Classic Travel Summer 2003
ABOUT THIS BOOK
We sailed into the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 2003. Our destination was Turkey with stops along the way. The following pages are only some highlights of our threemonth foray into this ancient history.
Cover Photo Fishing boats in Stintino, Sardinia Bottom Photo The Oracle at Delphi
A crowded bus and a crowded site but Ephesus was still remarkable. Walls still stood in the library, and a well-marked path directed men to its brothels. In 1993 the amphitheater featured Sing in concert. Of all the ruins we had seen, this was the most complete in structure.
The Rock, barbary apes, and Mediterranean docking became realities when we entered the port of Gibraltar, the gateway to the sea plied by ancient sailors and merchants.
Once we left Gibraltar we were waylaid by stormy seas. After a week of waiting for favorable weather and winds, we left Torrevieja off the east coast of Spain and headed to the Balearic Islands. Between Majorca and Menorca, pilot whales joined us.
Menorca’s tula ruins and northern
Sardinia’s port in Stintino.
Anchoring across the way from the Island of Ponza, Italy, we finally saw the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean seen in movies and postcards. It was late May and time for a swim.
Part of the Pontine Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Ponza and Ventotene were two of our stops as we headed towards Rome. Ventotene’s narrow harbor carved out of rock was created by the Roman emperor Augustus. This island served as places of exile and banishment for several royal family members.
We anchored in Fumicino’s canal and took the thirty-minute bus ride and then subway into the middle of Rome. At 11:30 a.m. while wandering in the Forum we realized we could hear the Pope’s noon address; so, we hopped a taxi and made it just in time to see the flooding of people into St. Peter’s Square to get a peep of Pope John Paul II.
A bus-ride away was Ostia Antica, the ancient Roman seaport. You were allowed to wander the streets, walk amidst the statuary and onto the mosaic floors. We acted like puppies let loose from their pen it was that glorious to be frolicking where 2,000 years previously the residents did the same.
Isla Vulcano Aeolian Islands, Italy Juanona’s hull was surrounded by floating bits of pumice. Swimming to the shore we had to carefully pick our way through bubbles of steam, all residuals of the live volcano we later climbed. We sent emails over the phone using our Pocketmail device. The only issue was drowning out street noise so the receiver could pick up the signal, hence the use of a shirttail.
Taking the short cut to go from the Gulf of Corinth to the Saronic Gulf in Greece, we motored the four miles through the Corinth Canal, thought of in 600s B.C. and finished in 1800s A.D. We were surprised at how narrow it was – just over 60 feet, and at times we felt we could touch either side.
The not so glamorous side of cruising... living a week “on the hard” so we could paint Juanona’s hull. The paint dried in the first brush stroke it was that hot, although it made for great clothes drying. To provision for continuing our cruise, Max hauled up gallons of water to fill our tanks.
To see Cappadocia in Turkey we did something we rarely do and that was to join a tour group. Fortunately the other six travelers were of similar age and like minds so we had a blast, as seen by one of the many photos everyone took of each other.
Cappadocia was a National Geographic wonder with its stone houses, drying apricots and peppers, and exotic Couldn’t help thinking of the Flintstones during our visit here.
vistas.
Up the Dayla River with its Lyceum tombs in the cliff sides and a mud spa at its head. We had joined a group of 19 Italians from a sailing club who were chartering boats. Surprisingly we were two of the few who actually immersed oneself in mud. They filmed part of the AFRICAN QUEEN on this river, yet it was hard to imagine substituting Turkey for Africa.
Witnessing the Sunday grape community harvesting on Thira, better known as Santorini, in the Cyclades group of islands. The collection and drying of grapes was part of the magnificent view of a caldera from an ancient volcano explosion, filled now with the Aegean Sea.
From Siracusa, Sicily, our destination was Porto Empedocle, just up the coast to wait out some weather. During the several days we had, we explored the city of Agrigento only to find a valley of temples constructed during the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.
Heading Home
Leaving Sicily we were going to stop in at southern Sardinia and later Majorca, but fair winds and fallowing seas changed our plans. It’s rare to get such a lasting spell of favorable winds, we kept going. Five days later we landed again in Torreviaja. A week later our classic travels came to an end as we rounded Gibraltar to prepare for our next ocean crossing.
2nd Place Memories
On our sail from Knidos to Dacta, we glided into a friendly, two-boat race between us and our British friends, Steph and Kirk. Gliding through the blue waters our boat Jaunona entered the harbor behind the Twelfth of Never. Once anchored, we rowed over to the winning boat only to be handed our “2nd place” trophy, Mr. Potato Man resplendent with our nation’s flag! This was only one of the many wonderful reminders we have of that day and our friends.
Classic Travel English Harbor, Degirmenbuku Bay, Turkey July 2003