KaÅŸ Marina, Turkey

Kas Marina at sunset
Kas Marina at sunset

We are now back in the US after having put Sabbatical III away for the winter in the Kaş Marina.  We checked out of Greece at Kasterllorizo on October 28th, which is Ochi Day, a national holiday celebrating the refusal of the Greek government to accept the ultimatum of the Axis powers to allow Axis forces to enter the country.  The Customs agent was part of the ceremony but we were happy to spend an extra hour watching the official festivities before getting checked out and leaving for the one hour sail to the Kaş Marina in Turkey.

Civic leaders assembled for Ochi Day celebration  (Kastellorizo)
Civic leaders assembled for Ochi Day celebration (Kastellorizo)
School children carry the Greek flag for Ochi Day  (Kastellorizo)
School children carry the Greek flag for Ochi Day (Kastellorizo)
Soldiers from thee large military presence parade for Ochi Day (Kastelloizo)
Soldiers from the large military presence parade for Ochi Day (Kastelloizo)
Ms. Kastellorizo
Ms. Kastellorizo
Kastellorizo
Kastellorizo

 

Rocky hillside behind Kastellorizo town
Rocky hillside behind Kastellorizo town

The day after Ochi Day in Greece, it was Atatürk’s birthday in Turkey and also a national holiday.  The check-in to Turkey was handled by an agent at the marina and was painless although a bit pricey.  The marina itself is beautifully situated and the staff are extremely friendly.  KaÅŸ town had one large street party for Atatürk’s birthday, with dining in the streets, music, speeches, and a fireworks display. We spent some days getting Sabbatical III ready for winter storage.  She was expertly hauled and now sits with a beautiful view across the Bucak Deniz, the long fjord-like bay on which the marina is situated.  We spent a few days on the boat after she was hauled doing maintenance tasks that required that the boat be out of the water.  In this we were assisted by the personable and knowledgeable Riza Cagdas Cakir and his assistants from Emek Marine who drove down from Göcek to help for an afternoon.  They got more done in an afternoon than I could do in a week.

Statue of Atatürk on main square of Kaş is adorned with flowers in honor of his birthday
Statue of Atatürk on main square of Kaş is adorned with flowers in honor of his birthday

 

Sabbatical III gets hauled, KaÅŸ Marina (Turkey)
Sabbatical III gets hauled, KaÅŸ Marina (Turkey)
Hull of Sabbatical III
Hull of Sabbatical III

M.

 

Map of places we have visited in Turkey, April-June 2013

We are now is Ayvalik, Turkey.  We will formally check out of Turkey in a few days and head over to the island of Lesbos (Lesvos), Greece and check into the European Union.  (We will return to Turkey in October. )  So now is a good time to map some of the places that we have been.

M.

Place visited April-June 2013
Place visited April-June 2013

The icon letters indicate the chronological order of our visits.  The places mapped are:

A.  Marmaris

B.  Fethiye

C.  Kaş

D.  Symi (Panormitis), Greece

E.  Gümüşlük

F.  Agathanisi, Greece

G.  Kuşadası

H.  Çeşme

I.  Bademli

J.  Ayvalik

 

Bademli Limani

Fisherman repairs his net
Fisherman repairs his net

We arrived in Bademli Limani two days ago from Kara Ada Island.  It boasts a nice, protected anchorage and a small Turkish town unaltered by tourism.  We will remain a couple of more days before heading up to Ayvalik.

Dave and Melinda from "Sassoon" with Laura during our walk through Bademli town
Dave and Melinda from “Sassoon” with Laura during our walk through Bademli town
Stone structure in Bademli
Stone structure in Bademli

Since we arrived in Turkey, we have been eating a particular brand of breakfast cereal — Granola Balli  Müsli  by DoÄŸa.  We were under the impression that it is a healthy cereal.  Yesterday, I finally looked at the English language side panel of the box and discovered that the DoÄŸa people themselves view it as unhealthy, writing that their cereal “is a delicious alternative to healthy eating.”  Maybe we can find some Cocoa Puffs in a store somewhere.

Our breakfast cereal
Our breakfast cereal
"Serving suggestions" on the side of the box
“Serving ideas” on the side of the box

M.

Agathonisi to Kara Ada Island: May 30, 2013 – June 22, 2013

 

Library at Ephesus
Library at Ephesus

May 30, 2013 – June 5, 2013    Agathonisi, Greece

We spent 6 days in Agathonisi, a delightful Greek island with friends Bill and Janet from AirStream.  One big southerly storm chased all the other boats away, but we had good holding and stayed put.  The day after the storm lots of boats started coming in and every evening the place was filled with charter boats with everyone pushing to anchor where there wasn’t room.  Boats were tied up together two and three deep on the quay and then had to move because they were taking up dock space reserved for fishing boats or the daily ferry.  It was pretty crazy and it seemed that just when we thought that everyone was settled away and that there was just no room for anyone else, another boat would arrive and try to wedge in.  I guess this is what is to be expected in the Med in the summer.

Despite the chaos in the harbor, we enjoyed the place and had lovely walks on the island and enjoyed daily meals at the two small friendly tavernas.  The water was clean and clear for swimming.

Our last day there we witnessed a terrible incident… the death of a German man who had come in on a sailing charter boat with three friends.  He must have had a heart attack while swimming and despite the efforts of his friends to revive him, he died on the beach just in front of us.  Just an hour after he died the daily ferry boat from Samos came in, and within a few minutes some of the men from the village had moved his body onto the ferry and it was taken away, accompanied by two of his sailing friends.  Very distressing event.

June 5, 2013 – June 11, 2013  Kuşadasi, Turkey

Our next stop was in  Kuşadasi, at a very nice marina where we spent another week. We took a tour bus with our friends Bill and Janet to see the ancient ruins of Ephesus.  The tour threw in a couple of extras  like a “free” stop at a rug factory (anyone want to buy a Turkish rug? ) and a leather factory (fashion show included)… which we could have done without, but it was all kind of fun.   We spent a lot of time replacing the membranes on the water-maker which is a real pain in the butt, but it seemed to be the next necessary step in getting our water maker fully operational.  Met some new friends on the dock (Ichi Feet) , and checked out lots of the local restaurants.

June 11, 2013 – June 13, 2013   Kirkdilim Limani, Turkey

We stopped for 3 nights in this very quiet and very pleasant anchorage on our way up the coast.   The clearest water we have seen yet and lovely weather to enjoy swimming.  There is no coral here, and almost nothing in terms of sea life, but it was still nice to swim there.   We saw huge, beautiful thunderclouds in the distance a few nights in a row, but got no storms .  Some friends of ours who were further north said they had violent thunder-storms with hail and strong winds, so I guess we were lucky.    Good holding in the anchorage.  Only one or two other boats there, plus a couple of small fishing boats in the evening. No internet or phone access, so we didn’t stay too long as we don’t like to be out of touch with family for too long and it is not safe to go without weather updates for so long either.  We left just in time as the winds started picking up from the north  on June 13th, and it looked like we were about to get our first taste of the infamous Meltemi winds.

June 13, 2013 – June 20, 2013     Çeşme Marina, Turkey

We  met up with our friends Dave and Melinda on Sassoon here and ended up spending a full week in the marina.  It is a very upscale town, and the marina area is very pretty.   We didn’t plan on spending a full week there (it’s a very pricey marina) , but the strong northerly winds, the first meltemi winds of the season, just would not stop. Winds were between 20 and 26 knots from the north with much higher gusts all week. The Çeşme marina is right in the middle of a bay which really amplifies the winds so it was difficult to leave there.   The marina area is surrounded by dozens of restaurants and bars which, unfortunately, meant a lot of loud music at night.   Between that music and the extremely loud calls to prayer from the nearby mosque it was not the most restful place.  We did have fun celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary there one day, and the wedding anniversary of our friends (on Sassoon) the next day.

June 20, 2013 – June 23, 2013   Kara Ada anchorage, Turkey

We left Çeşme Marina yesterday.  Our current anchorage is only about 10 miles further north and when we had a lull in the winds yesterday morning we decided to get out of the marina.  It was a slow slog upwind to get to our current anchorage, but we are glad we did it.   It is quite pretty and is well protected from the northerly winds which continue to blow strongly.   The holding is good and we are feeling safe and secure.   The island here is unpopulated, except by donkeys and pigs, which has the unfortunate side effect of creating a breeding ground for flies.  They seem to like the inside of our boat, so we have had to keep our mosquito/fly screens on all the hatches while we are here.  It’s nice and restful here and we are getting lots of reading done.  Plenty of food on board and we will probably stay here a couple more days until the winds finally abate enough for us to head further north.

L.

Library at Ephesus
Library at Ephesus
Library at Ephesus
Library at Ephesus

 

The ancient Greeks wrote "I LOVE ELVIS" at the end of line two
The ancient Greeks wrote “I LOVE ELVIS” at the end of line two

 

Laura and Janet remember that they need to return a book to the Library at Ephesus
Laura and Janet remember that they need to return a book to the Library at Ephesus
Prayers attached to the wall outside of the home of Mary, Mother of Jesus
Prayers attached to the wall outside of the home of Mary, Mother of Jesus
Making Turkish rugs
Making Turkish rugs
Making Turkish rugs
Making Turkish rugs
Çeşme marina and town
Çeşme marina and town
View from ancient fort at Çeşme
View from ancient fort at Çeşme

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views of Agathonisi

We have been in KuÅŸadası, Turkey for the past six days.  We took a day to tour Ephesus and environs but spent too much time on boat issues — the water maker again,  We will leave tomorrow heading north.

These are some more photos from Agathanisi.

M.

View of the town and bay, Agathonisi
View of the town and bay, Agathonisi

 

 

Village at the top of the hill
Village at the top of the hill

 

Tiny chapel at the top of the hill
Tiny chapel at the top of the hill
Interior of chapel
Interior of chapel
Stone house
Stone house
Stone house
Stone house
Goat
Goat
George with the catch of the day to be served at his taverna
George with the catch of the day to be served at his taverna
Catching rain for diversion to a cistern
Catching rain for diversion to a cistern
View
View
View of Sabbatical III from taverna
View of Sabbatical III from taverna
Flowers with bees
Flowers with bees
Laura and her newly purchased olive oil
Laura and her newly purchased olive oil

M.

Agathonisi

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Sabbatical III and Airstream at the quay, Agathonisi

We sailed into the small island of Agathonisi (Greece) yesterday in light winds and are tied to the quay along with Airstream. This is a very pretty island of just 150 people. The food at the Seagull taverna is great.

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View of Ay Yeoryios Bay, Agathonisi

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Flowers in front of house, Agathonisi

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Supper at the Seagull with Bill and Janet of Airstream

M.

Slip sliding away


Sabbatical III drags out to sea!! (Well almost)!

On Tuesday, May 21 we left Marmaris for Bozuk Bükü where we anchored in thick sea grass in front of the Loryma Restaurant. Our friends on “Sassoon” and “Horizon” were already there and tied up to the T-dock. We had a wonderful evening having drinks and appetizers while watching some boats struggling to get their anchors dug into the bottom. Just before the main course arrived, when it was already dark and the wind had come up strongly from the north, the restaurant staff ran up to us saying that our boat was dragging. Laura, Ray from “Horizon”, and I ran to the dock with the waiter and got into the restaurant skiff (our dinghy was still on top of “Sabbatical III”) and soon caught up with Sabbatical III as she slowly made her way out of the bay, dragging 60 meters of anchor chain and a 30 kilogram anchor along the grassy bottom 25 meters below the surface (we had anchored in 16 meters). The three of us jumped aboard and once the waiter was sure that the engine had started he returned to shore. Laura, Ray and I reeled in the chain and anchor and tried to reset it in the same general vicinity where we had originally set it, but it would not hold. The sea grass was too thick for the anchor to dig in. I finally found a spot close to the cliffs on the northeast shore where the anchor seemed to set.

In our 9 ½ years with Sabbatical III, we never had an anchor drag before. When we first arrived at the anchorage in Bozuk Bükü the wind was light and out of the south, and we went through our usual routine of backing down hard to both set the anchor and check that it holds under pressure. I suspect that what happened is that when the wind switched and came around from the north with some force, the anchor came out of the bottom and would not reset itself in the thick seas grass. It was certainly unnerving to see Sabbatical III drifting away untended in the dark. We would not have known of it in time to safely retrieve her if it were not for the German sail boat “Cassiopaea” who saw Sabbatical III float away, went online to get a phone number for the restaurant, and then called on their mobile phone to alert them. Many thanks to them and to the staff of the Loryma Restaurant who dropped everything to get us onto our boat. Once we were anchored again, the restaurant skiff came out and picked up Ray but Laura and I decided to stay aboard as it was still blowing hard and we had lost confidence that the anchor would hold. The restaurant was nice enough to send the skiff out once again with our main courses packed “to go” so that we would not go hungry. The food was delicious and we are very grateful to the restaurant staff for their quick work and caring attitude. We will certainly visit the Loryma Restaurant again.

Panormitis

The next morning (May 22), we left Bozuk Bükü for Panormitis on the island of Symi. There is no town at Panormitis, just the famous Monastery of St. Michael, a taverna, a small store, and a bakery. Ferries come a few times a day and stay for an hour so that passengers can have a tour of the monastery. St. Michael is one of the patron saints of sailors, so it is fitting that we stop to visit as well. The small bay is very well protected and once the anchor was down, I powered back very hard to make sure it was set. We had a great lunch ashore at the taverna (calamari, moussaka, Greek salad, baklava, and little cups of coffee), and spent some time admiring the public spaces of the monastery. In the evening we walked around the whole bay, climbing to the windmill over the narrow entrance to watch the sunset.

As predicted, the wind came up strongly from the southeast overnight, so we left Panormitis after just one night in order make some distance to the northwest. We set both our downwind poles and had a fast sail with 20+ knots of wind right on the stern much of the way. In the strait separately Kos island from Turkey, we had wind over 30 knots. We called our friends Bill and Janet on “Airstream” who were anchored in Gümüslük (ancient Myndos) to check on conditions. They said it was windy with a chop but tenable, so we headed there. The wind came up even more and the anchoring situation was treacherous. The bay is quite narrow and had many boats, most of whom were on permanent moorings, which means they would not swing in a wind shift in the same way as a boat at anchor. “Airstream” said that their anchor had dragged three times that afternoon (they had never dragged before) before finding a free mooring. We anchored near an ancient stone pier, which like most of ancient Myndos, was underwater as a result of earthquakes long ago. There was no other place to go. The wind gusted to 30 knots as the boat bounced in the wind chop and swung hard in the gusts. We sat anchor watch continuously for 4 hours until the wind abated.

The next day the winds were calm and we joined Bill and Janet for a trip to the major city of Bodrum just 45 minutes away by dolmuş. Bodrum is on the site of ancient Halicarnassus, the birth place of Herodotus and the site of one of the “Seven Wonders of the World”, the tomb of King Mausolus, hence the word “mausoleum” (thank goodness he was not King Linol). Not much of Halicarnassus is left. The Bodrum waterfront is quite attractive, with hundreds of Turkish gulets (sail boats) lining the quay. We visited the Castle of the Knights of St. John, the stronghold of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, and the underwater archaeology museum.

Escaping from ancient Myndos

The next morning the wind began to shift north and Sabbatical III was coming dangerously close to the ancient pier of Myndos. We upped anchor and found another spot just 50 meters away just before more boats squeezed into the small bay. Then a sea breeze came up from the south and it was clear that we could not remain where we were without an uncomfortably high possibility of swinging into another boat as the wind gusted and shifted. We hurriedly brought up the anchor once more and looked for a safer spot but soon realized that as much as we liked Gümüslük, this was not the day to be anchored there. So we just left. It was already mid-afternoon and we had made no preparations, so our options were limited. We puttered around while I checked the charts and pilot books and settled on Gündonĝan about 2 hours away.
Gündonĝan does not attract sail boats, so there is lots of room to anchor and swing, although in fairly deep water. The whole bay is filled with “holiday villages” for budget conscious European tourists – none of the charm of Gümüslük. At the head of the bay was a loud disco that blared music until 1 am … but at least the boat was safe. We went ashore the next morning and shopped for fruit, veggies, and other food, and then left for Ilica Bükü, where we are now.

Anchoring Angst

Ilica Bükü is a lovely deep bay open to the north. It has two hotels under construction, a small development on the eastern shore, and no town or disco. The western shore is pine forest mixed with grassland where cows roam, and a single small stone dwelling up on the mountainside. When we arrived Sunday afternoon, there was a group of about 15 young men swimming and talking on the pebble beach just behind us while starting a wood fire. Three of them swam out in the direction of the boat. One of them was obviously struggling so they had him hang on to our dinghy to rest. So we invited them aboard to warm up and drink tea. Their English was very limited but we did learn that all the men were electricians who were wiring the hotel under construction ( a Hilton) and this was their day off. When I took them back to shore in the dinghy they offered me “doner kebab” to bring back to the boat. Doner kebab is very similar to shawarma or gyros. They had set up a spit next to the fire and were roasting a very large doner that they said was very special and only comes from a nearby village. They gave me a big bowl full of doner pieces that they cut off and Laura and I had it as the main course for supper. Sometimes hot meals just fall into our lap.

The next morning we hiked on a path around the bay and then up the mountainside to get a view. As we passed near the only structure, the white stone house, a man ran out of his garden and urged us to visit. He said “My name is Ismael,” which had a familiar ring. Ismael seems to be in his mid-forties and lives in the old stone house with his mother. He was born in this house and the surrounding land has been in his family for some generations. He gave us an enthusiastic tour of his grounds where he gave us samples of mulberries (delicious) and almonds (not yet ripe) and invited us for Turkish coffee. He excused himself and showered and put on clean clothes and then came out with coffee as we sat in chairs with a magnificent view overlooking the ocean. He was so excited to have company and talk with someone besides his mother. His English was passable and he was well versed in many subjects. In his simple stone house without indoor plumbing, he had a digital TV on which he watched CNN, MSNBC, and Bloomberg. He had no vehicle and occasionally walks to a town a few miles away with a backpack to shop. He works for three months each summer as crew on a Turkish gulet boat taking tourists to the Greek islands and elsewhere.

Yesterday (May 28), “Airstream” with Bill and Janet aboard anchored next to us. Later in the day, a French ketch came in as well. We all chose Ilica Bükü as the place to ride out the storm that was predicted to begin last night. The evening was quiet until about 11 pm when the wind came up very strongly from the southeast. Laura and I could not sleep with the tumult going on outside. About 1 am we noticed that Airstream was dragging. We called them on the VHF radio but then noticed Bill and Janet already on deck getting ready to re-anchor. Things seems to quiet for a few hours after that and we got some sleep. This morning the wind came up even stronger with severe gusts off of the hills. First Airstream dragged and then Sabbatical III. We brought up our anchor and it was covered in old lines and nets. This was not the detritus of the ancients but rather the remains of a recent fish farm. When an anchor drags here all kinds of stuff gets snagged. All of which has to be removed before trying to anchor again. Luckily I have a strong wife as crew. It took three tries (so far) to get the anchor set. The French ketch just dragged too and brought up a huge fishing net. Our friends on Sassoon some miles away sent an email that they dragged (for the first time) and Ray of Horizon, who ran to assist us in Bozuk Bükü a few days ago, broke his toe trying to help Sassoon. So it has been a struggle to stay put for each and every boat in these winds and with the foul bottoms.

The wind is at its peak now but should abate by evening. Anchoring in Turkey seems to be a greater challenge than in any other place we have been. Aside from that, the place is beautiful and the people are welcoming. If only the wind would calm a bit.

Quick recap of our activites from KaÅŸ back to Marmaris

In our last posting, we had left KaÅŸ heading back to Marmaris. On the way, we anchored in Sarsala Koyu (south of Goçek) and waited three days for a wind shift that would get us back to Marmaris. It arrived in the form of moderately strong southerlies last Friday (May 17) that gave a great sail west to Marmaris. We returned to Marmaris in order to visit with friends arriving to meet their boats on the April Seven Star yacht transport from Phuket, and to meet our Swedish friends Bo and Vivi from our Amel sistership “Lorna.” We know Lorna from Ray Roberts boatyard in Whangerai, New Zealand 2007/2008. We had not seen them since except for bumping into them for 10 minutes on the street in Luganville, Vanuatu about three years ago. They sailed to Turkey via South Africa two years ago.

We anchored between Yacht Marina and the Pupa Yacht Hotel. The protection was good but there was some kind of event at the hotel for the first two nights that brought amplified music and talk into the anchorage until late. The Seven Star yacht freighter was still in port unloading boats. We were able to visit with Robin and Rick from Endangered Species, and shout across the water to Peter and Giselle of “Komodo,” all of whom were on boats just after unloading from the freighter. Yacht Marina was full and all of the newly arrived boats had to anchor.

We told Bo from “Lorna” about our watermaker problems and he said that he had an unused logic (circuit) board for the watermaker that I could try out to see if that cured the problem. I installed his circuit board and sure enough the watermaker ran continuously for 90 minutes without a problem. I tried it again the next day, and it once again ran perfectly. He was willing to sell me the board (they are selling their boat), so the problem of the water makers suddenly shutting down was solved. PS: Yesterday the membrane on the watermaker failed. I have ordered replacements to be sent to us in Kuşadasi next week. PPS. The French ketch and Airstream have both dragged in the past hour. We are sitting firm for now. Wind over 35 knots.

M.

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Laura waits for coffee at Ismael’s house, Ilica Buku

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Young electricians swim out to the boat, Ilica Buku

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Sabbatical III at Ilica Buku

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Ismael’s house at Ilica Buku

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Laura and Ismael looking out from his garden

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Dance festival on the waterfront, Bodrum

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Monastery of St. Michael, Panormitis, Symi

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Sailboat enters the cut, Panormitis

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Near the Windmill over Panormitis

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View from Castle of the Order of St. John, Bodrum

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Panormitis

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Fishing net, Panormitis

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Panormitis

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Interior of the monastery, Panormitis

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Chapel inside monastery, Panormitis

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Panormitis

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Monastery, Panormitis

Karacaoren and KaÅŸ

View of Sabbatical III moored at Karacaoeren
View of Sabbatical III moored at Karacaoeren

We left Fethiye on Wednesday, May 8 and sailed 14 miles to Karacaoren.  There is nothing at Karacaoren except beautiful views and one restaurant.  When we entered the bay, one of the proprietors came out in a skiff to tie us to a mooring.  He picked us up a few hours later so that we could take a walk through the wildflowers and eat an excellent supper ashore.  The boat rolled in the swell that creeped in from the south until night when, thankfully, it quieted down.

Making gözleme
Making gözleme

The next morning (yesterday) we sailed 40 miles to the charming Aegean town of KaÅŸ.  The temperature dropped substantially over the previous 24 hours and we sailed in sweatshirts and jeans.  It was a bit of a frustrating sail with the wind speed and direction changing every few miles coupled with an uncomfortable wave pattern.  We entered the “Bucak Deniz”  (Bucak Sea), which is a long fjord-like bay just to the west of KaÅŸ and anchored at the far end.  The water was very clear and calm and their was a cool breeze blowing off of the sea.  We had to dig out our blankets again for the night.  Today the weekly market was held just behind where we were anchored.  We just rowed our dinghy ashore and ate delicious spinach and cheese crepes called gözleme, washed down with fresh orange and pomegranate juice.  The town has a small harbour filled with gulets (Turkish sailing vessels) and cafes and stores.  There is a large contingent of expats who live here, so there are some upscale establishments.  Just outside the bay is the island of Kasterllorizon, the easternmost inhabited island of Greece.

Laura savors gözleme in the Kaş market
Laura savors gözleme in the Kaş market

This afternoon we toured the new KaÅŸ marina and visted with our friends John and Gill who keep their sailboat there.  We were very impressed with what we saw and with John and Gill’s experience and are thinking of making the KaÅŸ marina the winter home of Sabbatical III.

 

M.

East Aegean Coast of Turkey: Marmaris to Fethiye (part II)

 

View of Boynuz Bükü bay, Skopea Linea (Göcek)
View of Boynuz Bükü bay, Skopea Linea (Göcek)

We left Yacht Marina in Yalancı Boğaz near Marmaris on April 26 heading southeast to explore the east Aegean coast as far as Kekova.  Our first stop was Ekincik where we tied to a restaurant quay on a beautiful bay.  There are great views from the restaurant but it did not open for the season until the night after our deprture so we were unable to sample the food. 

A line became tangled in the bowthruster prop as we backed down to the quay at Ekincik and was ripped off when I used the bowthruster.  I put on my thick wet suit (the water is quite cool) to see if I could find the prop on the bottom, but it fell into thick sea grass and was lost. Fortunately, we had a spare prop.  It took me 90 minutes with a snorkel and fins to replace the prop under the boat.  Now I am very wary of the bow lines that  come off of almost all the docks in Turkey and lead to an underwater mooring chain.

Stroemhella”, with Wendi and David aboard,  was the only other boat at the dock.  As soon as I had the new prop in place, we arranged for a tour of the ancient city of Caunos the next day.  Based upon a recommendation, we booked Abidin Kurt as our guide.  He came the next morning on a large river boat with captain to take us up the Dalyan River to ancient Caunus. The city was founded before 500 BC and was a Lycian-Greek-Roman-Byzantine port during its thousand years of existence, until the port silted up.  Abidin, who comes from Dalyan village near to the ruins of Caunos, was an excellent and enthusiastic guide.  We also viewed the Lycian rock tombs on the river and stopped for lunch in Dalyan village.

Abidin Kurt, our guide for the river trip to ancient Caunos
Abidin Kurt, our guide for the river trip to ancient Caunos
Coliseum, Caunos
Coliseum, Caunos
Lycian rock tombs, Dalyan River
Lycian rock tombs, Dalyan River
Silted up river delta, Dalyan
Silted up river delta, Dalyan

On April 28, we sailed to the Skopea Linea marine reserve in the Gulf of Fethiye.  We were amazed to see snow covered peaks in the distance.  It has been a wet spring and apparently it is cold enough at high altitudes for there to be snow even this late in the year.  The temperature was in the low 80’s F. on the boat during the day, and around 60 at night.

Snow capped mountains in the distance, Gulf of Fethiye
Snow capped mountains in the distance, Gulf of Fethiye

We spent two nights in the bay of Sarsala Koyu and had a nice lunch ashore at a small beach restaurant where there was only one other customer.  In the summer it is supposed to be very crowded in this area but there are very few boats and tourists this early in the year.  On April 30 we moved a few mile north in the Gulf of Fethiye to a bay named Boynuz Bükü where we dropped anchor in deep water and took a line ashore to a bollard.  Boynuz Bükü winds a bit through steep cliffs like a fjord.  We had great views of the snow capped mountains to the east.

Laura at Boynuz Bükü
Laura at Boynuz Bükü

Yesterday (May 1) we sailed 12 miles to the city of Fethiye and entered the Fethiye Ece Marina.  We needed to get to a town in order to (1) get our internet working again as it had failed inexplicably some days before, (2) order a new bowthruster prop now that we see how easy it is to lose one in these waters, and (3) provision.  We will remain here for one week because we really like what we have seen of this town, and also because the weekly rate in the marina was compelling as compared to the daily rate.  We went to the fish market where we bought fresh fish and then took it to one of the small restaurants next door where they fileted and prepared it for us.  It was a great meal.  Next door is the fruit and veggie market, so that pressing need was also satisfied.  And a block away is a Turkcell office that got our internet working again.  So we got a lot accomplished in one day.

M.

 

East Aegean Coast of Turkey: Marmaris to Fethiye (part I)

 

Portrait of Ataturk hangs in the Marmaris public square in honor of National Sovereignty and Children's Day, (April 23, 2013)
Portrait of Ataturk hangs in the Marmaris public square in honor of National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, (April 23, 2013)
Flowers adorn the statute of Ataturk at the waterfront of Marmaris in honor of National Sovereignty and Children's Day, (April 23, 2013)
Flowers adorn the statute of Ataturk at the waterfront of Marmaris in honor of National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, (April 23, 2013)

 

Laura in public square, Marmaris
Laura in public square, Marmaris

 

Bakery, Marmaris
Bakery, Marmaris

 

Feral cat, one of the many that roam Marmaris, naps in front of chandlery
Feral cat, one of the many that roam Marmaris, naps in front of chandlery

 

In the non-English speaking countries that we have visited with the boat, the word "yacht" is very often misspelled as "yatch" as on this dolmuÅŸ
In the non-English speaking countries that we have visited with the boat, the word “yacht” is very often misspelled as “yatch” as on this dolmuÅŸ
Marmaris has many supermarkets, a couple of suppermarkets, but only the Tansas store where we shop is a real supppermarket
Marmaris has many supermarkets, a couple of suppermarkets but only the Tansas store where we shop is a real supppermarket

M.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are back aboard Sabbatical III

 

Sabbatical III gets lifted free of the deck of the Thorco Svendborg

We were at the dock at 6:30 am today as our boat was scheduled to be the first one unloaded. It took about one hour to slowly lift Sabbatical III off of the deck of the Thorco Svendborg and deposit her into Marmaris Bay.  We then motored around in order to dig out lines and fenders before heading for Yacht Marina in Yalancı BoÄŸaz which is a few miles from Marmaris at the southeastern corner of the bay.  We did our first “Med-Moor” (backing into a straight dock without fingers while picking up a bow line from the water) without drama.

As we headed from the Thorco Svendborg to the marina, we could feel the wind pick up but we were not sure if it was just windier at the SE corner of the bay or windy everywhere.  The wind was whistling though the rigging of the 600 boats moored in Yacht Marina.  It turns out the wind came up so strong that only two boats were unloaded today as it became unsafe to continue.  Tomorrow the wind will increase further to 35+ knots and no boats will be unloaded.  Monday will bring rain along with some reduction in the wind.  So we were quite lucky to get in the water.  Everyone else is heading back to their hotels to wait for the weather to improve.

The boat came through the trip looking just fine and we are excited to start cruising in the Med.

 

M.

Flying

 

Almost in the water

 

Crane hooks in between our masts

 

To get onto Sabbatical III, we had to climb down from the top of Thorco Svendborg on a vertical rope ladder.

 

View of crane and rope ladder from the deck of Sabbatical III

 

Removing the shackles and rope used to unload Sabbatical III

 

View of old city of Marmaris from the water

 

Thorco Svendborg arrives in Marmaris, Turkey

 

Thorco Svendborg steams into Marmaris Bay

 

Thorco Svendborg arrived at about 6 pm today.  We went aboard and climbed up a ladder to get to the deck of Sabbatical III.  With the help of Manuel, an Argentinian rigger who lives here in Marmaris, we removed some rigging, but Sabbatical III will spend one more night on the deck of the freighter as it got too dark to unload her.  Tomorrow morning at 7 am she will be back in the sea. — M.

Phuket, Thailand: Just prior to loading

 

Phuket, Thailand: Just prior to loading (note crane above Sabbatical III)

 

Boats on the deck:  Marmaris

 

Our charming agent, Soner Yaman, at Marmaris Port

 

Captain and crew in front of the Thorco Svendborg docked in Marmaris

 

Boats lashed into their cradles that are welded onto the deck

 

Sabbatical III lashed on the deck

 

View towards Netsel Marina from the deck of the Thorco Svendborg (Marmaris)