November 17 update begins here

A quick summary of the Black Sea Yacht Rally: 65 days, 2,037 miles, 33 ports in six countries (Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria), 37 boats flagged in 12 countries; participants from 16 countries. Receptions, folk dancing, entertainment, dinners, tours, ancient sites, monasteries, churches, mountains, rivers (including the Danube), adverse currents, favorable currents, no wind, too much wind--including two gales--and the thunderstorm which was so heavy it flattened the seas and reduced visibility to less than 1/4 mile! We really enjoyed the experience and will write more about it soon. We took over 1,000 still photos during the rally and have selected the 90 best to publish here. They've been split into five pages, click on Photographs to see the list.

The full narrative of the Rally follows, with links to related photograph pages.  It's long, but we covered a lot of water and land!

We arrived at Atakoy Marina in Istanbul one week before the Rally’s departure.  We needed additional time to obtain visas for some of the countries.  The NATO summit began the next day, with the Bosporus closed to all water traffic for three days.  Many streets were blocked also and helicopters were constantly flying overhead.

During the week before the KAYRA gala dinner two events occurred: a pot-luck birthday party for Dennis of Teka III and a welcome cocktail party organized by the committee.  At the latter, all participants present went on the stage and introduced themselves.  Meeting people at both events convinced us that we were going to enjoy their company over the next two months.

At the preliminary rally meeting lots of materials were distributed including the rally manual, a Black Sea Pilot, several charts and backpacks, small bags, fanny packs, caps and shirts.  The 37 boats were split into three groups by size.  The groups met and elected a leader for each group; I was to be the leader of Group 2.

The gala dinner celebrated the 15^th anniversary of Atakoy Marina as well as the send-off for the rally, and was attended by 1000 people!  Speeches in Turkish were simultaneously translated and received on headphones supplied by the marina.  As usual, there were lots of dignitaries, speeches and plaque presentations. A nice book on Turkey was given to rally participants by Ministry of Tourism, as well as a DVD containing their TV commercials, which was really impressive. 

We departed the next morning, July 3, almost in a parade to proceed to the top of the Bosporus.  Istanbul is a beautiful city, especially when viewed from the water, with Europe on the left and Asia on the right.  To make the transit more interesting we had to work our way through a large sailboat race. 

On the 4^th of July we had a rather short trip from Poyrazkoy to Kefken in some rather rolly seas.  We were welcomed by a traditional band, then the Izmit city band, after which some young boys and girls danced in traditional costume..

Dinner was on the lawn of a private home that is situated on a beautiful lot overlooking the Black Sea.  Drinks flowed, followed by a large buffet dinner.  They announced that the food was all prepared in the village and not by a professional caterer.  We were given a gift bag that included T-shirts with the rally logo.  Despite having 11 American-flagged vessels, nobody thought about the date our host gave us best wishes for our “National Day.”

On July 5^th we went from Kefken to Eregli.  The seas were not kind, especially after a course changed.  We should have deployed the paravanes but suffered instead.  We were rafted up to another boat in the commercial harbor with two more boats outboard of us.  A “special” feature of this port is the loading of coal by conveyer.  As a result a layer of coal dust appeared on the boat within an hour.  We picked up a couple of lumps of coal as Rut hadn’t seen coal before.

We were entertained at a very nice reception at the adjacent Navy base, with two admirals present.  One is the head of the Hydrographic Service, which produces all of the Turkish charts.  The group leaders were included in the plaque presentations. We received some nice gifts, including a replica of a local statue and a DVD containing still photos of the area.  The photos were really stunning, and also showed lots of snow in the winter!

The next day’s journey from Eregli to Amasra started nicely but became quite uncomfortable after the wind came up around noon.  But we made it into a calm harbor where we used our dinghy to go ashore and walk to the yacht club for the reception. Thought we’d eat dinner ashore but the snacks at the reception were sufficient.  Another brief round of speeches and plaques, and gifts of poster-size photos of the area, as well as a really nice DVD containing still photos of the area, with the KAYRA logo as the title page.  Lots of snow here in the winter also!

On July 7^th we had our first bus tour, to Safronbolu, which is a town built in the Ottoman era.  Guides explained the unusual architecture and the town’s history.  The name is derived from the spice saffron, which is grown in the area. The highlight for me was finally eating gozleme, a large crepe-like concoction.  This one was filled with spinach and meat and was prepared before our eyes in a restaurant in the courtyard of a restored caravansary, which has been converted to a hotel.  Click here for photos from this section.

The next day’s trip was to Cide, where dinner was preceded by a bus trip to a hilltop with good views.  Cocktails were served at the municipal swimming pool for cocktails, followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant.  The principal course was breaded, fried sardines, which were surprisingly good.

Because the winds seemed to come up around noon, many boats had begun to leave at or before first light.  When we awakened at 0630 on July 8^th we were the only boat in the harbor!

When we arrived in Inebolu we were welcome by the municipal band, after which we departed in three vans with a police escort to tour the town.  The city’s major accompanied us.  We visited a hillside house which had a garden full of hydrangeas on three terraces.  Mostly light pink, but some were a very deep pink.  Unfortunately Ted and Tchiko of the motor yacht Hydrangea didn’t know about the tour so didn’t see the flowers after which their boat is named.

The next stop was a house that has been converted to a museum.  Lots of old photos of Inebolu and lots of books with “Ataturk” in the title in the library.  Apparently he gave an important speech here; reputedly ammunition was unloaded here and carried over the mountains to Anatolia by men, women and children.

After a much-needed nap we met for transport to dinner at 2000.  These late Turkish nights!!!  The long wait at for the buffet table was rewarded by some really nice food.  Notable were a zucchini pancake, spinach (I think) with yoghurt, and a cubed chicken with tomatoes.  1-1/2 bottles of wine shared among three people helped as well.  The speeches were humorous and brief; the governor confessed to having a “microphone sickness”…he just loves talking, and his English was good.  All in all, one of the nicer evenings.

The people of Inebolu were extremely friendly.  As in earlier ports, many people came down to look at the boats and people.  As usual, the children asked their rehearsed three or four questions.  But many said, “welcome” and “come back next year”.  A really nice experience.

The trip from Inebolu to Caylioglu was a nice 5-hour trip preceded by taking 20 minutes to clean black, sticky mud off anchor.  Our tour was rather long:  we left on minibuses at 1500 and returned at 2220, traveling on rugged, dusty mountain roads for part of the trip.  Visited the nearest larger town and enjoyed a nice reception with beer and wine available.  We then drove over an hour to a lake in the midst of the forest.  Beautiful wildflowers were in bloom in the meadows; the forests were quite dense.  Dinner was on the lawn of the headquarters of the forestry department, with a delicious tomato soup, bread, salad and grilled chicken.  But it was cold!

During our trip from  Caylioglu to Sinop we traveled as a group so we could parade through two bays, apparently for photo ops for people ashore.  Ships  remained dressed (flying lots of flags) as we did the parade.  When we arrived in Sinop we had to wait about an hour as the larger boats entered.  Finally we were rafted to Linda with three other boats outside us. 

The evening’s reception at the Yacht Club included another good dinner.  We were given a nice vase and a model ship.  As always, lots of people walked the docks to look at the boats.  When we returned there were crowds walking the dock…at 2230! 

I skipped the next day’s tour to a waterfall, a glassblowing factory and a textile factory, but Rut went and all enjoyed it. 

I skipped the trip to the waterfall the next day because of walking and climbing.  I learned later that the trip also included a glassblowing factory and a textile factory, which were interesting.  Some nice gifts again…a vase and a ship model. 

On July 13^th in Samsun we enjoyed a cocktail reception which included a buffet.  The Provincial Governor, the local Mayor and other officials attended.  It was hosted by the Samsun Sailing Club, which also organized the trip to Ankara.

The next day we traveled by bus to Ankara, the capitol of Turkey.  The highlight is the Anatolian Civilizations Museum, which we had visited in January.  We enjoyed a very nice roast lamb dinner in a castle restaurant with great views of Ankara.  Accommodations were in a university dormitory!

We departed Ankara for Samsun via Bogazkale (ancient Hattusha) and Corum.  The visit to Hattusha, the capital of the ancient Hittite empire (2^nd century BC) was worth the trip, as the excavated ruins show the scale of the place.  We visited one of the many temples, two of the gates, and went through a tunnel in the vicinity of the second gate.  The open-air sanctuary at Yazilikaya was also impressive.

We were served another nice lunch, with some different dishes, including a dark soup with wheat in it, a layered pasta with a little meat and spices inside (very thin pasta), and another dish with meat, tomato sauce and a different pasta.  And two overly sweet pieces for dessert.

The Archeological Museum in Corum has just recently opened, with artifacts from at least 3000 BC!  We did a whirlwind tour as we already well past schedule but they kept the museum open for us

Another gift packet was waiting on the boat, with a stunning book on Samsun (the province), T-shirts, caps, and a CD.  We’ve pretty much decided not to join tomorrow’s tour as it’s another 1-hour jaunt, starting with a two-hour bus ride.  (Have since looked at the itinerary for tomorrow, more detailed than the original, and it does look more interesting and perhaps less stressful, as the main bus trips are only 2 hours each.  But there’s still 6 hours of walking and, although the sites may be interesting, I expect they won’t differ too much from those we’ve seen before.  Better to get some rest.

On 18 July we journeyed from Samsun to Fatsa in quite rolly seas.  In the evening we were bussed to the Sailing Club for dinner.  Same menu as previous night!  The President of the Sailing Club is a woman…the only one in Turkey!  Entertainment included some nice folk dancing, including men doing Cossack-like dances with tall boots. 

The next day’s trip from Fatsa to Efirli was initially rolly but after we turned down-sea it was magic.  The original program said welcome cocktail and a free evening.  But the program announced this morning has a welcome ceremony, a city tour, cocktails, then dinner.  Promised to end around 2300!

This turned out to be one of the best afternoons/evenings thus far!  I think it’s due in part to a good night’s sleep and a much shorter trip.  The catering area and the sound system were set up early.  While we waited for the dignitaries to arrive a man was playing a “violin”, amplified, and some percussion was played intermittently.  Several people began dancing, including a couple of men in their 40’s/50’s, who were quite good.  Apparently one is the dance instructor.  Then the program began and it was some of the best dancing we’ve seen in Turkey.   Nice costumes, skilled and enthusiastic dancers and interesting dances.  I mentioned to someone that both last night’s and today’s male dancing looked Russian to me.  His response was that this part of Turkey is largely populated by people whose origins were in Caucasus.

Buses took us to town and we had 1.5 hours to walk around.  We were then driven up the hillside to a restaurant that overlooks the town of Ordu.  After the rain and clouds cleared we had a spectacular view.  The menu was a bit different:  we had a nice tomato soup, one plate of mezes (appetizers) was all new stuff (4), and the main was beef and chicken that had been sautéed in a tomato-based sauce.  This was served with rice and chips.

Agriculture is big in this area.  One of the major crops is hazelnuts.  Our gift bag included two bottles of hazelnut oil.  We’ll have to determine the proper use…I expect it will be best in salads.

Our July 20^th trip from Efirli to Giresun began with a single-file parade past Ordu.  Another nice reception and dancing at the Sailing Club; gifts included a T-shirt and cap from Yat Marin, Marmaris!  After returning to the port Teo showed a video of the storm that wiped out part of the breakwater at Giresun.  Incredible!

The next day was a tour to the mountains.  As we departed Giresun we immediately began climbing up the mountains, following a riverbed.  Weather was overcast and in about 1.5 hours we were in the clouds.  This upset our hosts’ plans, as we were to stop at a new resort whose views are breathtaking.  Of course, with the clouds there were no views.  It was so reminiscent of the Mendocino coast, including wood smoke as we passed through villages.  Lunch was at the summer home of an Istanbul businessman and was very good.  Some different dishes, including a very nice soup.  We’d purchased some bread fresh out of the oven and ate half the loaf enroute to the house!

For most of the trip we were escorted by Jandarma in two vehicles, one of which was an armored truck complete with machine-gun turret!  No reason given but they obviously don’t want any problems with the tour group.

The next morning we departed at 0600; all boats save one had already left!  The evening’s reception in Trabzon included some very spirited folk dancing, the usual speeches and Jacobs Creek wines!  It’s unusual to be served Australian rather than Turkish wines.  

On July 23rd we took a trip to a monastery from Trabzon.  The monastery is built into the side of a mountain about an hour inland from Trabzon.  Rugged country but heavily forested.  Lunch on the way back was several courses including a fried fish.  Click here for photos from this section.

Another basket of gifts was delivered to the boat this morning: some hazelnuts, some tea, a nice cloth and two VCD's.  One is on the Trabzon area; the second appears to discuss hazelnut production in Turkish.  That's a big crop here, along with cherries.

The city tour on July 24th was from 1000-1230, just around the city.  Visited an old Greek Orthodox church and a park with a commanding view of the city.  Rut and many others got off in the center of town and shopped for a while, while I returned to the boat.  Quite a pleasant, relaxing day.

The next day we went from Trabzon to Rize.  I was ill so did not join the tour to the mountains above Rize on July 26^th.  As in most places, we’re moored in a commercial harbor.  They were loading copper dust onto a ship using a conveyor and the wind shifted during the night, so all of the boats are covered in copper dust.  What a mess!  

The trip from Rize to Hopa was almost perfect with light seas and light winds.  Rut washed copper dust off boat for 3.5 hours while under way.  Despite that, he took advantage of the water hookup to spend another couple of hours washing.  You can't believe how that copper dust invaded every space, and it was dark black.  Everyone else was doing the same thing.  I mentioned that if the locals didn't understand what had happened in the previous port they'd think that all yachties were really clean freaks!

In Hopa we enjoyed another nice reception tonight with some great folk dancing and good food.  The performance was right next to where we're docked so Rut put a chair on top of the pilothouse so I could watch all of the stuff and enjoy my dinner in comfort.  It was quite nice.  This was our last port in Turkey so we had to deal with exit formalities. In most countries yachts are required to do the same paperwork as ships, though the parts of the forms detailing cargo and passengers are generally left blank. The authorities in Hopa aren't used to dealing with yachts...and especially not 35 at a time

On July 28^th we traveled only 2.5 hours to Batumi, Georgia.  This was a 2½ hour trip in convoy.  We’re side-tied near a passenger terminal.  Formalities were rather painless as the officials came to the boats to collect paperwork and stamp passports.

We had a nice tour of Batumi, including an overlook of the city from a high hill, a couple of museums and just driving through the city.  I was surprised to see the architecture is somewhat different from Turkey. Of course, there are lots of ugly apartment blocks dating from the USSR days but lots of interesting old buildings as well.  The Georgians use a different alphabet, apparently one of the oldest in the world.  It looks a little Cyrillic (Russian) but is more curved.  Of course, unless the signs also haveEnglish you cannot read them.

The people look about the same, although I've seen a lot of prominent noses. Mostly black hair but eyes are many colors.  There was some exceptional folk dancing yesterday by rather young girls and boys.  The boys were incredible as they did well-choreographed fights with swords and shields, and a couple of them did solos twirling around on their feet or knees.

After we returned from cocktails the dock was still full of curious people.  Some pestered Rut until he agreed to show the boat to a small group of people, three at a time.  This turned out to be a mistake, since our cell phone a flashlight and my watch were taken.  The next day a pair of sandals was taken from our deck!  Several other incidents, with the worst being Calico’s dinghy and outboard being stolen.  

Our trip from Batumi to Poti on July 29th was really nice, about 4.5 hours in really smooth seas.  Two Georgians from Hopa came along for the ride. They'd never experienced anything like this and really had a good time. 

That evening we departed Poti on a train to Tblisi.  The train car on which we rode did not have working air conditioning.  Rut had opened the compartment door but the conductor told him he needed to keep it locked.  There were only two compartments of Rally people; the rest were Georgians.  We'd already learned that they have sticky fingers so we followed his advice.

We departed Poti around 10 PM and arrived in Tbilisi around 7:30.  We were bussed to a restaurant and had a nice breakfast, but I could barely stay awake even after two cups of coffee.  The morning’s tour included a monastery, several  churches and walks through an older part of the city which is under restoration.  Back to the restaurant for lunch, then off to two other churches, one of which was located on a high hill overlooking the  junction of two rivers and a dam.  Back for dinner (same restaurant), some entertainment and a little of sitting around killing time.  The return train didn't leave until 11 PM.  The air conditioning worked on this train so we all had a good night's sleep. 

Later that day we took a taxi to the market area where we found a nice selection of fruits and vegetables there, some bread and some pork.  We hadn't purchased pork since we were in Cyprus!

Poti is a busy port with an oil terminal as well as container cranes and roll on/roll off docks.  Lots of activity but of course we're again quite an attraction. 

Our trip from Poti, Georgia, to Sochi, Russia was a 19-hour overnight trip.  We docked in two different places on our arrival on August 3^rd, as changes in wind and swell made the initial docking untenable.  The next morning we had to move again to leave room for a ferry and again docked in two different places until we got settled.  The swell was such that I didn’t leave the boat one day.  

We were bussed to a reception at the Yacht Club.  Enroute we had some nice views of Sochi.  There are many beautiful old buildings and some very large parks.  We were again greeted by folk dancing and folk singing, with some unusual instruments.  

Sochi has been a beach resort on the "Russian Riviera" since the early 1900's, and some rather palatial summer houses still exist from that time.  Some date from the Tsarist era and were later used by Communist leaders, including Stalin.

We journeyed from Sochi to Yalta, Ukraine, on August 5-7.  This was a 38-hour trip, the longest of the Rally.  We had winds on the nose for the first 12 hours but then the winds calmed, the seas flattened and the trip was wonderful. Our first impressions were that Yalta looked like it was going to be really enjoyable. Lots of trees, modern buildings built up the hillsides and at least one really beautiful church. 

As I mentioned earlier, we usually have to do a lot of paperwork when entering and departing countries.  The Ukraine wins the prize for the most forms…13 in all…with the additional challenge of the forms being written in Cyrillic.  We had to use cheat-sheets in English to understand what was being requested.

The next day's tour of Yalta included two palaces from the Tsarist era.  The second one was the one where the Yalta Conference took place at the end of WWII.  I felt really awed being in the room where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin agreed upon the borders of European countries and set the stage for the Cold War.  I'm not sure why it was so impressive, but I think it's because that meeting occurred in my lifetime and I recall it happening when I was a child...and of course studying it later.

 Yalta is a really beautiful city.  It’s built on hills, with towering mountains behind it like the ones at Kemer, and it also has nice beaches.  Our visit was at the height of the tourist season and it was packed.

Our 5-hour journey from Yalta to Balaclava on August 9^th was very pleasant.  We tied up at the town quay, which was really nice because many shops, restaurants, cafes and bars are just steps away from the boat.  Most of the earlier ports have been commercial harbors, so it was quite industrial.  Balaclava was the site of submarine pens used by the Soviet Navy; they are now open to tourists.

Balaclava is the name of headgear that covers one's face and neck.  Like ski masks that bank robbers use...and also farmers in Thailand, if you can believe that!  Apparently it got its name because the people from here wore them during the Crimean War.   

Balaclava to Sevastapol was a short trip and the fleet actually stopped in one bay for a swim during the journey.  We're tied up at the passenger ship dock and were allocated rather limited space; it's the tightest we've been on this rally.

Sevastapol appears to be a large city; it certainly has a large harbor, or actually a few harbors.  In the Soviet days it was the base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet; there's still a lot of Navy here.  Apparently the ships are now split between the Russian Navy and the Ukrainian Navy.  The city was closed to visitors until sometime in the last ten years.  It's quite European, with many grand buildings, open spaces for parks, and lots of statues.  We walked into town for some shopping and really enjoyed just sitting in a cafe watching people walk by. 

We had another reception with some nice snacks, including smoked salmon and cream cheese on bread.  It had been a long time since I had that!

August 11th was incredible.  We started at 0930 and everyone was tired, even Tessa the dog on Penguin.  We first visited Chersonesus, which is the site of a Greek city dating to 400 BC.  It’s a well-presented site, although excavation is still in progress.  There is also a Russian Orthodox Cathedral on the site, which we had seen from the sea when approaching Sevastapol.  It has been recently restored and is just beautiful.  Our guide said that all of the interior decoration, which was lavish, had been completed in the last year!  There are incredible frescoes and paintings throughout.  A surprise was that a wedding was being performed, with ceremonies quite different from the Roman Catholic or Protestant ceremonies.

We then visited the museum containing the Panorama, which is a 360-degree painting/diorama depicting the second assault on Sevastopol during the Crimean War.  It is incredibly lifelike and illustrates in gory detail the horrors of war.

The next stop was an Art Museum that had quite a nice collection of Dutch masters, Italian Renaissance paintings, and some Rembrandts.  After a late lunch we went to the Sevastapol Dance Company Theatre for a ballet performance of Carmen.  It was just stunning…an hour and a quarter of exceptional dance, which told the story well.  It was danced to Bizet’s music, of course. 

August 12^th’s trip from Sevastopol to Yevpatoriya was short and smooth.  During the late-afternoon tour of the city we were told that the city is 2500 years old, having been a Greek seaport in ancient times.  The buildings were beautiful and there are lots of parks and plazas.  This has been a popular resort for many years, and is especially noted for its sanatoria for children.  Tram transport exists in part of the city.  We visited the Russian Orthodox cathedral and the nearby mosque.  Then to a café for cocktails, speeches and entertainment.  The entertainment was especially nice as it differed from previous dancing.  The highlight was dancers on stilts, who did several numbers.  Click here for photos.

The next day’s trip was from Yevpatoriya to Chernomorskoye.  Talk about unpronounceable names!  A table had been set up along the full length of the dock to which we were tied and was eventually set with huge amounts of food and beverages.  A band played and some young girls danced.  The band played a fanfare as each plaque was presented and as the souvenirs were presented to each yacht.  The party continued despite the planned early departure for the next day. 

On August 14^th 2004 we journeyed from Chernomorskoye-Cape Tendrov, where the fleet anchored.  The original plan was for a fish BBQ on shore but fish weren’t available.  So we were supplied (after arrival) with frozen conch and mussels that we were supposed to cook on the boat or bring ashore.  We shared ours with Teka III; Rut cooked two nice dishes.  We then went ashore and enjoyed the champagne and bonfire, and the end of the music.  Chelsea’s bassoon playing was quite special.

The next day was one of the most tiring of the Rally.  We traveled from Cape Tendrov to Barazon Island, where we anchored and waited for the rest of the fleet to catch up.  We then continued toward to Southern Buh River and went upriver to Nikolayev.  Port Control wanted us to travel in convoy but with different boat speeds it became quite difficult.  We did do it for several hours and finally they relented (after intervention by a phone call from Vladimir to a higher authority).   As it was, we arrived almost at dusk and anchored off the yacht club.   It was such a long, grueling day that all we wanted to do was eat dinner and sleep.  The welcome cocktail party was wisely postponed.  This was the first day that tempers flared, mostly due to the difficulties in convoying.  If you weren’t involved, it was entertaining.

We’ve had lots of 10-hour days; this one was different because it required constant attention to boats and buoys, especially during the convoy hours.  But it was an interesting trip up one of the major rivers in Ukraine.

August 16^th began with a bountiful breakfast followed by a late-morning tour of the city.  Nikolayev has been a shipbuilding area since 1789 and produced sailing warships for the wars with Turkey and others as well as many ships for the Soviet Navy.  Submarines built here were shipped by train across Russia to the Pacific Ocean!  Our first stop was the Maritime Museum.  We initially wandered through the museum by ourselves; then translators arrived and we went through again.  The city and environs were closed to foreigners and even to Russians until the late 1990’s, since most of the shipbuilding was for defense.  One or two ships built in the 1970’s were communication and research vessels that tracked the Sputniks!

The evening dinner was at a restaurant in town; we went by van.  The meal was a nice change:  cucumbers, tomatoes, cold cuts (ham, salami!) and bread, then, finally, borscht, followed by a stuffed rolled, breaded pork, and finally ice cream.  This is supposedly real Ukranian food and was quite enjoyable.

The next day’s trip from Nicolayev to Odessa took 10 ½ hours with a 5:30 departure but easy going most of the way.  Had following current in the river and even in the sea after we left the river delta.  Average speed was 7.5 knots! Pretty busy, though, navigating through the river and then into the port.  This is a very large, busy port.  We moored stern-to in the marina with 14 other boats; the rest are at a nearby dock.  The facilities were quite nice.

After a welcoming ceremony on the dock near the other boats we were free for the evening…a welcome change.

On August 18^th we toured Odessa, which is a beautiful city.  Founded in the late 1700’s by Catherine the Great, the first governor was named Richelieu, a Frenchman.  Most buildings in the old city are of neoclassical design, having been designed by French architects.  The dachas, or “summer cottages”, are mansions, reminiscent of Pacific Heights in San Francisco or Newport. RI.  Some have been converted into apartments or hotels; another into a casino and two into museums.  Characteristic of European cities, parks and large public spaces abound.  The Potemkin Steps lead from a statue of Richelieu to the sea, 192 steps in all.  These commemorate the battleship Potemkin, which was lost in a war with Turkey.  (Incidentally, it was built in Sevastopol). 

One of the most beautiful buildings is the Opera House, which is unfortunately under restoration.  A previous KAYRA had attended a ballet performance there.  The guide claims that it was one of the six most beautiful opera houses in the world; it certainly looks it from the outside.

We visited a memorial to sailors lost in the defense of Odessa during World War II, 21 meters in height, representing the average age of the sailors.  A guard detail of schoolchildren does a changing parade every twenty minutes during the day.  We also were told of the pogrom when Romanian Nazis marched 67,000 Jews to another town 100 kilometers away, herded them into a barn and burned them.  Ghastly!

Odessans have a good sense of humor.  The guide told a few stories, the best of which was while observing a wedding limousine.  Two large rings were mounted on the roof of the limousine, representing wedding rings.  Odessans say that really represents the score at the time of marriage:  zero-zero.

We walked a few blocks on a pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants to our restaurant for lunch.  We were served several courses of interesting food.  Afterwards we walked to a park that contained a crafts market, with other shops bordering the park. 

After returning to the boat we made arrangements to fuel.  We had intentionally used up most of our fuel because the cost of fuel in Odessa was to be the least expensive.  The whole process took about three hours!  Many of the boats that are in the marina brought their jerry cans to be filled while we were maneuvering from our berth to the fuel dock.  We also let one boat fuel ahead of us as they only needed 100 litres.  The principal problem was the speed of their pump, which was only 30 litres per minute.  So for our 3100 litres we needed over 100 minutes, or nearly two hours.  We returned to our dock after 2000. 

Many of the rally participants went to a classical music concert and enjoyed it. We had decided not to attend the concert as we didn’t know the program, only that there would be vocal numbers, and piano and violin solos.  Rut doesn’t like the music and I felt our time was better used getting fueled.  This left the next day completely free until the evening’s reception hosted by the Turkish Consulate.

We took advantage of the free day to visit a restaurant we’d seen the prior day.  Across from the Opera House, it was named the Mozart Restaurant.  While there was nice outside seating I was curious about the restaurant proper.  It was a gorgeous room, quite formal in the European style and with nice table settings.  We ate there, the only customers inside.  My entrée was a Norwegian salmon fillet with a potato crust and a Dijon mustard/cream sauce.  Delightful!

The reception was in a room in the Passenger Terminal, just a short walk from the boat.  The Turkish Ambassador to Ukraine was there, as well as the Consul.  There were the usual speeches and some nice hors d’oeuvres.  Both cognac and vodka were served, as well as wine.  It was one of the nicer receptions.

We felt that Odessa was one of the highlights of the trip, perhaps because we spent a few days there and had time to ourselves.  It certainly was one of the most beautiful cities we visited and the people were very nice.  Ukraine was our second-favorite country, after Turkey.

We didn’t depart Odessa for Izmail until early evening on August 20th, as we were to  rendezvous near the mouth of the Danube Delta the next morning.

The trip was quite nice with flat seas and a little help from the current.  We didn’t have to wait too long before continuing.  Following the pilot boat, the Commodore’s boat, Mat, went aground early on!!  We followed the pilot boat or other boats ahead for most of the trip but it really became tiring. Cmap’s coverage stopped about 15 miles inland.  Fortunately we had been furnished copies of Russian charts so used those.    It’s been a long time since I navigated a river using paper charts.

The city had a wonderful welcoming ceremony with speeches, songs and dances.  It's too bad that we only spent overnight here as they provided such a welcome.  They're offering a city tour starting at 0800 tomorrow but I doubt that we'll go. 

The next day’s trip from Odessa to Tulcea, Romania, was only 10 miles but we had to clear out of Ukraine and then clear into Romania after we arrived.  Interestingly, Israelis, Australians and Thais need a visa to enter Romania.  They tried to obtain them in Odessa but were finally told they could be obtained on arrival.

The trip was an easy 2.5 hours, with an amazing increase in speed once we turned south into the main river and went with the current.  Exciting docking side-tied to Teka III; had to squeeze in ahead of both catamarans and wind was an issue.  The boats are tied to some barges adjacent to a shipyard.  After we were all in, they closed it from the river using a floating bridge!

 After taking passports and other documents to the Commodore’s boat, we were taken by van to boats for our Danube Delta boat tour.  The tour was quite nice, although it was sort of a busman’s holiday.  They served a nice lunch and had some interesting narration.  After returning to Tulcea we were driven to a restaurant for entertainment and dinner.  Some wonderful folk dancing followed by several vocal solos.  A wedding had taken place at the restaurant and the bride joined the dancers for a short time.  Quite festive!

On August 23-24 we went from Tulcea to Sulina and on to Mangalia.  The first part of the trip was great. We left toward the end of the fleet, mostly due to our docking position but also because we didn’t want to get caught up in the crowd.  It was a good idea, especially since the Harbormaster kept telling boats to increase distance.  The current was with us and we were doing 8 knots at 1500 RPM!  The canal itself was a bit boring but then we passed through a few towns where the people were intrigued by the yacht parade.  

Once in the Black Sea things changed a lot.  The winds picked up to 15-20 knots and the seas built.  We weren’t smart enough to put out the paravanes and when we realized we should conditions were too rough to do it safely.  We altered course to go further inshore but then had beam seas which were really rolling the boat.   After two hours we changed course and had quartering seas.  Winds were now 20-30 knots; other boats reported gusts to 40!   We were rocking and rolling and stuff was flying all over the boat.  Really ugly; we reckon this is in the top three of crappy passages.  Of course, that’s one of the downsides of being on a rally or a schedule, as you depart despite the weather.  Had we been cruising alone we would have stopped before leaving the Danube and waited for the weather to settle.

The dockside ceremony was relatively brief, preceded and followed by a few numbers from the municipal band.  A little champagne and a retreat to boats or restaurants.

On August 25^th we began a tour billed as the  “MiniDracula Tour”.  The route was Mangalia-Constanza-Ploiesti-Brashov.  It was a long day, with a departure at 0745.  After the first rest stop at around 1100 we began a long climb into the Carpathian mountains, with a stunning change in scenery.  Lunch was in Sinaia, a charming city of old houses and more modern hotels, which is a ski resort during the winter.  Lunch was followed by a tour of the Pelesh Castle.  This was the former summer residence of the Hohenzollern Royal Family, the first king of Romania.  It was straight out of Austria or Germany and of course furnished in various styles, including two “Moorish” rooms, one of which was decidedly Turkish.

The next stop was Brashov, another old city with interesting buildings.  We walked to the ”Black Church”, so named because of smoke damage from a fire and to the old City Hall and the City Square.  We were then driven to a hilltop outside the city where we had a multi-course dinner, the first course of which was served outside, accompanied by vodka.  The main course was one-half of a roasted chicken!  We tried to leave after that but the waitress insisted we sit down.  Turned out they were serving dessert as well.  We finally got to the hotel around 2230 and got to our room after lots of confusion about exchanging passports for keys.

Other:  A few impressions gleaned on this and subsequent days:  While many beautiful older buildings exist in Romania, many villages were destroyed during the Communist era to encourage the population to emigrate to cities to work in the factories.  And in the cities, of course, we saw many Soviet-style apartment blocks.  (In Ukraine they called these “Stalinskas”).

We saw several factories, some quite huge, which were no longer in operation.  The reasons were not apparent. 

Most of the roads were in good repair, although we had a few rough patches, especially on one detour.  Vehicles ranged from rather old to brand new, but the most interesting form of transportation was the horse-drawn carts.  These were prevalent in the cities as well as the countryside and really presented a danger to traffic.

Day 2 of the tour, Brashov-Targoviste-Bucharest

 Events:  After breakfast we departed for Bran to see the “Dracula Castle”.   We were trying to be the first tour group through the gate but were the second.  This is a defensive castle built on the border of Wallachia and Transyvania and was quite unimpressive compared to the palace we’d seen yesterday.  It was also difficult to move around and to hear the guide’s narration.  Click here for photos.

The drive to Targoviste presented some more breathtaking scenery as we descended from the Carpathian Mountains.  Targoviste, an earlier capital of Romania, also contained lots of lovely buildings.  We enjoyed another lunch with too much food.  Lunch was followed by a short walking tour of an old fortress, tower and church.  

We arrived in Bucharest in late afternoon and in the rush-hour traffic.  Again, lots of beautiful older buildings, some really ugly late 20^th-century ones and some more interesting modern buildings.  Our guide’s narration in front of the Senate building was rather emotional, as this is where Tschaushesku attempted a speech during the December 1989 revolution, and from which he escaped by helicopter.  However, after a “trial” he and his wife were executed a few days later in Targoviste.

The guide’s stories of the Tschaushesku era revealed an incredibly harsh life under the constant scrutiny of the secret police and their network of informers.  Electricity was only provided for three 2-hour periods during the day: morning, noon and night.  Hot water was available for two hours on Saturdays and Sundays.  Television was on for 15-30 minutes daily and was devoted to “news.”  Children could see TV cartoons for 5 or 10 minutes on weekend mornings.  Lines for bread and other foods could be 4-7  hours long.  She would come home from school at noon, eat something, then go stand in a line until her mother returned from work in the late afternoon and replaced her in line!  They are most happy that the era of “The Last Dracula” is over.

 Dinner was at an unusually-decorated restaurant in downtown Bucharest.  The interior was two stories, with a stage at one end.  On a second-story roof outside the restaurant were chicken coops and pheasant coops!  The dancing and singing were rather perfunctorily done, but entertaining.  Calico, Robin Leigh and we shared a table and a couple bottles of wine.  It was a fun evening. 

We were finally driven to our hotel, again arriving around 2200.  It is a splendid building on an island and was variously used as a large private residence, hotel, hospital, resort for Communist leaders and again as a hotel.  The period furnishings in the room were rather quaint.  The TV presented the first opportunity to see CNN and BBC in several weeks so I stayed up a bit late.

On August 27 we toured Bucharest, then returned to Mangalia.  The day’s first destination was Tschaushesku’s Palace of Parliament.  This was to be the Romanian Versailles, but of course bigger than Versailles.  It is the second-largest building in the world after the Pentagon.  When we arrived at the entrance the guide was informed that the building was not open to the public because of a meeting of a political party.  She called several people to no avail.  She was most surprised and disappointed.  We did take some good exterior photos, though.  Our next stop was the Romanian Villages Museum, which contained re-creations of typical village homes from the several regions of Romania.  Not terribly interesting.

Departed at 1130, lunch from 1330-1500, back at the harbor at 1730.  We’re all very tired of being on a bus, even though it was a comfortable bus with a careful driver. 

The next passage was from Mangalia to Golden Sands Marina, Bulgaria.  The officials were scheduled to arrive at 0700 but actually arrived around 0830.  But they did expedite the checkout.  However, we waited 45 minutes for other boats to depart, two of whom picked up junk with their anchors.  Turned out that we did also but Rut freed it quickly.  

The trip contained something for everyone!  Beam seas at first; this time we put out a paravane right away.  Really improved the motion.  Later course changes put the seas on the quarter, then aft.  We encountered heavy rain that greatly reduced visibility; it was difficult to see yachts ¼ mile away!  Thank God for radar.  After passing a cape and changing direction again we raised the paravane since we were now beating into the seas. During all of this the wind changed direction several times, with wind speeds ranging from 5 knots to over 35 knots!  Many of the sailing boats loved it.

We arrived outside the marina at 1625 but were not docked until 1745!  Put almost three miles on the log doing circles.  The docking was very exciting, as we had to try to spin the boat around, catch a mooring and back in.  In 20-knot winds.  Fortunately we were helped with a dinghy but it was quite stressful.  There’s a lot of surge in the harbor so additional lines and repositioning were required. 

I went to do the formalities.  Two immigration and two customs officials were in the room, but the only person doing anything was one immigration officer.  After a long wait I presented our papers and passports, only to learn that Rut was supposed to have a visa for Bulgaria.  I explained that the rally organizers had checked in Istanbul and were told no visas were required.  The officer called his boss, who then called Sofia.  After holding up the line for 15 minutes I agreed to leave and he said he’d contact me when he had an answer. 

I checked on the way to the party.  We were offered two options:  purchase a visa for $130 or Rut could stay on the boat for the three days.  I coughed up the money, of course.  We then went to a nearby hotel and were entertained with dancing and singing, followed by the usual plaque ceremony.  Wine had already been flowing; we were then invited to the buffet tables and a marvelous array of interesting food.  While I’ve grown to dislike buffets the selection on this one was very nice, from appetizers to desserts.  We left early for a long night’s sleep. 

On August 29th we began a tour of Varna.  The tour began a bit after 1300 on city buses.  We drove past lots of beach resorts before arriving in the city, which is south of the marina.  Our first stop was the Archeological Museum, which contains “the oldest gold in the world”.  A very large area of tombs and graves dating to 4000 BC has been excavated nearby.  They’d never been robbed so all of the gold jewelry and clothing decorations buried with the deceased were still in the graves.  They now reside in the Museum, beautifully cataloged and displayed.  Especially noteworthy was one small ornament that is displayed under a magnifying glass so that the exquisite detail can be seen.  In contrast, a matching piece was displayed next to it and much of the detail was not noticeable.

The Cathedral, built in the 1300’s, was another stunning example of Byzantine architecture and decoration.  The walls were covered with paintings and the icons were magnificent.  A wedding had just taken place and watching the wedding party and guests doing photos on the cathedral steps was very entertaining.  We also found an Internet Café and caught up on financial stuff. 

The last stop was at one of the hotels for a wine tasting.  It was a long drawn-out affair as the sommelier’s comments, which were lengthy, had to be translated into English.  We’d usually finished tasting about the time he was examining the color.  Did buy a case of 1997 Cabernet (“Limited Edition, Estate”), another of 2002 Cab and six bottles of a Treminer, which was a rather crispy white. 

The next day included another long bus tour…13.5 hours!  We visited a very interesting Bulgarian town, Arbanasi.  One of the five churches in town is now a museum but is the most beautifully and completely decorated church we have seen.  It was built in the 16^th century and many of the frescoes/murals are from that time.  More rooms were added in the 17^th century and some frescoes were painted over the earlier ones.  Sometime in the last 30 years these were removed to a museum and the older ones remain on the walls.  How do they do that? 

On the walls were 2,000 paintings that include 3,600 images.  The guide spent 15 minutes explaining one of the most detailed paintings, which was a circle of life and full of imagery.

Our next stop was Veliko Tarnovo and Tzarevetz.  One of them was the third Bulgarian capitol and remained so for a few hundred years with some royal dynasty. 

Lunch was very good.  The Turkish influence was apparent in some of the mezes, but we also had roasted chicken with lots of potatoes.  The dancing was quite nice, although we were seated at their backs.  Especially funny were a couple of dances between musicians and the dancers.  Felt like “I’m not just a musician!”  Interestingly, bagpipes are a traditional instrument here!   

The next day’s trip was from Golden Sands Marina in Mangalia, to Nessebar, Bulgaria.  IT was a really nice trip with almost no wind and flat seas.  We deserved it!

The concert, which began at 1900, was a dance entertainment with some of the best dancing we’ve seen.  Some of the numbers were danced to traditional melodies but in a modern manner; others were traditional dances. All were well danced with lots of energy; there were even a few human pyramids.  This was followed by a cocktail party, after which friends from another boat joined us a longer party on our boat.

September 1^st was a nice lazy day with lunch at the Panorama Restaurant with its great view of the harbor and the yachts.  A trip to the barber for the first trim after my scalping in Turkey in June finished the afternoon.  Dinner was nice with some good entertainment; it just went on too long and we had to wait for buses to take us back to the boats.  Everyone’s counting the days until the rally is over!

The next day’s passage was from Nessebar, Bulgaria to Igneada, Turkey.  52 miles and rolly for quite a bit of the trip.  As usual, one paravane took care of most of it.  We used the genoa for a while as well.  Check-in formalities were handled promptly.  Those of us who had wintered in Turkey and of course spent quite a bit of time there in the first month of the rally had the feeling that we had returned “home”.  The familiarity of sights, sounds, signs and language were very welcome.

In the evening we were bussed to a restaurant for the Commodore’s fish dinner.  Left at 1830 so we could return to the boats early; the next day’s passage is 65 miles.  Since several boats planned to go all the way to Istanbul the next day this was the final night we'd all be together other than the awards banquet on Sunday.  Mary on Teka II had put together some cute awards for various boats and presented them.  Our award for the “Most Exotic Crew.”   

The evening also included a “roast” of the Commodore, which was lots of fun.  Unfortunately the sound system was not good so it was difficult to hear.

September 3^rd’s trip from Igneada to Poyrazkoy was about ten hours in pretty rolly seas.  Poyrazkoy was our anchorage the first night of the rally and a good place to stop before going down the Bosporus.  Friends planned a cocktail party on the beach to celebrate their 44^th wedding anniversary but we were too pooped to participate.

On the final day of the rally we had our first mechanical problem of the rally!  Our engine starting battery had hinted that it was dying and it did.  With help from some friends we were able to locate the solenoid that combines the engine and house banks and get the engine started.  That was an anxious two hours!   We fairly flew down the Bosporus from Poyrazkoy to Istanbul with help from the strong current!  The highest speed we saw was 10.9 knots, at 1700 RPM!  Actually got over 11 once when we increased engine speed to avoid a ferry. 

Mechanical KAYRA Summary:  2037 nautical miles, 327 engine hours, 67 genset hours and 5 Yanmar hours.    

The final rally event on September 5 wasn’t a sit-down dinner.  We started with cocktails on the third floor, which is a balcony overlooking the meeting room.  Nice chats, and we’re all dressed quite nicely and all happy that the rally is over.  We then repaired to the second floor for the speeches, presentations, etc.  It took quite a while but was very nice.  Videos taken during the first third of the rally were displayed on a screen above the stage while Teo presented several plaques to the committee members and Atakoy Marina staff.  

Barry from J’Sea did a long presentation of gifts to various members of the rally staff, other participants and the group leaders. 

Then plaque presentations began, with the first ones to the group leaders, including me.  Then all the KAYRA representatives and other officials lined the stage to participate in the presentation of plaques to the rally participants.  This was done by groups, and I announced the Group 2 yachts.  My birthday on the next day was announced during this time so I was serenaded.  

Next was a presentation to Teo, the Commodore, of the leather-bound book that contained photos and a page from each yacht.  (The video of these was shown later and is included on a CD provided to all of us).   Then Robin and Amanda sang a great song to the tune of day-o, but of course the sound was Te-o.  Very clever lyrics; the final chorus was “Teo, Teo, daylight come and we have to heave-ho”. 

A couple more short speeches and a group photo were followed by grazing at a nice buffet table full of snacks, enough to fill the tummy.  We got a van back to the marina and were able to have him deliver us to the boat.  All in all, a nice finish to a long rally.  We have many shared experiences and many hope to see each other again.   While watching the video I realized how many places we’ve seen in such a short time; we need the photographic reminders because it’s almost too much to absorb.  Click here for photos.

Sorry about the length of this narrative but it does cover over two months of pretty intensive traveling.  We enjoyed it but were happy when we were back in Istanbul.

We remained in Istanbul for about two weeks awaiting the arrival of my friend Dean from California.  Our intention was to cruise the Sea of Marmara for most of  his two-week vacation, then go to Ayvalik on the Aegean coast where the boat will spend the winter.  Our plans were changed when he broke his heel and required a few days’ hospitalization.  He and I are now both in California.  He’s had to keep his foot elevated for most of two months but hopes to attempt walking on November 29^th.   When he can take care of himself I’ll return to Thailand where Rut is staying with his family.

October 29 update begins here

This was written in June as we traveled from Ashkelon, Israel, to Marmaris, Turkey, which should have taken about three days (see OOPS, below).  We left Ashkelon two days later than planned because some Australian cruising friends who had come up the Red Sea this year were in Ashkelon when we arrived.  We had two wonderful days of touring Jerusalem, Masada and the Dead Sea.  Touring with four people rather than 200 was quite nice.

The Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally (EMYR) was a nice event, albeit a bit hectic.  Other than the first passage, all were done at night to leave time for more activities up arrival.  That was a lot of traffic with nearly 100 boats traveling the same course.  Since slower boats started first, faster boats were required to sail through the fleet.  With multiple targets on the radar at all times, watchkeeping was never boring.

Receptions and/or dinners occurred in every port, some quite spectacular.  And tours were available to very interesting places, including several World Heritage Sites.

A fact I have found interesting is that many ancient sites which we think are in Greece are actually in Turkey!  Ephesus is a good example, as is Olympus.  Similarly, ancient Antioch and St. Paul's home of Tarsus are in Turkey.  (Tarsus is also among several places which claims visits by Marc Antony and Cleopatra).  We visited all these and more before departing Turkey for Syria.  Had a bit of bad luck as my left hip dislocated again...again while putting on a sock.  No more socks!  Repaired after several hours in the hospital and we were on our way.

Because of the hip discomfort we didn't take any of the tours in Syria, and were most disappointed not to do the overnight trip to Palmyra and Damascus.  We did venture downtown by taxi and enjoyed walking around and sampling some food. 

Lebanon was a surprise, apparently more prosperous than Syria and with much French spoken.  The center of old Beirut, largely destroyed in the civil and other wars 30 years ago, have been brilliantly restored, although lots of pockmarks from bullets are evident in the walls.  The sentiment shared with my fellow sailors was "We never thought we'd be sitting in the center of Beirut!"

We also visited the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon's agricultural area and the location of two World Heritage Sites, Baalbeck and Anjar.  The former included ancient temples for worshipping Jupiter and Bacchus.  Fittingly, wine grapes are a major crop in the Valley and the wines are very good.

The next stop was Haifa, Israel's third largest city. The architecture is an interesting mix of old stone buildings and modern glass towers.  A most noteworthy landmark is the Bahai temple and gardens, which cover a large terraced hillside.  Supermarket shopping was quite good, but more expensive than the previous countries.

Day-long tours to Nazareth and Galilee were available, as well as a tour to the ancient Arab city of Acre (Akko), which is a walled town that also contains  remains of the Crusader era.  We needed rest so didn't participate.

Our final stop was Ashkelon, where we had the warmest welcome of any of the places we'd visited.  This even included a fireboat spraying water and helicopters flying overhead.  The marina staff and the Israeli Ministry of Tourism welcomed us with information and souvenirs.  This is a very modern marina with excellent facilities.  Since our friends surprised us with their presence we toured with them rather than the rally group.  As mentioned above, it was a welcome change.

We drove to Jerusalem and spent a few hours in the old city, visiting the Wailing Wall, the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  I'm still trying to sort out my feelings about being there.   Some are obviously religious, as these places are so important to Christianity.  Yet the greater feeling is the excitement of walking around in a city which has been continuously occupied for over 2000 years, in contrast to many ancient sites which were covered over and later excavated..  Narrow streets--almost alleys--very old buildings, very confusing and yet so interesting. We walked through all sections of the old city and did not feel any tension.

Participating in a yacht rally is akin to taking a coach tour.  In exchange for someone else doing the research, planning and arranging, you must accept some regimentation and inconvenience.  If you're willing do stay patient and keep your sense of humor, it works very well.  Since the Black Sea Rally will take two months, I need to remember these words!

OOPS:  While enroute from Ashkelon to Turkey we got a huge ship's line caught in our prop.  It was over 3 inches in diameter and had a spliced loop at one end and a 4x12-inch knot in the other.  The knot caught between the prop and rudder, stopping the engine.  Neither my crew nor myself is capable of diving to fix that and we weren't sure we'd be able to cut it anyway.  So we started up the wing engine (small Yanmar "get-home" engine with a feathering prop) and proceeded 70 miles to the nearest marina at 2.5-3 knots.  We were quite happy to have the wing engine.  This Nordhavn is fitted with three sails and we used those as well.  They improved the ride if not the speed. 

Photos of "the rope" and "the knot" are included in Photos from the Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally.

Repairs took four days, which resulted in longer days enroute to Istanbul.  However, we were able to reunite with the crews of five boats we'd known from previous years, so had several pleasant reunions. Also, while enroute to Istanbul we were able to spend two nights (in different anchorages) with Paul and Kookie of Hannabella.  Since Kookie is also Thai, she and Rut are especially happy when we rejoin each other.

The trip to Istanbul had the full dose of weather:  beautiful calm days, light winds, gales with uncomfortable beam seas and benign conditions.  The last leg was from Marmara Island in the Sea of Marmara to Istanbul.  The seas were so calm that I sanded and varnished some of the brightwork while we were enroute!

The next section of the log will cover the Black Sea Rally, which will take another few days to prepare.

May 14 update begins here.

Upon my return to Thailand from Singapore I traveled to Pattaya, a beach resort near Bangkok.  Rut joined me there for a few days; we then flew to Chiang Mai for several days of touring, which included meeting some cruising friends whose yacht is in Kemer but who had spent a few months doing an around-the-world flight. 

For my next visa run we traveled to Cambodia to visit the Angkor Wat temple complex.  Huge temples, on the scale of the Mayan temples, with intricately carved sandstone walls.  I'll elaborate more on this site in a later update.

We returned to Rut's home for the three-day celebration of the Thai New Year, spending time with family, relatives and friends and getting quite wet.  Splashing water on people is an integral part of this festival, as are parades and visits to temples.

On April 27 we flew from Thailand to Turkey and found the boat in good shape.  We've just about completed a short list of boat tasks and are readying the boat for tomorrow's early departure on the Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally (EMYR).  During the next thirty days we will visit three ports in Turkey, plus Northern Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon and Israel.  A presentation last night included photos of some of the World Heritage Sites we will visit and whetted everyone's appetite for the trip.

We will depart the Rally from Ashkelon and head for Istanbul.  We have decided to participate in another rally which will circumnavigate the Black Sea, visiting several countries not usually visited by yachts.  It should be quite an interesting experience as well.  After returning to Istanbul at the beginning of September we will cruise the Greek Islands and then head for Rome, where we intend to spend next winter.  Croatia will have to wait for next year!

I will add photos to the site sometime in the future; I will really miss the wireless Internet connection we have enjoyed at Park Kemer Marina.

March 3 update begins here.

We arrived in Bangkok on 12 February and did some phone, computer and clothes shopping before going to Rut’s home in Northeastern Thailand.  The next two weeks were spent preparing for the parties and ceremonies preceding Rut and two of his brothers entering the monastery.  Most Buddhist males spend from a few days to a few years in the monastery early in their lives; it is apparently considered the most important event in their lives, ranking above marriage and death.  

Preparations included delivering invitations to family members and friends.  Together with one or both of Rut’s parents, we visited several villages and at least one hundred family members.  Each visit involved conversation, water and food.  In many cases the relatives had not been visited for some time, so these visits were quite special.  Most houses contained three generations. The earlier families were quite large: each of Rut’s parents had eight siblings, who probably had at least 6 children; their children probably had 4-5 children. 

Since a few hundred people were expected on Sunday night and/or Monday, lots of food needed to be prepared.  Between 20 and 30 people, mostly women, worked for most of three days preparing, cooking and serving food.  We purchased two pigs, a cow, and lots of fish, vegetables and rice.  Most cooking is done over wood or charcoal; at one point at least seven cooking fires were in operation.  Other purchases included cooking and serving utensils, although some were rented as well.  A pavilion, tables, chairs and glasses were also rented.  We arranged for delivery of ice in very large coolers and purchased lots of beer, Thai whiskey, soda and water. 

The pigs were purchased live and transported in cages to a butcher (some families butcher the pigs themselves).  Two fishponds on Rut’s parents’ farm were drained and harvested; many larger fish were purchased at the market in a nearby city.

An area on the family’s lot was cleared for the pavilion, and another area nearby was cleared for the Sunday night party.  An entertainment group erected a stage and eight long tables were set up in front of the stage.  Food was served to all who sat at the tables and many others who visited the house.  Thais usually eat on the floor in groups surrounding shared food.  Over eighty people were seated at the tables; perhaps another sixty around the house.  When the entertainment began, the road between the houses filled up with people of all ages; I estimate between 200 and 300 people attended.  The entertainment, which began at 2100 (9:00 PM) included musicians, dancers and comedy.  We left at midnight and the party was still going strong.  

We returned to the house for a meal at 0700; at 0800 the first of the rituals began.  Prospective monks enter the monastery with bald heads, shaved eyebrows and no facial hair.  Many people participate in the haircutting.  The first three people to cut hair were his parents and myself; we each had to cut three locks from each man’s head.  Later participants generally cut just one.  The hair was placed in a bowl; I’m not sure of the final disposition.  After most participants had completed their cutting, clippers were used to complete the job.  The brothers then showered and dressed in their pre-monastery clothes, which were quite fancy. 

Around 1300 another ceremony began.  A man who was not a monk but acted in their stead (perhaps a “lay preacher”) arranged ceremonial objects and then began chanting.  This was broadcast on the large stereo system outside so was heard throughout the neighborhood.  The event became quite solemn; its importance was evident.  After several rituals involving candles, prayers, flowers and food, people began tying prayer strings on the three men as they knelt on the floor.  This became quite emotional, especially when Rut’s oldest brother began crying with joy as he approached Rut.  Not many dry eyes in the room that afternoon. 

When this was finished, the three brothers were carried from the house to the trucks that would take them to the monastery.   Their feet were not to touch the ground before being delivered into the temple; otherwise they would not be allowed to enter the monastery.  Rut and I rode in one truck, along with two friends holding umbrellas to shade us.  His two brothers rode in a second truck.  Both were decorated with palm fronds and ribbons made of colored paper and plastic.   

The two trucks and a wheeled cart containing speakers and amplifiers for instruments proceed from the house to the temple, accompanied by everyone who had been at the house. There we joined the groups of the other two entrants to the monastery and began a parade around the village which took nearly an hour.  The other groups had another band on a truck so there was lots of music, dancing, parading and one Songkran-like water dousing.   

When we reached the temple, the entourage circled it three times before stopping.  Again, the brothers were carried into the temple, still in the ceremonial clothes.  A couple of welcoming remarks (I think) from the monks and then visitors were dismissed.  About an hour later, after lots of instruction, prayers and chants, they had changed into traditional monks’ clothes and were presented to us.  As a friend remarked, their demeanor had changed during that time.  From the previous celebratory atmosphere they had become quite serious.  It will be interesting to see what changes are wrought during the two weeks they spend there.  

I visited Rut on the two following days and was impressed with further changes in demeanor.  Certainly he had finally relaxed after two rather intense weeks of working on the plans and preparations for the party.  But I think the instruction, routine, work, prayer and study are already having an effect. 

A photo page containing 18 photos of these events is located at 2004-Thailand.  The few of you with slow connections may find this takes a while to load but I wanted to have them all on one page.

This update is being published from Bangkok on March 3rd; tomorrow I am flying to Singapore to renew my Thai visa.  Seems like a long way to go, but current airline pricing makes it the cheapest destination at just $122 round trip!  I’ll be visiting some cruising friends who are working there and picking up a couple of small boat parts.

February 11 update begins here.