English: In the Heart of the Sea | Passage 1: Odessa

Here is my father, Sinan Aycı. He spent years as a captain. Everyone was always curious about his adventures and the day came. He narrated one of his voyage memories for Yazıyor... readers.

Each part of this voyage, which we will read in 2 passages, will drag you into different adventures. You will almost feel yourself in a simulation.

Yes, daddy, you have the pen, may our bow be clear!

La Mer // Charles Tranet on your headphones....

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Hello dear readers welcome on board! We begin with the first of the passages. If the crew is ready, it's time to weigh anchor.

Let's go on a voyage with you. We will load from the Ukrainian port of Odessa and unload at the Sicilian port of Catania. We'll sail a total of 11 days. Are you ready?

When we set sail from the Bosphorus to the Black Sea and set course for Odessa, the weather is mild and the sea is calm even though it is January.

The crew continues their daily work in the engine room and on deck.

Right now, I am on the bridge as a cavalry captain.

This is the bridge, where the ship is managed and the navigation devices are the brains of the ship.

I took a cup of tea and sat on my couch. The sea is open.

This is the moment when I review my life, face my mistakes and good deeds, and think about everything.

Alone, serene in the middle of nowhere. The faces of my wife, my daughters and even my cats are floating on the blue sea.

I miss them all already...

I asked the ship's cook to prepare the barbecue for dinner. I wanted all the staff to participate. Actually, I wanted it for myself. The cook will only prepare the barbecue, I will make the barbecue myself! I can say it is my biggest hobby, the only activity that distracts me.

We docked in Odessa 38 hours after leaving the Bosphorus.

After customs controls, I went to the city to have fun. My 2nd and 3rd captains will do the loading. I immediately found myself a 5 star hotel.

Can we say that this is the good thing about being a captain? :)

When the third day of loading was over, I returned to the ship. It was around 4:30 a.m. when the cargo paperwork check, customs and immigration were completed.

An hour later the pilot arrived and we departed. It might be good to look around a bit,

you can start taking deep breaths:

There are no working hours in our profession; we have to be ready to work 24 hours a day.

I sent the 2nd and 3rd captain to rest and I took the shift.

In the morning, it was a little cooler.

In the dead seas, what we call 'swell', there are fun but high waves that make the ship lurch heavily. It makes you feel like you are drunk, there are no glasses and plates on the table. No sailor likes this state of the sea. It rocks the ship like a cradle:

At the end of a day and a half, the sight before me filled me with infinite peace, but also with sadness and longing for my mother.

It has been like this for years, dear readers.

On the Anatolian leg of the first bridge connecting Asia and Europe at the entrance to the Bosphorus from the Black Sea, there is my mother's grave.

I never pass under this bridge without praying to my mother. When I lost my mother, I was on a voyage again.

This is how this job is... It is always difficult to keep up with births, weddings and deaths.

When we arrive in Istanbul in the evening, this is our first view.

From the moment we enter the Bosphorus, memories evolve into a different feeling for me because I am from Beykoz and I have swam in the waters of the Bosphorus, fished and walked on its beaches.

The queen of cities is another beauty. It has incredible sounds and colors. It is a city of lovers and every moment is beautiful. You know it has inspired many poets. You have a lot of time to think about these things and feel them deeply.

At the first light of the morning, we anchored at Kumkapi anchorage for provisions, fuel and water.

At noon we finished our replenishment and sailed towards Çanakkale.

Çanakkale is 105 miles away and we crossed the Marmara Sea and arrived at the Dardanelles of Gallipoli at midnight.

Night cruising is difficult! We captains are always on our toes in straits, rivers and narrow channels. All ship crew are on their feet.

We entered the strait at noon due to the density.

At that moment when we were going to sail to the Aegean, we said goodbye to Turkey with that magnificent Çanakkale Victory martyrdom monument and sailed to the Aegean. We greeted our martyrs with the ship's whistle. May the place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and all our martyrs be in heaven.

The voyage had just started when we heard the 2nd captain's screams of pain, an indescribable fear gripped my whole body. we are on the open sea, anything could happen!...

For more, visit iremyaziyor.com next week too!

Translator: İrem AYCI