Ayvalik to Canakkale – Into the Dardanelles

Departing Ayvalik, the marker we just cleared on the way in!

On departing Ayvalik we decided to spend two nights in the Ayvalik archipelago, a good decision. The wind was in the NW and there seemed little point in battling to windward when there were some delightful anchorages to be explored in the islands here. Sailing out of the Ayvalik Limani through the narrow channel was not an option with the wind in this direction and so we opted for the engine for the first part of the trip. In the end we motored all the way to our overnight anchorage in Poroselene, preferring to motor to windward and arrive before darkness rather than try to sail there, arriving after sunset.

Panorama of Poroselene bay, Ayvalik archipelago

The anchorage is delightful; the hills on the islands were lush and green and the anchorage had some of the appearance of a Scottish loch. It was warmer though! For the first night we anchored on the western side of this bay, intending to move round to Patricia Limani next morning; however, on waking to a NE wind next day we changed plan and simply moved across the bay to the NW side and anchored off a delightful, long, sandy beach there; much more protected in this wind than Patricia Limani.

Poroselene Bay, Ayvalik archipelago, at sunset

After two days here we sailed off the anchor and set off for Sivrice, a large bay on the southern coast of Turkish peninsula, facing south towards the Greek Island of Lesbos. This bay, although open to the south, is a good stop on this coast with winds from the N. By 1700, after a mixture of sailing and motoring, we had anchored in the bay; about three boats lengths from a single orange mooring buoy in the eastern end of the bay. A quick swim to check our anchor had set properly, confirmed that it was in light weed but seemed to have dug in well enough. The mooring looked decidedly dodgy with a rather decrepit rope attached to the buoy and tied to the centre of the stock of an old anchor, lying on its side, on the bottom. We were to discover the significance of this mooring when we were woken by the siren of a small Coastguard launch, at 0200, when they came in off patrol. They insisted we were too near their mooring and insisted we move, despite the fact that we were actually longer than they were and there was ample clearance. We did move, all of 50m. By the time we awoke at 0800 they were already gone, so I have no idea how long they remained on the mooring, but I would not have wanted to trust Kurukulla to it.

From Sivrice we sailed off the anchor and enjoyed a splendid beam reach to the headland at Baba Burnu, noting as we passed that the harbour at Babakale was now enlarged and was accommodating several yachts of our size (12m) or larger; if we had known that it was an option we would have elected to pass the night there, a much more interesting looking town.

On passing the headland the wind rapidly veered by 180 deg and increased to 25kts, it was going to be a long beat from here to our next port of call, Bozcaada, now 20 miles to windward! In the event, after the first few tacks, the wind continued to veer and we eventually laid the course to the south coast of the island of Bozcaada on starboard tack.

Panorama of Bozcaada S coast

By 1630 we were close enough to the coast to drop the sails and motor the last 500m into an anchorage off a beach at the eastern end of the southern shore. Because of the preponderance of off-lying rocks near the shore we elected not to sail into the anchorage and finally anchored in 6m, 100m from the shore! Along the line of the beach there was a quite nasty rocky shelf up to 40+ m from the sandy shoreline, one to watch out for if anchoring here.

Bozcaada castle

After a night and a day in the anchorage, in the evening of the second day, we decided to move the 6miles into the harbour at Bozcaada and to do a tour of the castle and town.

Street restaurants of Bozcaada

Having been a military island for much of its recent history Bozcaada is only just discovering its tourist potential. The town is delightful, with a really well preserved Genoese Castle. Well worth a visit.

Departing Bozcaada

Having delayed our departure in order to fit in a tour of the castle we finally departed Bozcaada harbour at 1030 the following day and set off for the Dardanelles. With the wind on the nose, a foul current and time pressing we took the easy option and motored to windward, being put to shame by two French registered yachts, well ahead of us, beating stoically to windward.

Canakkale marina, on a grey day

Needless to say we overtook them but not before they had put on an impressive challenge, the strong currents of the entrance to the Dardanelles finally carried them into the distance behind us.

ANZAC Memorial, N of ANZAC Beach

Canakkale marina, on a grey day

Our intention was either to anchor in the bay at Anit Limani, under the British and Turkish war memorials, or to head on up to the Marina at Canakkale. In the event the strong, NE, winds decided us that Canakkale was the better option. The tour of the battlefields would have to wait. After 7 hours and only 28 miles to windward we moored up in the marina at Canakkale to await Mervyn, the next joining crew member, who was due to join pm the next day. With the winds forecast to blow 40+ kts, directly down the straits, we abandoned plans to sail early on the Sunday morning and settled for a battlefield tour instead.

Australian Memorial

The words of comfort by Ataturk

Unknowingly we had booked the “ANZAC tour” and found ourselves visiting many of the ANZAC landing beaches, monuments and cemeteries containing many of the the 8200 Aus and 2700 NZ soldiers who died there but not seeing any of the French or British (UK) positions, nor the Turkish or British (UK) memorials.

The landing bays at Suvla viewed from The Nek

Needless to say the tour guide, playing to the crowd, was keen to reinforce the Australian and New Zealand perspective that the heavy fighting was all done by the ANZACs', not quite the full story.

NZ Memorial

We were not shown any of the many cemeteries in the southern end of the peninsula where the graves are predominantly of the 34,000 UK soldiers who died in the Gallipoli campaign. That said the casualty figures have to be taken in perspective when considering the relative population sizes of the countries involved. Overall, at the end of the campaign, the Turks had lost slightly more people than all of the allies combined!

Trench warfare display at the waterfront, Eceabat

Our plan is to leave early on Monday morning when the winds are due to have abated. More when we are underway again.