Bulgarian Adventure - paddling the Black Sea!

Sunday, 03 June 2012 10:46 | Written by Barbara Kossy

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Paddling the Black Sea

In September I’m returning to Bulgaria for the second time, with a small group of paddlers to kayak on the Black Sea. For years I’d wanted to travel to Bulgaria - it’s got wild open spaces, a happy Lev to US dollar relationship, haunting music, and those uber cool Soviet-era trucks – and in 2011 I finally made it.

Boyan Zlatarev

I was in Sardinia when I met Sofia native Boyan Zlatarev. He was wrangling Epic surf skis for the 2010 Ohana Mana Cup race and helped set up my husband, John Dixon, with an Epic ski. He suggested we work together to bring paddlers to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. I’d been organizing and leading yearly sea kayaking trips in Italy since 1996, so I had a contact list with lots of traveling paddlers, and a feel for what makes a great international paddle vacation. I could only say, “Yes, let’s do it.”

Soviet era truck

One of those uber-cool Soviet-era trucks...

The pleasure of travel is personal. Some people have a bucket list of major world wonders. Others prefer to tick off cathedrals, or truffles, or eat meals elite and obscure. Me? I’m the curator of the B. Kossy Museum of Experience, Conversation, and Paddle Sport---Examining the stony wrinkles of the Thracian Cliffs, as I stroke my way on the summer-warmed Black Sea; enjoying the light breeze and bounce under the kayak and the companionship of chatting paddlers--that’s my kind of travel heaven.

Blend of paddling and culture

To create the trip Boyan and I shaped ideas and itineraries, me in Moss Beach, California, and he in Bulgaria. We came up with a nine-day blend of paddling and forays into Bulgarian music, culture, history, and environment.

Playing the Gaida

Gaida player and singer play traditional Bulgarian music.

I pulled together a group of eight pioneer paddlers. Some had paddled with me on a similar trips in Italy. I arrived in Varna a few days early to meet the other team members: Krasi Miteff, our host and cook at his guest house near Kavarna, and Galin Georgiev, an adventure tour guide and our logistics impresario.

Boyan has paddled for 12 years and has been Epic Kayaks’ European distribution manager for five years. He’s a true waterman, having been a pro diver, yacht skipper, swim coach and lifeguard. He graduated from the Bulgarian National Sports Academy, and has turned his love of water sports into a mission. “Kayaking is a new sport here.” he says, adding “I think there are about 20 or 30 sea kayakers in Bulgaria.” He cares passionately about the Bulgarian environment and culture and hopes sharing it with us will help preserve it.

Cruising… but if you want a hectic workout…

We paddled a few hours a day. A typical day’s venture might include a two-hour cliff-side leg to a beach for lunch, where we swim, practice paddle skills, stretch out, relax and of course, eat. Then we might paddle along the coast for another hour or two arriving at our take out beach where we would be met by our “land crew” and the kayak trailer. En route paddlers could simply tool along, enjoy the rhythm of the sea, or get tips on stroke efficiency from Boyan or myself, or one of the other experienced paddlers among us.

Coaching

Boyan leads a techinque session on the water

If a paddler wanted a challenging workout, Boyan was happy to create a tailored program. Some sections of coast offered swell-wrapping points. Here paddlers could play and enjoy the following seas. We had a small flexible group able to respond to changing conditions. We coached those who want to build skills, and enjoyed the company of those who preferred to go with the flow.

Historic Coast

Last year we spent five days paddling this historic coast of the Black Sea coast. We paddled around Cape Kaliakara, along the Thracian Cliffs, and around the peninsula of Nesebar crowned with the ancient walled Nesebar town. The Thracians were an ancient group of Indo-European tribes, contemporary with the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Thracian most known to us might be the enslaved Spartacus who led a rebellion against the Romans. The ruins of Thracian tombs dotted the fields on the ocean bluffs, high above us.

Nesebar Church

An ancient church in Nesebar

After a day’s paddle or tour I would rinse and refresh In the comfort of my hotel room while the sun left a twilight glow in the evening sky. At Shopskacopy dinner at a garden table with new Bulgarian and American friends, we ate tangy shopska salad, freshly harvested mussels, a kicked back a shot of rakia, and shared the discoveries of the day in English and a wee bit of Bulgarian.

Or we might go out to a fine dinner, prepared for us by area restaurants and chefs. Bulgarian food in September is rich with tomatoes and cucumbers fresh picked from market gardens, with field-ripened melon for dessert. Bulgarian cooking is a hearty combination of Balkan, Turkish, Greek, Russian and more. Just the thing to sate a hungry appetite. It all came together in our shared meals.

Sightseeing

For the last days of our trip we moved inland and did a bit of sightseeing on our way to a day floating on the vast Vacha Reservoir. Boyan bought grapes, melons, and peaches from roadside vendors on our way. That night was full of the intricate harmonies of traditional music and food cooked over coals and under the stars. We wound up our trip with a day’s exploration of the capital city of Sofia, including a precious Medieval church and golden Thracian treasures at the National Museum of History.

Bulgaria 2012!

Bulgaria 2012

We’re looking forward to this year’s adventure. We added a day to the itinerary (10 days, 9 nights) and the availability of Epic surf skis. You are welcome to join us. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information. See www.barbarakossy.com for details and links.

Here's the link to Barbara Kossy’s Facebook album of the trip:

http://tinyurl.com /6 vfb6he