Vapur Iskele

Vapur Iskele puts you in the wheelhouse of an Istanbul city ferry. The first sailing is already pulling away from Eminönü: put the wheel over, ring the engine telegraph, and take your passengers across the Bosphorus to Karaköy, Üsküdar, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy or out to Büyükada in the Princes' Islands. Every crossing comes down to one job done well: bringing the ferry from one pier to the next and laying her alongside without a bump. The strait doesn't sit still. The surface current runs south down the middle and back north along the shores, every pier has its own eddy, and the wind leans on the ferry. Tankers move along the shipping lane, fishing boats drift, and other ferries cross your path. At the pier the deckhand only throws the rope once you lie alongside under 1.8 knots. Come in faster than 2.7 knots and you hit the iskele. Come in too slowly and the current carries you off. The way to dock in Vapur Iskele is to read the water early: line up in good time, ease back on the telegraph and let the current carry you in instead of fighting it. Each day has a new timetable of nine departures with its own weather. Today's sailings use the live Istanbul wind forecast, so a gusty morning on the real Bosphorus is a gusty morning in your wheelhouse too, and if the forecast can't be reached, the offline harbour almanac takes over. Every arrival gives you a stamped ticket, your times go up on the pier board next to six regular captains, and the logbook keeps your day streak. A fresh timetable is what brings you back to Vapur Iskele every morning. Features: • Steer with a drag-to-turn ship's wheel and a six-position engine telegraph • A Bosphorus current you can see, with counter-currents along the shores and an eddy at every pier • A daily timetable of nine departures with fog, rain and sunset runs • Live Istanbul wind and weather for today's sailings, with an offline harbour almanac as backup • Arrival tickets stamped with your crossing time, punctuality, docking speed and passenger mood • A pier board where your times go up next to six regular captains, each with their own habits • Throw simit off the back deck for the gulls to cheer up your passengers • A logbook calendar with day streaks and every sailing you've made • A captain's licence with a portrait taken with your camera or picked from your gallery • An optional daily reminder when the next ferry is boarding The gulls are already circling. Cast off and start your first day in Vapur Iskele.

First release.