Turkey is a bit of the Mediterranean old world colored by it's unique middle age history.
The sun sets west of three northbound ships near the entrance to the Hellespont.
The Bosporus is a lively maritime area with both heavy commercial shipping and scenic recreational boating. The modern Turks also call the waterway the Istanbul Bagazi, which just means the navigable water at Istanbul.
A quick jaunt into the Black Sea was facilitated by a week of very calm weather.
Back in the Sea of Marmara we were amazed to see the North Contender, a ship we had heard describe a Pirate threat in the Gulf of Aden earlier in the year. We had actually heard hardly anything that the North Contender said over VHF radio, as we were some 50 miles from them. We did however hear the high power transmission of Radio Djibouti quite clearly even though they were over a hundred miles from us.
The small and rather shallow harbor at Assos is said to date to ancient times. The underwater structure seen to the left in this picture may be part of that ancient breakwater.
Up on the top of the hill over Assos is the ancient Greek temple to Athena, said to be part of a rather early colonization project by the Lesbians. The Greek island of Lesvos can be seen in the background.
Eva anchored behind the long natural sand spit at Orak Adasi near Eskafoca. Orak means sickle in Turkish, no doubt refering to the curved sand spit.
Eskafoca at night. The city is said to derive it's name from the ancient city of Focia, "Eska" meaning old in Turkish.
White vacation style houses evenly spaced across a hillside like pieces in a chess game.
Sunset over the eastern anchorage at Bodrum (ancient Halicarnassus).
Back to Photo Essay Index