Sometimes we gained speed and sometimes we lost, on the average we crept towards the Black Sea. This not only kept us somewhat away from the large ships that were continuously overtaking us but exposed us to a weaker current. On we went in this narrow waterway that separates Europe from Asia, staying as close as depth allowed us to the Asian bank. Up on top of a wooded hill we saw the buildings of Robert College (now the Bogazi University) from where many of our teachers at Athens College and several of my Turkish friends in Washington were educated. There was an unexpected amount of greenery. A new surprise at each turn of the “river”: palaces, mansions, gardens, yialis (old Ottoman wooden houses), etc. While our speed, read from the log (relative to the water), was 6.5 knots our speed over ground, read from the GPS, was barely 3 knots. The current was against us and as strong as advertised. The detailed chart we bought the day before was a real boon. Most seemed to be aware of our presence but at least two simply made a bee line for us and had to be avoided by drastic maneuvering on our part. Until we reached the Bogazi Bridge we were continuously dodging the ferries and other sundry craft. According to a recent article in the Smithsonian Magazine, the Bosphorus is not only the world’s busiest strait but “the most dangerous.” Indeed the sea traffic was horrific. We left Kalamis at 0655, heading for Bosphorus or the Istanbul Bogazi. It was staffed and we topped the main tank with 83 L of fuel. It was a narrow spot but we managed without any difficulties. When all was ready we cast off and motored to the fuel dock where we tied side-to. At last, the much-planned trip to the Black Sea was going to be realized. But I was too excited to go back to sleep. I was woken up at 5:00 by the mosquitoes. Nikos had traveled in the Black Sea in the summer of 1998. Note: A portion of his passage is also described by my brother Nikos Riginos in his Faneromeni website.

The logs are illustrated with maps and photographs, and also include some historical and geographical descriptions of the places visited as well as several links to other related web sites. The places that were visited are: Istanbul ( Kalamis), Bosphorus, Sile, Amasra, Ovatekkeönü or Ovaköy, Sütlüce or Gideros, and Doganyurt in Paflagonia, and continues West to Sinop, and Samsun. The 5 day leg described in these logs starts from Istanbul and ends in Samsun in the Black Sea. This web page contains the logs of S/Y Thetis’ the third leg to the Black Sea.

Harbor & Passage information 1999: Istanbul to Samsun

Gideros sleep