telltales 61

Telltales 61 Sylphe Black Sea Voyage 2005

Turkish North Coast

Log 9

18 – 19 June 2005, Sinop – Samsun (75 NM)

Although Sinop is a lovely city and we met some very nice people, being the sight in town gets a little too much…….small or larger groups of people, mainly children, continue to gather on the quay and stare at Sylphe, asking the same questions so that in the end we get tired of telling them our names for the 100^th time, even if we invent new ones with each new group. We let go of the mooring lines and spend the last two hours at anchor, trying to get some rest before our night sail to Samsun, where we will pick up our Turkish friends´ offspring and their friends.

The sea is calm, mysteriously dark blue-green and with the sun setting behind us over Sinop, we motor in the direction of the headland of Bafra Burnu, leaving the small gulf of Yakakent and Gerze to our starboard. The perpetual swell is gone now that we´re heading east/south-east…finally. After a diner of pasta and masses of salad, we get settled for the night, taking turns at playing “lookout” as Manolo is once more doing the heavy work of steering Sylphe towards her destination. We hear, rather than see the dolphins all during the night, until Roland and Onur decide to sit on the bowsprit – the navigation lights showing at least ten of them jumping and playing with the small wave created by Sylphe´s bow.

When the sun rises the large town and long breakwaters of Samsun are in sight and a few hours later we sail into the commercial harbour, in search of the Sailing Club – omitting to read in the pilot that the club has changed it´s position. Things in this part of the world still change rapidly and pilotbooks and charts are not always up-to-date. The chartplotter uses even older data and is completely unreliable. Thankfully I had bought all the turkish hydrographic charts in Istanbul, so we will not hit a rock. But we sometimes still have to look for a harbour which is even not on the map.

Log 10

19 June 2005, Samsun - Uniye (56 NM)

This weeks gang

Samsun features prominantly in Turkish history, as this is the place where Ataturk started his revolution and fight to get the allies out of the country. He landed here on May 19^th, 1919. And thus for Turks Samsun is important. Actually we know now that Atatturk came to Sinop on May 18^th, but decided that Sinop was not a suitable place to start the march to the Anatolia hinterland, hence a day later arriving in Samsun. Samsun is a BIG city and certainly not the nicest one. So we were docked in the marina for two hours when the first 2 of our 4 kids arrived. Upon their arrival we went back to the main port, as this is right in the city center and dropped the anchor. Taking the dinghy ashore for shopping and meeting the last 2 kids. It was around 1 o’clock in the afternoon when the whole party was complete and reunited on the boat. The wind had picked up nicely. The next stop was 55 miles further down the coast, but with the weatherforecast for the next days not loooking too brilliant Roland decided to sail off and get the miles over with.

After the breakwater we were met with the first spray and we hoisted the staysail and were beating motorsailing into a freshening wind, that soon reached 30 knots. The spray wet us all, the boat was again victim of the perpetual swell and it was not the most beautifull sailing we had done. Some of the kids developed pale faces and disappeared below to go to sleep (after all still the best remedy against beginning seasickness). An hour later clouds became darker and darker and finally the rain started. Roland out in his musto in a downpour that would last another 4 hours. A horrific swell that was almost directly behind us as we had rounded Civa Burnu and the wind (of course) dying down to a mere 8 knots, not enough to give us any stability in these conditions. So, the boat rocked like a rollercoaster, everybody locked inside with the rain still falling and roland trying to avoid the shoals around these capes, where there is only 7 meters of water, although more than 5 miles off shore.

Dutch Landscape and dutch-like rain

To all misery comes an end, so the rain stopped, the lights of Uniye appeared and at 9.00 PM we dropped the anchor in a pitch dark port. With the spotlight we could see a half sunken freighter in the port and on the dock they were still offloading another freighter. Out of the swell, out of the rain, safely back in port the kids came back to life and soon the b aot was full with activity. 7 people on Sylphe make a nice number, but not all at the same time in the kitchen. So, Sanem and Nazli made the salad in the kitchen, while Roland and Cem grilled on the BBQ outside. A lovely diner, some Raki and than a good night sleep.

Log 11

20 June 2005, Uniye – Efirli (29 NM)

We were woken brusquely by the loud horn of a boat. Looking outside it turned out to be a pilot boat, who wanted us to change position as a new freighter was to come in and we were in the way. We went to the other side of the port.

Ports on the Black Sea coast have gotten a new meaning. Enormous breakwaters (clearly needed for the wintergales on this lee shore), but not only in height enormous also in length. So almost all of these ports are so big that one can safely anchor in the middle of the port and leave more than enough room for other boats. Especially with the pattern of the wind changing at night (landbreeze instead of seabreeze) one is better off at its own anchor and freely turning with the wind. For sure the Turkish state has done a great job constructing all these huges ports, unfortunately most of them are empty, but they offer us a great and safe anchorage.

The kids took the dinghy ashore for some shopping and returned with bags full of food and drinks. We would not starve. We set the genua, once more in a fresheninmg 10 knot wind and motorsailed onward to Efirli. Again a huge anchorage, once inside the breakwaters. The sun was out for most of the day at sea, but over land we saw rain and heard the thunder. This is of course an advantage of a lee-shore: the misery starts over land and on sea one is okay. So, when we arrived in Efirli the water in the port was inviting enough for the kids to go swimming and they plunged over the side of the boat. Warm water, but still temperatures were not high enough to tempt Marit into the water.

Cem, who was now learning to drive the dinghy took a party ashore for some exploration, but the real town is some 2 km away. Still they were able to find a fisherman who was selling a kind of sea-trout, which was grilled later and left us all wanting more. A full moon rose over the beakwater later that evening and we sat on deck, talked, some played cards, some listened to music. Serenity, silence, beauty, good company………

Log 12

21 June 2005, Efirli – Tirebolu (43 NM)

We take off early for a 43 mile trip to Tirebolu. Every day is a gamble when we choose our destination. The pilot book from Atakoy marina (Cruise trhe Black Sea) is the most recent book on this sea. The descripotion of the harbours and the technical details are correct and up to date. What we feel missing is a personal impression. So, you never know if you will have choosen the right place for what one wants. The pitcure of the castle on the rock on the page of Tirebolu made our decision. We motorsail with the genua and the engine in the eternal swell. Roland is slowly getting tired of this and so is Sylphe. Is this going to continue in the complete Black Sea?? We round the breakwater of Tirebolu and drop anchor 100 meters off the shore.

Tirebolu port and fort

We have just put the outboard on the dinghy and want to go into town, when a vsitor appears and steps on deck. He identifies himself as the harbourmaster. Roland suspects a control of paperwork, but since the harbourmnaster only speaks turkey, there is lkittle communication possible. He settles himself in the cockpit, while he constantly makes phonecalls and mentions “Police”. Now Roland is sure. Sylphes paperwork is okay, except for the fact that the turkish children onboard are not officially registered as crew. Lets hope this causes no problem. Zekai (the harbourmasters name) turns out to be patient as he simpluy sits in the cockpit, makes phonecalls and makes no attempt to explain what we are waitinmg for. This goes on for half an hour. Than a landing party arrives on the shore. I see 3 men, 5 women and 9 kids. They apparantly want to come onboard and turn out to be family of Zekai. He just wants us to meet them. So, Cem is shuttling up and down with the dinghy and soon the cockpit and deck are filled with more turkish visitors. We drink raki, talk (one speaks german, another a little english) and pictures are taken. After an hour we are invited to come ashore for diner. We politely refuse, but this is difficult. Their hospitality feelings are hurt. We have to promise to come for breakfast the next morning. The paperwork never got checked, nor did we have to pay for the harbour (which, by the way, was no-where the case along the turkish Black Sea coast, beautifull big ports and all for free!!)

Tirebolu hospitality unit

Log 13

22 June 2005, Tirebolu – Besikduzu (22 NM)

At 9 O’clock in the morning Zekai is calling over the VHF, so we go ashore. After a visit to his office to meet his colleagues, we are taken off to a restaurant for a lentl soup breakfast. Afte that follows a complete tour of the city, stopping several times to shake hands with locals who Zekai introduces. We speak with a hazelnut dealer, as hazelnuts are the crop of this area. A little further along the coast the tea plantations will start, but this is hazelnut country. We stop to listen to local music, live performed. We have more tea. We meet more locals. We buy local trout on the market for a BBQ lunch and we drink a last tea with Zekai on the quay. He and his wife have tears in their eyes when we say goodbeye. And so do we…..

We motor in the horrible swell around Kale Burun and approach the harbour of Besikduzu. The pilopt mentions a beautifull green bay, with the huge harbourwalls as protection. We only have to be carefull of silting around the norhtern breakwater, so we make the turn wide. Well, the point is silted allright and a huge wreck has stranded, of which only a mast on the front deck and a part of the wheelhouse on the aft are above water. No markers, no lights, hardly visible and right in the entrance of the harbour. A night approach would make any ship hit this thing!!!! We safely navigate around it and find ourselves in a nice spot, well chosen for a change. Roland and Cem go ashore to see if they can find some extra stuff for diner and cigarettes. Ashore a man waits, who turns out to have worked in Holland for 41 years and who is delighted to speak Dutch again. We are taken to the the next door “restaurant” where I try to buy some local produce, but the owner refuses. He simply does not have anything and the restaurant is not really frequented very often by anybody. However, when I express what I want this is simply ordered by telphone and while we enjoy another tea, we wait. 10 minutes later a car drives up with our orders, the local shopkeeper from the village 3 km further. SRVICE and HOSPITALITY, the Turks know how to do it

Log 14

23 June 2005, Besikduzu – Trabzon (29 NM)

It is ten in the morning when we leave port and navigate around the wreck in the entrance. No wind, but yes indeed; the eternal swell is present. Four hours later we round Iskele Burnu and Trabzon appears. After all the smaller villages that we have seen along this coast, Trabzon appears huge. The hills and mountains in the backdrop form an attractive coastline. This is the tea growing area of Turkey and the tea plantations on the hillsides create a very neat effect as they lie amongst forests of pine trees.

We continue to the “Yach Club Marina”, ionstead of the main harbour. The marina is not yet finished but the pontoons can be used and the breakwaters offer perfect shelter. On top of this the marina is loated at the airport and since w e have some crew changes ahead this looks convenient.

We all take a “dolmus” (local taxibus) to get into town and are surprised by this modern and mondain looking and feeling towncenter. A McDonalds, plenty of shops and all luxury that one can want. Trabzon offers a variety of things. One of them is “Pide”: a kind of folded pizza bread, which we all takle for lunch.

Later we go looking for the shipment of t-shirts that we had printed for the rest of the Black Sea trip and which should be ready. We find the cargo company and the t-shirts and get a lift from the cargo company to get back to the boat. Ther t-shirts are being tried and tested: good result

T-shirts without faces

A few hours later we have to say goodbeye to Sanem, Cem, Oguz and Nazli, who all have a flight to Istanbul to catch. Only Onur stays with us for another night. I think they had a great time and so did we.

Ahoy,

Roland and Marit

s/y Sylphe