Ah...stories that could be told...

I have written previously about the extraordinary history of this eastern Med area and frankly, it’s very difficult to know where to being when trying to bring perspective in just a few short readable paragraphs. I’m an ancient history addict whereas Craig tends towards more modern history. Because I am often the story stick holder, you usually get my ancient history condensed version of whatever area we are in. Trying to decide how to approach our most recent journey is difficult as its impossible to tell the story of the Çanakkale Straits (or the Dardanelles as the British named it) without considering thousands of years of stories.

The first settlement of this area is currently dated to approximately 6000 years ago, so you can see my dilemma. Our childhood rings with the names of Troy and the love story of Helen and Paris, of the Trojan Horse, of Achilles and Agamemnon, of Xerxes, Alexander the Great, of Justinian, and of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. How the everyday people who have farmed this beautiful agricultural land throughout history managed to just survive the constant battles that raged along these shores is beyond understanding. It is a profound statement about the tenacity and will of these people that this landscape continues to flourish with a vibrant culture and industry.

The area is rich in natural beauty and its fabulous blend of cultures throughout history make it a truly interesting place to visit. However, according to the tourism authorities here, the area attracts very few international tourists….except for one day of the year, 25 April, when thousands of visitors from Australia and New Zealand come to the region, primarily to Gelibolu (or as we know it Gallipoli). We come to see and pay respects at the sites of what locals refer to as the Çanakkale War. From there, these flocks of tourists stop in at the ancient site of Troy and Assos, take a look at the replica of the Trojan Horse and then head onto other famous sites such as Pamukkale, Cappadocia etc.

With that in mind, my story today will given with a more modern bent.

On 16 June, we were happily bobbing around at anchor off the shores of the old city of Alaçatı. I had great plans for meandering the cobblestone alleys, exploring the wonderful old shop fronts and indulging in the food culture of the area, when, as often occurs, my Captain announces that we have a perfect weather window to make a dash for Istanbul. That is approximately 300+ nautical miles of ocean through the northern Aegean Islands, into the Çanakkale Straits and the Sea of Marmara. Now that is no easy feat as this is considered amongst the most dangerous and difficult waterways in the world to traverse. Not only is it today one of the busiest international commercial shipping transit ways with 55,000 ships per year, it is also famous for its strong opposing currents of 7 or 8 knots, meltemi winds and other natural hazards. In essence, to get to Istanbul one needs to plan carefully the passage north or you’d never get far in the otherwise nasty headwind. But ever the optimist, my Captain said, “she’ll be fine”. So instead of my wandering, we hastily prepared for departure. We did a quick trip ashore to get some provisions for a four-day passage and then stopped by our friends who were anchored off from us. Knowing that they too were very keen to make the same journey, we said “we’re outa here at first light”. So bright and early the following morning, after being awoken by the Güneş (first prayer of the day), we picked up sticks and with Longo Mai (captained by Ian and Malia Wilson), we headed north. Malia and Ian have written a great piece here from their perspective if you are interested.

What an adventure. Craig has already explained the passage itself in The Mad Dash North so I won’t repeat that story. But I did want to briefly touch on the story of the Çanakkale War as, in the briefest of moments in the grand scheme of history, this area was witness to an extraordinary event; the land battles fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Entente States on the Gallipoli Peninsula between 1915 and 1916. The Entente States were those of the British Empire, including Scottish, Irish, Indian, North African, Australian and New Zealand soldiers, Greek and Jewish volunteers, France and Russia. Napolean allegedly stated that “Istanbul is the key” to world power. It straddles Europe and Asia and controls access to and from the Black Sea.

With that in mind, the original plan in September 1914 of the Entente States envisaged the invasion of Istanbul by the crossing of the Straits by navy. The plan was implemented by large scale attacks from the navies of the UK and France. Those attacks had little success for a whole variety of reasons, and it was soon understood that Istanbul would not be reach by naval operations. Consequently, the devastating decision was made to attempt to seize control of the peninsula by land operation. British Empire and French forces of approximately 75,000 plus people landed at five points on the peninsula at dawn on April 25, 1915 and the rest….is history. The attacks could simply not overcome the might of the Ottoman defence and eventually the British, Anzac and French forces were evacuated in December of 1915.

There is so much written about this historic and tragic event that I won’t insult the scholars and historians who have spent lifetimes specialising in its study. Suffice to say that while the actual figures vary, it is commonly accepted that over 80,000 people on all sides lost their lives and that there were over 300,000 casualties. It was a battle that has deeply affected the histories of all our nations to this day. March 18 is the official day the Çanakkale War ending and that is regarded with solemnity each year here in Turkiye as the Victory and Martyrs Day. However, Anzac Day is also regarded as a special day here and is revered and marked by ceremony. The landscape of the peninsula is dotted with monuments and cemeteries. And on one monument the words of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to the mothers of Australia and New Zealand are recorded:

“Mothers who sent their children to war from distant land. Relie your tears. Your children are in our bosom, they are at peace and will sleep comfortably in peace. After they gave their lives in this land, they have now become our children.”

It is difficult to sail past these shores and not pause in your thoughts of insignificance to take a moment and think about all that tragedy and all the wasted potential of soldiers and civilians from all over who now ‘sleep’ in the rich earth of the Gelibolu Peninsula.