Yachting World — February 2018

N

Black

Bosphorus Sea

Mediterranean Sea

EUROPE

SICILY

MALTA SANTORINI

ITALY

Athens ASIA

Istanbul

nautical miles

0 1 2 3 4 5

Black

Sea

Golden

Horn

Therapia Bay

Büyükdere Bay

Sea of

Marmara

The

Bosphorus

Kandilli

Khanlijeh

Arnavutköy

Istanbul

Istanbul

Rumeli

Hissari

Fortress Anadolu Hissari

Fortress

Therapia

Resort

Devil’s Current

Dolmabahçe

Palace

Çiragan

Palace

Leander’s/

Maiden’s

Tower

From Malta,
Sicily and Santorini

Büyükdere

EUROPE

ASIA

GREAT SEAMANSHIP

towards the Old City, a magnificent skyline of domes

and minarets, shrouded in dust-smog.

To the north we could see the long waterfront of the

Dolmabahçe Palace – a massive confection in greying

marble that had helped to ruin the Ottoman regime.

‘Dolmabahçe’ means ‘filled-in garden’. Originally it had

been an inlet, but one of the sultans had filled it in so as to

make a park and pleasure gardens right on the water’s

edge, close to the heart of the city.

Finding that we had the current with us – a back eddy

close inshore – we stopped the engine to cool it. This

counter-current could be used by any boats small enough

to go close, alongside the rocks. We continued northwards.

I was at the helm, keeping only 18 inches off the rocks with

our fair-weather mainsail and the help of the back eddies.

The city lay on both sides of us as we sailed. The separate

villages were linked to Istanbul only by the bevvy of some

30 coal-burning ferry-steamers. Crab was such an

improbable craft in which to venture on that waterway.

Enjoying a following wind, Crab skimmed along. But

now progress against the shore was at zero, and so at

10:45 am we re-started the engine. An hour later we had

reached Arnavutköy Point, Akintu Burnu, where the crabs

opted to go upstream overland. Suddenly a formidable

strength of current sweeping round the point confronted

us. It would not help to cross to the other side: Kemal had

told us about the race that could run at eight or nine knots

at Kandilli on the Asian side, and about how the current

swept across the Bosphorus to strike the point at

Arnavutköy, where once again a tremendous race could

develop. So this was the ‘Devil’s Current’. We were in it!

In addition, we had picked a time when current and wind

were in direct opposition, which made for plenty of spray.

The engine spluttered and gave out – just as it had when

crossing the Straits of Messina.

Exploring the Asiatic shore

Under fair weather sails the boat was slicing through the

water at four knots, heeled hard-over, but against the land

was making no progress at all. It was almost midday

already. We decided to cross to the Asiatic side and see if

we could find back eddies that would help us along. It was

then that we discovered a flaw in Rhys Carpenter’s

academic argument that merchant ships could not get up

the Bosphorus. His theory – that what triggered the

opening up of the Black Sea to trade with the

Mediterranean was purely and simply the development of

the 50-oared penteconter, a precursor of the Viking

longboats – had overlooked the evidence on the ground.

We crossed over to a protruding headland on the Asiatic

side, and I at once noticed a path close to the water’s edge

and suggested I went ashore with a towrope. I found,

however, that I hadn’t the strength to get much leverage

against the current. But then suddenly I found the weight

taken from me. Unnoticed, someone had arrived from

nowhere to help pull. Our log says that we were using both

mainsail and oars, and also had one person ashore with a

tow line, and moved upstream ‘with the help of a man on

shore’. As I read it, I remembered the scene. I later read, in

Michael Pereira’s book on Istanbul, that in the days before

Top: Penny Minney

at the helm of

the boat. Above:

safely alongside

Maggie Nelson

72 February 2018