checking in at Istanbul
Nov 16, 2016 10:24:34 GMT
Post by chuckr on Nov 16, 2016 10:24:34 GMT
We will go a bit backwards here - We left Bulgaria for an overnight sail to Istanbul and had a good run- perhaps to good as we arrived at the mouth of the Bosphorus at 0530 - very dark. We had 3 options
1 sit and wait until daylight - problem as the seas were typical Black Sea with a nasty chop from the north and a bit rolly - hove to would not have worked as we were close to shore and lots of fishing boats in the area so we could have run in circles for a few hours -
2 we could enter a small harbor, Poyraz, on the Asian side anchor and wait on daylight. We do not like entering a strange harbor at night and one that is surrounded by city lights that makes seeing even more difficult.
3 Run the Bosphorus in the dark. We decided this was the best option as Patty took the port side and I took to starboard and watched the chartplotter to make sure we did not hit any buoys or the land and stayed in our traffic control lane. We were fortunate that there were not southbound vessel - just fishing boats. AIS was great as we could pick out the big guys before we could see them with all the city lights they blended in. there was one time when we had to turn and go into a cove as we approached a narrow area and one big guy was passing another headed north and in our lane. guess who got the row? As we approached the south end of the Bosphorus early in the morning the ferries were very busy with the commuters going to work. it was a very busy time with your head on a 365 deg swivel as the ferries run from all different directions and they do not get out the way for little sail boats.
Once in the Marmaras we headed to Atakoy marina to clear in. We could have continued to Canakkale but we needed propane and knew where to get it in Istanbul. In Atakoy we were immediately ushered to the office to pay 100euro to tie up to check in. They suggested and agent as the offices are so hard to find and all over the place. For those who do not know when we checked into Kusadasi the year before I checked us in and walked to the harbor master, then coast guard, then port police, then immigration, then customs then harbor master. In Istanbul we tried to find the CG on our way north in May and we could not find it. Agent was 400 euro. The agent came to us late in the day and told us we had to move the boat to the police/agent dock across the water and drift in. We moved the boat and I turned to back in and tie up and was almost ready to throw the lines and the agent and police motioned us out - the police had my passport in hand and wanted to see if my face and pic were the same and Patty as well.
Went back to Atakoy as we paid for a day and spent the night. Next day we went over to Setur and tied up at a much lower rate and to get our propane.
it is a bit of a rip off as Atakoy is the only marina you can tie up at to clear customs.
1 sit and wait until daylight - problem as the seas were typical Black Sea with a nasty chop from the north and a bit rolly - hove to would not have worked as we were close to shore and lots of fishing boats in the area so we could have run in circles for a few hours -
2 we could enter a small harbor, Poyraz, on the Asian side anchor and wait on daylight. We do not like entering a strange harbor at night and one that is surrounded by city lights that makes seeing even more difficult.
3 Run the Bosphorus in the dark. We decided this was the best option as Patty took the port side and I took to starboard and watched the chartplotter to make sure we did not hit any buoys or the land and stayed in our traffic control lane. We were fortunate that there were not southbound vessel - just fishing boats. AIS was great as we could pick out the big guys before we could see them with all the city lights they blended in. there was one time when we had to turn and go into a cove as we approached a narrow area and one big guy was passing another headed north and in our lane. guess who got the row? As we approached the south end of the Bosphorus early in the morning the ferries were very busy with the commuters going to work. it was a very busy time with your head on a 365 deg swivel as the ferries run from all different directions and they do not get out the way for little sail boats.
Once in the Marmaras we headed to Atakoy marina to clear in. We could have continued to Canakkale but we needed propane and knew where to get it in Istanbul. In Atakoy we were immediately ushered to the office to pay 100euro to tie up to check in. They suggested and agent as the offices are so hard to find and all over the place. For those who do not know when we checked into Kusadasi the year before I checked us in and walked to the harbor master, then coast guard, then port police, then immigration, then customs then harbor master. In Istanbul we tried to find the CG on our way north in May and we could not find it. Agent was 400 euro. The agent came to us late in the day and told us we had to move the boat to the police/agent dock across the water and drift in. We moved the boat and I turned to back in and tie up and was almost ready to throw the lines and the agent and police motioned us out - the police had my passport in hand and wanted to see if my face and pic were the same and Patty as well.
Went back to Atakoy as we paid for a day and spent the night. Next day we went over to Setur and tied up at a much lower rate and to get our propane.
it is a bit of a rip off as Atakoy is the only marina you can tie up at to clear customs.
