Properly propped put putted out of Nessebar yesterday morning. Nervously checking the flex coupling, packing and shaft. I had the same overheating problem and excessive drip throught the packing as at first use on the Danube, last July. But it looks like it will be the same process by adjusting the pressure on the packing till it is settled in. I have lost about half a knot in sailing speed but the response from forward to reverse is much quicker and that is an advantage when maneuvering in crowded harbors.

“Stella Maris” left an hour ahead of me and they are parked next to me on the inside of the floating marina pier and ahead of them is a Toronto couple (Giovani or ) John and Roberta on “Quickbeam” a C&C 38. They made the same cruise to the Ukraine as “Stella Maris” from Turkey and are returning to the Med from here as well asnd then plan leave the boat on the hard in Rome, for the winter.

Sozopol is the oldest Greek settlement, in 611 BC, on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. A charming town with the same red tile roofed, stone and wood houses as Nessebar. But not quite as touristy.

Last night we got together on a Bulgarian day trip boat. The skipper, Christoph, also works as a skipper on large sail race boats in the Med. The races out of Sardinia, Greece, etc. Peter a friend of Christoph, since childhood, played the accordion beautifully. He is a clarinet player in the Bulgarian Concert Orchestra. I enjoyed talking to my new Canadian neighbors. Roberta-Bobby was born in Canada right after her Polish parents immigrated to Toronto. A fascinating story about her mother who was sent as an 18 year old with her sister and brother to Siberia by the Russians, in 1939. They managed to escape from Siberia by attaching them selves to the undercarriage of a freight car and wandered through Iran into Palestine and the British occupation there sent her to England where she served in the RAF as a flight controller till the end of the second world war. There she met her Polish husband who served in the Polish expatriate army. Bobby speaks fluent Polish. And her husband Giovani came as a three year old from central Italy with his parents to Canada, he speaks Italian and the local dialect. They are giving me lots of good information for my winter’s stay in Turkey. They spent last winter near Marmaris. There is quite a contingent of North Americans there and it sounds like I will not have a dull moment there with lots of organized activities and excursions to the historic sites.

There are a number of impressive large power and sail boats in this marina.  Since Bulgaria is one of the least expensive spots to get fuel, I tanked up, 45 liters. It was the first time since I left Zimnicea to get fuel and that is about the same quantity as what I then left with to motor the last 550 km ( 300 nautical miles) of the Danube plus some motoring on the Black Sea. So that comes to about 30 miles ( 35 statute miles) per gallon. The power boaters who do this against the current will be green with envy to read this.

We were to get strong winds here as of last night and nasty weather till Monday. There was an increase in the wind strength, it cooled off and it clouded over but it is till quite pleasant. I had understood that this was the last port to clear out of Bulgaria from but that turns out to be incorrect, there is no customs/immigration here. I plan to leave tomorrow with “Stella Maris” for Tsarevo, 20 miles further on the Turkish border.