You are sailing between two continents through the middle of a city of 16 million, with Ottoman palaces, wooden yalı mansions…You are sailing between two continents through the middle of a city of 16 million, with Ottoman palaces, wooden yalı mansions and the Süleymaniye and Blue Mosque silhouetted against the sunset, ferries crossing in every direction and the call to prayer carrying across the water from both banks at once. The strait has decided history repeatedly, Byzantium was founded on it in 657 BC, and its control has been the strategic prize of empires ever since. The 1936 Montreux Convention still governs passage. Beneath the surface, the Black Sea's fresher water flows out on top while denser Mediterranean water flows in underneath, an undersea river visible on sonar. Anchorage: Marina berths rather than anchoring; the strait is a working seaway. Hazards: Extremely heavy commercial traffic, 40,000+ transits a year including tankers, plus ferries crossing constantly and a strong current. Not a place to be casual. Plus