Remember these?

New Singer can be operated manually

We saw a stack of boxes of these Singer sewing machines in the local village recently.  One was set up for display.  These were not used machines.  These are newly produced sewing machines.  These are electric machines that also have a foot pedal and drive belt for manual operation.  That drive belt is not installed on the machine in this photo, but you can clearly see the attachment points to install it.   I assume this type of Singer sewing machine is marketed in countries that have limited or unreliable supplies of electricity.

These are not the heavy solid metal machines of yesteryears.  The foot pedals are wrought iron, but the machine heads are plastic.  The wooden cabinets are not solid wood, of course. 

Wonder if these machines will last 80-plus years like the old sturdily built Singers our grandmothers used.

Time for a trip home

Ruth & Randal

We invited the only other American couple in the marina, Randal & Ruth on M/V Dora Mac, to join us for Thanksgiving dinner.  There is one other American man in the marina......married to a British woman......but he had already mentioned that he does not like to celebrate Thanksgiving; so we did not extend an invitation.  There are no turkeys sold in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.  Instead, I baked 2 chickens.  Also cooked cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, green peas, cranberry sauce and homemade yeast rolls.  Ruth provided a delicious dish of roasted vegetables.  For dessert I baked a fresh apple cake with pineapple glaze.   


We enjoyed the bottle of champagne recently gifted to us by our friend, Glenn, who visited last month.  We had much to be thankful for this year, not the least of which is the company of good friends.

Cliff & Charmaine

Here is a photo of Cliff, the other American in the marina, and his wife Charmaine......holding a very lucky little puppy.  Charmaine found this abandoned puppy while on a countryside walk early one morning.  She picked it up and nursed it to health; visited the vet for all the routine shots; and found it a good home with the family of an American physician working at Girne.  The family has small children and divides their time between Cyprus and their home in Virginia.  Lucky dog!!






Today I dug out duffel bags and packing organizers.  Time to start thinking about what we want to bring back to Texas on this trip.  One thing that should go is the ATN Gale Sail.  We have carried that sail for over 5 years and never once used it.  Time to Ebay that sail.  Get the unnecessary weight out of the sail locker in the bow of the boat.  


To do our part for Black Friday and help the economy, I browsed through Lands End online and ordered winter clothes.  Very much needed since we have been on the equator so long and have no cold weather clothes on the boat.  I will bring almost nothing home, and will return with lots of new clothes.  Cool!  


A boat here in the marina is owned by a British couple who live in southern Cyprus.  They will be visiting their boat later this week and have kindly offered to drive us to the airport late Friday night, saving us more than $200 taxi fare.  This is going to be a tough trip.......total 17 hours flight time divided into 3 flights.....beginning by sitting in the airport all night.  We will depart the marina at 10 p.m. Friday night for the 2 - 2 1/2 hour drive to the Larnaca airport, where we will sit until our flight departs at 4 a.m. to Frankfort; then to Chicago; finally arriving in Houston shortly after 3 p.m.  And traveling 'back' 8 hours in time zones.   We are going to be some tired puppies!  


Looking forward to seeing family and friends for the next month.

Lovely day for a walk......to an ancient basilica

Bill & Judy at the ruins of Trias Basilica at Sipahiay

A few days ago we joined Ruth and Randal for a short walk through the countryside near the marina.  They had already walked this route in August and knew where to find the ruins of a basilica dating back to 535 A.D.  Randal said the floors were covered in tiny tile mosaics.  One of the rooms had mosaics in the pattern of sandals and pomegranate branches.  So off we headed on a less-than-perfect day for a country walk.  We hoped to make it back before the skies opened up and poured again.

Lovely day for a walk?

As normal for us, we forgot to bring our camera.......yet again.  Ruth kindly offered to let me use hers; and later she also shared her photos with us.  Frankly, I don't remember which of these photos I took and which ones she snapped.

Walking past small herd of sheep

After reaching the top of the small hill we turned off the road to enter the field where the ruins are situated.  Soon a couple of small boys walked over and collected the 5 TL entrance fee from each of us and presented us with printed sheets providing basic information on the ruins.

Today I looked on the internet and found a bit more information about this place.

Randal & Ruth at basilica ruins

The Aya Trias Basilica is located near the village of Sipahi.  It was built at the start of the 6th century, although one source stated that the earliest construction found thus far dates back to the 5th century.  The basilica has been used for different purposes in different times, and various annexes were added at different times.  This is not a huge complex.  At least not what has been excavated thus far.

Basilica ruins as seen from original rear entry

 The basilica was destroyed during the Arab raids of the 7th century.  It was then abandoned, and a small church and other buildings were built to the south of the original basilica.  These buildings also were abandoned and destroyed around the 9th century.  All memory of the basilica disappeared until it was rediscovered by chance in 1957, at which time it was partially excavated.  Some parts are still under the earth.  There is still a great deal for archaeologists to do; however, no excavation is ongoing nor is any planned as far as we can ascertain.

Randal on north side of basilica ruins

The original entrance atrium is located at the western end of the basilica, the end farthest away from today's entrance gate.  That entrance atrium leads to an entrance lobby, or narthex, spanning the width of the basilica.  (According to what I have read, the narthex or entrance lobby was always located on the western side of the earliest Christian churches.  I have no idea why.)  The narthex leads to a 3-sided nave, with a number of columns still standing.  Inside the nave is the remains of a chancel.

Pomegranates & Sandals mosaics on basilica floor

The floors of the narthex and nave are extensively covered with tiny-tiled mosaics in mostly geometric patterns.  There are also mosaics depicting leaves, crosses and other early Christian symbols.  In the northern nave there are several very different mosaics -- of pomegranate trees alongside a pair of sandals.  Pomegranates were used by the early Christians as a symbol of resurrection and everlasting life.  According to the literature found online, the sandals are a little bit more of a mystery.  It is possible the sandals were a reminder of the time when Moses took off his sandals in order to meet God in the desert.  Or it could be a reminder of the time that John the Baptist described the coming of Christ, explaining that he was not even important enough to remove the sandals from Christ's feet.  It is assumed, however, that because the sandals are placed next to or between squares of pomegranates, the sandals simply represent the journey through this world to the next.  Although sandals as a symbol are found elsewhere in the Middle East, this is the only known example in Cyprus.

Basilica sponsors

One thing that is known about the basilica is who paid for its construction.   At the western end of the nave is seen the names of Aetis, Euthalis and Eutochianos as benefactors. Embedded in a tablet in cube-shaped tesseras in front of the main apse is an inscription which credits a deacon (assistant of the priest) by the name of Heracleos (Heraclios) as the maker of the mosaics. 

Cross shaped baptismal chamber

To the southeast of the basilica (on the left at today's entrance) one can see the remains of a large cross-shaped baptismal chamber.  This is the largest known baptismal chamber on the island of Cyprus.

The usual form of baptism among the earliest Christians was for the person being baptized to be immersed totally or partially (standing or kneeling in water while water was poured on him or her).

Cross shaped baptismal chamber

This baptismal chamber is large enough and deep enough to have been used in that manner, and it is not even completely excavated.   Dirt still fills the lower parts of the chamber.

Ruth & Bill in Bishop's Palace ruins

It is thought that the other structures around the baptismal chamber are the remains of the Bishop's Palace.  Again, more archaeological work needs to be done in order to learn more about this site.







One mystery remains for now.  The basilica is much bigger than would be needed for the use of the village that has so far been discovered.  Was there a bigger village somewhere nearby?  If not, why was this basilica built?

Bill in basilica ruins behind ancient olive tree

Hail!! Followed by rainbows

Fellow Americans, Ruth and Randal on M/V DORA MAC, returned last week after a 3-month visit home to the States.  They had left Cyprus a week before we arrived in August.  We first met Ruth and Randal in Malaysia; they also were part of the group of yachts that transported aboard the BBC EVEREST with us from Maldives to Marmaris last April.  We had been looking forward to meeting up with them again.

We drove down to the airport to meet them.  Unfortunately, their flight arrived 20 minutes early while we were sitting in the coffee shop.  By the time we walked to the arrival meeting area, they had already hailed a taxi to the marina.  Not to make it an entirely wasted trip, we drove to the south side and purchased another month of insurance allowing us to drive the rental car across the border.  Now we are set with the rental car through the date of our departure for our trip home in December.   Later, back at the marina we hooked up with Ruth and Randal and offered to drive them to the supermarket so they could stock up on the things one always empties from the boat when leaving for any extended period of time.

Hail several inches deep

It rained buckets during our drive to the supermarket.  As we pulled into the supermarket parking lot tiny pieces of hail were pelting the car.  Later, on the drive back to the marina we encountered large deposits of marble-sized hail.  The little pellets of ice covered the fields and looked like snow.  The road was covered by hail at least 3-inches deep.  None of us had a camera, so Bill used his cell phone to take photos.  Hence the crappy quality of these photos.

Hail!!!

There were skid marks all through the hail.  And one car was resting in a field about 4 feet below the road level.  It did not appear that anyone was injured and several people already were attempting to assist, so we continued on our way.  Not like our little car would be capable of towing another vehicle up from down there anyway.  This is the third time we have seen hail in the past 2 weeks.  A guy who has lived here several years said he had never seen hail here until 2 weeks ago.  Weird.  The brief heavy rain also had caused many mud patches across the road.  Some of the fields looks like small lakes.  It has been raining almost daily for a few weeks and I guess the ground is so saturated that it could not absorb this downpour.  Farmers have a hard time on this island.  For 8 months it does not rain a drop; then it rains very frequently for 4 months.  Rainy season starts in November.  Looks like we will have a wet cold winter.

Not long after passing the accumulated hailstones we were startled to see the brightest rainbow any of us had ever seen!  It was actually a full double rainbow, but the outer rainbow was very dim -- especially compared to the brilliant inner rainbow.

The crappy low-quality camera in our cell phone captured these images of the rainbow.  These photos do not do justice to just how bright this rainbow really appeared.  I have not edited these images other than to crop them.  The colors were remarkably brilliant.





















Wish we had brought a camera so we could have gotten decent photos.



 The ends of the rainbow were so bright they appeared to be glowing.  Most amazing rainbow I have ever seen.

Eastern tip of Cyprus looking south

One day last week we got stir-crazy and felt compelled to get off the boat and out of the marina for a few hours.  Since we had not yet been to the eastern end of the island, we opted to drive that direction.  Others had told us about high white sand dunes that they have walked on the beaches on the eastern tip of Cyprus.  We followed the tourism signs for a monastery supposedly located there.  Never found the monastery; the signs just ended.  Also never found those high white sand dunes.  We did see beaches filled with huge flat stones extending many hundreds of feet out into the sea.  Very definitely not an area for yachts to anchor, assuming the sea is ever calm enough for anchoring.  The sea was roiling the day we visited this area; strong winds and surging seas.

Wild donkey in valley

We drove past the first fee entrance to the wildlife preserve area (no attendant present, so no entrance fee paid).   The road past that entrance was very narrow and not well maintained; driving was slow.  About an hour later we arrived at the second fee entrance to the wild donkey preserve area (again, no attendant present).

By this time we were tired of driving.  We stopped to stretch our legs; realized how cold it was in the wind on the hillside right on the sea; and quickly got back into the car for the long ride back.  As usual, we had forgotten to bring the camera and only had the cell phone to snap crappy photos of the beach a few of the wild donkeys seen alongside the road.  There was a large valley through part of the area that looked like the most fertile earth we have seen on this island....surrounded by mountains on all sides and very protected from the wind in all directions.

Turkish type of zucchini

Recently Bill mentioned on Facebook that we had tried a strange vegetable that turned out to be something like zucchini.  It has a large bulbous end and a very long neck.  The one in this photo does not have nearly as large of bulbous end as most of these do.  The inside flesh is sort of a pinkish-yellowish color rather than the typical white of normal zucchini.  I cooked it with garlic and onion with a bit of bacon grease for seasoning and it was quite tasty.  We asked the manager of the marina restaurant and he explained that all types of squashes translate from Turkish to English as simply 'zucchini.'  He told us the Turkish name for this vegetable, but I could not understand well enough to try to look it up online.  Just accept that all squash in Turkey are zucchini.  He said that in Turkey this type of zucchini is cooked with black-eyed peas.  And, of course, they never use bacon or bacon grease because Muslims do not eat pork in any form.  So, I tried cooking the next one of these with black-eyed peas.  Nope; didn't care for that.  It is fine cooked my way with garlic, onions and bacon or bacon grease.  But squash in black-eyed peas wasn't so good.

Diet Coke

And while on the topic of food, I must mention Scrack.  Bill has become a Scrack-head.  He eats this Italian snack by the handful.  It looks just like the image on the package, except each piece is very small.  So he can eat it by the handful and never fill up.

Diet Coke is a thing just for the United States.  Almost everywhere else in the world this beverage is called Coca-Cola Light.  Other countries object to the term "diet" being applied to any foods or beverages.  They seem to think "diet" means something for diabetics.  Notice that cans of Diet Coke look much different in Turkey and Cyprus than these cans appear back home.

One day Bill walked over to the laundry room to help me carry back the heavy laundry bag.  He cracked up laughing when we saw how a worker had plugged his electric sander into the electrical wall outlet.

Wouldn't OSHA have a ball with this!!! 

My hubby's freezing!!

And, last but not least, Bill is freezing much of the time -- and it is not even winter yet!  He is really.... really.... really going to freeze when the temperatures drop another 20 degrees (Fahrenheit).  This is how he bundles up while drinking hot tea when the temperature inside the boat drops to about 68F.  Can you imagine what he will be like when the temperature inside the boat get down to 55F?  Thanks again to Bruce and Donna Rill for giving us these blankets/snuggle things when we were in New Zealand.  These furry-lined silky-textured 'blankets' are ever-so-warm and snuggly.  We love them.  Although I have never zipped up into one like Bill is in this photo.  Just laying one across my lap and tucking my feet beneath is comfortable enough for me.

BTW, he did not stay like this for long.  He warmed up quickly all wrapped up into a cocoon like that.

A very short afternoon sail with the Secret Sail

The Secret Sail

While Glenn was visiting the weather did not cooperate much for sailing.  We did tourist things on the island instead.  But one afternoon there was a hint of wind so we did venture out for a few hours.......sailing eastward along the northern coast of Cyprus, then reversing course westward back to the marina entrance.  It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and the wind was only 10 knots or less.  These were perfect conditions to fly what Amel calls the mizzen ballooner sail, a/k/a the mizzen asymmetrical sail.  

Secret Sail

We call it our Secret Sail.

This sail has rarely been out of the sail locker.  We flew it twice off the northern coast of Venezuela several years ago.  I love the way it balances the boat.  And it is good for 1/2 knot to 1 1/2 knots additional boat speed, depending on wind and sea conditions.  But it was such a hassle to drop this sail and then flake it and repack into the sail bag while out sailing.  I don't know how old-fashioned sailors and racers do this with all their sails.  There simply is not sufficient space on the deck of a boat to spread out a sail so that it can be folded or flaked properly.  And we don't like stuffing sails into the sail bags all wrinkled up.  So we rarely flew this sail.  Our furling sails are so much easier to deal with that we usually fly only the sails that furl.  


While in Thailand we add this sail put into a sock with the thoughts that we might fly the sail more frequently if it was easier to douse and store.  In August this year we flew the sail between Santorini and Crete.....first time since it was installed into the sock.  It was infinitely easier to raise the sail, once we remembered that the tack is shackled to the attach ring on the deck on the inside of the main boom rather than outside the main boom.  And it was really easy to douse the sail with the new sock.  We are going to like this!!!


The afternoon of sailing with Glenn afforded us perfect conditions to fly the Secret Sail.  This was the first time he had seen this sail.  It is much easier to raise and douse this sail with the assistance of a third person.  Bill and I can handle it on our own, and it surely will become easier with experience.  

Side-tied inside the outside wall at Karpaz Gate Marina

Wish we had installed the Secret Sail into a sock years ago.


After sailing a few hours we returned to dock alongside the breakwater dock.

Kyrenia Castle & the Shipwreck Museum

St. Hillarion Castle on top of distant mountain

One day a few weeks ago while Glenn was visiting we set out to drive to St. Hillarion Castle, sometimes called the Snow White Castle because it is commonly thought that the castle depicted in the Disney movie was modeled after St. Hillarion.  The castle is located high in the Five Finger Mountain range near Girne (current name for the old city of Kyrenia).  Only the physically fit person should attempt to visit St. Hillarion.  It is touted as a one-hour climb/steep hike up from the car parking level to the castle.   Bill thought that I would never be able to handle the steep walk up at that altitude.  I brought a walking stick and figured I would go as far as I could; Bill and Glenn could go up ahead without me.  Bill didn't have the opportunity to be proven right because we got side-tracked in Girne and never made it up to St. Hillarion.  We visited the Kyrenia Castle at the old harbor in Girne instead.

Kyrenia Castle, a/k/a Girne Castle

Kyrenia Castle is also called Girne Castle today, but is far better known by its former name.  This is one large castle!  It is situated right on the old city harbor.  The first historical reference to the castle is 1191 A.D. when Richard the Lionheart captured the island of Cyprus from King Isak Komnen when Richard was on his way to the Holy Land during the Third Crusade.  No one knows who originally built Kyrenia Castle.  It has been modified and enlarged many times over millenia.  Excavations throughout the castle have revealed Hellenistic-Roman traces which date back to 7th century B.C.  It is likely that the castle was originally built to defend Kyrenia from Arab raids.  

Glenn outside Kyrenia Castle

The three of us must not have been very bright this particular day.  We walked completely around this large castle searching for the entrance.  Never found it.  The walls were unbroken completely around this big structure; no entrances, not even window openings in the stone walls. 
We then decided to walk around the adjacent old Venetian Harbor on the western side of the castle. 
There we found a tourist information office and the kind gentlemen directed us to the castle entrance -- at an upper level. 

Judy outside Kyrenia Castle

No wonder we didn't find the entrance; we hadn't been looking high enough.  Silly us; we were looking for an entrance on the ground level.  Seems that at some later years a moat of sorts was added surrounding the land side of the castle, and the only entrance through those very high castle walls was on an upper level that crossed the moat (which is now a road).  


 

Old Venetian Harbor

Settlement in the area dates back to the neolithic era.    During the 10th century B.C. the Phoenicians settled on the island of Cyprus and established Girne as a trading post.  During the Bronze Age the population in the region grew.  Until 312 B.C. Kyrenia was an independent city kingdom, but then was taken over by Salamis.  The name Girne is believed to date back to that time, so both Kyrenia and Girne are found throughout history used interchangeably for this small seaside city.  Ptolemy (of Egyptian fame) was known as King of Salamis.  Ptolemy referred to the town as Keravnia, which means Aphrodite with the Thunderbolt. 

Sidewalk cafes around old Venetian Harbor

Looking down from top of castle wall

During Roman times the area was granted a relatively large amount of autonomy, allowing Cyprus to develop along its own lines.  Girne was Christian even before Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire.  During Roman rule the importance of the port for access to markets in Asia Minor helped the city grow in both stature and status.  

Collapsed Roman seawall extension

Looking down from the top of the castle wall, we could see the remains of an extension of the harbor wall that had been built by the Romans.  That extension has long-since collapsed but is still visible beneath the surface of the water.  Also, nearby are some Greco-Roman rock graves.

Inside castle courtyard

After a short period, King Richard sold the island first to the Templar Knights.  Then shortly afterward King Richard sold the island to his cousin Guy de Lusignan, the former King of Jerusalem.  Thus began the Frankish Lusignan rule of Cyprus which lasted for about 300 years (1192 to 1489).  The Lusignans divided Cyprus into feudal states.

Way down to the dungeons

Initially the castle was fairly small.  It was first enlarged between 1208 and 1211 during the reign of King John d'Ibelin.  Its main purpose was military, which was reflected in the buildings and functions of the castle.  Using the Byzantium style of fortification, a new entrance was added.  Also added were a square, several horseshoe-shaped towers, strongly built embrasures for archers and several dungeons.

St. George Church inside castle today

The castle was almost entirely destroyed during the Genoese raids in 1373.  By 1489 the Venetians took control of the island.  They also adapted and enlarged the castle and it took on its present day structure. 


During this period, thick fortified walls were built adjoining and encasing the original castle and walls.  Wide embrasures for cannons were built. 

Dome of St. George Church; old Venetian Harbor

When renovations to the castle were completed, the walls of the castle also encompassed the small church of St. George.  The church of St. George is thought to have been built by the Byzantines during the 1100s.

On top of castle wall

In 1571 the local people of Girne surrendered to the Ottomans without a single shot being fired in Girne.  In the corridor leading up to the Lusignan Tower there is a tomb of the Ottoman Admiral Sadik Pasha.  This bloodless surrender likely resulted because the local folks had heard of or had seen the horrific shelling of Famagusta on the southern side of the island and felt it was fruitless to fight the Ottomans.  Girne entered a period of decline after the Ottoman conquest due to the fact that as part of the greater Ottoman Empire, and surrounded by lands under Ottoman control, the strategic and economic value of Cyprus was neglected.  

One of the tourist brochures claims that all additions made by the Ottomans were destroyed during the British colonial rule.  

Another of the tourist brochures claims that after the British took over the administration of Cyprus in 1889 they attempted to improve and renovate Girne harbor with the idea to increase trade and shipping.  However, it was difficult for the harbor to shake off its reputation as a 'ship-wrecker.'  When one sees how destructive winter northerly winds can be in this area it is easy to understand how this harbor came by this reputation.  

Inner courtyard top level Kyrenia Castle

So it is unclear to me whether this city languished and declined during Ottoman rule or if the Ottomans did indeed make any improvements during their ruling years.


The British took control in 1889 and remained in control of Cyprus until 1960.  During this time the castle was used as a prison and a police academy for new recruits.  Since 1960, it has been open to the public.  

One of several 'modern' artillery mounts on top of castle walls

However, between 1963 and 1974 the castle was used mainly for military purposes by the Greek Cypriot army.  Mounted on top of the castle walls are several stands for automatic weapons used by the Greek Cypriot army.  Since 1974 the Department of Antiquities and Museums of The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has been responsible for all aspects of the castle's preservation and use.

Ancient cistern inside castle

Inside tiled cistern

One thing we found particularly interesting is that inside the huge courtyard of the castle there is a large underground water cistern.  This answered our question as to what in the world the people on this island did for fresh water. 

Exterior opening to cistern

It does not rain on Cyprus for a minimum of 8 months per year.  The farmers wait all year for a very small amount of rain during only a couple of months.  We could not figure out how people lived on this island with so little water, especially back in the days prior to desalination.  We assumed there must have been cisterns or wells but had seen no evidence of these anywhere on the island.  This was the first cistern we had found. 

Shoot arrows through this narrow slit

Archers must have been short

As we roamed around the tops of the walls surrounding the castle, Glenn noted that the archers of those ancient times must have been fairly short.  Glenn is 5'6" and could just fit inside the places where archers stood to shoot arrows down upon invaders.  Like Kantara Castle, which must have been built and modified at around the same times as Kyrenia Castle, there were many very narrow long slits for archers to shoot outwards. 

No idea what this was

I never figured out what this crumbling part of the castle might have been used for.  The crumbling upper part of this "structure" was open on the top of the outer castle walls.  People were climbing all around this open area.  Loose stones made for non-secure footing.  And inside the circle was a sheer drop of more than 50 feet.  Can you imagine such an unsafe area being open to the public in the United States!!

2300 year old sunken Phoenician merchant ship

Close-up of strakes

Inside the castle is housed the Shipwreck Museum.  This is what we really wanted to see!  This tiny museum is dedicated to a tiny Phoenician merchant ship over 2300 years old.  A local sponge fisherman found the sunken remains in 1965.  The wreck was about 1.5 kilometers north of Kyrenia at a depth of 18 meters.  It was salvaged by marine archaelogists from Pennsylvania University between 1967 - 69.  The tiny ship is the earliest trading vessel yet discovered anywhere.   I had read about this discovery years ago and had wanted to see it for a long time.  Did not know that it was located here on Cyprus.  Neat!!

Cross view replica of how ship was loaded

The ship was 15 meters in length and was constructed of Aleppo pine.  The wooden surface of the ship was coated with a strong lacquer to protect it against Mediterranean wood-boring maggot.

Replica section showing lead covering hull

The hull was also covered with vertical lead panels.  We thought these were copper, but the signs stated the panels were lead.  These also were to protect the wooden hull from marine growth, worms and maggots.

Amphoras salvaged from wreck

Cargo on this final voyage that was found still with the shipwreck included 400 large amphoras (storage vases), 29 basalt millstones and 9000 almonds.  Finding the almonds was a big deal because scientists can learn much about ancient crops and insects by testing these almonds. About 300 lead weights found with the wreck indicate that the ship was also used for fishing.  Or, at least the crew did some fishing, even if just for their own needs.

salvaged cargo of almonds

We got a real kick out of one of the statements on a sign in the museum.  The marine archaeologists determined that this ship had a crew of 4 during her final voyage.  They determined the number of crew based on the number of drinking cups found with the wreck.  Also by the number of wooden spoons found with the wreck.  Excuse me?  Because only 4 cups and 4 spoons are found with a 2300 year-old wreck one assumes that there were only 4 persons aboard?  That is faulty logic.  Wooden spoons could have easily been separated from the wreckage during the past 2300 years.  And to assume that the crew numbered 4 because there were 4 cups is quite a stretch.  Bill and I very often share a single drinking cup during passages.  It is easier than having 2 cups or glasses sliding around in the cockpit, so we share a single glass.  Does that mean there is only a crew of 1 on our boat?  Or, if one wanted to count all the drinking glasses on our boat, would that mean to a future marine archaeologist that there was a crew of 22 on our boat?  Maybe there was a crew of 4 on this old ship.  But it is a stretch to arrive at that number of crew simply based on the fact that only 4 drinking cups were found with the wreck.

The ship was built in 389 B.C. and was about 80 years old when it sank.  To put this in perspective for our non-sailing friends, this Phoenician merchant ship is just a bit more than 3 feet shorter in length than S/V BeBe.


I was frankly amazed that there were several wooden blocks or pulleys that had survived this long at the bottom of the sea.  Diagrams were provided indicating how this tiny ship was rigged.  The illustration below shows where this single-sheave block was used to hold and trim sails

More photos later emailed to us from Glenn: 

Kyrenia Harbor -- The old Venetian Harbor

Glenn in arrow shooting space Kyrenia Castle