Pergamom and Return to Greece

Whilst at Avalik we visited the site of ancient Pergamom, near the small city of Bergama. Pergamom was perched on a high mountain top overlooking the surrounding fertile valleys and the attractive city below. From Avalik we crossed to Mytilini on Lesvos to check in to Greece and then sailed on to an anchorage in a land locked bay at Skala Loutrou in the Gulf of Yeras on the south side of Lesvos before berthing at Plomarion on the south coast. There they claim to make the best ouzo in Greece, and we can`t disagree, it is very good. Then on south to the beautiful island of Ouinoussa, the birthplace of some of the richest shipping magnates in the world. The small island is consequently a wealthy place, though it doesn`t see many tourists, as they are not actively encouraged. Across the channel to Kardhamila on Chios island and another attractive town surrounding a small harbour.

Istanbul to Ayvalik

After a three day break at Atakoy marina in Istanbul, where Haley & Rob joined from Australia, we again set sail westward. Two long full day passages took us to Marmara Island in the Sea of Marmara and then on through the Dardenelles to Bozcaada Island. There we waited a day for the meltemi to abate and toured the beautiful little island by motor scooter, visiting vinyards [they make very good wine] and lovely sandy beaches. Then on downwind in the meltemi to ancient Assos where we anchored near the old port. Assos is a jewel largely undiscovered by western tourists. The small number of hotels, pensions and restaurants lining the port are all built of the same stone and terra cotta tiles as would have been those of 1000 BC. The site of the ruins above, atop an extinct volcanic cone with fine views across the strait to Lesvos, is magnificent. We are now once again at Ayvalik where we intend to check out of Turkey for a while and spend some time in the adjacent Greek islands.

Photos - Sile and the Bosphorus

Georgia Reflections and on to Istanbul

It seems the timing of our visit to Georgia was fortuitous as only three weeks after we departed the Russians bombed the harbour at Poti where we had been berthed causing a number of fatalities. Our berth at the yacht club in the centre of the harbour would have been within shrapnel range if not closer. We feel for those poor people of Poti and the friends we made there who had expectations of better times ahead. When we visited Tbilisi, the government must have been plotting their confrontation with South Ossetia. What possessed them to do it in the face of likely Russian retaliation God only knows. We did see a ship delivering a cargo of armoured vehicles in Poti.

From Asmara we have sailed on westward, with our usual escort of dolphins, towards Istanbul, where we have more crew joining from Australia. Our next port was Zonguldak, a small city which we were told would not be of any interest and where we would find it hard to find a berth in the harbour. On our arrival we found it to be an attractive place built on steep rolling hills surrounding the port. We easily found a berth amongst the local fishing boats and explored the city which has an economy based on coal mining. The waterfront was lined with tea gardens and market stalls and old mysterious structures. From Zonguldak we pressed on to Eregli, a city based on steel making and ship building. Despite the proximity of the steel mill it proved to be a lovely town with landscaped gardens and parks lining the harbour. Then on to an anchorage at kefken and a nights at Sile and Poyraz at the entrance to the Bosphorus. We have completed our circumnavigation fo the Black Sea.

Samsun to Asmara

Our journey west from Samsun continues. A great overnight sail in moderate winds to Sinop, one of the best harbours on this coast, but crowded with fishing boats as well as having a small ship building and repair yard. It was fascinating seeing a large tug being hauled out of the water on a wooden sled towed by a bulldozer using a huge steel blocked six fold pulley. The old town, on a narrow isthmus, was overlooked by ancient fortifications and had a maze of narrow crowded streets. From Sinop we sought shelter from a large swell generated by a storm in the central Black Sea and anchored in a lovely bay at Aklimani before sailing on to Caylioglu, a small village where not much happened, it seemed. Then on to Inebolu, a town beside a small commercial port where we barely squeezed into the only vacant slot on the quay, the remainder of the harbour being closed by dredging. And on to a beautiful small almost landlocked anchorage surrounded by high steep hills at Gaidaros, before arrival here at Asmara, another old town built over a narrow isthmus and again with ancient fortifications and old ottoman houses. This is a popular tourist resort, the streets are lined with bauble shops and the beach is packed.
But the coastal scenery! Forget your Great Ocean Roads and Big Surs, the scenery on the north coast of Turkey is simply stunning. Unfortunately, our little camera can`t do it justice, and, like much of this part of the world, on a still day the whole place is covered in a smokey haze.