Mast Raising Day - A Sailboat Again!

June 14 Ostinato left the North Sea to begin her journey though the canals and rivers of Europe. Three months later we exited the Danube into the Black Sea at Constanta.  Two months of that time was spent with the mast, along with the boom, halyards, radar, and all other accouterments that make Ostinato a sailing vessel, lying in cradles in a horizontal position.  So it was with much excitement, along with a good dose of anxiety, that we approached mast raising day.  Our neighbor Bill had returned from the wedding in Frankfort.  Unfortunately, he could not persuade his lovely wife Claire to join him....but you could hardly blame her.  An overnight across the Black Sea on her first night out would not be tempting to everyone.....especially considering Bill's last overnight passage with us across the North Sea.

King attaches the crane in preparation to lift the mast off Ostinato

Arrangements were made in Port Tomis for the crane that would place Ostinato's mast in its proper position.  Early on our scheduled day, we left our berth on the quay and crossed the small harbour to the boat yard.  At the agreed upon time to begin the job there was no crane in sight.  This was just as well because the wind had decided to see if it could make things more interesting for us.  An hour later an ancient crane was spotted puttering down the road.  As if right on cue, just as it arrived, the wind laid down, ropes were wrapped around critical areas and off came the mast to be gently laid upon makeshift platforms the marina had managed to gather up for us.  Like little whirlwinds we buzzed about Ostinato's mast and decks.  The first job was to remove the saran wrap like covering Pat and I had applied to the mast and all her lines so nothing would bang about the wood cradles that King and Frank has so carefully built 2 months ago in Lelystad, Netherlands.  By dark everything was laid out and ready for the crane to return the following morning to place the stick vertical once again.  No one slept well that night.  Early in the evening a rat did a cameo appearance running across the back deck.....that was it for me.  Even with King's assurance otherwise, I was awake all night thinking of places he might be able to slip into the boat.  For King, the language barrier made him less than confident about the crane operator.  He spent the night drawing pictures to convey exactly what he wanted done.  And then, the wind changed direction.  The water was marginal where we were tied up but by midnight we were bouncing on the bottom.  It was clear even without the other distractions, no one was going to sleep.  The next morning the wind howled.  King tried to cancel the crane but it was already on its  way.  At that point we would pay regardless of any work being done.  Nothing to lose, we might as well wait for him.  Luck smiled on us again.  David from Amusant joined Ostinato's crew to finish last minute prep work and, just as the day before, the wind laid down to a soft breeze right on schedule.  With a minimum of yelling (in several languages) and angst the mast was placed upright on Ostinato's decks and the shrouds quickly put in place.  Lickity split we were quickly on our way in search of deeper water across the harbour.  There was still a long list of jobs to do.

The other side of the harbour has a community of cats.  I had already observed kitty footprints all about the boat the day we arrived so I decided we needed "guard cats", just in case the rat decided to move in. I spread a little left over chicken on the quay and within seconds 3 potential candidates were happily chowing down.  Later that evening one chose to be on duty and set himself down on a rug in the middle of the cockpit for the night.  This went well until about 0400 when a duel began for rights to the rug.  Nothing like a good cat fight going on over your head.  If the rat was still on board, he didn't like it either.  We haven't seen him since.

A small weather window appeared to be opening so the following day we were all in high gear.  We still needed to get the sail's rigged, reattach running lights, antennas and wind instruments and, last but not least, do a quick grocery run before we could even think about heading out again.  Bill and I finished our chores by 2000 but King worked on the wiring for 2 more hours before he had finished his critical list.  We fell into bed at 2300.  In order to get checked into Turkey without using an agent, (think lots of $$) King calculated we would need to arrive at the marina before 1000 the following day....the alarm was set for 0300!

A small robin took a brief rest on Ostinato
in the middle of the Black Sea

Somehow we crawled out of our warm cozy bunks at 3 a.m. only to find the Border Police, that we had been told was available 24 hrs a day, was no where to be found.  We drank a gallon of coffee and put on warm clothes and waited....nothing.  King called the Border Police in Constanta twice before a car finally pulled up beside the boat to begin processing us out of Romania.  We finally slipped into the Black Sea heading south at 0530.

The crossing was picture perfect....aside from the fact that we had no wind.  Regardless, the main stayed up the entire way as Ostinato was proud to be a sailboat again.

Sunset on the Black Sea

We had passed enormous barges in the Danube but the ships encountered on the Black Sea were jaw dropping.  Did I read AIS right....600 ft long, 150 ft beam and a 35 ft draft?  Now that's a ship!  Traffic was heavy but there was plenty of room for all of us.  Amusant left at a leisurely 0800 and blew by us around 2200.  We would catch up with them again in Istanbul.

Racing big ships to the Bosporus at sunrise

Just as the sun began to rise we could begin to see evidence of Turkey to the South.  As we moved cautiously through the Bosporus, in company with the big ships, all hands were on deck. The Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya stood out against the Istanbul skyline.  Wow!  Memories of our visit almost ten years ago came flooding back.  A truly magnificent city.

Istanbul International Boat Show had lots of Catamarans

Ostinato arrived at Pendik Marina at 1215, over 2 hours later than we had hoped due to our late departure.  This would be our first Med mooring experience and, thankfully, we had a dingy filled with young guys who took over the process, pushing us one way, then another, making it look like we knew what we were doing.  Amusant had already settled in so King and David leaped into action to check in as soon as we hit the dock.  Tomorrow was a holiday so if check-in wasn't completed we would have to stay on our boats in the marina for the next 2 days.  Staying in Istanbul is hard enough at over $170 a day marina fees.  Being quarantined to your boat would be too much to bear.  And did I mention they were having a boat show.....can you imagine being on a boat with King so close to a boat show and not being able to go?  Was not going to happen.  Because of our late arrival the marina advised that our only option was to go through an agent.  Ouch...another expense...but this time, the guys were lucky.  The agent sold them a transit log and provided the information needed to get everything done.  I'm guessing he had a hot date that night and didn't want to be bothered with little yachts.....The guys had a mission and off they flew.  First stop, the border police who would stamp our passports.  The rest could wait until tomorrow.  Apparently, the agent typically took charge of all this at each office as the guy manning the desk at the border police wasn't quite sure where to begin.  He, however, rose to the occasion and not only worked through each step but also called a taxi and telling the driver where to take his new passengers along with instructions to return them him when finished.

In case any of the occupants were tired from the 24 hour crossing, the taxi ride provided enough stimulation to bring them back to life.  The driver careened around corners and took round-abouts the wrong way as he moved the small group of Americans around the city.  He also apparently had a date because he finally jumped into being "girl Friday" making copies and running the fax machine to move the process along.  Wendy and I, who had been left on the boats, were beginning to craft plans on how we would get the boats home if they never returned.  Finally, after a telephone prompt "Just checking to see if  you are still alive", we began getting text messages providing updates on their progress.  The "finishing now" one arrived at 1930.  The taxi meter ran the entire trip, coming to a grand total of 100 lire.  Because of all of his efforts, the guys had decided to tip him 20 more.  The driver, however, decided the tip should be 200!

It would be unthinkable to just check into Turkey in Istanbul and not spend at least a day in the

city.....so we did.  We found the hotel where we had stayed many years ago and enjoyed a quick lunch and chat with the hotel manager while waiting out a rain storm.  While the exotic sites are still the same, the crowds are not.  It was like someone picked up several Hop-On Hop-Off buses in London complete with a load of tourists and dropped it at the Blue Mosque!  How did that happen? In spite of the crowds, we managed to visit a few sites and saw areas we had not explored on our last visit.  Unfortunately, the next morning it would be time to leave as we had many more ports to visit before we reached Finike.

The crowds have grown since our last visit to the Blue Mosque 13 years ago

Sept 29-30 - The weather was still a bit breezy but after King unwrapped the mooring line from around the starboard prop (yes, again), we were on our way to Silivri.  The winds were gusting to 29 knots by the end of the day as we sailed across the Sea of Marmara so all were glad to get the anchor down in 6 feet of beautiful blue water just off the town quay. Silivri's harbour is very protected so everyone enjoyed a restful sleep. The following morning the anchor came up at 0800 and we motored sailed in less than 10k to the small fishing village of Marmara Adesi.  Locals took lines and assisted with our med moor and, as always, David and Wendy were quickly there to assist.  Fishing boats moved in and out all night resulting in a less than restful night. The catch was apparently consistently good cause the gazillion cats waiting to be fed ashore had obviously been eating well.

MK and Ziggy's Turkish cousins waiting for the fishing boats to come home.  

Oct 1 - 11 Our next destination, Canakkale, took us into the narrow waters of the Dardanelles. To starboard was Europe, to port Asia Minor.  We made good speed with both wind and current behind us. We didn't see many pleasure yachts in the Dardanelles.  Big ships continue to be the main traffic.


Canakkale, Assos, Dikili, Bademli Limani, Agilar Limani, Kasadasi and Didim.  It was a sight seeing dream.  Each ruined city we explored was more impressive than the one before.  My favorite? While Ephesus was stunning, the smaller sites of Assos, Priene and Miletus enchanted me. Mm mm maybe also Paragammon.  Least favorite is easy....Troy.  A pity of one of Turkey's most famous ancient ruins.  Just not much left to see.  The fake horse didn't help.

This Trojan Horse at the marina in Canakkale was better than the one at Troy!

While the sight seeing was fabulous, the sailing was basically a motor sail.  Typically the day started with light winds, building in the afternoon and then dying again at night.  Prevailing winds, what winds existed, were from the N or NW but as we closed in on land it would sometimes clock all the way around us.  On our way to Canakkale, where we would stay for our visit to Assos, we discovered we had blown the main sail at the 1st reef level.  We had almost made it an entire summer without needing a major repair!  Close, but no cupie doll.   In the light winds we had for the remainder of the trip that didn't help our pent up desire to sail. Saying that, the bigger problem is it's just never the right amount of wind from the right direction...While in Canakkale, high wind kept everyone in port for an extra day.  King took the opportunity to refit the wind generator and hook up the water maker.  Two jobs that had been put on the back burner as we rushed to catch our weather window to leave Romania.

Ostinato in Assos

In the tiny harbour of Assos, boats had strung their anchor lines from one side to the other creating an obstacle course.  As we entered, Ostinato immediately snagged one.  Somehow, King was able to back her off without much drama and on our second try made the run safely through.  We tied up to Amusant with our stern to a restaurant that provided us power.  Their only charge was a request to have a meal with them during our stay.  The cook was certainly up for that!

Fenders!  No room for fenders!

Dikili - The quay was jammed full of boats.  It was the first time Amusant had ever called to say they didn't think there was room for us. But we were lucky. As we sat in the center of the harbour a fishing boat sitting next to a small empty slip was preparing to leave.  With some serious pushing and prodding we just manage to squeeze in.  Not everyone was happy to see the "wide girl" on the quay.  Late that night, one captain did his best to talk King into moving across to the other side of the quay so they could have "their space" but when we offered to pay him for the spot he declined and managed to saddle up to us.   Let me just add, there were no open spaces on the other side.  Somehow boats moved in and out around us all night.  We were all exhausted in the morning.  It had been like trying to sleep in the middle of an expressway.  After a full day of exploring Pergamon, we decided to move a few miles down the coast to Bademli Limani where we could hopefully get some sleep.  We anchored in 10 ft of what looked like swimming pool water, in quiet winds, a clear sky, under a stunning full moon.  It was a real treat after the previous night.

The following day we had a lovely sail with the wind on our beam.  It was topped off by another night at anchor in Agilar Limani.  King and Bill had spent the previous night cleaning off the brown water marks on the port side.  Tonight it was the starboard side's turn.  During the work, Bill noted one of the shrouds holding the mast was without a  split pin.  While we all checked multiple times to make sure all had pins in place, one was obviously missed.  We were lucky.  And the boat looks great too!  NOTE:  My editor has reminded me that it was my job to check the pins.  Quote "you danced around that one pretty good"......guilty as charged.

Next stop was Kusadasi.  It was to be the nicest marina we visited.  Situated off a busy shopping district with plenty of ways to spend your money.  While I was ready to hit the stores, King was more

The Library at Ephesus was quite stunning......

....even the public
toilets survive

excited about finding an "East Marine" on site at the marina.  Yep, a franchise store of West Marine. The boy was beside himself.  A new anchor made its way onto the boat before we departed.  Kusadasi is the stopping point to visit Ephesus.  Sharing a car with Amusant, we spent the day exploring the fabulous ancient city.  From Kusadasi, we moved on to Didim, another of the Setur Marina group.  They did their best to talk us into staying the winter.  It was very tempting.  We counted over 30 catamarans there.  After being used to being the only one, it was a amazing.   The marina was high living with pools, exclusive restaurants, and shopping in the marina.  Not to mention Priene, Miletus and Didyma ruins close by.  I could get use to that.....but their winter live aboard community was was only 5 boats.  Finike was calling.

October 13 - Bodrum -We are tired.  Still plenty to see but everyone on board is close to overload and exhaustion.  Its time to settle in for the winter.  While the ports on our list to visit has shrunk considerably, we decide its time to strike a few more and get focused on moving south-east to Finike. Winds continued to be variable but mainly from our stern making for an easy cruise.  They were light enough that I was able to do laundry underway.  Knowing we would be in a marina for 6 months, we decided the rest of our time should be at anchor.  So when Marcia, our Shell Point neighbor and dear friend, suggested we stop in Knidos it didn't take much discussion to rearrange the list again. We left Bodrum mid morning after fueling and a pump out so we could get our Blue Card stamped in case we were stopped by authorities.  We arrived mid afternoon to discover a well protected horseshoe bay with beautiful crystal clear waters.  Surrounding the anchorage are the ruins of the ancient city of Knidos.  This is what I had been dreaming of.  I was ready to throw out all our plans to move on quickly.  I'm picturing a week sitting at anchor and exploring the ruins.... but there is always someone sensible aboard.  This time, it was King.  He reminded me we would have all next summer and promised we would return.

Ostinato (top middle) anchored in the 4th century BC harbour of Knidos

10/16 From Knidos we sailed to Bozuk Buku south of Fethiye.  I was disappointed we were not going to Fethiye.  My strongest memory of our trip 13 years ago was of the Lycian rock tombs on the rock face behind over looking the harbour. I had really looked forward to seeing them again.  We kept telling ourselves that we had all next summer to cruise this area so no need to add 2 days onto the trip. I also knew that after we were in the marina a week, we would be asking "what was our hurry".  We searched for a good hour looking for shallow enough water to anchor, without tying onto a tree. Our final choice was a spot fronting a small restaurant and swimming area in 30 feet.  Boat boys converged as soon as the anchor was set  .....vegis, bread?  I thought I was back in the Caribbean.  A free ride to the restaurant?  A glass of wine sounded lovely.  We ordered a round  ....and how about a little calamari? Yes, yes that would be nice.   All was enjoyed until the bill arrived.....100 TL!!!  (that's about $45) Ouch!  Another valuable lesson learned.

David and Wendy on Amusant decided to do the final jump to Finike from here...Ostinato was still 2 days away.  Our last anchorage of the year was near Kas in Bayindir Limani.  What a thrill it was to

Lycian tombs near Kas overlooking our anchorage

sail into the bay and see Lycian tombs on the hillside overlooking the anchorage.  Actually, anchoring was another issue.  While we arrived at 1500 in 30 knots of wind, it was 1800 before we were finally settled.....at a marina/restaurant dock.  Holding was poor in 35 ft but we kept at it, thinking we were set only to see us slowly dragging past the other Catamaran in the anchorage.  Finally both of us were dragging and dark was beginning to drift in so King threw in the towel and moved over to a small cover in the SE corner.  Finding nothing available less than 50 ft, we headed to the restaurant to see if we could squeeze in.  We did, but not before we wrapped the prop with the mooring line......and we were doing soooooo good!  Price for a slip was dinner in the restaurant.  Uh oh!  What a pleasant surprise to have a lovely meal for 3, with wine, and a slip for the night, for 95 TL.  Less that what we paid the night before for a glass of wine and an hors d'oeuvre.

10/18 - Finike - Another beautiful day.  The temperature started at 70 and slowly rose to 85.  We eased out of the slip at 0730 without drama.  (we are getting better ) Winds continued to be light so, with our reefed main, we motor sailed down the coast.  In Knidos, we were told that the dorado were running so Bill and King started putting out a fishing line.  Let me add here there has never been a fish caught from Ostinato. This includes close to 30 days at sea, crossing the Atlantic.  We caught a bird but I don't think that counts since we didn't eat him.  Anyway, you can imagine everyone's surprise when the line started whizzing.  You would of thought we had won the lottery.  A blue fin tuna!  The poor thing was only 15 inches long but hey....the boys had caught a fish!  The line went back in the water asap.  An hour later, another hit!  This time, maybe 20 in!  I didn't have to ask what dinner would be tonight.  NOTE:  The editor has lengthened the size of both fish by 3 inches.  The picture is below, so you can decide for yourself.

Ostinato's first fish! Wahoo!

Bill has sent this one in as "hard evidence"....you decide

We arrived at Finike Marina early afternoon.  The dinghy guys met us at the entrance and guided us to our new home......a side tie.  Really?  After we have been practicing our med mooring all the way down the Turkish coast!  And we have this really nice passerrelle (gang plank)....no matter. We are right across from the showers.  A primo spot!  Bob and Joanie, from Namir, one of the yachts we crossed the Atlantic with, met us at the docks just as they had in the Azores.  What a great surprise.  Minutes later, David and Wendy were also on the quay.  You would think we hadn't seen them in months.  The sum total of who we know in Finike were out to greet us.  Sweet.

As tradition requires, we joined the crew of Amusant for a champagne toast to celebrate the end of our journey.  It was quite the summer.

THE END............

Finke at sunset

View from Ostinato in Finike. The mountains will soon be snow covered!

Assos.....no, we did not climb the coliseum steps.

Assos beach

 The Sacred Way - Asklepion - The first hospital 

Temple of Apollo at Didyma

 Medusa at Didyma

Turkey has a bounty of fresh fruits and vegis

Ostinato's crew from Port Tomis to Finike

Ostinato's route summer 2014

The Donau, Dunaj, Duna, Dunav, Dunarea or....The Danube

Sept 8 - Belgrade - The trees and trash floating down the Sova into the Danube made me a bit concerned how the day would go.  I feared dodging trees all day would be a bit intense.  The guys have taken over steering duties this summer so today was my first day back on the wheel since our arrival in Amsterdam in late June. As soon as Ostinato was unattached from the restaurant, the current spun us hard to starboard and off we flew down river.  The good news was the worst of the floatsom stayed near the edges of the river.  For the first time in weeks, the sun was shining. A good day to be moving again.

We traveled to Veliko Gradiste at km1059...still in Serbia.  The town is a check in/out spot for Serbia but we hoped to be able to check-out further downstream since once done, we were told we cannot stop to anchor overnight until checked into the next country. Trying to find a place to tie up to make  requiries became a major ordeal. The first spot wanted €40 each.  The 2nd wanted €20 each for 2 hrs.  Overnight...the charges went through the roof. Not what I would call small boat friendly but of course we are the odd duck on this river. We finally anchored and Amusant put the dinghy in the water and chauffeured us to shore. English is limited but the officials worked hard to get us the info we needed. As we are in international waters we were advised we needed to check in with the Harbour Master each night. We had hoped that we could simply anchor if we stayed in Serbia and didn't get off the boat but apparently not....at least that was the local interpretation. We are getting low on fuel so unless we want to bring it in by taxi and jerry can, a dance with the Romanian police and immigration is in our near future. 

Sept 9 Kladova - Departed the anchorage in fog.  Our radar is sitting on top of the bimini along with the mast so of little use. Amusant takes the lead and kindly travels at a speed that allows us to keep her within sight. The floatsom continues to be a problem today. We pass large Islands of floating

The floods bring the garbage down river

plastic.  A need for a recycling program if I ever saw one!  Germany and Austria charge a deposit on plastic drink bottles and cans. As you might expect, you never see them laying around.  In any case, it is with all this  going on that we enter the Iron Gates, the most beautiful part of the southern Danube....now called the Dunav in Serbia.  We traveled through 3 steep sided gorges each followed by large reservoirs, each with its own beauty and relics.  No marinas in this area and the water depth was over 100 feet.  To facilitate barge traffic, the Iron Gate Dam was completed in 1984. The flooding resulted in resettling of entire towns and some archaeological sites. 

A recent addition but picture worthy

Our timing for the Iron Gates Dam was perfect. The green lights beckoned us in just as we arrived. Soon after two cruise ships entered the lock with us.  We apparently are high entertainment value.  I don't think anyone on board on the cruise ship doesn't have a picture of Ostinato and Amusant.  A third barge was making speed to be included in the party but the doors were closed on him just minutes before he arrived. You did not need to speak Serbian to know the captain was not a happy camper.  They even waited for us to leave the lock.  Another first. 

Shut the doors at the last minute on the barge heading in

This lock is actually two locks. Go down one and enter another and then go down some more. We were surprised to see a cruise ship waiting for us in the next lock. Now we knew why the barge was left out in the cold.  Hmmmm, how's this gonna work?  For the first time on this trip the little boats got to go first. As we exchanged position with the ship, another group of excited tourists got their cameras ready. One couple must have decided it was a sentinel moment as they arrived at their state room windows clad only in a towel. After we were settled, the cruise ships followed us in.  By the time all that was over we had all become friends with the guest and their tour director

Sept 10 Serbia/Romania. We tied up to tiny docks on the outskirts of ...... So we were ready to head

Beautiful sunset in Serbia

to the check-out pontoon early morning, hoping a bit of recon the night before had smoothed the way for a quick exit ....but no.  Three hours later we were finally released back into international waters and we traveled directly across the river into Romania.  Ostinato's fuel tanks were getting down to 1/4 full. It was time to fill her tanks. Since no one group does the entire "Welcome to my country.....Hope you can stay a while" process, check-in is always mysterious. Water police, customs and immigration. Sometimes the Harbour Master.  You go where they tell you. We take multiple copies of our papers along with our boat stamp that we had made at a Staples last trip home. They like our boat stamp....it says "SV Ostinato III ...Official Seal", along with our boat documentation #.  In any case, even the boat stamp didn't help.  At 2 hours we were allowed to move to the yacht club to purchase fuel but told we must return.

Fueling The wide girl was a problem as their fueling hose was only about 6 ft long. It reached the starboard tank but we still had to fill jerry jugs and drag them across the deck to fill the port tanks. Of course, this is the only hot day we have had in over a month. Two hour later, both of us near sun stroke, Ostinato pulls away from the dock so Amusant can finally take her turn. We return to the water police where we wait another 1 1/2 hours before our papers are returned and we are sent on our way.  

We had to tie up here for customs/immigration in Serbia.

With only a few hours of daylight remaining we began looking for an anchorage early.  We had tried several spots but the water was too deep near the shore or covered in fish nets.  We were relieved when David located a spot just before sunset.  Anchors were set and all retired early after a trying day. Little did we know that the one house located in this patch of Romania was apparently the local night club. Middle eastern music pumped out of the house from every crevice. This was accompanied by the continuous howling of dogs for 10 square miles.  It didn't matter.  We slept hard. 

These 4 building made up the entire village where we anchored
it was the loudest anchorage of the entire trip!

Sept 11 - Anchorage near Crivina-  it will forever be difficult to write that date. An alert from the American Embassy in Serbia came in this morning advising a high alert for acts of terrorism in Serbia.  We made a decision in Belgrade to take our US flag down before we arrive at our nightly anchorage. While we have never felt threatened, the incident in Germany has made us more alert to the fact that Americans are not always welcome. We cross into Bulgarian waters on out starboard side today.  I should add here that it has been a while since our Navionics Charts have been showing anything that even resembled a river.  A bit distressing to say the least.  We are mainly using ENC charts that King down loaded last winter on his lap top.  They have been a life saver.  The Raymarine screen is now only used to show us approaching ships via AIS.  Actually, unlike the materials we had available for the Rhine and the Main-Danau Canal, much of what we have is of little value.  If we were to do again, we would use the ------- books for the entire journey vs. the Die Donau by Kelheim and Meer simply because, as a non German reader, the first is easier to follow.

Ostinato in the lead with Amusant right behind us.
Our Navionics Charts were no help in this part of the Dunav.

btw...that's 15.4 kph not knots

We spent the night behind an island last night. A huge harvest moon lit up the sky. The only other light came from Amusant that was anchored nearby. Departure time was set for 700 the next morning but, apparently, somewhere along the route yesterday we crossed the time line....or at least David on Amusant did. Needless to say, he was ready long before our sorry butts crawled out of bed.  

One lock today. Since Romania is on one side of the river and Bulgaria on the other they have side by

Fire fighting equipment (not guns!) in the Bulgarian lock

side locks. We head to the Romanian lock and are told over the radio that we have green lights to enter.....hmmmm, don't think so. Those locks are closed. We finally figure out that the radio voice is coming from the Bulgaria side.  Off we go to the other side. As we enter, the first things I see are gun looking things mounted around the lock.  This makes me a bit tense until King shares they are fire fighting equipment. 

Forgotten beauties in Corabia Romania

Barge captains we encounter do not speak English.  Even getting a response concerning which side to pass them on has not been successful.  Thankfully, traffic is light. Our port tonight is Corabia. Along the way we pass horse drawn wagons flying along the Romanian side of the river. A large group of huge white pelicans welcomed us as we entered the harbour. We haven't seen those since home. Lovely. We tied up to Amusant who was tied up to two small boats that appear to have been permanently moored here so sometime in the 1950s. Next door they are depositing grain into large barges. Both boats were quickly covered in a film of dust. The positive news is a grocery and ATM is just up the hill.  After a quick visit by the Water Police, the refrigerator is once more filled with fresh fruits and veggies.  Based on the architecture, the town was once prosperous. Now, the once beautiful buildings are in decay.  We joined a line at the towns ATM and were surprised to hear the automated voice giving instructions to all in English....that would be British English, of course. 

Sept 12- Now that all watches have been synchronized, we prepared for a 0730 departure. Ten minutes before we are ready to untie Ostinato's lines, the Water Police arrive to request our papers.  At 0800, King takes a stroll to the Water Police station to see what's up and learns that the reason we took so long to check into Romania is that after they checked us in....they checked us out. Apparently thinking after we got fuel, we would check into Bulgaria. Soooo, they are now working to check us in....hopefully. King and David took another stroll at 0930. King returned quickly....all they need is our boat stamp on some papers and we are free to depart.  Gotta love that boat stamp. 

Weather is looking poor in the Black Sea so we decided both boats could use a lay day...or three.  The Romanian side doesn't have much to offer in the way of river cities for exploration so that means we must cross the river to Bulgaria and do the check out/in dance.  We arrived late to our Romanian check out spot so decided to spend the night in a small canal.  David nosed in first and radioed back that there was plenty of water.  After the fast flowing Donau, the quiet of the canal was immediately calming.  Fisherman waved and indicated they knew we had sought refuge to sleep.  David reached a

Catamaran fans in Giurgiu Romania

tiny yacht club but it was clear there was no room.  However, two guys that were just leaving the docks towing a small catamaran suddenly turned back and ask David is he was with the big Catamaran.  They would find room for us.  They had heard from a friend up river that a big Cat was coming.  We tied along side Amusant who in turn tied along side a faded red fishing boat. As soon as we were secure, we had to come out to meet the dogs who would patrol the docks during the night. It was decided the best course would be to stay on the boat.  The YC guys were catamaran fans.  King gave a tour of Ostinato and pictures were taken to show the sailboat up river that had originally reported a catamaran sighting.

With the exceptional dog bark, all was quiet until Wendy called for us to join her and David on deck about 2100.  The captain of the red boat we were attached to was here......and he was not happy.

Giurgiu Yacht Club

Posturing and explanations began.  Red boat captain in Romanian, King and David in English....and lots of arm gesturing by both.  It finally got down to how much for us to stay.  Red boat captain didn't care that we had paid the yacht club.  His boat wasn't in the yacht club.....or so we think that's what he said.  Red boat captain:  "50 Lira per boat".  King/David:  "no, no 50 Lira both boats".  back and forth this went.  Red boat captain was standing firm.  King:  "Fine, we will leave".  Red boat captain:  shrug... King:  "Sue, start the engines"....I might add here that I'm in my pj's.  It is pitch black on the river.  The engines break the silence of the river as they come to life.  Five minute later, its agreed 50 Lira for both boats.  Payment is made and everyone returns to their boats.  Fifteen minutes later, Wendy and David are back.  Red boat captain apparently took another look at the boats hanging off of him and began complaining about 2 boats.  I don't know if he thought Ostinato was 2 boats or just didn't process the first round of negotiations.  David told him no more Lira but gave him 2 beers.  That seemed to settle him down for the rest of the night.

Tied up to the barge for checking out of Romania at 0900.  It was not until 1300 that we were finally cleared  for departure.  There is something to be said for checking in/out at customs/immigration that have experience dealing with sport boats.  Most do not and you end up being treated like a large ship.  We immediately crossed the to Bulgaria and within 30 minutes we were on our way to the Ruse Yacht Club Marina.  It was easy to see there was no way Ostinato was going to fit.  A Swede moved a boat around so Amusant could squeeze in but while the finger peers were wide enough, a small boat was using the space and was chained to the dock.  We had begun to think that for the first time on this trip we would not be able to stay in the same location.  With some quick research, King found a phone number for the marina and the owner would said they would have the boat moved in 10

The Hoover

minutes....."of course there is room for you!"  Thirty minutes later, Ostinato was shoe horned into the spot with one small boat under it's stern, another sandwiched beside it and the pontoon and a third tied off it's bow.   Beautiful!  And they have a washing machine!  A Hoover.  I was never able to get it much below a 2 hour wash but I had no competition for its use so no complaints.

The marina owner recommended a local restaurant for our first night out in Ruse.  We joined Sven, our new neighbor on the Swedish boat and the crew of Amusant for a great meal.  Sven recommended the tomato salad with goat cheese.  Oh my, I haven't tasted tomatoes like that since I was a child.

By the time we were ready to leave, the marina had become quite international with a Swede, Brit, Belgium, German and, of course the Americans.  How we all squeezed in was remarkable and a tribute to Both boats are getting low on water so have begun looking for options.  The Ruse YC does not have potable water available.  However, Pontoon 10, a restaurant just down the river does and agreed to let us fill up our tanks and spend the night so we can have an early morning departure.  The cook is pleased as this means a night out.

Yachts from US, Sweden and Germany crowd the docks in the Ruse YC, Bulgaria

Sept 18 - 21 From Ruse to Silistra to Cernavoda.  All a blur until we entered the River Danube-Black Sea Canal, aka in the 1950's as "The Canal of Death".  I  am so ready to be off the river that, for once, I don't even raise an eyebrow at the name.  We had an uncomfortable night hanging off Amusant who was hanging off a boat on the Harbour Master's dock.  The river is rising again so the current that we were told would disappear continues to increase.  Last night we were give a lock time today for 0800 by Port Control.  Didn't want to be late so we were up with lines off at 0730.  Off down the channel we headed....until the voice of Port Control screamed at us over the radio.  "Where did we think we were going?" and on and on and on.  After we had had a good tongue lashing we were sent back to the harbour to wait. I think this was akin to being put in time out. We would call Port Control every 30 minutes or so to see if there was any news....no response.  Finally, two hours later we were finally told to head for the lock.....and we must hurry!

 Last view of the Danube as we turn off to the canal

Once inside the lock, paperwork was handed down in a can with a line attached.  The Lock Master

Lock Master lowers paperwork for us to fill out
the old fashion way by can and string.

was excited as we were his first American boat to go through the lock.  The canal is 64 km long and cuts of approximately 400 km off the journey to the Black Sea.  We reached the final lock of the trip in Constanta an hour later than we had hoped due to our delayed start.  It is not unusual for there to be a wait of several hours for them to fit you into the lock so there was little hope we would be able to reach Port Tomis before dark.  First, we had to pay lock fees. The Port Authority comes to you. We had tied up as instructed to the wall next to a ladder but the top 6 rungs were missing.   He informed us he needed to come onto the boat but when he saw the ladder, .....it wasn't necessary after all....and he had just been told there was room for us in the current lock so after a quick look at the passport and signing of papers we must hurry, hurry, go, go!  We would make Port Tomis after all!

Our last lock.  Hard to believe its all over.  We finally have the locks down pat.  No drama, no excitement.  Easy peasy.  Rafting, same.  Rafting in 5 knots of current....no big deal.  All those new skills.....I hope not to use again anytime soon!  And the people.  What wonderful people we had the opportunity to meet.  Now it's time to think about becoming a sailboat again and where are those seasick pills.  But we will think about that tomorrow....tonight it's time for champagne!

Ruse to Port Tomis in the Black Sea

A dig is Silistra.  Our last stop in Bulgaria

Not much room left in the lock for us after this came in

New ships heading down the canal

Welcome to the Black Sea!

Hungarian Hospitality

Wahalla

Saal - New crew has arrived.  Bill Harris, our neighbor from Shell Point, has signed back on bringing goodies from home and a willingness to crawl out of bed at the crack of dawn with a smile.  The rains have started and its feeling a lot like fall already.  We pass Regensburg and soon after hit our first big landmark, Walhalla; a monument to famous German's installed by King Ludwig I.  Unfortunately, there is no place to tie up so the best we can do is do a cruise by.

Passau – We arrived to find Amusant and Calypso tied up to a dock directly on the Donau.  No cleats....just tie your lines around a tree.  The dock master's wife stood guard outside our boat until King headed to the office to pay.  Amusant loaned Bill a bicycle so the 3 of us rode into Passau to explore for the day.  We were able to reach the cathedral for the 1200 organ recital.  Organ recitals are not a favorite of mine and I did not leave the concert a convert but it was a great opportunity to see, as King says "yet, another church".....We still had time to search out some coffee ice cream and find Bill a pair of blue jeans since King had told him it was warm so he could just bring shorts.

Bill using "Little Bill" power washer to clean off the decks

We departed MYC Passau at 0715 in a pouring rain and crammed into the schleuse with not one but 2 Viking River Cruise ships.  Amusant tied up to port and Ostinato on the starboard side of the schleuse.  Thankfully, no one appeared to be in Viking’s 1st class cabins at the stern or they may have been alarmed at the mast that was threatening their sliding glass doors!  As we exited the other side of the schleuse, the current looked like boiling soup.  The Viking ship ahead of us slid sideways around the corner making us pleased with the decision to delay passing him.   By 0930 the rain had slowed to a drizzle but the clouds sat defiantly atop each hilltop like little hats.     We crossed into Austria at 1030.  A new country, a new courtesy flag, a bottle of champagne to put in the fridge for later tonight!

Five schleuses our first day in Austria.  Traveling with four “sport boats” today.  We have caught up with the little French yacht “Calypso” who left the day before us.  Calypso has 6-8 twenty somethings aboard at any one time.  The crew depart and arrive on bikes…or vans… or trains.  We have met them off and on since Nuremberg.  They are also headed for Turkey, making a documentary about music along the way.  As we powered into our first schleuse, we kept hearing the schleuse master talking on the radio.  No one had a clue what he was saying.  We waited and waited for the doors to close.  Nothing.  Finally, he dangled a life jacket out his window and the “Mother Ship” passed the news along that everyone on deck had to have their life jackets on before the schleuse would close.  I have to think the activity that he prompted on all four boats was worth a grin from the schleuse master.

The Chapel in Melk Monastery was over the top

Austria has been an interesting change for cruising yachts.  Many towns along the Danau have created small docks to accommodate sport boats. This is a first. Our first night was spent at one, rafted alongside the “Mother Ship”.   We moored in a marina in Emmerdorf across the river from Melk the following night.  The €24 taxi ride to the monastery left everyone gasping but considering there were 5 of us crammed into the little taxi it wasn’t so bad.  Only €18 return.  Not sure how that worked.

Aug 20 – Vienna – 48.15N 15.18 E - The Mother Ship was fueling up as we arrived at the Weir Marina in Vienna.  Space was tight but David and Wendy had already negotiated a berth where the “wide girl” would fit.  The marina was as accommodating as their space would allow but the surge from passing ships was enough to make me sea sick!  Luckily, we were in Vienna so there was plenty to explore off the boat, palaces, Lipizzaner horses, gardens, and a fabulous collection of Gustav Klimt paintings at the Upper Belvedere.  While our time at the marina was limited, it was made extra special thanks to our boat neighbor, Hans, who surprised us with Vienna pastries for breakfast. Hans is looking for a small sailboat for his cruise around the world.  We are hoping that it will include a stop in to see us in Florida.  Our last night, just after we had returned to Ostinato in a blinding rain storm, I looked through the forward ports to see a bright white light heading directly for us.  I rushed out to investigate further and found Calypso with a big blue tarp wrapped over her top and all hands on deck as they head into the marina, desperately searching for safe haven for the night.  Finding nothing that would fit them at the end of the marina, back they came and snuggled up close to Ostinato.  Not a good idea with the amount of surge we had been experiencing so King and Bill led them down to the western marina entrance.  They were even able to find a spot under the bridge to provide some relief from their leaking hatches.

A favorite was the Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna

We had to purchase our Slovakia flag in Vienna

Aug 24 - Bratislava, Slovakia - We left the "Mother Ship" in Vienna this morning awaiting  a package that seems to have gone astray.  We have been together for so long that we all missed David’s free flowing commentary on channel 68.   It was a very fast ride between Vienna and Bratislava.  Top speed was 11.7K with an average of 11K.  Only one schleuse today and we timed it perfectly, entering just after 4 Viking Cruise ships exited.  So even after leaving after 1030, we were tied up in Bratislava by 1400.  The owner of the DoDo Marina/restaurant does not speak English but her grandson spent a year in Idaho as an exchange student.  Grandma runs the show.  It’s actually a family affair; Grandma manages the marina and restaurant, daughter cooks and provides taxi service and the grandson waits tables and provides interpreter services.  They keep a book of the boats that have visited.  We were able to find Angel Louise who stopped by in 2012 and Dora Mac who preceded us earlier this summer.  We are only the 2nd American boat to pass through this year.

The Harbour Master at DoDo Marina sends
us off with homemade sweet rolls

The Dock Master's daughter provided taxi service into town so we were able to spend a few hours investigating Bratislava.  Thankfully, there were lots of wine tasting opportunities on the street so we saved so euros, learning quickly that we were not fans of elderberry wine.   Since we had a private taxi, our last stop was the grocery where we could restocked the wine cellar.  I have to admit, the whites are barely drinkable and the reds could make you a non drinker.

Aug 26 - The weather is rainy and cold again today, low 50s to mid 60s.  Bill has asked Claire to pack his Duberry boots and some long socks.  He has also declared he will no longer take packing recommendations from Kingsley. Somewhere between Bratislava and Komarno, T-Mobile decided that we had crossed over to Hungary.  This was a bit surprising to us since we had planned another night in Slovakia.  We finally figured out that Hungary was on our starboard and Slovakia on port as we traveled down river.  Which brings me to another issue, what country is this?  Slovakia or Slovenia?  I am so confused.

August 27  Budapest – It was a quiet passage from Komarno to Budapest; only one schleuse and very little barge traffic.  The river continues to be wide but the channel is narrow in a few places….typically, when you are passing a barge, so there is no relaxing.  The Danau gets very narrow on this passage so ships are steered into a canal.  Since we don't have English language pilot books we decided not to risk it and followed the route of the big ships.

Pookie

King performed the hairpin turn off the Danau and headed into the canal past the marina with the swimming pool and washing/dryer to our new home in Budapest.   Peter, who we met earlier at a schleuse on the Main-Danube Canal, had graciously made arrangements for Ostinato and Amusant to tie up where he currently has his boat. This is not a marina, just a few boats tied up along the shore but we have power, water, wifi and security and the Metro is only a ¼ mile walk.  George, who had agreed to let us tie up to his home, with only knowing 2 big American boats were on the way,  was waiting to catch our lines and help us get settled in.  Within minutes, we were invited for a glass of wine, which we immediately accepted.  George, his beautiful wife Linda and their adorable pug, Pookie, not only entertained us but also took care of getting me to a dentist when I had a potential problem that I thought should be checked out before heading into Romania.  We were very well cared for.  Each day we roamed all over the tourist attractions….and the grocery stores, and each night a special activity occurred.  We got together with Peter and caught up on his trip after he and Tomas left us on the Main-Donau Canal. The following night was a cookout with George and Linda’s friends and father from Tasmania; this was followed by an evening dinner cruise aboard Amusant to take in Budapest lights at night.  Fireworks lit up the sky as we passed by the castle.  Our final night, Linda and George took us to Szentendre, a small town artist village on the Danou that we had not previously seen because ships are routed around it by canal due to its shallow waters.  A festival was going on….for us?....but of course!!  They led us to a small café owned by an American from Seattle.  While the owner wasn’t around we enjoyed a little jazz.  Even Pookie liked it....or was that the cheese tray.  It was a perfect last night.

Budapest kept us busy during the day also.  All the major tourist sites were covered.  Our favorite?  While the Opera was stunning, the Thermal Baths were tops!  We hopped from tub to tub for over 2 hours, first steaming, then freezing.  The sauna, however, was another thing….80 to 100°C.  King opened the door and the hot air took his breath away.  We settled on one a little less life threatening….a mere 40°- 60° C.  We returned to Ostinato feeling like jelly so it was not a hard sell when it was suggested we stay another day.

The entrance to the Thermal Baths in Budapest

The rain started about 2100, complete with thunder and lightning.  Another day in Budapest was looking like a real possibility.  At 600 it was still raining but we decided to crawl out of bed anyway….just in case it cleared.  Sure enough, by 730 the skies began to lighten and the rain stopped.  King was quickly bringing in power cords and hoses that had been connected to our host and within minutes we were waving goodbye to George, Linda and Pookie. 

The rain held till we passed under the Chain Bridge (the first permanent bridge to connect Buda and Pest) and for the rest of the day heavy clouds hung low over the water.  It was a soup kinda day.

September 1 - Our last night in Hungary was a stop in Baja.  The marina did not take credit cards.  That meant our work to spend all our Forints was for not.  Another trip to the cash machine.  King lured me off the boat with a proposal of dinner in town.  Not a hard sell.  Everyone returned and fell into bed.  Even the availability of the Internet couldn't keep us awake.

September 2 - Up and off the dock by 0700.  The goal was to check out of Hungary, into Serbia and reach the town of Apatin.  Check-out was a breeze.  We were waved to shore by an official that was watching us with his binoculars...as I was watching him through mine, motioning for us to tie at a ship that had a row of flags.  One could only guess this must be the place.  Checking into Serbia was another story.  3 1/2 hours after we tied up we were finally sent on our way. Picture lots of waiting on the steps watching stray dogs do what stray dogs do when one is in heat.

We continued down river in soft but persistent rain.  The landscape is not one that encourages me to stay outside, so much of the time I hole up with my latest John le Carre’ spy novel and start a stew.  Already stew weather.  What the heck happened to summer?    Although we have checked into Serbia, the river moves in and out of Croatia.  Sometimes Croatia is on starboard, sometimes on port, sometimes on both sides.  The borders must have been designed by the same guys that did Florida’s Legislature boundaries. As advised by the barge captain when we checked-in at Bezdan, King took the Serbian flag down and ran without any up during the 5k that Croatia was on both sides.

There is little industry along the river and we pass under only two bridges today.  Barge traffic is minimal; two going north and one passed us heading south.  The current is also a bit calmer today.  Without fanfare ….in other words, not ALL parties were informed…. King changed the Ray Marine to show kilometers vs. knots.  I was a bit alarmed during one of my hourly loops about the boat when I noted that we were going 18 KNOTS!  Bill quickly informed me that we were not in kilometers and gently pealed me off the back of the steering station.  

The marina fuel dock was broken so the guys had to hand carry it in at Apatin...in the rain.

As we passed Dalj, we began to see the remnants of war that still litter the landscape; abandoned homes and buildings, some riddled with bullet holes.  My knowledge of the conflict here is limited and I miss the ability to have information at my finger tips.  How dependent we have become on the Internet.  Knowing we would need to anchor tonight, we began searching for a spot early.  The entrance appeared too narrow for our first choice but only 5k further down river we found plenty of room for both Ostinato and Amusant to anchor for the night.  Only 107 k today but Novi Sad, our next stop, is only a few hours away tomorrow.

Sept 4 Novi Sad -  Turned off the Danau at 1100 and motored slowly behind Amusant up the

George moved boats around to make room for us to dock in Navi Sad.

channel.  Hundreds of small boats sit quietly at their dock.  People along the way motion for us to continue on.  We finally reach one that motions us in and quickly begins to move boats around so we can fit.  Amusant on dock and Ostinato tied along side.  We have arrived at the “yacht club”.  The marina is owned by George (another one), an attorney in Navi Sad.  He shared that they have had 20 yachts stop this summer on their way south; Sweden, Netherlands, Germany and Dora Mac, from the States.   Three U.S boats in one summer must be some kind of record.

The girls were swooning
over the acordian player

Camilliocromo Beat Band

What was to be a quick trip into down-town Novi Sad turned into a day long affair.  They were having a music festival!  The headliner group, The Harlem Gospel Choir.  Our favorite, however, was a jazz group Camilliocromo Beat Band from Florence, Italy.  I have never seen a sexy accordion player but this guy had the girls swooning.  The entire band was great.  We are made to feel very welcome during out time in Serbia.  There is however, the occasional taxi driver or office worker that reminds you that not everyone in this part of the world is a fan of the U.S.

Bridges are few and far between across the Danou now.  Those that exist, appear new.  Traffic is almost non existent.

September 5 - Belgrade -  The rains continue.  We hear from George and Linda, our hosts in Budapest.  They inform us they are at flood stage and the waters will continue to increase our way for a few more days.  We are beginning to have the need to dodge floatsom, including some very large tree limbs. Ostinato tied up at Vodenica Restaurant on the Sava River.  There was plenty of room for both Amusant and Ostinato.  No cleats, our lines were simply wrapped around the railings and under picnic tables.  Our power cord was a major hazard as it was draped across the floor of the porch which was typically filled with diners.....who we climbed past as we exited from the boat.   No one seemed to mind.  

Our timing for Belgrade was as perfect as Navi Sad. Just in time for multiple festivals going on

The men are in charge of making the fish soup

throughout the town.  The Fish Festival had the most impact as it became apparent very quickly that we were tied up square in the middle of the annual event.....complete with bands.  Fish Soup and Mussels were the specialty.  Each being served from huge cauldrons.  In another part of town we stumbled across a classic car show with a jazz band.  We zipped past the cars in hopes that it was the same band we had heard in Navi Sad. No such luck but the music was still worth some time taking a seat on a park bench.  We spent the remainder of the day wandering around looking at a mishmash of architectural styles ranging between art nouveau to Russian drab.

You just never know what your going to see on the water

This following doesn't fit well anywhere but I feel like it needs to be added.  The rivers have been exceedingly clean during this trip, even with the considerable flooding we have experienced.  However, I'm sad to report that has changed since we cleared into Serbia.  It is not unusual to see garbage strewn down hillsides into the river. The litter strewn along Belgrade's water front was disturbing.  With the flooding, all of this will be moving downstream towards the Black Sea.

September 8 - Bill leaves us this morning and heads off to meet Claire in Frankfort for her son, Tommy's wedding.  King and I will also depart Belgrade early as we continue our journey south towards Romania. We are unlikely to have an internet connection good enough to support the blog for the next couple of weeks so we will see you in the Black Sea.

A present from Peter for the crews of Ostinato and Amusant
Alcohol 51% -  This will take a very brave person!

Our beautiful hostess, Linda and Pookie 

 David/Wendy and our host, George 

A view of Budapest Parliament as we travel down the river

A view of Pest from the Buda side

Serenaded from the balconies in Savi Nad

King moves behind the counter in Navi Sad to give a little instruction on simm cards

The Opera in Budapest

Chess in the park in Brastlava