With the help of Evgeny, a highly professional clearance agent, we complete our departure from Russia – back to the Sochi Grand Marina, this time to the customs area, where we finalise the last papers and get them stamped. With clear instructions to stay well clear of Abkhazia (even though it is controlled by Russia) and to take a wide detour to Georgia, I set off in good spirits. The Black Sea is calm and clear, and in a few hours I should be in Poti… But things turn out a little differently: the fuel pipes are somehow overloaded or dirty, and soon one of the engines fails and I plod along at 10 km/h, keeping at least 30 km away from the Abkhazian coastline.
A coal-black night closes in around me – and I see the Milky Way in all its glory, as I have probably never seen it before in my life! A shining sea of stars above me, even though I can’t see more than 10 metres around the boat. The sea and the night merge seamlessly and I feel as if I am sailing towards a black wall, slowly but surely further and further into this “darkroom”. I switch on the autopilot, sit down on the back seat and enjoy this magnificent spectacle above me.
It feels good – am I really on the water?
As the new day dawns, I try to contact David (an agent in Batumi recommended by Konstantin) and look forward to mooring where the Argo and its Argonauts landed around 3,200 years ago to discover (and rob) Colchis… At the harbour entrance, the magical Medea awaits me in the form of an upright white statue, proudly carrying a golden fleece that has been turned into a boat above her head, linking history with the present.
But suddenly fatigue catches up with me – David has come here especially from Batumi; together we complete the forms for entry into Georgia; I want to get some sleep at last, but at the same time I want to explore Poti… I greet the fishermen, workers and boatmen in the harbour, stroll through the sprawling small town, wondering about the European flags flying everywhere – and soon realise that this country is still a long way from being ready for the EU: I am approached by border officials and verbally “reported” for apparently driving through a restricted zone at the harbour entrance. And as long as I don’t pay the fine, in cash and directly to them, I won’t get an exit permit… That’s how it works!
There’s no point in arguing with these officials. They wear two hats at the same time: on the one hand, they represent the border authorities, and on the other, they pursue their own interests – using state power to make money for themselves. David shrugs his shoulders; he knows this game. Sleep is now out of the question.