Bandırma, Sea of Marmara

N40°21.26 E027°58.05
(June 2009)
We were on the inside end of the west wall at the east basin. We were alongside but think it would be better to med moor as the wash from the high speed ferry (about twice a day) is horrendous. The local fishermen were really friendly and accommodating. They gave us a big punnet of lovely fat mussels – delicious! On our first night we had two lots of visitors. The first were a group of teenagers. One of them got onboard and sat in the cockpit but he soon scarpered when Derek went out growling and shouting. The second were a pair of black cats scrapping. In the morning the cockpit was covered in clumps of black fur, cat pooh and cat spray. Two more reasons to med moor rather than go alongside. A large work boat moors on the outside end of the west wall and although the crew are quite noisy beer drinking, singers they are friendly and hospitable.

The bustling town is just across the road from the harbour. There is a BIM on the first street and I saw a Gross supermarket in the town somewhere but I can’t recall how to get to it. Next door to the harbour is a park and sitting in its square watching the world go by was very pleasant.

If you come out of the harbour, turn right and carry on past the Harbour Master’s Offices there is a terminus for the shuttle bus between town and the otogar. We got the shuttle bus (TL1.25, journey time about 10 mins) to the otogar where we got a bus to Erdek (TL3, journey time about 40 mins). Opposite the otogar is a medium sized Carrefore. There is a free shoppers bus from Carrefore to town.

We checked in at Bandırma. Our first call was to the Harbour Master’s Office on the front. We were shown into the offices of the boss guy who was extremely helpful. He called the Chamber of Shipping and took us over the road to see them (their office is above a shop on a corner, diagonally across from the HM Office). In the five years that the boss in the Harbour Masters office has been there he has only seen three yachts check in at Bandirma so it was no surprise that the Chamber of Shipping didn’t have any Transit Logs. They said they would get Istanbul to send them some overnight and that we should come back tomorrow.

The supply of Transit Logs arrived the next day as promised. We paid 90.53 Lira for the Transit Log – that was made up of 46.53 TL (30 dollars) plus 44TL for yachts up to 49 GRT. For 60TL the Chamber of Shipping boss supplied a employee who drove us around to Health Control, Harbour Master (who tried to be difficult and apparently wanted more money off us but the boss guy we’d originally seen there was able to nip that in the bud), Port Police, Customs and back to the Harbour Master. Now that we know that the various offices are all within walking distance of each other we would say it would be possible to trek around them ourselves although we felt the 60TL for taxi, interpreter, negotiator with the grumpy guy in the Harbour Master’s office and guide was money well spent. We also paid the usual fee for our visa stamps.

I have contact details for the boss at the Chamber of Shipping (who speaks good English) if anyone wants them.