S/V Aphrodite

Brisa is the newest crew member of Aphrodite. She is a Portugese Water Dog (Cão d’Água) from Lagos, Portugal. We met her mother, Buba, when we were in Lagos and bought one of her puppies from our friend Rodrigo. She was born December 14th, 2007 and she arrived in Tunisia on Monday March 17th via Luftansa Air Freight. Going through customs in Tunisia was quite an ordeal but Brisa is worth the effort and expense. She has wavy black hair with a white spot on her chest and one white paw. She bonded very quickly to me as I “rescued” her from her shipping ordeal. She slept in my lap for the hour long return to Aphrodite. She is adapting well to her new life on the boat. She sleeps in a kennel, poops and pees on deck and since she hasn’t had all of her shots she cannot walk on the ground for 3 more weeks. I take her in our dock cart or in a backpack on the bicycle. She loves riding in the dinghy and sunning herself on the deck of Aphrodite. Please enjoy the pictures of her posted on Picasa.

Our return flight from Istanbul was meet by our new friends Karen and Derek in a rental car.  We spent that afternoon visiting Dougga, a UNESCO World Herigtage site and besides El Jem, the best preserved Roman site in North Africa.  Originally a fortified Berber village (the name meant “pastures”), the Romans occupied the city in the late 2nd century BC.  There was an amphitheatre, cisterns fed by aquaducts, the compass based inscription in the “Square of the Winds” (showing the 12 winds cut into the pavement) and a magnificent Capitol with a peristyle in very good condition.  You could still see the chariot ruts cut into the stone streets.  History really came alive in a modern way for us in this ancient agricultural city and there were animals grazing in between the wildflowers and ruins.

Location of Istanbul on the Bosphorus Strait, Turkey

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click the play button to hear the Turkish call to prayer.

Every great city has a story, and Istanbul has hers. Her history and exquisite legacy is told through her architecture, which in Old Istanbul is all encompassing. Her skyline is voluptuous with multi-layered dome topped mosques, many of which are converted Byzantine churches with skyward reaching minarets added. At night the city becomes mystical with all of the mosques, fountains and major monuments illuminated and the muezzin booming out from the mosques. Settled originally by a Greek colonist named Byzas, Istanbul has changed names 3 times, from Byzantium, to Constantinople, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine and finally Istanbul following the conquest of the Ottoman sultan Mehmet II. Each culture has left its mark on this great city. She may not be as bejeweled or magnificent as she was before the sacking and pillaging of the 4th Crusaders, but she is still a Grand Dam.

We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Istanbul. When we left Tunisia Istanbul had just received a foot of snow so we didn’t know what to expect. But, thankfully, the sun came out, warming the city giving us 5 beautiful days to explore. My absolute favorite experience was while sitting on a park bench set between two majestic landmarks – the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia – as the Call To Prayer began. One muezzin started and then paused while the other started. This back and forth melodic exchange continued for several minutes and was quite moving. I can only guess at the comfort derived from this ritual which is performed 5 times a day.  Old Istanbul is set up in the Ancient Roman style with the Hippodrome, similar to the Roman Forum, as the center of life: culture, politics, trade, entertainment and residence for the elite. The city grew around this site, with most of its major sights within very close proximity giving an impressive feeling of intimacy. So, for 5 days, we walked and walked, ate kabobs with yogurt sauce, imagined what it would be like to be a part of the sultan’s family and live in a Harem, tried Turkish coffee, Turkish delight and baklava, wandered through the labyrinthine of the chaotic Grand Bazaar and looked at and learned about Turkish rugs. I absolutely love rugs, Turkish, Persian, Oriental. To me they are floor art and I would have lots more if I had a place to have them. We did buy several small ones which will adorn floors in our future house The following slide show will give you a brief look at Istanbul:

We succeeded in converting a hearty, rugged, ‘of-the-earth’ desert trip into a cushy, comfortable, luxurious experience! 

The original plan was to rent a car, drive to Douz, ‘the gateway to the Sahara’, organize an overnight camel expedition into the desert, sleep in Nomad tents, eat simple food cooked over an open fire and really experience the whole desert adventure.  But, the more I researched, the more I learned that my plans were not feasible for this time of the year.  It is bloody cold in the desert at night in the winter.  I also learned that the most stunning area of the desert is about 100 miles south of Douz which would require at least a 4 day camel trip.   Most people rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle in Douz for the last 100 miles, but we decided to take a risk and just use our regular rental car (all rental cars are 4 WD by definition, right?) to make the entire trip.

On our way to our destination, Ksar Ghilane, we stopped at Matmata to see the troglodyte dwellings, where the Star Wars movies were filmed.  It was amazing.  The origin of these homes is known to date as far back as the first century BC.  The design is brilliant.  They are completely underground, a series of tunnels and caves, just like in the movies.  Some of the Star Wars sets are still there, although we did not see them. 

The dwellings are either sunk into the soft rock of a hillside or built in a pit-style construction into the ground.  All of the rooms open to a central courtyard, not unlike any typical courtyard design, except for the fact that everything is subterranean.  Imagine entering a main doorway, following a tunnel which leads to an interior room which then opens to the open air courtyard containing a fire pit and steps to rooms located on the second level.  

First we toured a troglodyte museum. Then we were taken into a local’s home where we got a glimpse of their lives.  It was such a treat to meet the matriarch of the family, an 83 year old Berber woman, who served us mint tea and flat pan bread straight from her simple kitchen.  Our plan was to stay in the troglodyte hotel used in the Star Wars film, but when we arrived we opted for a little more comfort and moved to an above ground hotel, my, we are getting persnickety in our old age! 

The actual trip into the desert was less demanding than we expected.  Having had lots of desert experience, our Australian mates insisted on packing loads of water, food and warm clothing, “just in case, mate!”  The only time we needed to traverse soft sand was at the entrance of our ‘desert resort’.  Other than that the roads were clear and well maintained.  The risk, of course, is that if the wind kicks up the sand gets blown into heaps, often covering the simple two lane road  Approaching it reminded me of all of the oasis pictures I have seen, sand for as far as the eye can see except a bit of green in the distance which gets larger and larger the closer you get.  The oasis is fed by hot springs and surrounded by towering date palms.  There is a small hot springs pool in the center of the camping area, probably heavily used in peak season.

Since it is the off season now, we had the resort almost all to ourselves.  The place is beautiful, very romantic and dreamy, but the staff is not especially helpful so we had to hustle up some activities on our own.  It didn’t take long for Angela or me to establish ourselves in the small Berber/Bedouin community of men who live in tiny huts selling local handmade Berber rugs or offering camel and horseback rides.  Angela’s contact came while she was stretched out on a sand dune enjoying the desert quiet when a gorgeous Bedouin man galloped up to her side and asked her if she would like to go for a ride!  Within seconds he deposited his young niece and put Angela into the saddle.  He rode bareback behind her.  Great story, don’t you think?  She negotiated a good rate for a 2 hour horseback ride for the following morning.  Meanwhile, I was negotiating a 2 hour camel ride for sunset.  All of us had ridden horseback so there was nothing particularly novel about it, other than we were leaving our footprints in the sand of the Sahara.  But camel riding was a first for 3 of the 4 of us.

Camels, now those are some disgusting animals!!!!  I had no idea.  But the experience was terrific.  I had read that camel riding was definitely not for everyone, so I was just a tiny bit concerned how my back and knees were going to do, especially after spending 2 hours on a horse earlier in the day.  But to my surprise and complete delight, I loved it.  The motion is much gentler than a horse.  But the animal….that is something different.  Just getting on the camel was enough of a hoot to make the price worthwhile.  We have a few short video clips for your enjoyment.   My camel was disgusting though; he gurgled like he had a gallon of water sloshing around inside of him, foamed at the mouth, whistled, hissed and had an incredible tongue thing going on.  It was really disgusting.  It looked like a huge, red, blue veined tumor which filled with air, hung out the side of his mouth and then receded back into his mouth.  No one else’s camel was doing it.  When I got home I looked it up on the internet and discovered that it was part of a mating activity!!!!  Gross.  Michael was able to capture a shot of it so look for it.  Other than that, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the ride.  I would definitely consider a several day camel trek in the future.

Now, a word about the incredible sand and the beautiful Bedouin men…. The sand, ahhh, unlike any sand I have felt.  If the sand on Siesta Key in front of Mom’s house is like powdered sugar, this is like talcum powder (Angela’s simile) or a pile of cinnamon.  There is no moisture content what so ever, so when it gets disturbed, either by wind or foot, it just billows up into the air and gently drifts away.  There isn’t any sensation of grit, until it gets into your eyes or mouth.  When I was running my fingers over it, it reminded me of the sensation my tongue feels while licking a soft serve ice cream cone, the gentle giving way of the top layer of ice cream on the slightly denser lower level.

Now, the Bedouin men, there just isn’t anything to say that a picture won’t say.

My Tunisian hammam experience was similar to and yet completely different from my Moroccan experience.  If it weren’t for Angela’s desire to go I think I might have skipped it.  How glad I am that I did not.  The basic set-up is the same, with women and children splashing buckets of water on each other, smearing muddy paste all over themselves and each other, scrubbing with rough mitts, followed by buckets of water for rinsing and generalized social exchange.  Exfoliation is a serious part of the hammam experience in Tunisia.  Babies scream and children (even preteens) are laid across their mother’s lap while they get their ‘everything’ scrubbed and rubbed and shampooed! 

What was so different and totally fantastic was the personalized attention we got from our assistant/masseuse and our opportunity to witness a Bride’s Hammam Party.   

A Bride’s Hammam Party is an all-women affair, similar perhaps to a bridal shower in the States but without the presents.  It takes place about five days before the wedding and all of brides’ aunts, cousins, friends, etc. are invited to accompany her to the hammam where she will be ‘prepared’ for her husband.  When Angela and I first arrived, our attendant tried to tell us that the event was going on, but since we could not understand her we were at a loss as to the message.  She kept pointing to Angela’s wedding ring and then patting her mouth with her hand making what sounded like an Indian war dance call! 

We were bewildered but intrigued.  Soon it became apparent that what we were witnessing was an age old ritual characteristic for a Tunisian bride.  Our full understanding evolved over the duration of our hammam treatment, enhanced by a bit of internet research.

The bride was behind the closed doors of a very small cubby room when we arrived, having all of her bodily hair removed.  Once completed, she emerged, draped in special towels and was greeted by her entourage with candles, incenses, chanting, drumming, dancing and the Indian war cry.  She was then encircled and escorted to another room where she was dressed in beautiful Caftan.  At this point she was out of our view, but we continued to hear the Indian howling periodically.  When we hailed our cab to return to the boat our cabbie mentioned that he saw the departure, a full procession of cars driving her and her relatives back home.

The whole experience lasted over two hours and we left feeling like we had never been so clean in all of our lives, a wonderful experience, both culturally and physically. 

Once again Aphrodite’s is singing with the flurry of activity.  John and Angela are with us now.  We met them in Sicily, the night before our ‘Big Blow’ experience.  They were the ones who came to our assistance after releasing our entangled anchor.  After they secured their boat they dug deep into their lazarette and retrieved a spare anchor which allowed us to safely ride out the rest of the storm.   They are recently retired Aussies who have just started their sailing sojourn and are, thus, brimming with enthusiasm.  They joined us for the passage from Sicily to Tunisia, fancying the opportunity to make a crossing with a few ‘old salts’ like ourselves.   

We arrived in Tunisia on November 20, 2007, following an uneventful two day crossing, and have found ourselves amongst a ‘wintering over’ cruising community.  Angela, the self appointed social director, immediately set off to meet everyone and by that evening we had a full blown party on the boat with tons of people.  The next day we joined a group of 20 cruisers for wine tasting at a local winery.  (A winery in an Islamic country?  We wondered that too!)  It is so nice to be immersed in a group of cruisers again.  Originally we were planning on leaving Tunisia in February and head directly to Israel.  But, heeding the local advice of some of these repeat-visiting cruisers, we will probably wait until April to depart with the other boats.  Apparently, sailing in the Greek waters before April can be very treacherous.

The four of us rented a car for 3 days and toured some of the northern part of the country.  We are hoping to go into the Sahara Desert next week.  Originally I hoped to go by camel and sleep in Nomad style tents, but it sounds like it is too late in the season for that, too cold at night.  Also, after looking at a camel and trying to imagine riding one for 4 hours at a time, my back and knees started to ache.  It is becoming a real challenge for my spirit to reside in this body!   We may look into a 4 wheel drive vehicle and even a bed inside an exotic tent in an oasis!  More later……

  Tunis was Carthage, home of Carthage’s leading general, Hannibal, famous for his epic crossing of the Alps in 217 BC with 37 elephants, when he descend upon and defeat the un-expecting and unprepared Rome Empire.  Later, Carthage was conquered by Rome during the Punic Wars. Since then Tunisia has been part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and finally in the 8th century A.D., Tunisia was absorbed into the Islamic Empire. Nineteenth century imperialism granted France the opportunity to take Tunisia as a colony. In 1956 she gained her independence. Today’s post-colonial Tunisia is encumbered with a hodgepodge of modern western culture, the Islamic Sunni, and traditional Arab custom. Now ruled as a secular state under the regime of Ben Ali, Tunisia seems to be searching for its identity.

So far, traveling in Tunisia has been much easier than neighboring Morocco.  We are not being hassled or continually conned as before.   A strong modern Western appearance dominates Tunisia, rather than the exotic third-world feel characteristic of Morocco.   Men and women mingle freely with each other as well as us, or any other visiting nationalities.   Two distinct societies do exist though, but are seemingly well integrated: the modern, Western, cosmopolitan society; and the traditional rural village society.  Yesterday I saw a tall, strapping teenager escorting an older, severely hunched rural Berber woman across a street.  Once crossed, he spun on his heels and returned to his group of friends.  Many women, especially the youth, are dressed in Western attire, while their mothers and grandmothers may wear hejabs (headscarves) and modest clothing.  The traditional hejab veil has actually been banned from schools and working women by the current president, Ben Ali, who regards them as demeaning.  Having said this, we have noticed that only men congrugrate at sidewalk cafes sipping coffee and communing, women do not.    

Islam is the state religion and thus the predominant culture as well.  However, it seems that most of the Tunisians are quite relaxed about their approach to religion, considering it a personal issue.   The Call to Prayer occurs 5 times a day, just as it does in Morocco and all other Islamic countries, with men and women flocking to the mosques to pray, but the pervasiveness of the ritual is much more subdued than in Morocco where the muezzin call is omnipresent… 

So far we have visited Kairouan, the 4^th holiest Islamic cities, and El-Jem where the ruins of a Roman Colosseum still stand.  The following are some of the pictures we took on our expeditions.   Today Angela and I are going to a local hammam.  I’ll see if it as vigorous and entertaining as the one Stephanie and I experienced in Morocco!  Too bad I can’t photograph the experience.  I am sure you would get a laugh out of it!

The architecture has changed from the imposing, robust earthen granite and marble constructed Roman buildings to ornate, delicate, detailed architecture rich in multi-colored mosaic tiles and intricately carved wood.  Our first stop was the Grand Mosque in Kairouan which is plain and unassuming from the outside but adorned with marble-covered pillars, intricately carved and studded wooden doors, vibrantly colored rugs and ornate gold plated panels.

The medina’s in Tunisia look entirely different than in Morocco.  The facades are enchanting with white washed walls offset by pale blue or green arches, balconies and shutters.  Bargaining is a way of life here, expected and enjoyed by the merchants.  It is essential to get ‘into it’ and enjoy the experience.  Angela has proven to be particularly enthusiastic and successful at the active.  One of the things Michael and I did was shop for throw rugs for the boat.  Kairouan is famous for their carpets.  We found two matching ones which we bought, after tons of bargaining of course.  They are gorgeous, match the interior colors of boat perfectly and offer special memories of Tunisia.

Roman Colosseum of El-Jem and a sample of some of the many mosaics unearthed when the Roman village was excavated.  These mosaics, made of tiny pieces of chipped colored stone, created incredibly detailed pictures which were used as wall coverings and floors in the wealthier Roman villas.

We have been in Sicily for 3-4 weeks now and have only seen about half of the country. We have been dealing with winter weather patterns which are more immobilizing than we expected. Near the end of Oct. we started having a few days of terrific blows followed by 2 weeks of calm which allowed us to get off the boat as well as to make headway sailing south. But, since Nov 1st we have had almost constant blows with a day or two of calm intermingled, limiting both our land exploration as well as our sailing distance. Our original plan was to circumnavigate the island, or at least most of the island, before departing for Tunisia where we have a berth reserved for 2 months. But in actuality, we have only covered a couple hundred miles in total, and have spent most of our time keeping ourselves and Aphrodite safe amidst gales. We have dragged anchor more in the past month than in the past 4 years. A few nights ago we had 60 kts winds (hurricanes start at 64 kts) in a moderately protected anchorage which caused us to drag. Over the years we have developed quite a bit of experience dealing with ‘when the **it hits the fan’ circumstances, but this time we did not move fast enough to prevent dragging into an area where the local fisherman moor their small fiberglass boats. It was a disaster, we ended up snagging and disrupting several of their mooring lines, trapping ourselves between two fishing boats, one of the boats in between the hulls and under our boat, our anchor chain caught on other anchor lines snagging us and limiting our ability to move out of the mooring field. All we could do was watch and listen as Aphrodite rubbed and banged up against the hull of the other boat. The only good thing was that since we were snagged, we were not going to drift into shore. At about 7 am, one of the local fishermen rowed out to investigate the situation; his was one of the boats we were entangled with. Imagine trying to communicate with an Italian fisherman while trying to figure out how we were going to get ourselves out of the predicament. It was a mess, and in the end, the fisherman cut the mooring line to the small boat which we had capsized, setting it adrift, which let us finally dislodge ourselves from the tangle. Unfortunately, that was not the end of it though, because our anchor had become so entangled that we were unable to raise it. In the end Michael had to cut it loose, leaving it and all of our chain and rode behind. He attached a buoy to the bitter end with the plan to retrieve all of it later after the storm passed. We then proceeded to try to re-anchor, which required retrieving and attach another anchor, chain and rode. The story and difficulties go on, but I will leave it out for sake of brevity. We secured an additional anchor from a fellow cruiser and rode out the rest of the storm, finally getting some sleep. The next day Michael took the dinghy ashore, looking for the boat owner to make restitution and retrieved our anchor, chain and rode. We are still hear, in the same unprotected anchorage, unable to leave because the continual gales, force 8-9 and high seas 5-10 M. We are feeling somewhat stir-crazy and frustrated, unable to change location, make progress towards our goal or leave the boat to see the island. ‘Here we sit, broken hearted, ready to go, but can’t get started!’ Our plans have changed, no longer hoping to sail around the island, renting scooters to see the rest of the island and getting to know local folks. Now we are just looking for a weather window to turn around, head back to the jumping off point and sail directly to Tunisia where we can secure Aphrodite at a dock. As of today, Sat. 11/17/07, it looks like our weather window is tomorrow night through 11/20/07. We have met another cruising couple, Angela and John, who are just starting out in this life style who are joining us for the 2+ day journey to Tunisia. We are looking forward to their company and hopefully an uneventful crossing. What follows is a collection of pictures taken during our limited shore-side explorations. We are disappointed about leaving without getting a chance to follow some of the paths of ancient sea warriors, pirates and, of course, Odysseus through the Straits of Messina, climbing the slopes of still active Mt. Etna and participating in a Sicilian cooking class, but are looking forward to securing Aphrodite in a marina and preparing for our return trip to the States for the holidays.

The Amalfi Coast is one of  Italy’s jewels, a dramatic, rugged, craggy mountainous region with sheer wall cliffs plunging into the sea, similar to the area around Cinque Terra. The difference being that the entire area has developed into one of Italy’s most popular tourist destination. It includes Capri, Naples, Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii, the Peninsula of Sorrento, and the picturesque hilltop towns of Positano, Almafi and Salerno. I have been here twice before, but never viewing it strictly from the sea. Driving along the Amalfi Coast is undeniably thrilling, breath-taking, but cruising the coast and seeing everything from the water is simply amazing. The pastel colors of buildings are fading a bit the further south we go, a little more washed out but still characteristically colorful.

We left Rome Oct. 7th and sailed 108 miles to a tiny island off the Sorrento Peninsula called Procida. From there we went to the nearby and larger island of Ischia and anchored in a quiet little harbor for several days. While there we took a ferry to Naples for the day and during our return sat next to a woman, Carol, who had just arrived on an Italian cooking/sightseeing holiday. Ahh, just what I was looking for. Her sister, the group’s organizer squeezed me into the group giving me the chance to participate in two cooking lessons, one a demonstration, and one a hands-on session. In the hands-on class we created a delicious lunch including calzones filled with fresh mozzarella, fresh ricotta and parmesan cheese, gnocchi with a rich reduced tomato sauce, a main course of sea bass with capers and black olives and, finally, one of my all time favorites tiramisu. Upon completion, we sat down at a long table, toasted ourselves and ‘manga-ed’. I learned several interesting things:

1) That the cuisine of Italy is quite different north to south, such as in the north, Balsamic vinegar is a staple of the table, but in central and southern Italy, it isn’t used it at all; 2) The further south you go the more “al dente” the pasta becomes; 3) From Naples south you start seeing ‘pasta ali’ arrabbiate’ on the menu which translates as ‘angry’ tomato sauce, highlighted with lots of red hot peppers and garlic.  The street lined produce markets are adorned with hanging strands of tiny dried red peppers which are fire engine hot. They are beautiful to look at and wonderful to add to sauces, soups or whatever; 4) The buffalo mozzarella, the small round mounds of tender mild white cheese made for centuries only in this area is actually made from the milk of water buffalo which were imported from India around AD 600; 5) One chef recommended starting with a cold pan instead of a hot oiled pan when introducing onions, garlic and which ever vegetables are being sautéed in preparation of the dish. She claims that by using a cold pan, piling everything in at once and then pouring just a little bit of olive oil on top, less oil will be used. I have tried this method and am very happy with it, especially for eggplant which seems to soak up excessive amounts of olive oil while sautéing; 6) Once the pasta is al dente, drain the water, but don’t worry about getting all of the water out of the pan because a small amount is useful to the sauce in that the remaining starch helps the pasta to capture the sauce rather than letting it slide off on to the plate. Also, round tube pasta is always better to use because the sauce can get into and all around the outside, bathing the pasta in the luscious sauce. 

I am hoping to find a Sicilian cooking class during my month in Sicily. I know that this may sound sacrilege to some Italian cuisine lovers, but I am actually getting a little overwhelmed with all of the flour in pasta and gnocchi.  I am looking forward to cooking something different, hopefully fresh swordfish and local tuna.  We continue eating plump, luscious figs, sweet round tomatoes, very tender slender type eggplant, and cannoli, loved by all Italians and referred to as ‘the gift from the gods’. 

We have been in a terrific storm for the past 3 days.  We saw it coming via the internet weather program we use and started looking for a secure marina where we could moor Aphrodite.  I am so grateful we did because the wind was crazy for 3 solid days, gusting to 40 kts inside the protected marina seawall.  We were blown around, the lines whined against the strain of the pull, the halyards clanked and banged against masts and the wind howled loudly through the rigging..  We both woke up several times a night with that awful eerie feeling of “is the boat OK?”  As I got up one night to check on things I saw a bunch of white things bobbing on the surface of the water just in front of the boat.  It took my eyes a few minutes and my mind to register the sight.  It was a flock of seagulls waiting out the storm.  Even they were hiding from the wind! Yesterday the winds were so bitter cold we stayed inside all day with the heater on.  Once I saw the clouds part long enough to see a dusting of snow on the caps of nearby mountains. I hope this is just a weather pattern and not representative of the normal late autumn early winter weather. Tomorrow we are off to Sicily In preparation we watched all three “The Godfather” movies!.