B + 13 : How Marco Polo found the time to dictate his adventures and publish a book

What a splendid morning to wake up. The sea was very calm and we could see Yumurtalik or Laiazzo in the distance. In 1294, Venice and Genoa fought a sea battle in this corner of the Mediterranean. Venice lost and the Venetian Galley Captain Marco Polo is said to have been taken prisoner here. Korcula in Dalmatia makes the same claim. As prisoner of war he was then as transferred to Genoa where he had ample time during his captivity to dictate a book about his travels to China and the Far East.

Anchoring near Yumurtalik - behind the mountain range at the back lies Antioch

At seven, we were suddenly surrounded by fishermen who wanted to sell us their catch of the day - of course we bought what they had

We then headed with our dingy into town to have a look - there are still many ruins from the Crusader time standing

The little fishing port is still "protected" by the massive walls which must be 1'000 years old

Yumurtalik is a sleepy, charming Turkish port today - life is slow here

The bread can easily match the bagels from New York

In the afternoon we went to visit Süleyman's tower about half a mile west of the town. We could not really grasp the military logic of its position. By the time he came to power in 1520, the Mamelukes' Empire had already be conquered by the Ottomans (1516-17). Be it as it may, that is how the locals call the tower.

Old and new life go hand in hand here - photo taken from the Süleyman Tower

We had just returned to the Carpe Diem V when the Turkish Coast Guard showed up - there was no other sailboat here for miles and we were clearly an attraction - they checked our passports and the log and then let us go - we had to sail to Iskendar tonight