Is Black Sea a 'Dead End' ?

[skipper3]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Apparently, According to the report, to which I linked, the allegations originate with Ivan Ivanov, of the Bulgarian River Shipping company.

True or not, I wouldn't think that thieves seeking grain (etc) would find much interest in most cruising yachts.

I agree: If we dig deep we can find that this whole fuzz has its roots in no other source but the declarations of Bulgarian officials who just woke up now to blow the whistle, after 40 alleged attacks! C'mon guys, let's get serious!

And I would rather believe that "according to a publication by the Glas Javnosti newspaper from today, the pirate attacks in Serbia were nothing more than collaboration between foreign sailors and local smugglers." This is quite an old love affair and very lucrative for all the parties involved.

Navigating the Rhine-Danube raises indeed a lot of problems but piracy is not amongst them. They might be about draft, currents, traffic, beaurocracy, lack of proper marinas, but, for God's sake, not piracy!
Happy sailing!

[Oyvind]

I haven't come around to this forum for a while, so sorry I haven't responded on the piracy issue. I only know what I read, here are some linkies to articles related to this:

Romanian Danube Section is a Hot Spot . The article is from an Austrian source and not dated, so I have no idea what the current situation is like.

There were also some reports last year of piracy on the Serbian part: Balkan Travellers - Pirates from Serbia Attack Bulgarian Ships on the Danube, although Serbian police denied that there were any organized pirate gangs on the Danube: B92 - News - Crime & War crimes - MUP denies claims of piracy on Danube

[catakate]

Pirates on Danube in Romania?? )))))) I wish I was born in that era, IF there was such an era!!! We had quite a few "Robin Hood"s but they only used horses and lived in the forests. Historically, fish was the meal of the poor, so no rich fisherman around here, although Danube still provide for a well established caviar black market.
Just to update the info for those abroad, Romania is an EU member since 2007. I use to go phishing on the Danube for days, set a tent camp in the forest and slip under open sky, barrow a small power boat from the locals and drink a few bears with the guys in uniforms.. you don't want to be a pirate and have the Romanian police on your tail, that's for sure! The communist regime was built on fear and oppression by political police, much of that still resides in people's mind, if there were any pirate, in a couple hours it would be live on 5-6 news only tv channels, not to mention the mainstream media.
Ohh, and there's the Danube Delta for those of you who like phishing and bird watching, think of an Amazon near by Not 100% friendly for a fin keel though

[yeloya]

Along with pirates which I am not familiar with, terrible buraucracy in ex-soviet countries, I should rather mention that most of the time the black sea is underestimated by many foreign sailor.
Here in Turkey we say "black sea has only to ports; Sinop and the month of July.."
(Sinop is a city in the northern tip of Turkey on black sea with a well protected port)

All year around , a bit less in July, you may face with very strong northerlies at short notice. The waves are very steepy and their lengths are very short. In my view sailing there is way more riskier than Atlantic passage in the right season. If you get cought in bad weather, there are very few shelters..

Cheers

Yeloya

[catakate]

@yeloya: I know of a Turkey saying that speaks of four ports, two being July and August!
That's possibly one reason for being called Black: Why is the Black Sea named the Black Sea
Still, those times are gone, although the sea is still said to be very rough. I know of 3 marinas in Romania going south from the Danube Delta: Tomis (north of Constanta, public administration, poor services, low security, expensive), Eforie Nord (barely a marina but could provide some shelter) and Mangalia (best choice if you have a choice). Bear in mind that Constanta port, although a big cargo port having a dam that stretches out some 3 miles from the shore, is sometimes closed on short notice, due to very heavy storms. Never heard of one in the summer in 40 years, though.
Going south, you will find Varna, Nesebar, Burgas, Sozopol and possibly a few others I don't know about. I invite my Bulgarian neighbors to share their knowledge!

[catakate]

Just a quick add, wanted to post this before but couldn't find it.
Black Sea - a Cruising Guide on the World Cruising and Sailing Wiki

[catakate]

Charts, regulations and more info in many languages available here: Schifffahrt: Navigation

[Player311]

I think that piracy on the Danube in Rumania (lower) means dirt poor romani/gypsies stealing from boats. When I was sailing down the Danube in 2010 I was warned by local boatowners about this, and a fellow sailor was also visited one night at anchor. I don't think it's a big problem, and it is probably exaggerated by some Rumanians. No one ever told me about the "pirates" being aggressive. I'm not even sure the "pirates" are romani (there is much animosity towards these people).

Apart from the ports/marinas mentioned: Sulina (last port on the danube, not a marina, big sailboats can berth alongside the quay), Baltchic (northernmost marina in Bulgaria), Varna, Burgas and Tsarevo (souternmost port in Bulgaria). Between Tsarevo and the Bospouros there are no ports of entry/exits in Turkey

[wasafari]

As to Bulgarian coast of Black Sea there are links which will give you some impression:[URL="http://www.dineviresort.eu/en/, [URL="http://www.marinasozopol.com"

[haaho]

Mrina Dinevi, YACHTPORT "MARINA DINEVI" ST. VLAS BULGARIA , mentioned above, is near one of the biggest bulgarian summer resort, Sunny Beach. Several milion tourist, mainly foreigners visit it during the season. And if drunken english-speaking teenagers can survive sleeping, f*king and vomiting on the beach, I think that the tough sailors can too

The news about Danube pirates between Romania and Bulgaria were also very funny.

[S/V Antares]

My Cousins Lisa Borre and David Barker cruised the Black Sea and wrota a very comprehensive guide that was published last year.

Check out their blog with links to the guide and other fun stuff
Gyatso Sailing Log | Adventures while cruising in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Black Seas on a Tayana 37 sailboat

[jvallentine]

Originally Posted by Ocean Roads

So I have been looking at my charts every night planning my trip in a few years, and I have read stories of boats that have sailed the Black Sea and visited Istanbul and such.

So, once you sail past Istanbul from the Med into the Black Sea, is the only way out of the Black Sea the way you came in?

Does the Black Sea connect to the Caspian Sea?

S.

No, the Black Sea is very definitely not a dead end.

In 2013 we completed a journey from the Arctic through Russia to the Black Sea via the Volga and Don Rivers in our Peterson 46 "Tainui. We have prepared a cruising guide covering the waterways from Norway via the White Sea to Kerch in Ukraine ("See "Sailing Through Russia") and this is available on Amazon.

This is a wonderful 4 month voyage. The Russian bureaucratic issues are very manageable, the waterways stunningly beautiful, the people honest, helpful and generous-spirited and the whole experience absolutely unique.

We intend to return to Russia next year to complete the 100 mile section east from Volgograd to the Caspian, although that sea does not itself provide fertile cruising grounds.

If you want specific information, drop me a note at jvallentine@gmail.com

Russia's annexation of Crimea will not inhibit you.

A couple of points - yacht air clearance is limited to 13 metres because of bridge heights, a fluent Russian-speaking crew member is absolutely essential,

[valhalla360]

While I love the idea of doing the Russian river system, the red tape makes me leery.

We did do the Danube from Budapest to the German border this spring...admittedly on a cruise ship. I wouldn't want to try to go upriver. There were sections where the buoys were almost completely underwater due to the strong current. At some points it was running better than 6kts.

Downriver, it seems very doable. There were small marinas periodically and the river was well marked. A great way to see several major historic cities.

[chuckr]

We are in the Black Sea right now in Odessa -- we left Kusadasi in late april and went north Turkey, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine - you can not stop in Crimea unless you do now want to stop in Ukraine and want potential hassle from other EU and perhaps Turkey if they see that stamp in your passport - if you from the usa it could be worse -
leaving the Black Sea going north along the river system can me a challenge as you are running upstream and we have heard that at times the current can be quite stiff and with a sail boat that can be a challenge.
The Russian side can be interesting but you really have to work at it and our visa was good for only 29 days and there are no extensions - at least that was what we were told as we wanted to stay a few extra days. And it can be expensive - they require an agent who is not cheap and they are not use to small boats so you some interesting charges like linehandlers when you go and someone grabs your lines and you have no choice in them grabbing your lines. On the other hand the agent can work miracles for you -

THe area between Poti and Sochi is off limits as both the Russians and Georgians told us to stay at least 20nm off the coast due to pirates. it is the wild west there - Our course made that very possible so no worry - there are lots of small ports along the north coast of Turkey that are very welcoming as they never see small boats -
the weather is another issue all together - you really have to watch the weather as a small little blow where you are is much bigger way out but the seas get up quickly and on a short steep interval -
and bring lots and lots of spares - we are currently sitting Odessa waiting on fuel filters - we had 6 extra when we came in and down to one and we are not going to take a chance as we head to Romania and Bulgaria as the dock manager found us some but it will take a week to get them. and we lost a bilge pump switch and the agent in Sochi found us one - not exact but we made it fit -
good luck but what a ride so far - but it is getting on in the season and we need to get out of here before the fall winds set in a really delay us and we want to go inland in Bulgaria