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Aye Iassos…

Iassos turns out to be an interesting little spot that has been used over the centuries by numerous peoples to best advantage. The entrance is a small gap between an old tower reminiscent of a Victorian folly on one side and a gnarly old breakwater barely submerged on the other. Above the small village crouched around the small harbour is the remains of a Byzantine fort and below it the marble reminders of the earlier Grecco Roman town of Iassos. We have fun wandering around the ruins imagining what it must have been like to live with such lovely views. Still the wind is increasing and we know from yesterday that the quay starts to get untenable so we cast off and drift down the gulf weaving in and out of the fish farms to a very sheltered bay next to ex-sunsail club. It is a pleasant if a little smelly spot and we notice the water sports toys get virtually no use; must be hard to stay in business when the sea reeks of fish oil and you can’t see the bottom! We look forward to clear blue seas again even if it means a little more wind…

And the streets were paved with gold, well Gumusluk… at the very least…

We head off early to get around the point before the sea picks up and end up motoring all the way. Past swanky houses and holiday villages you can see where the money from Bodrum and Izmir is going. Most of it is tasteless white boxes but other have the gleam of extra money and blend seamlessly in with the rock and stunning mountain views behind them. Finally we turn downwind and breeze off down with a following sea that is gathering momentum. There are still a lot of people battling up the other way… go figure and eventually we glide through another narrow entrance bounded by an old fort into Gumusluk.
What a neat place… and extremely popular. We use all our skills to wend our way to the head of the bay and anchor in a prime spot. A little windy but we seem to have struck reasonable holding in the deep bay. Just as well we went to the front as mayhem ensues in the ranks further out as a Frenchman tears through the anchorage pulling up anchors left and right. Boats bob about spearing each other occasionally to the tune of frantic shouting until finally they all drag to a halt. We try and help, fending off and scootying about but no one seems that friendly so when it happens again the next day we leave them to it.
The town itself is a pleasant little place kept alive by tourism and arts and crafts. Funky gourd lights compete with hand blown glass fish and other trinkets in the stalls lining the streets while at night the restaurants sparkle like fairy palaces as each seems to try and out compete the other for the most lights and the most detailed decorations… great place and we thoroughly enjoy a climb to the old fort and the views it affords of the bay and yacht racing that is taking place out of Bodrum.

And now for Gumboots

We plan to have another stop before hitting the bright lights of Bodrum. Akylarlar is nice enough but a bit of a one street town so we stay on board for tea and set off early for Bodrum. It’s another drift down and we end up anchored outside the harbour in front of the Catamaran Club. Best we don’t stay here for the night… looks like it could be awfully loud. Picture an old 70 foot ferry cat decked out with a speaker system designed for an ACDC concert, lighting that Pink Floyd would be proud of and a décor meant to impress a gothic watersports park and pretty much have it in one! We nip into town for a reccy of the marina and supplies. It’s hot and not very busy. Sale signs are out and again we get the impression that this year is not a good one for those in the tourist industry.
We finally get all our groceries etc in order and head back to the boat for a relaxing dunk before heading round the corner to Gumbet or Gumboot as we have renamed for the night. We anchor off a resort for a bit then move over to the quiet side of the bay once all the jet skies have gone infor the day. Gumbet is not fairing any better and tourists are thin on the ground. We are noticing that the Turkish people are not as friendly down this way and we get our first taste of what David and Brenda we saying about being short changed and ripped off. We are quick to pick up on it though and reduce our tipping system in response! It’s a very short termish view to take especially as money is obviously tight amongst the tourists still here… hope they realise soon that this sort of stuff doesn’t make friends or get you any where in the end!

Muffin tops and cupcakes…

I’ve had a bit of a shock today. I have discovered a have the beginnings of a “muffin top”. I know this because I have just read the women’s magazine that Brenda kindly gave me. For those of you not in the know (of which I am certain there are many, couldn’t possible just be me!) the muffin top appears as a soft squidgy bit, ballooning out over the top of your shorts like a small bicycle tire, treadless of course… no cellulite here, although, according to the same magazine I may want to examine my backside more closely for evidence of said ‘orange peel’ just to further undermine my confidence! Why do women read these things I wonder as I am persuaded that the bags I have under my eyes can’t be fixed by a good night’s kip and those laughter lines really do need extra strength polyfiller after all. If that’s not bad enough, apparently I really need to get it together on the fashion front; detox from black by wearing colours, think style not comfort and learn create a good first impression without losing my nerve on six inch heels. At the same time I am supposed to be examining my friends, my life, my partner and night cream for signs of treachery, hindrances and lack of appropriate payoffs. Who knew being a girl was so difficult? I have to say, having read said mag from front to back, I finished it slightly annoyed and not in a small way disappointed that what could have been an interesting read turned out to be a bit of a nit picking chronicle aimed at making the reader reliant on getting the next one to find out what else could possibly be wrong in their life. I think I might just stick to reading Wilber Smith and Jeremy Clarkson and forget to look in the mirror till I am at least 80 by which time things will be so blurred I will look OK no matter what I am wearing or how much baking powder my muffin has consumed.
That being said, I have heeded the muffin top warning and for your information have exercised my way back to a respectable cup cake.

The great, the good and the Gokova…

We have just finished a sojourn in the Gokova Gulf. Fabulous area. A real change from the desolate windswept bays of the north the gulf is pleasantly wooded and the backdrop of precipitous mountain ranges and sheer gullies brings to mind vistas of New Zealand and in particular, Fiordland.
It is also nice to out of the wind again for a change and we pootle about amongst the gullets and a handful of liveaboards. Strange, but again there are very few charter boats and precious few tourists to share the anchorages with. Where is everyone??
First stop is a beautiful bay next to Cokertme and night spent long lined to the beach with a small selection of gullets. Very peaceful and it is so nice to have trees to tie to!
After a quick stop for breakfast and top up of the water tanks in Cokertme we slowly drift down to Sehir Adalari or Castle Island. Now this is a romantic spot! Apparently Cleopatra ordered barges of sand to be delivered here from Egypt to create a beach for Mark Anthony to lay his luscious body on. The beach is spectacular for its colour, a deep creamy yellow, but also for its lack of bodies on it. It is now roped off and tourists pay 10YTL to gaze upon it from behind a fence… stranger things happen in the world I suppose! We settle down to a long line in the ancient harbour and wait for the day tripper boats to leave. It really is a magic place and we enjoy a wonderful night’s sleep lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the reflected northerly swell.
It is only a short blow down to Sogut and after a perusal of the bay we settle on backing up to another tree rather than paying for a jetty and end up having drinks with the next boat. Martin and Carol of “Hillybilly Deluxe” turn out to be great company and we drink and dine together for the next couple of days. Their boat is aptly named and a trip aboard reinforces how lucky we were to find Mae and how well she has been maintained! Project boat somehow doesn’t do Hillybilly justice…
After a last meal at the restaurant in the back streets, where the owner regales us with tales of how he is going to chuck his wife of 30 years and get another one (no rumpy pumpy for him ever again judging by the look on his wife’s face – unamused to say the least!) we drift on down to English Harbour. It is so nice to be finally sailing in an area where you can come in to a well sheltered bay, moor up and know that you aren’t going to be blown to pieces over night. The water is warm and inviting and we while away the hours swimming, reading and soduking… We have noticed a slight increase in the number of Aussie and Kiwi boats (4 more!) in the area, small wonder really…
It’s a short hop across to a restaurant quay for the next night and we find ourselves hanging out with the Hillbillies and Paul and Jill from “Cloud Nine” for the night… loads of fun and Murray gets some free mapping and GRIB file software to play with.
After winching Martin up the mast to look at yet another piece of broken equipment on his boat we ease off down the coast to a small bay for the night. Bays in Turkey often have simple restaurants built in them but unfortunately this bay has silted to the point the no one can reach in anymore… a real shame but we can’t afford to eat out every night anyway…
Finally we put the main up for fun and beat our way down the coast and then as the wind rises enjoy a rather challenging sleigh ride into the Seven Islands area. Not the best shelter and with the increase in boats numbers we find our nerve going somewhat when it comes to challenging for the good spots… we vow to do better in the coming days! Still we can’t be too bad as a Turkish family come in and end up moored along side us for a while as they try and winch themselves over to the trees…
After a bumpy night and pleasure of seeing a wild jack donkey playing jump rope with our long line we zip across the bay under reduced headsail to Buyuk Cati for a couple of nights. It’s another lovely spot and we achieve our mooring goal first time and then sit back and watch a Turkish couple plough the bay in 7 attempts to get moored up… OK so we really aren’t that bad after all!
We desperately need to resupply now… we are down to ½ a bottle of dubious Pimms and a handful of apricots so it’s off to Amazon Creek for the night. Not great… not well sheltered and no market… still there is a campground restaurant so we stay and take the hazardous journey down the Amazon River for dinner time. We meet the Turkish family we helped a few days before and get shouted a Raki, not so good for the trip back to the boat in the dark, bumping our way along the banks and shallows, but it is nice to know that our help is appreciated sometimes!
And so back to Cokertme. It’s a great sailing breeze and we clip along at 4-5 knots under reduced canvas, arriving after lunch to the bouncy quays. “Rose Mary”, pirate haunt extraordinaire, takes our fancy again and the boys’ help heave us on to the wildly gyrating floating pontoon, mooring line taut and warps a flapping… its going to be a sloppy old night.
We contact the outside world and Sonya emails to say she is Santorini and on the way, while Dave Robbo phones from Marmaris to tell us that further south it is really manic and crowded… ooh can’t wait… fun, fun, fun!!

Hell-acarnassos

It’s back to Bodrum to pick up Sonya… We make our way towards the marina taking an unexpected side trip to Alakisla when the navman is misinterpreted (??). Still it gives us a chance to view a very lucky boat as we resume our journey after lunch. To cut a long story short as we are rounding a point we hear what appears to be a mayday… anounciation must be very difficult in these circumstances!!... and bash away into the wind and waves to see a gullet disappearing into a bay… ahhh we say what does he know that we don’t and what an interesting place to pull up…. Ahh we say further as he reappears dragging a small yacht… not such a good place to stop after all! Lucky for the yacht the gullet was passing and managed to get a line on them just as they were about to be smashed to a million pieces on some very ugly rocks… no engine but in true Turkish style the flappy things obviously didn’t work either! We continue on and long line to some rocks in a more sheltered place!
An early start required to get a place in busy Bodrum Marina. We have managed to book a place after being told they are full but apparently they can find a place “for a little guy like you!!” Yep the little card pays off once more!
Bodrum is still quiet very few tourists and, as it turns out, plenty of room in the harbour but we enjoy the tat shops and busly back streets anyway. Sonya to pick up in the morning and we have decided to lull her into a false sense of luxury by staying another night in the marina, close to some of the best showers in Turkey… even hairdryer… we hope she will cope later! J
Sonya arrives, finally, bright and late due to Greek efficiency and we all settle down to enjoy the next two weeks. First stop the castle visit though and viewing of one of the top nine (where do they get these statistics?) underwater shipwreck museums in the world. Too cool!! Amazing finds and makes you wonder what else is down there, overlooked or just too deep to attract attention… The marina and town have heaps of restaurants to choose from but we settle on a little place near the marina entrance. Good choice and we enjoy a night of pigeon Turkish and get invited to the famed Halicarnassos nightclub (for free… the waiter knows the owner… a big deal when you consider it cost upwards of $40 to get in!) but we decline and settle instead for just observing the Halicarnassos Truck full of dancing nymphs in silver mini skirts and f**k me thigh length boots (and one guy that could have been mistaken for a bloke advertising the new gay bar!) gyrating its way around town trying to entice what few tourists there are to shake their booties to the tune of Murrays favourite Turkish pop song with calls of “tonight at the Halicanass, Oriental Turkish night… Turkish pop and all the latest hits. Free beer for the ladies”. Great stuff… maybe next time!
I think it has been a good first day for Sonya… make the most of the showers girlfriend!

Shops, shits and Sonya

We start bright and early to avoid any wind and waves that may put Sonya off on her first day and predictably the wind dies and we end up motoring to Knidos… The sea and wind gods are jolly individuals and take great delight in taking the weather forecast… rolling it up into a ball and chucking it in the poubelle (no flushing paper down the toilet here either!) We chug into Knidos harbour and select a great spot out of the main thoroughfare and set about having a relaxing and peaceful time… ahhh life is hard and Sonya is taking to sailing like an independently wealthy gal to Monaco! The next morning we take a strenuous stroll around the ruins… up, up, up… don’t want to miss anything!! It’s a great spot, two harbours, a theatre with a view of the bay and plenty of hills to build various temples on. Not too much remains but we enjoy the trip all the same and even more so the swim to wash off the layer of sweat and dust afterwards!
On to Ovo Buku… boy has this place changed! More restaurants and little hotels and a brand new jetty with power and water. We enjoy a night of showers (don’t get too attached Sonya!) fine food and drink at Oguns. Murray reminiscing all the while with Ogun and his sister as Sonya and I scoff down the excellent fare… It’s Datca tomorrow and we have promised Sonya there will be shopping…
The morning starts calm but the wind builds and we enjoy a great down wind sail to Datca… too bad the harbour is not as sheltered as it could be and we bounce about in the bay… shops so near and yet so far… however, we make it in for tea and find a great little local restaurant in the back streets and stuff ourselves on various dishes picked at random in the kitchen. Plenty of shops to look at in the morning and as Murray does the essential shopping, Sonya and I wander about looking here and there, buying trinkets and cute clothes. After such a slow start it is good to catch a following breeze and we zoom off down to Kuruca Buku and anchor off the beach.
It’s a pleasant place with a fine beach and a small resort. Unfortunately the wind is all over the place and then not at all and we anger the neighbours by touching their dingy in the night (good heavens that such a thing should happen to them!). We are told we “must” move… needless to say Murray never liked the word “must” in a sentence so we drag it out a bit before moving… Germans aye? Hard to fathom sometimes…
Sonya by this time is kicking back and letting it all hang out (wait I am getting ahead of myself!!) but finding the food a little ‘slippery’ and the holding tank is starting to look concerned each time she draws near… still never one to let an opportunity pass her by she continues to enjoy the hols with wine, food and song… good on ya mate!

The first Big Birthday!

We are off to Bencik today and it is still a down hill run. The scenery is great… volcanic; red oxide and brown craggy hills covered with pockets of resilient pine dominate and islands dot about extruded straight from the seafloor… all very dramatic and a great place to wake up on your birthday! Happy Birthday Sonya… aren’t you glad you came!? We long line to some trees and brave the shark infested waters… yeah right! Don’t know who came up with that little doozy but no big fish in here! We come across our first “boat boys” selling tat and vege etc… they make it hard to decline but we manage to ward them off eventually. Sonya has a mission today so we drift across the bay to a more secluded location… “Full Moon Bay” is a lovely little cove and we have only the bleat of multicoloured goats for company. So it is kit off all round and over the side! For a girl’s first skinny dip in 40 years there couldn’t be a better location and photos to prove it and all… sorry DOC Team not for us the route of the paparazzi!! Although it would be interesting to see how many marshmallow puffs you might be willing to offer for said snaps! To say Sonya enjoyed the experience would be an understatement… We have never seen someone so at home in her birthday suit!
Yet again we have promised Sonya shopping and a shower (spoilt I say!) and Selimiye turns out to be a great place for both. Again somewhat changed (“Bloody hell I don’t recognise anything” was the comment from Murray I think!) it is however home to the second person to recognise Murray and Osman (the man with the golden teeth) is more than happy to see him and arranges welcome drinks immediately! Nice to be among friends. We had planned a quiet night out drinking and eating however, this gets waylaid by an offer from some Turkish powerboaters who want us to join them in the swanky restaurant… lets push the boat out we think and follow along. What an excellent night! (Yes more grown up than you expected Sonya… but it turns out you do know which fork belongs to which course!) The two couples are extremely interesting… Two civil engineers and the two wives that are even more high powered; one a government lawyer and the other the press advisor to the last president of Turkey!! Wow… I am not easily impressed but this lady actually touched President Clinton’s hand once and he spoke to her (Damn he’s good! Even better close up apparently… aahhh the luck of some people!) We while away the evening eating scrummy food, including what we think was grouper (our first taste of fish in Turkey… usually we feel so sorry for the fish stocks we don’t bother but when in Selimiye…) and Sonya samples local wine as we make small and large talk about life in Turkey and New Zealand. The biggest surprise is yet to come however, when at the end they refuse to let us pay and then present Sonya with a bottle of special red wine to try and pass comment on. Happy birthday indeed!! Not sure we can top this tomorrow sorry Sonya!

Second birthday countdown

We don’t have far to go today so it’s off to the shops for me and Sonya… I more trail along encouraging Sonya to spend money… the reluctant shopper… that would make a great title for a book!
The tat and clothes shops provide some entertainment and hope everyone is looking forward to their Christmas presents! Finally we provision up and head off down to Dirsek. It’s busier than Murray remembers but we still snag a spot on the restaurant quay and settle in between to English couples… book swapping follows and Sonya and I have a good giggle at the glamour mags we score. We dually eat at the restaurant; not bad but we have been somewhat spoilt of late, and then in the morning take a scratchy stroll through the low bushes at the back, up the hill and down the dale. Good to stretch the legs and get a sweat up… Sorry Sonya, realise you aren’t that acclimatised yet but pink does suit you even if it is in your face.
We had planned to head into Bozburun today but decide instead to anchor off one of the islands outside the harbour. A really nice anchorage with a massive herd of goats and old byzantine ruins, so I take a wander about but get accosted by a one armed fish salesman and end up making a run for it back to the boat… he looked ‘armless enough but I don’t want to take any chances. Luckily Sonya was on guard even if Murray was blissfully unaware at the soduku table… (why on earth did you introduce him to it, Jez!?! He’s obsessed!)

Shoppers paradise

We start the day slowly (is there any other way??) and drift into Bozburun after the mornings poo run. (Poor Sonya… at least you aren’t laying down any of the delicious food as muffin top despite what falling through the recently repaired forepeak bunk might infer…)
Bozburun has come a long way since Murray was last there and loosened up somewhat. No longer is it unacceptable to come in wearing just a bikini and the quay is somewhat increased in size. The jewellery shops have been recommended by the Hillbillies and sure enough they are a bonanza and Sonya spends many “Yurtles” (Yeni Turkish Lira) on fab pieces for herself and some other lucky few. One shop in particular sees many return trips and trips to the money machine are required at regular intervals to maintain the pace! Boy, I wish I was so decisive! After a hard morning and afternoons shopping the wallet takes a break and we eat at a doner shop, (after a small disagreement over whether there is or isn’t beer! Poor waiter didn’t half take a bollocking from his boss for not running down the road to get some straight away!) and then relax in a bar where Sonya has the worlds largest G&T, (sorry Uncle Richard but this bloke could really mix them!), good job he left the can of sprite!
The day dawns bright and sunny again and we are off to Buzuk Buku. It’s a good sail down and we zip into the bay and pull up at the first restaurant quay. Immediately the boat girls come round flogging their wares but we resist and kick back for some serious book reading before a trip up the hill to the ruins of the fort. An awesome old fort with great views over the bay and a fine example of stonework blended into the surrounding landscape. The restaurant is a typical affair with a limited menu and elevated prices but we enjoy the atmosphere before retiring early for drinks on board.
Sonya is sooo laid back now, horizontal wouldn’t do it justice!
After morning swims and a little boat girl shopping, (yep I finally splashed out and bought a cool woollen blanket/rug that someone’s granny knocked up on the village loom, beautiful colours and will look wonderful somewhere, ooh but where, didn’t really think about that bit… oh no buyers remorse already!) we bug out and zoom along the coast under the headsail to the remote spot of Gerbekse… not sure it is that remote when there are about 20 other boats in there but it is a dramatic spot with wonderful clear water and cliffs that rise straight up from it to the clouds. We are all enamoured enough to ignore the slightly rolly nature of the bay and flop about in the cool water admiring the scenery and watching the comings and goings of the boats.

Happy birthday Cate!!

Yay, it’s my birthday today and all is well with the world!
Murray and Sonya pull out all the stops with balloons, banners and cake. Pressies pour forth and we have to break out the dingy pump to take some of them for a ride.
Ally-gator is now joined by Cy-crocs and Lilo Lil… so we all have something to wrestle in the water!
It’s yet another beautiful sun filled sky and we ramble our way amongst the ruins of the byzantine trading post avoiding the playful ineks and bulls before slipping and sliding back down through the razor sharp rocks and scrub to the boat. Watch out Marmaris here we come!
The wind is a little fickle and we motor and sail down before motoring dead to wind into Marmaris bay proper. It is quite busy in here and we thread our way among the trip boats, gullet and cruisers before parking up in Netsel Marina. With the advent of larger and larger yachts the marina fairways are getting smaller and smaller… wouldn’t like to be a boat that doesn’t go backwards well in here! Good parking Murray!! Rock on the birthday night!
It’s off to the shops again… and we find a funky little shop in the old bazaar… Sonya splashes out again; not than I can talk… my eye is taken by the suzani’s and Murray’s by the amber lights… I feel a big spend coming on!
Marmaris has changed immensely. Bar Street is still the same but all the old buildings at the front have been knocked down and a large promenade constructed. Hasn’t stopped the hassling from the restaurants and bars but it does give you room to scuttle along the edge avoiding the worst of it. My cowgirl hat draws considerable attention and calls of have I lost my horse leave us in fits and Sonya comes up with the perfect response after the fact… “It got cheeky and I shot it!”… Too bad these things always occur to you later!
I open more presents (fab!) and then head out for eating and drinking. The small restaurant at the back of the marina does us proud and the waiter spends most of his time trying to impress Sonya, then it is off to the front for drinks… don’t get me wrong but I think old age finally may have caught up with me (or perhaps just common sense) as after a couple of beers sleep beckons and bar street with its jet engine decibels and dancing bimbos doesn’t look that inviting after all!! Just as well Sonya’s stomach has taken all it can and we all droop back to the boat at 1am.

The road to Rhodos

The morning dawns bright and early… a large breakfast (yep, choke down that omelette Sonya!) is followed by a light bit of shopping and a trip across the bay to Yat Marin. We are intending on leaving Mae here for the winter and as it is cheaper than Netsel so we figure we may as well get the lay of the land and leave her here while we head across to Rhodes to drop Sonya off and renew our visas. Turkey has a strange system that means you have to leave the country after 90 days to renew your visa (you can even come back the same day in some places) but your boat is perfectly welcome to stay!
Yat Marin turns out to have excellent facilities (great showers, aye Sonya!!?) but a slightly down in the mouth aura… is saying there are too many unsmiling Germans and Swiss residents racist?? The bar is lit like some sleezy strip club and manned by the worlds sourest girls and restaurant turns out to be part juggling act and part slap stick with the waiters all dashing about, falling over each other, plates and glasses flying, in fact general mayhem ensues for the whole evening… but the food is good!!
The next morning is a very early start on the ferry… Greece is its usual self… rules and more rules but no one really understanding the system or knowing where anything is… grumpiness follows as we march all over town in the blazing sun trying to get the hydrofoil sorted, flights organised and shopping done before the morning… and who was to know that a “big beer” actually referred to 300mls?? Would hate to see a small one! Mutter, mutter!!
Still the shopping is good; Rhodes is stunning and the Greek men sexy so you really can’t complain too much! Last night Sonya… missing you already!

So long Sonya…

It has been a terrific couple of weeks and now the time has come to say goodbye… we wake up in our triple room, all 4ft square of it, frighteningly early and untaffle our things from the camp beds then trip off down to the ferry quay leaving Sonya to while away the morning in the toilet before heading off round town and out to the airport… we can hear the airline toilets groaning from the boat. (Yes it was also confirmed by text!! What else do you use a mobile for??)
Good on you for hanging in there and see you next time Sailor Girl…
After a short Greek delay of 1 hour, we finally make it back to Yat Marin and collapse in a big heap… so much for making some seaway today… maybe tomorrow!

This is the end…

We have only got 14 days left and instead of going wild we decide on taking it easy and cruising around the Gocek Bay area.
A lazy start sees us mooching down the channel about 10am; just in time to see the last two dolphins that haven’t been driven mad by trip boats hunting in the shallows. It’s a pleasant drift down to Ekincik and we end up moored between to gullets in the first bay and enjoy an incredibly quiet night’s sleep.
Still yet to see a flotilla proper and don’t really hold out much hope of a good laugh this season even down here! Sure enough even though we see various flagged boats bobbing about aimlessly we don’t even get a taste of the real thing. Everywhere we go they claim it is change over day or we just missed them or maybe tomorrow… yeah right!?! Where have all the punters gone?
The Gocek bay is still as lovely as ever but somewhat pricier than we remember… set menus start at 30YTL and small beers are as much as 6YTL/300mls!! Needless to say we eat on board a fair bit and enjoy the bay for its calm and peace.
New rules are being brought in all the time and rumour has it that soon yachts will be charged to enter the bays and only be able to stay a few days at most. Already a pump-out boat lurks about ready to enforce the newly introduced no holding tank or gray water discharge allowed rule… great stuff but it will stop the average cruiser from visiting… hard enough to find room for the holding tank let alone a gray water one! Apparently soon each boat will be checked upon entry and the tanks sealed and dyed to that any discharge can be seen immediately… phew imagine the paperwork involved in that one!
We visit various bays, Murray catches up we old mates (thanks Max and Mehmet… love the new look Blue Bar!) and we generally wind down exploring old haunts and taking in the radical changes to each of the waterfronts. What a difference 13 years has made… but then again the cliental is different now as well as we observe at Tomb Bay… crusty old sailors have been supplanted by Russian power boaters with their highclass baby callgirls and boat loads of wealthy Turks from Istanbul willing to put out the cash where needed… no wonder the prices have increased and the icecream boats come calling regularly.
However, despite all this, we join the throngs in Feithye, buy our first suzani and enjoy the bay with its sheltered coves and delightful scenery; we will be back next year on the way down to Kas and Kalkan.

The layup

After a fabulous thunderstorm we head back up to Ekincik to our possie in the gullets (now renamed “Jack Bay” after the donkey that comes calling!) and then cruise back in to Marmaris. We see three flotillas on the way but the fun of watching mooring up will obviously have to wait till next year…
In Marmaris we have a hectic day of suzani and fancy glass light shopping followed by organising new cushion covers for the boat. The whole saloon is decked out in three days flat for 800YTL… talk about efficient!
Now it is all about winter preparation, paperwork and payments. The lift out goes smoothly and we end up in a prime position next the bougainvillea covered swimming pool fence… a very sheltered spot indeed… and the jobs list is slowly ticked off.
It has been a great season… loved the adventurous start, the amazing sea of Marmara and Istanbul and the lazy finish.
The Turkish people have been a delight; funny, helpful, friendly and industrious.
The land seems to oscillate between wild and untamed to manicured and intensively farmed. We have seen from bare dust to green and lush and the buildings, suitably eclectic yet neat in their grid-like patterns, adorned with bright colours and traditional touches proved to be as photogenic as the more common blue and white concrete med villa.
Approximately 2000 nautical miles covered and many happy memories gathered… can’t wait to get home and bore you all with the photos! Rock on the summer and next year!