet of pilot boats serving the busy
commercial harbor.
For most recent photo album see:
Wintering-over
in Marmaris, Turkey.
Gyatso
underway on the Atlantic Ocean.
Welcome!
We set-up this website so that family, friends,
and fellow sailors can
track us on our latest journey aboard Gyatso.
In October 2005, we purchased our 20-year old, Tayana 37 sailboat in
Maine and moved aboard. Since then, we sailed to the Chesapeake Bay, Florida,
the Bahamas and back again -- an extended "shakedown" cruise
while completing a major refit. In November 2006, we sailed from
Annapolis to the BVIs and spent six months cruising in the Eastern
Caribbean before crossing the Atlantic to Europe in the summer of 2007.
In 2008, we sailed from Portugal through the Strait of Gibraltar and into
the Western Mediterranean. In 2009, we visited Sicily,
Tunisia, Malta and Greece on our way to Turkey. In 2010, we plan to
sail north through the Aegean Sea to Istanbul and then to the Black Sea.
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Most Recent Black Sea Logbook Entry
Date: 7/18/10
Location: Batumi, Georgia
Welcome to Georgia!
After
clearing out of Hopa, Turkey this morning, we carefully steered around the
“prohibited zone” extending from the Turkish/Georgia border out 12 miles to
international waters on passage to Batumi, Georgia. It was a 24 mile
detour which we had been instructed to take by the Turkish Coast Guard but didn't mind because we had a nice breeze for sailing most of the
way. Afternoon rain showers moved in and the wind dropped and then shifted
to the south, so we dropped the mainsail and turned on the engine as we made our
final turn toward the Georgian coast.
We were having a pleasant day of sailing,
but just beneath the surface, tensions were running high on Gyatso. We
were a bit nervous about entering Georgia by yacht because earlier guidebooks
were written with numerous cautions and warnings at a time when the situation in
this former Soviet Republic was less stable than it is today. When we
mentioned to our yachting friends that we were planning to go to Georgia, most
replied, "Are you certain that it is safe?" or "You're
crazy!" We also planned to enter the country in Batumi instead of
Poti, as the previous guidebooks had advised, based on new information that we
received from Georgian officials that Batumi is now a port of entry and would
welcome foreign yachts...Go
to full logbook
entry for Batumi, Georgia.
7/16/10 Update: We have cancelled
plans to visit Russia after learning that a European-flagged yacht was denied
entry to three separate ports in Russia in early July, despite having all
paperwork in order. Since Russia does not allow yachts to enter after
visiting Georgia, we have decided not to visit Russia and will proceed directly
to Georgia where officials have assured us that foreign yachts are welcome.
For recent logbook entries see: Logbook
for the Black Sea 2010.
Sailing Log Updates
YouTube Videos
In
2009, we began to record short videos about our experiences while
cruising. If you would like to receive notices whenever we upload a
new video, subscribe to "svgyatso" on YouTube. To view
a video, click on the links below:
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Current Location
7/23/10-Poti,
Georgia
Click on the thumbnail for an overview map of the Black Sea or enter our location at: http://earth.google.com/
Logbooks
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
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What's New
5/29/10--We're
sailing in the Black Sea until September.
4/15/10--We're
underway to Istanbul and the Black Sea.
3/13/10--Gyatso
was re-launched today in Marmaris, Turkey.
2/12/10--We're
back in Turkey after a four month visit to the US.
1/10/10--We
postponed our return to the boat in Turkey until 11 February and will be staying
in Annapolis until then.
10/1/09--Gyatso
will be hauled-out next week, and we will return to the US for a nice, long
visit with family and friends...details to follow soon.
7/7/09--An
article we wrote about coastal cruising in Southern Sardinia was published in
the June issue of the OCC's Flying Fish journal.
6/8/09--We
are both back onboard Gyatso after two weeks away to attend a retreat (David) and to
help our friend Jayne transfer her boat to Sicily (Lisa).
4/2/09--We
flew to England to attend the Ocean Cruising Club Annual Meeting where we also
received an award.
2/13/09--In
a rental car, we toured Campania and Lazio regions of Italy.
1/16/09--We
returned to the boat in Italy.
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