IX Archipelago Expedition. Visiting the Phoenicians
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IX Archipelago Expedition. Visiting the Phoenicians

Russian cruising club shares May plans
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In December the Club Council approved the idea and the route of the next May sailing expedition. This year we are going from Turkey to Northern Cyprus and back. In principle, the route and program are already posted on the website of the club, but here I will try to do something like a presentation. So...

As it should be, there should be an attractive photo on the cover or the first page of the publication. Preferably an attractive girl. Or an attractive girl with an attractive man... Here's an attractive girl and let's start.


This is Alexandra Moskvina (don't complex, Sasha is a two-time world champion in rhythmic gymnastics, just admire). Now let's move on. About the route...

The route looks like this:

Start and finish in the Turkish town of Fethiye. The general course will give you about 550 nautical miles in total. For two weeks of sailing, in general, not Newton's bin, but two crossings (one day each) will require some crew effort. Further on in the days:

April 26, Saturday - we fly to Turkey (better Dalaman airport, but you can also go to Antalya), get to the marina, take yachts, food, rest, preparation for the exit ... What a party of expedition opening. The marina in Fethiye is modern, comfortable, but I think many have already been there.

April 27th, Sunday - crossing to the island of Hemilaire, 12 miles. The transition is specially made for a short time to get used to boats, to adapt to novices on the water. Anchorage. It's beautiful, it's a soulful place in different ways... There will be time to go to the island to St. Nicholas. And the sunsets from the island are fantastic!

April 28th, Monday - crossing to Kash, 40 miles. Kash - a small town, the center is quite cozy, near the Lycian ruins. In Kas an excellent new modern marina, in it and stop.

There is even a swimming pool, and (theoretically!) water in it can be quite warm.

April 29th, Tuesday - Kash-Phoenix crossing, 35 miles. Phoenix is a town on the site of an ancient Lycian settlement. Here Alexander the Great signed (or rather - another capitulation of the enemy).

We'll sleep in the city marina. It is quite comfortable, but with free seats is not very good. We will order a parking lot as soon as the fleet is determined.

April 30, Wednesday, the start of the Phoenix-Guirne crossing (Northern Cyprus), 165 miles. The longest stage of the expedition. We will leave Phoenix early in the morning.

May 1, Thursday is the arrival at Girne. Scheduled arrival time - in the afternoon around lunch. Registration of border formalities. We celebrate the first of May in the evening.

I can't say that the marina in Girne is the most comfortable we've ever seen, but there's petrol, water and electricity on the pier, relatively close to the shops. However, we're not going there for Marina Guernet. We're going to get impressions.

That's why on May 2, Friday, we don't go anywhere, but we'll make a tour of the island. When Cyprus split up, it seems to me that the Turkish Cypriots took all the interesting and beautiful things on the island, leaving the Greeks not the most attractive mountainous part. No, the mountains are all over the island, the Turks have them too, and they're quite nice:

By the way, on the southern slope of the ridge, the Turks have laid out the largest national flag of stone. They say it can be seen from outer space.

The ridge mentioned above as if it covers the island from the north, so Cyprus has a unique climate. It is also warm in winter, and the valley behind the ridge is the only place in Europe where four vegetables are harvested annually in the open air.

In the east of the island there is the oldest city of Famagusta. If you want, you can find many stories about it online, one siege of Famagusta by the Turks. But there's a highlight there, the Othello Castle. Yes, yes, that's the one. Shakespeare didn't make up his character, he rather recorded the real story.

For centuries the island has been a crossroads of cultures, religions, military interests and trade routes. And everything here is intertwined in a bizarre knot. For example, here is a house on the coast (I do not remember the name of the town). Doesn't it look like Greece?

The Turks don't build like that. But what they can do is, for example, attach a minaret to an ancient Christian temple:

It must be said that the disputes with ancient historical roots can still be felt there. Not far from Famagusta there is a so-called buffer zone, where even now there are empty hotels, destroyed during the Greek-Turkish conflict.

But we're still honing our program in North Cyprus. And then...

May 3rd, Saturday - we leave Guernet and go to Kemer, 154 miles. This is the second of the long swimming stages. We'll leave Guernet again early in the morning.

May 4, Sunday - we come to Kemer. Parking in Kemer's marina. The marina is modern and comfortable.

The town is frankly resort, but it is beautifully located. It reminded me of my native since childhood South Coast of Crimea. We will spend half a day resting, walking and relaxing.

May 5, Monday - crossing Kemer-bukhta Adrasan, 21 miles. The bay is very picturesque, near Mount Olympus and the ruins of the Lycian city of the same name on the shore. The anchorage.

May 6, Tuesday - Adrasan crossing Kekova Island, 35 miles. The island once had a thriving ancient city, which was destroyed in the II century, part of the city was under water.

The water is now clear, and you can clearly see the flooded ruins right from the surface. Overnight parking is possible at the city pier or at anchor.

May 7, Wednesday - crossing Kekova-Kalkan Island, 28 miles. Along the way we will pass the curious island of Castelorizo. It is Greek, although it is only a mile from the Turkish coast. Usually the local authorities are quietly watching the entrance to the island without border clearance.

The island is interesting because during the First Archipelago Expedition (not ours, but that of the XVIII century, led by Admiral Spiridov), the Turkish fortress on it was taken by the Russians, and taken without a single shot.

But it costs a separate post. In Castelorizo we will stay for a short time, two hours, just to see the fortress and drink ouzo (we will have to compare it with Turkish crayfish! Otherwise, some say it's the same thing). We will spend the night in the city harbor of Kalkana, at the city pier.

May 8, Thursday - crossing Kalkan - Sarsala Bay, 40 miles. Sarsala - Reserve, one of the most beautiful places in Turkey. Parking at the piers of one of the restaurants that are there (WallBay or Sarasala).

I think many who have been here will confirm that it is one of the best places for yachting in the Mediterranean! It's very cool here!

May 9th, Friday is Our day, our big day together. That's why we'll definitely make a traditional parade. And we'll put wreaths on the water to commemorate all the dead sailors. In the evening, we return to Fethiye.

May 10th, Saturday - we rent out the boats, go home... (I wrote, but I was sad myself beforehand :))

That's the plan. The number of yachts participating in the expedition will be definitely limited, as the event, although open, is still clubbing. Next week there will be a Club Council, which will decide on the principles of recruitment, conditions of participation and so on. And in the meantime... ...think, think...

Andrey Sharkov,

the president of the Russian Cruiser Club. Author's blog on Livejournal.

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