4 - Istanbul in Detail

Istanbul offers a lot for a yachtsmen but as I explained above it makes more sense to go south which is simply magnificant. Pollution of the sea and air is the primary issue in the Turkish unofficial capital. Then there are the huge numbers of ships, commercial and tourist passanger ferries, boats. Istanbul seaways, particularly the Bosphorus is crowded all year around.

I do not recommend bringing and keeping your boat in Istanbul for long periods. I would certainly recommend a visit to Istanbul and see the specific page here but better leave your yacht south and come by plane and stay in a hotel. Istanbul marinas are not desirable for afloat stays and marina facilities are not very good because people stay at their homes and not on their boats. If you wish living afloat, try southern Turkey, not Istanbul.

Having said that, for short term discoveries, I would strongly recommend you discover all Istanbul waterways by boat. Other than your boat, you can rent small motorboat (ranging from cheap and fun amateur fishing boats to expensive motor yachts) or simply take the official ferries. There is even a special ferry that travels along the Bosphorus.

Entrance to Bosphorus

You will see the historical Haydarpaşa train station on the Anatolian side and Sarayburnu area with Topkapı Palace on the European. Haydarpaşa Station is one of the major symbols of Istanbul for it was the arrival point for Anatolian immigrants. (On the European side there was Sirkeci Train Station where millions of Eastern European Turks returned to Turkey during the final era of the Ottoman Empire.)

Haydarpaşa Train Station

Hayparpaşa from the sea

Then there is the Maiden's Tower. This lovely historical structure is one of the symbols of Istanbul. There are many different legends regarding its history. One thing is certain. It has a breathtaking beauty and you should see and preferably visit it. Maiden's Tower was used for many different purposes including tax collection center, defense station, quarantine hospital and now a restaurant. Below is the link to the official web site.

http://www.kizkulesi.com.tr/en/Default2.asp

Maiden's Tower

Make sure to leave this small island to your starboard while cruising towards the Black Sea. It is not safe to cruise between the island and the Asian side of Bosphorus.

Haydarpaşa and Kız Kulesi are beautiful but the real jewels are on the European side. Topkapı Palace and Golden Horn offer unexplainable beauties if you arrive by boat. Why ? Well, it is hard to describe the unexplainable but I will just say it has one hundred times the magic you might come across in a Middle Eastern's colorful, exotic yet mystique culture. You can buy luxury goods, you can have big and gorgeous buildings made, you can have nice trees grown or planted and but you can not recreate history. And Sarayburnu, Topkapı was the nerve center of the Ottoman Empire who ruled over a 6,000,000+ km2 (EU is 4.3m km2) territory spanning several continents.

My favorite cruising point is being around the Golden Horn. It is like facing a beautiful dream in reality, the setting sun awashing all the details of life with its soft, ambient light, which upon touching the surface of the sea, producing millions of tiny sparks making the sea glow in beauty. On one side you cruise next to history as if in an open water museum. On the other you are next to Istanbul ferries and fisherman breathing not only sea air but also the dynamism of Istanbul.

Once again I have the transcendental feeling as immemorial history, beautiful nature and the dynamic yet mystique spirit of Istanbul are all lived together. The best way to describe Istanbul, but especially the Golden Horn area is that a time traveler left his time-gate open and the beauties of a distant era is flooding in and mixing with nowadays ! It simply feels transcendental.

Here are some photographs from Golden Horn Area. They certainly do not reflect what I described above. Those photos I will try to capture !

Towards Galata Bridge

Mosque at Eminönü

Same Mosque Viewed from Galata Bridge

Bosphorus

My recommendation is that you sail until the Black Sea following the Asian side and then return back through the European coast. Weekends will be very crowded but summer weekends offer lots of fireworks so make sure to enjoy cruising under them ! Bosphorus has significant ship traffic so you must avoid them. Steer clear of the shipping lane ! There is also very heavy passanger (commercial and tourists) traffic outside the shipping lane and those ferries do not care much about the rules of the road. So you will navigate against strong currents, heavy traffic, macho local skippers and large ships going no less than 15 knots.

 

Arnavutköy under Fog

Ortaköy

Bosphorus at Night Time

Along the Bosphorus are the many expensive houses called “Yalı”, several high and many low-end night clubs plus thousands of amateur fisherman which produce a constant danger to vessels and their passangers that navigate closer than 50 meters to the shore.

Prince Islands

There is not so much to see about these islands though a visit is recommended. In the past they were truly exclusive for the non-Muslim Turkish community enjoyed living on these islands and have brought with them a good qualty of life, particularly on Büyükada, the largest of Prince Islands. Nowadays they are gone, so as the quality. The islands are still somewhat nice and deserve a visit, especially by bicycles but avoid them on summer weekends. Commercial ferry is the best option but you can go on a day cruise with your yacht. There is only one reliable anchoring area and it is usually overcrowded so I would not take my boat there.

Here are some photos from a winter visit to the Prince Islands by Bosphorus Ferry...

Bosphorus Ferries at Kabataş

 

Sunrise Over Haydarpaşa

Kınalıada in Winter

Büyükada - Ferries are very, very nostalgic. A must for poets !