Black Sea Logbook Entry
Date: 8/13/2010
Distance: 63 nm
Sailed from: Yevpatoria, Ukraine
Lat: 45° 30.9’N
Long: 32° 41.8’E
We were glad we went to bed early last night because the wind came up from the northeast early this morning. We waited until the sun rose before weighing anchor as the seas in the exposed harbor began to build. The crew of Makani did the same, and we spent a pleasant day alternating between sailing, motor sailing and motoring in their company once again. They called us on the VHF radio to tell us they had received a Navtex message about live firing exercises in the area which we appreciated because our message did not come through until later that day. They set a course to avoid the area, and we followed in their wake. For the first time in Ukranian waters, we heard a call on the radio from the mysterious Lebed (Ukrainian coast guard). They were calling Makani for a position update, so we asked them to relay our position as well.
Arriving in Chornomorske before sunset, we dropped our anchor in a former military harbor. After receiving no responses to our calls to port control requesting permission to enter the harbor, we reported our position to Lebed and decided to stay onboard for the night. We had a difficult time getting the anchor to set the first time because of the thick weeds, but we found a better spot on the second try. Large jellyfish pulsed through the water around us.
Having had more patience with tacking into the wind on the final leg of our passage today, Makani arrived and anchored next to us 30 minutes later. Jet skis towing inflatable rafts with screaming riders zipped around us in the anchorage for awhile. As people retreated from the beach, the volume of the music in the night clubs got cranked up. We spent the evening watching the sun and then the moon set but were too tired to be bothered much by all the noise. It was another early night and early start for us the following morning. We were underway to Skadovsk at 6:25 a.m., after a brief survey of the outer harbor to note any changes for the updated Black Sea cruising guide.
