When we crossed the Atlantic, six years ago, our plan was to sail fast to Turkey, and then cruise slowly back west. But after more than 3,000 miles at sea, we weren’t excited to move Berkeley East at all, let alone quickly. So we spent three years traveling through the Med just getting to Turkey, […]
24 September 2015 When we began our 2015 sailing season, the plan was to get back to Italy for the winter via Southern Turkey, Crete, the Peloponnese and the Ionian Islands. But as in most years, our plan changed. After reaching Corfu, our jumping off point for Italy, we decided to go back to Turkey. […]
Ayvalik Archipelago, Turkey As hard as we try to convince people that our cruising life is more than just cocktails and sunsets, most don’t believe us. Or perhaps they just don’t want to hear us, as the thought of something other than smooth sailing, idyllic anchorages, refreshing cocktails and amazing sunsets would tarnish the concept […]
26 May 2015 | Skopea Limani, Turkey Preparing to leave the marina for the first time after a winter away is always challenging. Trying to make sure that you remember to do everything, install everything, fix everything and purchase everything that you might need for the season can be overwhelming. But over the years we’ve […]
19 May 2015 | Cappadocia Turkey The best thing about living part time on a boat is exploring different parts of the world. Typically that means visiting remote harbors and coastal towns only accessed by the sea. But we have been hearing about the magic of Cappadocia, one of Turkey’s completely landlocked regions, for years. […]
D-Marin Didim As we began our final preparations to return to Berkeley East and begin our ninth season of cruising, the excitement was mixed with anxiety. Where did the winter go? There was still so much to do in order to leave our land life and go back on the sea. Spring had finally arrived […]
Fethiye, Turkey When we first checked into Turkey two years ago, we were told that we had to purchase a Blue Card. Turkey’s Blue Card Scheme is designed to keep the country’s coastal waters clean by requiring people on recreational boats to use holding tanks and pump out at designated stations at frequent intervals, or […]
Bergama, Turkey We have been to a lot ancient sites in Europe. Some were meticulously renovated so it was easy to picture the history that took place there, while others were rocks and rubble that required more information and imagination to conjure up a visual image of the past. On a day trip to Bergama […]
Bozcaada, Turkey We arrived at the island of Bozcaada expecting much the same as we had seen in the rest of Turkey. Surprise is the only word to describe what we found there. Until 1925, the island belonged to Greece so much of the town feels Greek, with Turkish sounds and Turkish scents. By their […]
Black Sea, Turkey With Berkeley East in Istanbul, there was one more major cruising goal for the season: a trip into the Black Sea. The idea came to us one cold winter evening when the Sochi Olympics were on. For some crazy reason, we thought the fact that we were in Turkey, which borders the […]
