A southerly breeze carried us to the “heel of the boot” of Italy on Monday. We’re in Santa Maria de Leuca, a small summer resort town that is in the process of closing down for the season. A tall white lighthouse marking the Cape beams its light above the harbor at night. After sailing 160 miles in four days, we were ready for a lay day or two while waiting for the winds to become more favorable for crossing the Gulf of Taranto to the “sole of the boot.” Continue reading Gyatso in Italia…Again
We’re in the final countdown to departure for some seasonal cruising in the Med after nearly 18 months on dry land. We hauled out and stored Gyatso at the end of the 2010 cruising season and returned home to write a cruising guide to the Black Sea. The book is scheduled for release later this month, and we’re now looking forward to our return to Marmaris, Turkey where we will begin this year’s cruise. Continue reading Countdown to Departure for Seasonal Cruising in the Med
We just set-up this new blog platform and will start posting here soon. While we’re making this transition, all of Gyatso’s previous website pages will remain available.
Date: 9/16/2010
Distance: 18 nm
Sailed from: Poyraz, Turkey
Lat: 40°58.3’N
Long: 29°02.1’E
Gyatso sailed down the Bosphorus today, returning to Istanbul 111 days after setting out on a voyage around the Black Sea. We visited five of the six countries during our 2,118 mile counter-clockwise circumnavigation, including Turkey, Georgia, the Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. Russian officials could not give us adequate assurances regarding clearance procedures, so we made a 330 mile offshore passage from Georgia to the Crimean Peninsula in the Ukraine to avoid entering Russian waters. It was a real disappointment not to be able to visit the site of the next winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
We met friendly people and were welcomed with warm hospitality along the way — the only exception was encountering the occasional Soviet-style government officials in Ukraine and in Georgia. Contrary to published guides about the Black Sea, we found it teaming with life. Dolphins and porpoises made regular appearances in our bow wave. We also met with many experts and scientists about the environmental conditions and were encouraged to learn of some signs of improvement to this highly degraded ecosystem. Continue reading Istanbul, Turkey: Black Sea Circumnavigation Completed
Date: 9/14/2010
Distance: 44 nm
Sailed from: Sozopol, Bulgaria
Lat: 43°53.2’N
Long: 28°01.6’E
We cleared out of Bulgaria in Tsarevo, arriving in Igneada, Turkey well before sunset. Having heard mixed reviews about whether Turkish authorities would allow us to remain in the harbor or require us to proceed to Istanbul for clearance formalities, we were pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the officials who stopped by in a coast guard rib shortly after we anchored. The explained what we already knew: “Igneada is no longer a port of entry.” They asked for our passports and ship’s papers and gave us permission to stay in the harbor. In true Turkish fashion, one of the young men asked if we needed any supplies, “Water or bread? A weather report?” David answered, “We’re okay on supplies, but we miss olives!” They returned a short while later with our ship’s papers and a jar of black olives — a warm welcome back to Turkey. Continue reading Igneada, Turkey: Our final stop on the Black Sea and a warm welcome back to Turkey
Date: 9/8/2010
Distance: 39 nm
Sailed from: Sveti Vlas and Burgas, Bulgaria
Lat: 42°25.2’N
Long: 27°41.3’E
We both instantly liked Sozopol and were glad we ended up here to wait-out the first gale of the season. Several yachts had attempted to outrun the gale by sailing south today, but wind and rough seas on-the-nose pushed them back to this protected harbor with its modern marina and sturdy sea walls. Soon after checking-in at the marina office, David found Hristo on Alexandrina, his Greek fishing boat which he uses for day charters. He served as the Bulgarian point-man for the KAYRA Black Sea Rallies, and we had been corresponding with him by email before our arrival. A quiet and friendly Bulgarian and former race skipper, he knows more about yachting in Bulgaria than anyone. He also served as David’s informal consultant during several Bulgarian wine tastings onboard Gyatso. David was quick to justify extending his research beyond what was needed for updating pilotage information: “Is there a better way to pass the time while riding out a gale?” Continue reading Sozopol, Bulgaria: Saving the best for last
Date: 9/7/2010
Distance: 38 nm
Sailed from: Varna, Bulgaria
Lat: 42°42.3’N
Long: 27°46.1’E
We moored in the modern Dinevi Marina at the seaside resort of Sveti Vlas which appears to have sprung-up out of nowhere on a smaller scale and in the style of places we found along the Costa del Sol in Spain. Brand-new restaurants and apartment blocks sit on the southern shoulder of the Balkan Mountains. The development borders the marina basin which has plenty of space for visiting yachts, as well as day and weekly charter boats available. The resort was fairly empty during mid-week in September, but we could tell that it was a busy place in the high season. Continue reading Sveti Vlas, Burgas Bay, Bulgaria: A quick stop in a Spanish-style resort
Date: 9/5/2010
Distance: 21nm
Sailed from: Balchik, Bulgaria
Lat: 43°11.4’N
Long: 27°55.3’E
We departed Balchik after lunch with a brief stop to see the marina in the Golden Sands beach resort before arriving at the Varna Yacht Club. Except for freshly painted bright graffiti on the seawall, the harbor doesn’t seem to have changed much in the 10 years since our guidebook was published. Volen, the son of the same Bulgarian sailor who helped us in Balchik, helped us when we arrived in Varna even though his parents had rushed to the hospital because his mother had injured her hand. He and his grandfather moved their smaller yacht into a tight space to make room for us alongside the wall in the inner basin where we had protection from the wash of passing pilot boats and freighters in this busy commercial port. We expressed our appreciation with a Gyatso t-shirt, and he returned awhile later with a gift of some delicious homemade quince jam — what a treat! Continue reading Varna, Bulgaria: Soaking up the energy of a vibrant city
Date: 9/3/2010
Distance: 65 nm
Sailed from: Eforie Nord and Mangalia, Romania
Lat: 43°24.2’N
Long: 28°09.7’E
Pulling alongside a large tug in the dark of night at the commercial dock in Balchik, we had low expectations for a positive experience with Bulgarian entrance formalities. Our guidebooks indicated that they only process foreign yachts on Mon-Fri from 9-5. It was now 8:45 on Friday night.
After setting out this morning, we realized that there was no way we were going to make it to Balchik before 5:00 p.m. We also needed to stop briefly in Mangalia, Romania to clear-out. It was a beautiful day on the Black Sea, and even though the wind was not strong enough to speed us along the 65-mile passage, it was just enough to keep us stable in the cross-swell left-over from the wind of the previous few days. It was such a pleasant sail, we gave up trying to arrive before sunset. Continue reading Balchik, Bulgaria: A Black Sea resort fit for royalty and full of pleasant surprises
Date: 8/31/2010
Distance: 13 nm
Sailed from: Constanta (Port Tomis), Romania
Lat: 44°03.8’N
Long: 28°38.5’E
We didn’t make it very far when we set-out today for Mangalia and found the wind on-the-nose and too strong to make for a comfortable passage. After passing the large commercial port of Constanta, we decided to tuck into the small harbor in the Eforie Nord beach resort rather than back-track to Port Tomis. With the swell running near the harbor entrance and no answer to our radio calls, we used our cell phone (with a Romanian sim card) to call the harbormaster to confirm that the harbor was safe to enter since we had very little pilotage information. He explained how to enter the harbor and was there to greet us and help us tie-up upon arrival a few minutes later. Continue reading Eforie Nord, Romania: A brief stay at a Black Sea beach resort while waiting for the wind to shift
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