Black Sea Logbook Entry

Date: 6/28/2010
Distance: 23 nm
Sailed from: Yaliköy
Lat: 41° 01.1’N
Long: 37° 51.3’E

What our guidebook called “Eferli” turned out to be the fishing harbor for Ordu, a place known since ancient times as having an anchorage for ships. We arrived at noon and were invited to tie alongside the fisherman’s quay in a space where a local motor yacht is kept. The owner of the yacht which was anchored in the harbor came by awhile later to let us know that we were most welcome to stay. He showed us where he kept his water hose which was an added bonus — we needed to fill our tank.

In the afternoon, Moira, a Swiss-flagged yacht, entered the harbor and asked to raft alongside Gyatso. Rudy, the owner, was single-handed at the moment and on his way west after sailing as far as Trabzon. Over a glass of wine onboard Gyatso, we learned that this is his fourth year sailing on the Turkish coast of the Black Sea. We were anxious to get first-hand accounts from people who had visited Georgia or Russia, but he explained that he had no interest in visiting these countries due to concerns about security and excessive bureaucracy.

We took the dolmus into town for the afternoon and found a bustling city with a thriving pedestrian shopping district, a large covered market, and numerous cafes and restaurants. We stopped for çay (Turkish tea) along the waterfront and ate a late lunch in a kebab salonu before returning to Gyatso with a few necessary provisions and to find some much needed quiet time to catch-up on our notes from Black Sea harbor surveys these past two days.