Another lockdown… another commute

[Mendip]

i'm going controversial - 00:55am on Sat 9th Oct.

Well, strange things happen at sea.

You would have been right in the mix MM... should have stayed put!

If it makes you feel any better we're now doing 12 knots and already approaching the Sea of Marmara. The pilot must be on a promise... latest ETA is around 9pm which puts David48 back as favourite.

[malmomike77]

Insider Dave as he's now known.

Anyway i recall you saying you are not getting any shore time, bit of bugger.

[Mendip]

Yeah, not a chance of any shore time. This should be a very quick mobilisation... crew on at 9am and off to the Black Sea ASAP. Most of the time will probably be taken up by bureaucracy.


We travelled up the Dardanelles during the morning at 12 knots. The pilot must have had plans for Friday night.



There was a beautiful old castle on the northern European side at a pinch point in the straits.





I tried to get a nice pic, but...



That's better.




From Wikipedia...

Kilitbahir Castle (Turkish: Kilitbahir Kalesi) is a fortress on the west side of the Dardanelles, opposite the city of Çanakkale, where there is a corresponding fortress (Kale-i Sultaniye), from which Çanakkale takes its name. The two castles were constructed by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1463 to control the straits at their narrowest point. Kilitbahir's name, meaning "lock of the sea", reflects this defensive purpose.


I didn't see the corresponding castle on the Asian side in Canakkale. That area just seemed to be very residential and industrial.




Past the castle was some kind of monument up on the hill.



No idea what it says... maybe BB can help?



And a flag on the hill. All of the interest seemed to be on the northern European side.



We left that pinch point behind...



And approached the second. I still found it cool to be sailing between two continents.



Europe off the port and Asia off the starboard.



But we left that behind and headed on to the Marmara Sea and on to Istanbul

[malmomike77]

I think it is worth the extended trip Mendip - great getting paid for a tour of the Med.

Does your daughter follow your journey? if she's interested there is shit load of history for her to dip her toes in. Probably difficult with kids today...too dull i guess, sadly. I collected stamps as a child and even though its not popular nowadays, the British Empire and its colonies, geography and history fascinated me. By the age of 12 in could almost name most of the empire and find them on a map and tell you something about the countries concerned.

I know you try to introduce her to culture outside that forced on her and well done you, i bored my kids with stories of times past and they probably hated it at the time but i like to think it added to their lives and gave them a lot other kids who's parents relied solely on school didn't get.

Anyhow, good on you.

[Saint Willy]

By the age of 12 in could almost name most of the empire and find them on a map and tell you something about the countries concerned.

[Buckaroo Banzai]

No idea what it says... maybe BB can help?

Not sure what it says but from the flames, weapons' and what looks to be an army soldier, I am willing to guess it does not say, Peace be upon you! LOL

Nice pictures Mendip .
You the Man, and not so much the dip LOL

[Buckaroo Banzai]

But we left that behind and headed on to the Marmara Sea and on to Istanbul

You mean Constantinople right? that other name some people use is mostly bull.

[Mendip]

My daughter often accuses me of being 'old fashioned', but at least I've stopped calling it Constantinople.

What a great city it is, straddling Europe and Asia and with a wealth of history.

I've discovered that around the 10th Century then name changed from Constantinople to Stamboul, then after their conquest in 1485 the Ottomans changed it Islambol which changed during the 20th Centry to Istanbul. But it seems that different peoples/ languages etc have referred to it differently and I'm sure BB will know all about the Greek influence.

But whatever you call it, the weather's shite. We have 18 degrees although it feels colder due to the chilly nor'easterlies and it's raining. We've travelled for exactly two weeks to have the same shitty weather we had in Haugesund!

Oh, and I found out that the Turkish writing on the hill at Kilitbahir is the Dur Yolcu memorial, the soldier is a 1915 Turkish soldier and it commemorates the defeat of the Allies at the Gallipoli landings.

The writing says:

Traveller halt!
The soil you tread
Once witnessed the end of an era

The defeat of the Allies was obviously heralded as a new era for Turkey.

I think it is worth the extended trip Mendip - great getting paid for a tour of the Med.

Does your daughter follow your journey?

I've been trying to involve my daughter with the voyage, but at 10 she just seems a little bit young to comprehend maps and geography. When I get home I'll go through it on a map and a globe and show her this thread which is one of the reasons I've added so many pictures. I just wish I hadn't mentioned the starfish woman now, that could provokes some awkward questions.


Last night at 9pm we were still about 15 nautical miles off Istanbul.





I tried to get a picture from the helideck but didn't stay long... 20 knot winds and rain. It wasn't pleasant.



This put it neck and neck between David48 and Helge... 10:35pm was the critical time.

We were a way off but now doing nearly 13 knots... I bet the Chief Engineer wasn't happy.

[nidhogg]

When i was probably around 7 or 8, dad went on an extended deployment (he was Royal Navy). The boat was gone for about 18 month on a round the world trip. We got post cards from him, and we had a world map in my bedroom, where we would place small flag pins on his latest location.

You might like to think about something similar for your daughter. She is not too young i think.

[Mendip]

^ Yeah, that's a good idea. Maybe the problem isn't her age... it's just that I'm competing against Roblox, Minecraft, Youtube and Tik-Tok for her attention?


Soon after 10pm we were just entering the harbour area. It was still raining bit now at least the land provided shelter from the wind.

A couple of mosques off to port, in the European side of Istanbul.





It was weird to see all the bright lights after two weeks at sea. In fact we rarely, if ever, berth within city harbours any more. It's always at offshore bases these days to save on harbour fees (and to stop crew drinking).



Our allotted berth was over by that silver castle.



We had about 25 minutes to get there for David 48 to take the prize... any later and it was all Helge's.



A tug joined to usher us alongside. First off our starboard side...



And then port...



He wouldn't leave us alone... I guess they're not used to a DP Class 2 vessel. Completely superfluous, especially with a pilot onboard.



Three was our berth off to port. The skipper had to do a 180 to get the gangway on the starboard side.



The time was ticking away...



As he completed the manoeuver the castle went red in our honour!



And then all that was left was to ease alongside... with a different tug in attention.



Not far to go...



Closer... a couple of guys were waiting to secure the aft mooring lines.



And this chap was waiting for the for'ard line...



Inches to go...



And bump... we were alongside almost exactly 14 days since leaving Haugesund!



And still the tug attended... until all mooring lines had been secured.



We're berthed on the Asian side of Istanbul. Today the oncoming crew should join around 9am and after clearing customs we hope to sail this evening to start the new project.

I'll have to start earning my money again soon so won't have so much time for this nonsense, but will try and update when possible. The commute is ongoing!

But first of course I have to get some pics of us passing through the Bosphorus Strait and on to the Black Sea. The strait divides European Istanbul from Asian Istanbul. A city that straddles two continents!

[David48atTD]

You like building the tension

[armstrong]

You like building the tension

Its currently sinking.

[Mendip]

Oh, I nearly forgot...



Yep, we bumped alongside at 23:05 on 8th October.

Helge just takes the honours by 30 minutes... it doesn't get closer than that!

Quite remarkable after a two week transit.

Many congratulations Helge!

Helge has the choice of a box of Turkish Delight or a Fez. I know which one I'd go for... I bladdy hate Turkish Delight.

Commiserations to David... you fought bravely to the end, but it just wasn't to be.


David48:- 07:10 pm on Friday October 8th

helge:- Oct 9 -0200 (helge, ever the optimist)


The ironic thing is, MalmoMike would have won if he had only stuck to his convictions and not listened to me.

Sorry about that Mike... there must be a lesson there somewhere!

i'm going controversial - 00:55am on Sat 9th Oct. Always been an outlier, see if Mendip gets the pun.

Oh dear...

I would like to amend my entry to 16.00 on Thursday 7th

I feel so guilty that I would like to award MalmoMike the consolation prize of the set of Turkish ear hair trimmers.

AKA as my old toe nail clippers!

Enjoy! Address please.


Edit: We didn't sink. So bugger off Armstrong!

[Buckaroo Banzai]

A couple of mosques off to port, in the European side of Istanbul.

Looks like like Hagia Sophia which was a Christian Cathedral before it was converted into a devil worshiping den of heathens and other religious degenerates, AKA Muslim mosque.

[Saint Willy]

I just wish I hadn't mentioned the starfish woman now, that could provokes some awkward questions.

And I promise not to mention your predilections for men either.

[malmomike77]

The ironic thing is, MalmoMike would have won if he had only stuck to his convictions and not listened to me.

Sorry about that Mike... there must be a lesson there somewhere!


Originally Posted by malmomike77
i'm going controversial - 00:55am on Sat 9th Oct. Always been an outlier, see if Mendip gets the pun.
Oh dear...

Originally Posted by malmomike77
I would like to amend my entry to 16.00 on Thursday 7th

I feel so guilty that I would like to award MalmoMike the consolation prize of the set of Turkish ear hair trimmers.

AKA as my old toe nail clippers!

Well its a lesson. i confess i have singularly failed to learn this lesson over the years, i can't tell you the number of times i could have won the lottery Can i donate the clippers to Ootai? save on the postage

[ootai]

W

Can i donate the clippers to Ootai? save on the postage

Thanks for the thought Mr malmomike but I think Mendip should keep them he's the hairy fukker!

[malmomike77]

A lesser person would think it suspicious that Mendip hasn't posted since thrusting his way into the nexus of Nople. Has he been economical with the truth about not being allowed dockside or has the radical Geo been detained by the Turks and is even as i type this living out a scene from Midnight Express?

[Edmond]

A lesser person would think it suspicious that Mendip hasn't posted since thrusting his way into the nexus of Nople. Has he been economical with the truth about not being allowed dockside or has the radical Geo been detained by the Turks and is even as i type this living out a scene from Midnight Express?

I just renewed a child's passport last week without leaving the house, all done digitally nowadays, photo done in the kitchen with me phone (TBF I would have needed to leave the house if I didn't make up a fake witness, but the fake witness doesn't need to be in fudging Bangkok!)

The exact same as when I renewed my own passport earlier in the year.


Just sayin'...


Mendo's well dodgy I reckon.

[OhOh]

I think Mendip should keep them

Does he still have any toenails to clip?

[OhOh]

I just renewed a child's passport last week without leaving the house,

If you have a UK passport, you would have had to return your original passport. Thus, a visit to the post office, yes?



The UK passport office requires the return of the original passport.

https://assets.publishing.service.go...e_G2_10.16.pdf

Unless, of course, you politely point out to the UK passport office, that Thailand requires all foreigners to carry a valid passport. Which was an acceptable reason not to send it.

[Joe 90]

The UK passport office requires the return of the original passport.

Then its returned with the corner snipped off.

[Mendip]

Has he been economical with the truth about not being allowed dockside...

Nope, not a step was made on Turkish soil. I do actually have work to do.

And just a reminder, this isn't a thread about toe nails or about the complexities of renewing passports from Thailand... it's a commute/travel/work thread.

Although you have reminded me that the daughter's Aussie passport should need renewing mid December... they only last 5 years ya know. This is nice timing for an early Christmas Sukhumvit drink!


We had a whole day alongside in Istanbul so I'm gonna bore people with a few photos.

It's pretty bleak here and the barmy weather off the Costa del Sol is now a distant memory. We've a chilly 17 degrees here with 20 to 30 knot nor'easterlies coming in off central Asia.

Those same mosques on the European side of Istanbul in daylight.



And this was the building lit up in silver and red lights last night, just behind our berth.



And the flashing tower.



An Oldendorff tanker passed by from the Sea of Marmara and on towards the Bosphorus, en-route to the Black Sea.



You can just see the Oldendorff tanker in the backgound (behind the moored tanker in the foreground) before it disappeared into the Bosphorus.



We had to take on fuel so this bunker boat came alongside. This is a complex business and booms need to be laid out around the boat in case of a leak.





The bunkering took an age, and we missed our slot to pass through the Bosphorus. A one-way system is in place to avoid collisions in the narrow strait and by the time we were ready the traffic from the Black Sea was already passing through westwards.

This meant we had to wait a few hours before departing at night.

[Buckaroo Banzai]

The bunkering took an age, and we missed our slot to pass through the Bosphorus. A one-way system is in place to avoid collisions in the narrow strait and by the time we were ready the traffic from the Black Sea was already passing through westwards.

I see you are fuelling up with petrol that probably came from Greek dinosaurs.
The indignities continue.
You know we inventor petrol? we also invented inventing , and floating at sea, before us everything sunk to the bottom.

[Mendip]

I think a night time Bosphorus passage was well worth the delay.

After passing over the Eurasia Tunnel (possibly the only tunnel between Europe and Asia) at the southern end of the Bosphorus, we approached the catchily named '15 July Martyr's Bridge'. There are three bridges across the Bosphorus... I think the only bridges between Europe and Asia?

The 15 July Martyr's Bridge (with the second bridge in the background)



There can't be many who have had their picture taken with one foot in Europe and one foot in Asia!



Nearly there...



I've always had a thing for taking pictures of the underside of bridges.



That's the 15 July Martyr's Bridge done, the next to come.



The second bridge is called the 'Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge', with a nice castle next to the tower on the western European bank.



Many of my pictures came out slightly out of focus which was annoying. I don't think these phone cameras like taking pictures at night, but also it was blowing a gale making it hard to hold the damn thing still.

Someone set off a flurry of fireworks next to the castle as we approached which seemed strange. It was 12:45am (Thanks, Saint Willy!)

And here's the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in all it's glory. I love bridges.



The castle on the European bank.



There was just time to take a brief look back at the 15 July Martyr's Bridge...



... before passing under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge.



Nearly there...



And the money shot!

You won't get that in any guide books.



And a brief look back...



There was a long gap before the third and final bridge so I went below decks for a cup of coffee to warm up... it was bladdy freezing outside.

This is where we were. You can see that all the traffic was heading northwards towards the Black Sea at the time.



After getting warm I again braved the cold to see the final bridge. Istanbul had saved the best until last.

This is the 'Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge', located at northern end of the Bosphorus, at the gateway to the Black Sea.



The Turks could teach the English a thing or two about lighting things up. If you let these guys loose on the White Cliffs of Dover they would look spectacular.



The skipper was bang on the money!



The pilot jumped ship just before passing under the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge. His work was done and we were on our own to enter the Black Sea.

Not far to go...



And bingo... another money shot!

Not many bridges have blue underlighting.



And that's it... we're now in the Black Sea and about to start calibrations to get this new project underway... the voyage is well and truly over and I really have to get busy!



Farewell Istanbul...