Dodecanese and migrants

[catmandoo]

With the migrant situation now swamping the Dodecanese and other islands close to Turkey and potentially affecting the "ambience " of yachting in the area how many of those that keep their boats there are thinking of leaving in 2016. The beach from the Port Fort to Kos marina was full of refugees in October and presumably this year when the weather improves
i know boats in marinas there have also been abandoned because of the economic situation . Will the migrant situation make matters worse ?

 

[Resolution]

I keep my boat in Port Iasos, a couple of days sail North of Bodrum. We spent several weeks in 2015 in the general Bodrum area, sticking to Turkish waters, saw a few refugee boats, a number of discarded rubber rings, but no refugees in distress. The only impact on our "ambience" was the sad sight of refugees lined up on the coastguard quaysides in Bodrum and Cesme, presumably having been caught and glumly contemplating having to shell out another $2,000 for the next night time boat ride.
For 2016 we plan to be back round to Datca in June for a few weeks. Later in the year we plan to explore a bit further North.
I have been worrying quietly about the risks of being in tourist spots in Turkey, given the IS - type terrorist attacks that seem to target tourist locations almost anywhere. However I suspect that the odds on being caught up in an attack are about as low as they were last week when I was hoping to win the big lottery prize!

Are we being insensitive in enjoying our "luxury yachts" while refugees risk their lives nearby? I suppose the answer has to be yes....

 

[catmandoo]

I keep my boat in Port Iasos, a couple of days sail North of Bodrum. We spent several weeks in 2015 in the general Bodrum area, sticking to Turkish waters, saw a few refugee boats, a number of discarded rubber rings, but no refugees in distress. The only impact on our "ambience" was the sad sight of refugees lined up on the coastguard quaysides in Bodrum and Cesme, presumably having been caught and glumly contemplating having to shell out another $2,000 for the next night time boat ride.
For 2016 we plan to be back round to Datca in June for a few weeks. Later in the year we plan to explore a bit further North.
I have been worrying quietly about the risks of being in tourist spots in Turkey, given the IS - type terrorist attacks that seem to target tourist locations almost anywhere. However I suspect that the odds on being caught up in an attack are about as low as they were last week when I was hoping to win the big lottery prize!

Are we being insensitive in enjoying our "luxury yachts" while refugees risk their lives nearby? I suppose the answer has to be yes....

Athagonisi refugees hanging around harbour area affecting local shopkeepers business
Leros. Interfering with dinghies, occupying all good seats in local seafront cafes charging phones sitting around all day hanging around yachts at Agmar Marina , groups of draft age young men parading streets
Kos similar more numbers , beaches opposite hotels between port and marina used for ablutions
Not the sort of thing one expects on a holiday

 

[macd]

Not the sort of thing one expects on a holiday

I suppose that's one perspective.

 

[NornaBiron]

Not the sort of thing one expects on a holiday

Thousands of people putting their own and their families' lives at risk to escape from a persecuted past - not a normal situation for anyone to find themselves in.

 

[vyv_cox]

The authorities seemed to be getting a good measure of organisation by the time we departed Greece in October. The big crowds of migrants in Kos and Leros had gone as the press of holiday-makers on the ferries waned. Migrants were arriving at around 200 per day on Leros but seemed to be moving out almost at the same rate. The tents on the grass by the ferry port had all gone.

 

[catmandoo]

Thousands of people putting their own and their families' lives at risk to escape from a persecuted past - not a normal situation for anyone to find themselves in.

Ok we sympathise but if you had the choice would you stay or leave particularly in view of recent news about armed smugglers , boats being chased by refugee boats and reported headless body seen in water

 

[NornaBiron]

Ok we sympathise but if you had the choice would you stay or leave particularly in view of recent news about armed smugglers , boats being chased by refugee boats and reported headless body seen in water

We spent the whole of last summer in the Dodecanese islands seeing refugees regularly in Leros, Agathonisi, Kos and other islands. We are currently anchored in Symi and are still seeing refugees arriving. We have picked Syrians out of the water in a remote bay at night. We have sailed over to adrift dinghies to check that they do not have people still on board when others around have ignored them.

We have the choice and choose to stay in an area that we like very much.

In reality the presence of refugees has little impact on our lifestyle. We spend our time in anchorages away from the busy tourist traps so we only see refugees when visiting a town for reprovisioning. In our experience the vast majority of the refugees are genuine people who have found themselves in a horrendous situation that they are desperate to escape. We consider ourselves lucky that we don't have to face the same problems.

 

[Caladh]

Unless you actually believe what the Dialy Mail prints, I'd stay and then you'll actually get a grip as to what's going on there. Up to early November in Samos the situation had become quiet. However spring is going to be sprung and the refugees will be on the move in earnest again. They certainly didn't cause us any problems when we sailed down from Limnos to Samos last year and we were able to assess the gravity of their situation ourselves.

 

[Caladh]

We spent the whole of last summer in the Dodecanese islands seeing refugees regularly in Leros, Agathonisi, Kos and other islands. We are currently anchored in Symi and are still seeing refugees arriving. We have picked Syrians out of the water in a remote bay at night. We have sailed over to adrift dinghies to check that they do not have people still on board when others around have ignored them.

We have the choice and choose to stay in an area that we like very much.

In reality the presence of refugees has little impact on our lifestyle. We spend our time in anchorages away from the busy tourist traps so we only see refugees when visiting a town for reprovisioning. In our experience the vast majority of the refugees are genuine people who have found themselves in a horrendous situation that they are desperate to escape. We consider ourselves lucky that we don't have to face the same problems.

+1

 

[macd]

Ok we sympathise but if you had the choice would you stay or leave particularly in view of recent news about armed smugglers , boats being chased by refugee boats and reported headless body seen in water

They do have the choice. They'll be voting with their keels. I don't need Mori to make an educated guess as to how that will be.
Incidentally I can find no reference to boats being chased (by people smugglers) or headless corpses in the Aegean*, but then I make a point of avoiding the Daily Mail.

*although one washed up not so long ago on Blackpool beach.

 

[sailaboutvic]

They do have the choice. They'll be voting with their keels. I don't need Mori to make an educated guess as to how that will be.
Incidentally I can find no reference to boats being chased (by people smugglers) or headless corpses in the Aegean*, but then I make a point of avoiding the Daily Mail.

*although one washed up not so long ago on Blackpool beach.

That's a bad bit of navigating by the people smugglers

 

[catmandoo]

They do have the choice. They'll be voting with their keels. I don't need Mori to make an educated guess as to how that will be.
Incidentally I can find no reference to boats being chased (by people smugglers) or headless corpses in the Aegean*, but then I make a point of avoiding the Daily Mail.
Not Daily Mail more like CA

*although one washed up not so long ago on Blackpool beach.

 

[macd]

Not Daily Mail more like CA

You'll need to offer more provenance than that bald statement.
There have been a tiny number of yachts chased, all of them so far as I know, off Africa: none in the Aegean. IIRC, the best known example was actually quite some years ago, and nothing to do with the present crisis.

Incidentally, when using the 'reply with quote' function, best to put your text in another line outside the two [QUOTE} boxes: that way it doesn't get muddled with the text you're responding too. Sorry if you knew this and it was just a slip-up.

 

[affinite]

And still it goes on ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35383371

 

[vyv_cox]

You'll need to offer more provenance than that bald statement.
There have been a tiny number of yachts chased, all of them so far as I know, off Africa: none in the Aegean. IIRC, the best known example was actually quite some years ago, and nothing to do with the present crisis.

The chased boat was closer to Italy than Africa I think, last year or the one before. The headless body was quite recent, in the Aegean. Both reported by CA members.

 

[macd]

The chased boat was closer to Italy than Africa I think, last year or the one before. The headless body was quite recent, in the Aegean. Both reported by CA members.

There was certainly a thread on here about a dramatic chasing episode perhaps a year ago, with much discussion of the lessons it taught. My memory may be quite wrong on this, but I think the events described had ocurred some years before. Perhaps someone with a better memory recalls it?

 

[Mistroma]

There was certainly a thread on here about a dramatic chasing episode perhaps a year ago, with much discussion of the lessons it taught. My memory may be quite wrong on this, but I think the events described had ocurred some years before. Perhaps someone with a better memory recalls it?

I also remember some details of this event somewhere off the coast of Africa. I seem to remember that a large catamaran was approached by a boat laden with people who didn't look as if they were in great shape. They contacted Las Palmas rescue coordination centre, probably by sat. phone but kept their distance. The launch approached and it was obvious that they were going to board so the catamaran tried to maintain a safe distance. Bottles of water were dropped for them to pick up but were ignored.

Fortunately, the catamaran was able to just outpace the following boat. However, a smaller yacht came into view and they veered off towards it. Both yachts were in contact by VHF and the smaller yacht was advised to flee. Las Palmas advised that it would take 3 days for someone to reach them (not certain it was 3 days buy was a ridiculously long time).

The crew on the smaller yacht spent the night trying to avoid being boarded but only had oars to push the other craft away. They also ran without lights and I think that the catamaran tried to run interference and eventually persuaded Las Palmas to do something. A fishing boat was diverted to the area and I think that they chased off the small boat.

I could just be imagining it but do seem to remember the details mentioned fairly clearly. This happened several years ago and not in the med. so isn't the recent event near Italy that Vyv mentioned.

 

[BrianH]

There was certainly a thread on here about a dramatic chasing episode perhaps a year ago, with much discussion of the lessons it taught. My memory may be quite wrong on this, but I think the events described had ocurred some years before. Perhaps someone with a better memory recalls it?

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?153281-Atlantic-Rally-for-Cruisers-Immigrant-Rescue-Report&p=1597946#post1597946

 

[Jegs]

Thousands of people putting their own and their families' lives at risk to escape from a persecuted past - not a normal situation for anyone to find themselves in.

Do you have any evidence that these "refugees" were being persecuted in Turkey?

ATB,

John G