Sadly, this blog is being written in the moist air of Western Scotland. Not having any internet connection during our last week aboard, I am writing this account of our last week of our recent trip, now we are home. There are bonuses (a few) to being back home...the toilet situation is muich improved and I also no longer have to worry about having enough charge in the batteries to power the fridge!!
The last week aboard went somethimg like this.
Sunday saw the departure of Deb and Gary, a little undignified if I might say, as I had hold of Gary's ankles as he tried to get in the taxi...so much did I enjoy having a crew member who helped out with so many tasks. It was a real pleasure having Deb and Gary on board, Dorothy and I had a great time, we visited some great places and we had lots of laughs and gin along the way. By means of a punishment, Gary was sent up the mast to inspect the windex (speed and wind direction thingy) which had packed up during a bit of a blow.Actually, he volunteered to go up the mast...clearly crackers. Sadly the instruments remain out of use as there was nothing obvious to see.
Sunday afternoon we visited the ancient Stadium and Acropoils in Rhodes town.
It still amazes me to think that whilst us brits were painting our faces with wode...living in mud huts and generally behaving like the savages we were, the Greeks were nipping down to the local stadium to cheer on their fave wrestler or discus thrower whilst chomping on dates and quaffing sweet wine, discussing socrates latest mind bending theories. The stadium was clearly built to last as it is complete, right down to the chairs adjacent to the competition area no doubt used by the competitors..fantastic.
Monday, I dragged sleepy eyed Dorothy out of bed at 06:00 in order to catch the early tide (...actually there isnt one...but dont tell Dorothy)...the wind had blown all night and it took a little while to detach the lazy line against the wind. Leaving Mandraki harbour (where once stood one of the Ancient Seven Wonders Of The World...the Colossus of Rhodes), we headed for Bozburun in Turkey where we planned to 'check-in' to Turkey. The wind gave us a fantastic sail all the way to Bozburun , a good 6 hours. Unfortunately, I did not see my pal Flipper on the way over, I guess he must have been busy, chasing fish or boats...
Arriving in Bozburun, we were instructed by the harbour master to moor in a spot barely big enough for a canoe let alone a 42 foot boat...right in the corner of the harbour too...and of course the wind started to blow...where have we heard this before. Surprisingly, the mooring went without a hitch..leaving Dorothy and I feeling a bit cheated as we normally enjoy a bit of healthy banter whilst mooring up. Dorothy passed comment that the harbour master looked about 12 years old and should surely have been in school, and a 12 year old should not have such a wicked streak as to ask us to moor where we did. We employed the services of Gurkan to transact the customs and immigration bit of entering Turkey. Gurkan turned out to be a 10 foot Turk, who on first meeting, was pretty imposing, but as often is the case with gentle giants, turned out to be a real nice gent. Having completed formalities, we upped anchor and nipped along the coast to Sogut (aptly named too!) as Dorothy fancied a swim and we knew of a fantastic restaurant stop with great food...showers ...and electric for the fridge....always a bonus for the G&T.
Tuesday, we sailed along the coast, around 20nm to a little bay called Serce Limani. Approaching the bay, it is very difficult to spot its exact whereabouts as the entrance can be no more than 20 metres wide. With a rock strategicaly placed to one side, its not an entry you would like to make with a sea running. Once past the entrance, it opens up into a sea lagoon with crystal clear waters with cliffs rising directly from it. A stunning mooring. We entered in flat calm waters. We dug in the anchor. We reveresed to within 15 metres of the cliffs. We chatted about who would take the lines ashore. I got into the water and headed for shore. At which point the wind cranked up...on the beam (as ever) ...and off Aurora went...along with a panic stricken Dorothy...waving hands and pulling hair...there followed half an hour of tooing and froing before getting Aurora attached....and it was not til early evening that I could straighten Aurora and tighten up on the anchor. A comfortable night ensued in an idyllic spot.
Wednesday...brief board meeting....let's stay another day being the outcome...good decision. Reading, swimming, spot of cleaning...reading ...swimming...a lovely day. We were joined late afternoon by Bea, with Patrick and Catherine aboard. Having bought BEA on a whim more or less, they were out for their first trip.They did have one odd tale to tell. Apparently, they had been sat in the marina with the VHF radio tuned into channel 16, as is the norm. Suddenly, there is a broadcast "This Is Turkish Warship...what are your intentions?"...ha...I thought...this sounds familiar. Patrick went on to say how scary it all sounded and they had discussed this story with people in the marina supermarket. At this point, we owned up to being the participants in this story...how we all laughed....some louder than others....so we are now local minor celebs!!
Thursday should have been a nice 5/6 hour sail with the prevailing winds...well 95% of the time this would have been true, but today the wind was from the opposite direction...so 5 hours on the engine it was. We managed to sail on the genoa for the last hour (as we/I managed to jam the in mast furling system). This brought to the fore the question of a new 'unstretched' main sail which might more easily fit in the mast. We moored up in Yat Marin on pontoon Juliet which is ideal for the summer, snug as a bug in a rug.
Friday and Saturday spent cleaning Aurora ...you would hardly believe just what a filthy place the sea is. The list of things to take off ...fasten down..polish...clean..close seacocks.... appears endless, but once done, Aurora looked lovely as we headed for our shared taxi.
A point to note is just how quiet the marina is. The staff are worried about their jobs as people continue to ignore Turkey as a destination of choice.
So..til the end of August...