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SVN Solovelanet Global
In any case, The Black Sea seems an ideal place
to explore for a curious boater. It is a place which
provides endless historical and cultural inspiration,
whose vicissitudes have been intertwined with our
own for three thousand years. It is the place where
Constantine moved the capital of Rome and has
also been part of the Byzantium, Ottoman and
Russian empires since that time. So – looking for
otherness and ending up finding yourself at the end
of a journey back in time: how quaint!
Around five in the morning the air begins to lighten,
the wind has dropped and the sky appears grey;
it is probably going to rain. It's my first sunrise in
the Black Sea and I want to enjoy it and so, despite
my drowsiness, I avoid taking any further twenty-
minute naps. I prepare the mocha pot but before the
coffee is ready a fine, light, almost intangible rain
starts to wet the deck and the cockpit, forcing me to
wear the oilskin to stay outside. There is mist and,
although the GPS shows me that I am a few miles
from my destination, I see only water around me.
Meanwhile the wind drops further and I am forced
to start the engine. This is no bad thing because I
need to recharge the batteries as they were getting
tired after so many hours underway and, because
of the rain, without much support from the solar
panels.
This is not an impromptu voyage; it has been
On top, the ancient walls that face
and overlook the Bosphorus Strait.
Dating back to 1450, they were
erected in defence against pirate raids.
Here above, the small village of Nesse-
bar in Bulgaria. Here below, ancient
and precious houses on the Bosporus
