View more pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/yacht.quilcene

On our way at last! We left Finike on 4th April and motored/sailed west along the coast to Gokkya Limani, a quiet anchorage behind some rocky islets just east of Kekova Roads. It was warm and sunny so we settled back for a couple of days relaxing and adjusting to the cruising life again. I had my first swims of the year, the water a chilly 20C - 'bracing'!!

Fully refreshed we entered the inner lagoon, passing submerged Lycian ruins, easily visible in the clear waters along the north shore of Kekova Island. We sat out strong winds off the small hamlet of Ucagiz, and didn't budge as the anchor dug well into the muddy seabed. Stuart and Steph on 'Matador' arrived and anchored nearby so of course we invited them over for sundowners, which turned into late supper - a lovely evening. They are also heading north toward Istanbul so no doubt our paths will cross again.

Kekova is an idyllic spot with the overgrown ruins of Teimiussa lying on the shores; Kit and I explored and took pictures of the numerous sarcophagi just standing at the waterside. Much of the area has been designated as an archaeological site so thankfully it's protected from the worst excesses of concrete expansion.

Since then we've anchored in some wonderful places; Kalkan, where we had the bay to ourselves -until disturbed by the throbbing engine of a large motor boat at 3am! Despite our bright anchor light it appeared to be heading straight for us so we lit up the cockpit lamp to be sure they'd seen us and just in time they turned away, phew!

We revisited Fethiye where we had entered Turkey last October, this time anchoring off the marina. Carrefour supermarket provided a good choice of provisions so we restocked our cupboards, and the weekly fruit and veg market was excellent, with lots of fresh produce at good prices. The nights here were so still and quiet that I was woken at 4am one morning by dolphins swimming around the anchorage. I could hear them from inside the boat slicing through the water and sounding off! Up on deck I could just make out two dark shapes in the black water. ...and Kit slept through it all!

From Fethiye we crossed the bay and anchored in the very pretty small cove of Bucuk Buyu tying a stern line to the shore to stop Quilcene swinging during the night. The pine trees grow right down to the water's edge and we only had a few owls for company - again we were woken in the night, this time by one man in a small fishing boat chugging around trying his luck. From there we sailed straight across the bay of Marmaris to Serce, 35 miles further west, where the ding-dong of goat bells echoed around the hills, and a local man was whitewashing the small solitary beach taverna ready for the coming season; as soon as he left for the evening the goats came down and congregated on his freshly swept patio!
We stayed two days in the bay of Panormitis on Symi. It is a shallow, sheltered, enclosed bay dominated by an 18th century monastery dedicated to St Michael. The Greek Orthodox Church owns the land so there are no hotels, bars etc., just church buildings and offices. The monastery has its own bakery which sold us bread and pastries - delicious! Visitors were welcomed so we spent a pleasant morning looking around and reading about its history. St Michael, allegedly from Symi, is the patron saint of seafarers so we paid special attention to him!! Afterward we took a lovely walk around the bay and watched the ferry bring tourists from Symi town to see the monastery.

Back on the mainland we anchored at Knidos on the end of the Datca peninsula. This is a remote spot, with ruins, including an amphitheatre on the shore - quite spectacular! We treated ourselves to dinner at the beach restaurant; the friendly owners were painting and repairing for the summer but managed to provide us with a good dinner.

After Knidos we were heading for Bodrum anchorage but heard a weather forecast giving very strong winds from the SE which would make the anchorage uncomfortable. Not wishing to go into Bodrum marina (�'�40 per night) we changed course for Palon on Nisiros, where we spent a few days last year. We had an anxious half hour when we arrived; as we approached the harbour entrance people were waving frantically! Not to say Hi but to tell us to stop as there was a big rope closing the entrance! We quickly went astern, turned around and wondered whether to anchor outside, but it was very shallow and I was worried that we'd go aground. We could see a couple of yachts inside so couldn't make what the problem was. Then we spotted that they were dredging along the inside of the outer breakwater. Luckily, a fishing boat arrived soon after and they finished operations and let us both in.

We moored stern-to the town quay, a difficult manoeuvre for our boat, as it doesn't go astern in a straight line! - however we managed OK. We only had a few Euros when we arrived, and there is no cash machine in Palon, only in Mandraki a few miles away. The woman in the Aphrodite Taverna remembered us from last year and not only did she refuse payment for a drink but offered to lend us money until we got to Mandraki!! What a place!
We spent 5 days on Nisiros, waiting for the strong winds to subside and just enjoying being there - it's definitely one of our favourite places. We walked the few miles into Mandraki, to visit the bank, and buy fresh food. The hills and roadside were covered with wild flowers of every colour - very pretty.

The stop gave us an opportunity to fill up on water as we were running low, and do a bit of washing. We also had a mini-tanker deliver diesel as it's a little cheaper than in Turkey.

Leaving Nisiros behind we continued north, overnighting in Akyarlar, a bay on the SW corner of the Bodrum peninsula, and Gumusluk, another semi-enclosed bay where we anchored just offshore from a small beach restaurant with large, white-painted branches fixed to the seabed in front of their terrace. The branches were festooned with illuminated gourds, creating a pretty scene for us as we had our sundowners! It appeared to be the 'in' place to go, because both at lunchtime and evening it was very busy with holidaymakers - mainly Turkish.

Next stop was Agathonisi, a tiny Greek island south of Samos. The wind was favourable so we had a really good mornings' sailing and dropped anchor in the small bay. Strong NW winds were forecast and we expected to be here a couple of days. In actual fact the strong winds lasted longer than expected so we were there for 5 days! Agathonisi is very small but is visited almost daily by a large ferry that calls in to most of the Dodecanese islands. On our third day it was extremely windy when it came in so Quilcene had to move to give it turning space; we tried to relay our anchor but the wind was so strong that we had a problem holding the boat into the wind for long enough, so we went alongside the quay. This gave us a chance to take a closer look at Agathonisi. 'Georges', a quayside taverna offered wifi and showers - a good chance to freshen up and catch up with email, not to mention the opportunity to partake of a few sundowners!!
Next day we had to move again when a very large warship came in and docked alongside the quay. We moved around to the end of the quay, and the warship tied up with its threatening guns overshadowing us! It appeared incongruous alongside the small quay, and as we'd seen an 'SAS-type' black rib and crew with a Portuguese flag going out at night we wondered what on earth the problem was?

We spoke briefly to a French couple who were watching the warship come in, and who told us they owned a small house in the main village, Megalo Horio, up the hill. Later we had visited the village shop, and they called out to us inviting us to stop for a drink and a chat. Catherine and Christophe offered us Ouzo and local goats cheese- delicious! Christophe had visited and fallen in love with Agathonisi a few years ago and they now spent most of the summer in their delightful cottage. Sadly, they told us about the Islands' troubles: the Greek islands in this area are so close to Asia that they are a favourite destination for immigrants - even the smallest islands such as Agathonisi. Both political and economic migrants want to get in to Europe, so they cross Turkey and take to the sea in inadequate boats. European forces do their utmost to keep them out; The rib we'd seen is from an organisation called FRONTEX; an alliance of EU countries who second a team of customs and border officials to patrol EU borders.

We couldn't help but feel sad that so many people are prepared to risk their lives to escape to what they think will be a better life, but where they will never be welcome.

We walked across the island on our final day on Agathonisi, to the tiny picturesque fishing cove of Katholiko, where a handful of colourful small boats were tied up. A dilapidated looking hut on the beach served coffee and we enjoyed watching the fisherman carrying out the age-old task of mending nets on the quay. As we walked back we could see fish farms in many of the little coves on the north of the island, and there were great views across to nearby Samos and the Turkish coast. We stopped for a late lunch at a small Ouzerie in the village (recommended by Christophe), where an 82 year-old woman had cooked us goat stew with lemon - a local dish. We had arranged this in advance as she only cooks to order. She has had 18 children and still enjoys cooking! - amazing! It was delicious and after washing it down with a couple of Ouzos, we returned to Quilcene for a lazy evening.

With the forecast still a bit iffy we set off early next day for Pythagorio Bay on the south coast of Samos. Coming out from the shelter of Agathonisi we felt the full force of a strong northerly, coupled with quite a lumpy sea, despite a sunny cloudless sky. Wearing full waterproof gear again felt strange but it kept us warm and dry as the seas broke over our bows and gave us a bumpy, wet sail until we reached the lee shelter of Samos and gratefully dropped anchor in calm waters in the bay outside the harbour. It would have been really peaceful but for a dredger operating alongside the breakwater!

Pythagorio , birthplace of Pythagoras, is a pretty town with winding flowering backstreets. It was May 1st when we arrived, a Saturday but nonetheless a 'Labour Day' Bank Holiday and all the shops were closed. However, the locals were in holiday spirit and when we stopped for a beer in a backstreet bar we were given delicious mezedes and made welcome.
Despite the dredging we spent 4 nights there, and walked up around an impressive castle that was built by resistance leader Logothetis during the 1821 war of independence. The weather is now feeling really warm at 28C most days and the sunshine feels scorching, so when we're not sailing walks and shopping have to be done in the morning, and our afternoons are spent reading under the bimini shade in the cockpit - not a bad life!

Our last stop before Kusadasi was Posidonio, a bay on the SE of Samos reached by sailing along the mile-wide channel that separates Samos from mainland Turkey. The pilot book suggested that wind and currents make it a difficult passage, and a rocky island in the middle of the fairway further complicates matters. Luckily the morning was calm so we sailed through with no problem and spent a quiet night in the idyllic little bay where the white beach and blue waters make it look like a Caribbean paradise!
Next morning winds were light and we sailed slowly across the bay to Kusadasi where Terry would be arriving that night. Entering the marina we were met by a mariner who showed us to a berth and assisted until we were safely tied up. This is the first marina we've been into since leaving Finike a month ago and we were looking forward to being shore-based for a week and doing a bit of sight-seeing with Terry.