With no wind for sailing today, we motored in calm seas close to the shore in order to get a better look at the Black Sea’s coastal landscape and some of the anchorages mentioned in our cruising guide as suitable lunch stops. Although we rarely stop for lunch when cruising long distances, we wanted to note any changes since the publication of the most current guidebook ten years ago. The anchorages appeared unchanged, and one fishing harbor that was under construction is now complete, something we had already surmised by using Google Earth. Continue reading Kefken, Turkey: The calm before the storm→
We shared the Poyrazköy anchorage last night with three other cruising sailboats: two with German flags and one with a Swiss flag. This morning we watched each depart before us as we relaxed over Sunday breakfast. Then we allowed ourselves a slight diversion: we motored back across the mouth of the Bosphorus to the European side so we could get an up-close look at the tiny harbor of Garipce and then the famous clashing rocks. Both are important sites in the historical path we are following around the Black Sea, and the weather was sunny and calm, so we decided to visit them now rather than waiting for our return trip to Istanbul. We were joined by many playful bottlenose dolphins and the smaller, shy harbor porpoises who seem to like the area where the currents of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus mix. Continue reading Şile, Turkey: Our first day on the Black Sea→
The tall ships regatta was in the Golden Horn of Istanbul on the day we made our passage north on the Bosphorus towards the Black Sea. Credit: Lisa Borre.
Black Sea Logbook Entry
Date: 5/29/2010 Distance: 21.1 nm Sailed from: Istanbul (Fenerbahce) to Poyrazköy, Turkey Latitude: 41° 12.2’N Longitude: 29° 07.7’E
It’s hard to imagine how you could have a better passage through the Bosphorus than we did today. We went in the company of our friend, Yeoman Arsay, on Mat, his beautiful 62′ ketch which was custom built in Turkey 30 years ago. Joining him onboard were some of his friends from the Marmara Offshore Yacht Club (formerly Atakoy Marina Yacht Club). Their club used to organize a yachting rally on the Black Sea (known as KAYRA), most recently in 2004, and Teoman, their humble commodore, was the real force behind it all. He has encyclopedic knowledge about sailing on the Black Sea and a Blackberry full of contacts in the countries surrounding it. We were truly honored to make his acquaintance during our stay in Istanbul, and he provided us with a tremendous amount of assistance while making our preparations these past few weeks. Continue reading Bosphorus Passage to Poyrazköy, Turkey→
David at the offices of the Permanent Secretariat for the Black Sea Commission in Istanbul. Photo by Lisa Borre.
Logbook Entry
Date: 5/11/2010 Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Learning about the three main species of jellyfish in the Black Sea while waiting for a ferry at the edge of the Bosphorus might not be considered a typical item on the itinerary of a traveler’s first day in Istanbul. Our informant, Ahmet Kideys, was not a tour guide either. He’s trained as a marine biologist and serves as the executive director of the Permanent Secretariat for the Commission for the Protection of the Black Sea from Pollution (Black Sea Commission), a group dedicated to environmental cooperation among the six countries surrounding the sea. Continue reading Not a traveler’s typical first day in Istanbul→
It’s hard to imagine that this anchorage is just ten miles from the bustling city of Istanbul. Photo by Lisa Borre.
Logbook Entry
Dates: 5/9/2010 – 5/10/2010 Distance: 75.4 nm Sailed from: Port Marmara, Marmara Adasi Lat: 40°52.2’N Long: 29°05.1’E
A long day which included some exciting sailing in 18-22 knots of wind through the large “parking lot” of ships waiting for the northbound traffic to open in the Bosphorus. They weren’t actually anchored but just sort-of “jinking around” like cars waiting for a parking spot at the shopping mall except these were dozens of very large ships concentrated in a 10 square-mile area southeast of Istanbul and the Princess Islands, our destination for the day. We kept a close watch and had to tack a few times but eventually threaded our way through the ship traffic to the Princess Islands. Continue reading Heybeliada, a peaceful cove near Istanbul in the Princess Islands→
We’re staying at a marina on the Asian side of Istanbul — the old city is just a short taxi ride and then ferry trip across the Bosphorus. Photo by Lisa Borre.
We arrived in Istanbul today — a magnificent sight to see after 26 days, 14 passages and 562 miles since setting sail from Marmaris. It was a short hop from the Princess Islands to the Kalamis & Fenerbache Marina this morning where we found Gyatso a berth for the next two weeks. Continue reading Arrival in Istanbul, Turkey→
No visit to Port Marmara is complete without sampling the local specialty of fried mussels on a skewer which are best washed down with Turkish Efes beer. Photo by Lisa Borre.
Arriving in Port Marmara on the island of Marmara Adasi, we thought the harbor looked full of fishing boats and there might not be room for us. Just as we were about to give-up and try a nearby anchorage or the new harbor on nearby Avsa Adasi, we noticed movement among some of the fishing boats along the north quay. Moments later, we were being flagged into a newly created spot alongside a 45′ fishing boat. Rather than a med mooring, we were rafted to him with our bow tied to the quay. We immediately relaxed and settled in to the slow pace of island life here. Continue reading Island time in Port Marmara on Marmara Adasi→
Watching dolphins feed near the boat in glass calm water with a rose colored sunset through the haze to the west, it’s hard to imagine that just a few hours earlier we were fighting wind and current on our passage through the Dardanelles. We decided to leave Canakkale today even though the weather forecast looked better for tomorrow. We figured, “How bad can it be?” And the answer is, “Not too bad.” Continue reading Anchored in Kemer on the Sea of Marmara→
Europe and the Gallipoli Battlefields are to port. Asia and ancient Troy are to starboard. Thousands of birds are migrating through as we make our way against the current in the Dardanelles, a narrow strait connecting the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Continue reading The Dardanelles and Canakkale, Turkey→
This small cafe on the Bozcaada waterfront is under the same ownership of Tenedos restaurant where we enjoyed delicious food and sampled the local wine. Photo by Lisa Borre.
Bozcaada is one of two inhabited Turkish Islands in the Aegean Sea — the rest belong to Greece. We found plenty of space to berth on the town quay beneath the walls of the well-maintained Genoese castle and ended up next to the same French yacht as in Ayvalik. We asked the harbormaster for a restaurant recommendation, and he suggested Tenedos, a fish restaurant on the other side of the harbor. Continue reading Bozcaada, a rare Turkish island in the Aegean Sea→
Adventures while cruising to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Black Seas in a Tayana 37 sailboat
