Brilliant's 2004 Season Summary

Hi everyone,

As the New Year approaches we wanted to get last season's summary out. We started the season later than we'd hoped with delays in getting the boat ready to go, but once in the water we really covered ground. The Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally, with over 100 boats from 17 countries, was the highlight of our season. The Rally moved very fast, but allowed us to visit several countries we would not have visited on our own, especially Syria and Lebanon. I would recommend it to anyone as a very worthwhile way to see the Eastern Med and meet other cruisers.

In Israel we learned about their health care system and the good and bad of our TriCare Standard medical insurance. After a our unplanned seven week stay in Israel, we made the best of the rest of the season, making our way to Greek Cyprus, then west along Turkey's Mediterranean and Aegean Coasts.

From Kusadasi, Turkey we moved southeast across the Aegean Sea, sailing from one Greek Island to the next. The unseasonably cool temperatures and strong north winds made for some challenging cruising. The extra week spent on Amorgos set us back a bit and forced us to cancel plans to visit several more islands. A week in Crete with friends and it was off to Malta.

We certainly had our share of mechanical problems this season, but none were catastrophic. With each of these problems we learned more about what makes "Brilliant" work, not to mention the busted knuckles and oil everywhere.

"Brilliant's" crew hope to return to Malta by mid to late February and with luck will be off to Tunisia by late March or early April. Our next season of cruising should provide some interesting reading as we make our way from Malta to Gibralter and then across the Atlantic.

If you missed any of "Brilliant's" Logs last season and would like it re-sent let me know and I'll get it right out. I also have our 2002 and 2003 logs on the hard drive as well, if there are some truly interested folks.

As always if you don't wish to receive the log just drop us an e-mail and I will remove you from the list.

Happy New Year
Pete & Stephanie Peterson
s/y "Brilliant"
Pensacola, FL



Brilliant's 2004 Season Summary

Underway: 4 May-6 October 2004

Total Distance Covered: 2177 Nautical Miles (2505 Miles)
Total Distance Covered since retirement April 2002: 6224 Nautical Miles (7162 Miles)


2004 Ports of Call:

Turkey

Setur Marina, Antalya, Turkey 14
"Half Moon Bay", Kemer, Turkey 20
Cinaviz Adasi, Turkey 34
Setur Antalya Marina, Antalya, Turkey 14
"Half Moon Bay", Kemer, Turkey 1

Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally

Park Kemer Marina, Kemer, Turkey 69
New Marina, Alanya, Turkey 105
Old Harbor, Girne, North Cyprus 110
Mersin Inner Harbor, Mersin, Turkey 80
Iskenderun Fishing Harbor, Iskenderun, Turkey 105
Syrian Yacht Club, Lattakia, Syria 115
Automobile Touring Club of Lebanon (marina), Journieh, Lebanon 98
Carmel Yacht Club, Haifa, Israel 90
Ashkelon Marina, Ashkelon, Israel 200

Cyprus

Larnaca Marina, Larnaca, Cyprus 256

Turkey

Finike Setur Marina, Finike, Turkey 21
Gokkaya Limani, Turkey 23
Polemos Buku, Kekova Roads Turkey 6
Bayindir Limani, Kas, Turkey 11
Yessilkoy Limani, Turkey 16
Ortism Buku, Skopea Limani, Turkey 51
Gocek, Skopea Limani, Turkey 3
Tomb Bay, Skopea Limani 5
Marmaris Yacht Marina, Marmaris, Turkey 45
Marmaris Limani, Turkey 5
Bozuk Buku, Turkey 26
Aspot Koyu, Turkey 56
Gumusluk, Turkey 11
D-Marin, Turgutreis, Turkey 3
Salih Adasi, Gulluk Korfezi 27
Kazikli Iskelesi, Gulluk Korfezi 27
Altinkum, Gulluk Korfezi 14
Port Saint Paul, South of Samosa Strait, Turkey 28
Kusadasi Marina, Kusadasi, Turkey 21

Greece

Pithagorion, Samos, Greece 21
Ay Yeoryiou, Agathanisi, Greece 17
Ormos Levitha, Levitha, Greece 40
Katapola, Amorgos, Greece 38
Amorgos, Greece 6
Manganari Bay, Ios 27
Chania, Crete, Greece 95
Porto Kayio, Greece 101
Pilos, Greece 60

Malta

Manoel Island Yacht Yard, Malta 357



Favorite Anchorage: The week we spent gunkholing through Kekova Roads, Turkey. After the hectic pace of the Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally and finally getting underway after Stephanie's emergency surgery in Israel, it was our first chance to really relax and enjoy the summer in a fantastic cruising spot. While it can get crowded it was still possible to find beautiful anchorages where we were all alone.


New Equipment/Modifications that improved our cruising life:

- The Furuno 1712 Radar- What an amazing difference to be able to "see" at night and easily determine course and speed of other ships!

- MultiMode Software enabled us to copy short-wave Weather RTTY and Faxes broadcasts with our little Sony radio and download them on our Macintosh ibook computer. It's improved our ability to see what's coming much farther out and opened up a whole new world of weather forecasting.

- New 12 volt dc outlet in the cockpit for the handheld Garmin GPS - saved hours of recharging AA batteries

- The Campbell Sailors Prop - Improve speed and reduced drag while sailing

- The Davis Megalight with the electric eye was great in the anchorages while it lasted, both light bulbs broke in the first month.

- The PUR 80 watermaker - a new addition that has yet to be given a real work out. It will be used more next season.

- The redesigned Electrical Panel at the Navigation Station is a pleasure to look at and a much more logical layout.

- Articulating the Solar Panels has improved their efficiency by allowing us to till the panels towards the sun.

- Shock mounting the AirX Marine wind generator (The Beast!) has really reduced the noise. Unfortunately, the first set of shocks did not hold up and had to be replaced. While in the states we picked up a very heavy duty set that we hope will hold up better.

This winter's projects include:

- Installing a new engine raw water sea cock to replace the last remaining gate valve on the boat.
- Liferaft inspection for the Atlantic crossing
- New battery for the Emergency Position Indicator Beacon (EPIRB)
- Kenwood TS-50S/AT-50, HF Transceiver and Tuner - will provide long range two-way communications.
- ICOM M402 VHF Radio with DSC and a Command Mike for the cockpit works like a second station.

#11-04 Brilliant's Log, 15 September - 6 October 2004

Hi Everyone,

We have arrived safely in Valetta, Malta after a three day passage from Greece. The saga of the transmission repair and the thrilling conclusion to crossing the Ionian Sea will hopefully hold you until "Brilliant's" next season.

Yes, I'm sorry to say that we are here for the winter or at least "Brilliant" will be. We'll haul her out and put her away for a couple of months while we return to the states. With the election so close, we don't want to take any chances with our votes not being counted, so we'll be in Florida to vote in person this time. More important of course is that we need to see some grand babies.

It has been a very interesting season for us. Cruising really is a full time job with all the boat maintenance and repair, but the rewards are certainly there. Amazing places we been to this season and we're looking forward to next season. Tentative plans for next year include; Tunisia, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Balearic Islands, Spain, Morocco, then an Atlantic crossing. Should be good reading.

I'll send an end of season summary after I get the oil cooler fixed.

Pete & Stephanie
s/y "Brilliant"



14-29 September 2004, Chania, Crete, Greece, 3501N/2401E

Our first job after arriving in Chania was to get the boat cleaned up after the last series of gales. It was amazing how much salt and sand had accumulated aboard after sitting several days off Manganari Beach on Ios. We scrubbed "Brilliant" from stem to stern and she's looking much better.

Next tasks were to visit Malinaki's Chandlery to take care of a few minor repair and one major one. The store is fantastic, Strato, the manager, has nearly everything you would find in one of the boating catalogs for your boat and if he doesn't have it he can get it from Athens in 24 hours. We love the place. We had broken a handle on one of the Spinlock rope clutches (these are used to hold lines instead of using a cleat) for our mainsail outhaul during one of the rough passages. Strato took one look at the handle and was back in two minutes with the new one. The shock absorbers we added to the wind generator pole in Turkey failed and need to be replaced, Strato didn't have them but looked around town for us and found them. He also called the "best" mechanic in town and arranged for him to come to the boat to look at our transmission.

The story of the transmission is unfortunately a long one. The mechanic was very busy and said it would be ten days before he could help us, but agreed to come to the boat Wednesday evening and take a look. He came, he listened and said to pull the transmission.

Never having pulled a boat transmission, I needed assurance that there were no major springs that would go flying away before I started. The mechanic who speaks almost no English said "No problems" and pointed out what to do using the parts breakdown book we have for the engine. So once I got my courage up the next morning I attacked the job and had the transmission up on deck in an hour and a half.

Thursday evening he came and took the transmission and left, not to be seen again until Monday evening. Tuesday morning I reinstalled the transmission and tried it while tied to the dock. Near as we could tell no change, it still rattled and was getting very hot. Tuesday evening our mechanic returned and says, change the oil and take it out for a test in the morning, "No problems!" I'm getting a bit skeptical.

Wednesday morning test drive did not go well. It was a beautiful morning, sunny with no wind and we enjoyed getting out of the harbor, but the noises continued and the forward clutch started slipping big time after less than 10 minutes. After limping back into harbor we tried to figure out what to do next. We decided to sit on it for a day, rented a car and went to the base to visit the exchange and see friends.

That evening our neighbor John from Cornwall on "Spray" said he had experience with transmission and convinced me to crack the case open to have a look at the problem myself. With the days flashing by and the need to get going to make it to Malta for the winter I decided to do it. Thursday morning I had the transmission back on deck in only thirty minutes (much easier the second time) and in the afternoon with John's encouragement I opened the box. Inside wasn't as scary as I anticipated and we didn't loose any parts overboard (even the spring that sprang loose stayed aboard) as we carefully took it apart. With a pretty good idea of what was needed to fix it I called the mechanic. My plan was to have him order the parts and I'd put it back together, but when he came that evening it didn't work quite that way. I showed him what I found and he nodded and agreed "Problem." "No kidding!" I said. He then gathered up all the bits and pieces and before I could mentioned I wanted to do it, left assuring me he would order the parts.

Another long weekend in Chania as we waited to hear from the mechanic. I had hoped, I'm not sure why, that the transmission would be in back in our hands Monday afternoon, but hearing nothing from the mechanic we gave up waiting and went to our friends, Anne and Mike Spanodakis, for dinner (a fantastic dinner, thanks again Anne) where we finally received a call from the mechanic. He was at the boat with the transmission. I had him leave it in the cockpit and he said leave the payment with Strato at Malinaki's tomorrow, it's pretty laid back here.

Tuesday morning I reinstalled the transmission for the second time. It checked out ok tied to the dock, so next step we took her our for a sea trial. After an hour we declared it fixed and headed back in.

With that fixed we rented a car and went to one of our favorite restaurant's, "Sunset" for garlic pork and lamb in a bag. We invited John and Alice the cruisers from "Spray" to join us to say thanks for their help with the transmission. As always the food was delicious and the owners remembered us from when we lived on the island and were regulars there.

Wednesday morning we made one last trip to NSA Souda Bay to get laundry done and pick up a few more things at the Navy Exchange. Then back to "Brilliant" to get her ready to depart.

It was a lovely extended stay in Chania! Saturday markets, great restaurants, good friends, a Navy base close by, but it was all too easy and we didn't want to get stalled any longer. We have grand babies to see!


Log 3NM


29-30 September -1 October 2004, Chania-Porto Kayio, Greece

At 1520, after returning the rental car and picking up a couple loaves of bread, we cast off and headed out of the harbor of Chania. Clearing the breakwater we turned to 320 degrees and directly into the wind. The forecast said to expect NW wind but that it would be turning more to the north later, so we had expected it.

We motored into the 10-15 knots for the next four hours until we cleared Spatha (a peninsula west of Chania) and the wind veered to the WNW (not north as forecast). Sailing close hauled with full sails we quickly realized we would have to modify our original plans for a direct route to Pilos. Hoping to use the lea of Antikithera and Kithera to protect us from the building seas and wind we headed up the eastern side of those islands. Through the night the seas had built up to 2-3 meters and the wind to 25 knots. Try as we might, we kept loosing ground and ended up well east of our new rhumbline. Around 0100, well east of track (we seemed to be heading for Athens), we started the engine and turned to windward and plowed into the seas and wind to make for Elafonisos Strait (on the north end of Kithera). It took three hours before we finally found the protection we were looking for in the lea of Kithera.

With sunrise we found flat seas and a light wind from the NW and ended up with a beautiful five hour sail into Porto Kayio on one end of a peninsula that juts south like a finger from the Peloponnesus. After 100 miles we decided to anchor for the night and start again fresh early the next day. Porto Kayio was a very nice little bay, but unfortunately it acted as a funnel for the NW winds. Outside the bay the wind was 10 knots while inside it would gust from 10 to 25 knots. There was no swell, we found a good spot with seven meters depth and excellent holding for the anchor in sand, so we rested easily for the night.

Log 101 NM


1 October 2004, Friday, Porto Kayio to Pilos, Greece

The wind had finally died around 2300 last night and it was dead calm in the anchorage at 0500 when we got underway again. We spend most of the day motorsailing to the west to clear the western end of the Peloponnesus. My plan to cut the corner and slip between some islands backfired. Instead of giving us protection it funneled the wind and made the last four hours a real slog. Around 1500 we finally cleared my island "short cut" and passed the town of Methoni. We were tempted to stop and anchor there, but with only a few more miles to go to reach Pilos we pressed on.

As we had reached the Ionian Sea again it welcomed us with a short steep sea and 20-25 knots of wind directly on the nose. We gritted our teeth and spent the next two hours "pounding into it." Boy do we get tired of that!

The marina in Pilos is another Greek unfinished marinas and we had no trouble finding a good spot starboard side to right behind a Hellenic Coast Guard cutter. No water and no power available, but with outstanding shelter it's an excellent place to leave the boat for some sightseeing tomorrow.

Log 60 NM


2 October 2004, Saturday, Pilos, Greece

In the morning I went to Pilos to check in with the Port Police and also to check out of Greece. I also arranged a fuel delivery since we'd burned a lot on the trip from Chania and wanted a full tank for the trip to Malta. Taking care of everything took too long and it was noon before we could get the rental car and on our way for some sightseeing.

First stop was King Nestor's Palace from Mycenaean times. Odessius' son was supposed to have visited Nestor to ask about his father here. It was a very impressive spot with a fantastic view.

Next on the agenda was ancient Olympia. The drive took bit longer than expected because of the winding mountain roads, but we still took the time for an excellent lunch at a roadside taverna. Olympia was very impressive and the location was idyllic. We spent a couple of hours wandering through the ruins and then ran short of time as we visited the excellent museum. If you go to Greece don't miss this one.

Log 0 NM


3-6 October 2004, Pilos, Greece to Valetta, Malta

It was still dark at 0630 as we motored out of the little marina in Pilos. The wind had died during the night and we wanted to have an early start to clear away from land before it filled in. Our plan worked and after an hour of motoring we set our sails in a light breeze. For the next sixty hours we sailed!

The first 24 hours we had winds of 15-20 knots and covered 140 miles averaging almost 6 knots. The ride was a bit rough as we quartered the seas and would occasionally take a wave that would make its way into the cockpit. At least the water was warm.

Second day things improved as the wind and seas decreased. With the wind now veering more to the north we were beam reaching with full sails in 10-15 knots of wind. We spent most of the day reading books in the cockpit and taking turns napping. Very little shipping in the middle of the Ionian so it was a very relaxing day. We covered 120 miles.

Early morning the third day we had the wind suddenly increasing and moving to the NW. Hauling in the sheets we found ourselves close hauled to make our rhumbline course. It was around 0400 when I noticed a long line of very low clouds coming up behind us. As the clouds arrived I was now dealing with 20 knots of wind and had to quickly reef. I finally realized after it passed and the wind returned to 10 knots from the north again that it was just a little squall that had gone by. Glad it had no rain, lighting or even stronger winds.

The wind continued to veer to the NNE and decreased through the day. Now on a broad reach we continued to make good speed well into the evening. But by 2000 the wind was dead astern from the east at only 3-5 knots and we could only make a little over two knots. So with only thirty miles to go we reluctantly started the engine after 60 hours of sailing.

With only five or six hours to go we made a pot of coffee, figuring neither of us wanted to sleep before we got into Valetta. It was a good thing to, because after two hours the engine oil pressure suddenly went to zero! Quick check of the engine compartment and we find all the oil in the bilge. This is not good!

We quickly make sail again with 20 NM to go and with the now very light wind almost dead astern, the best we could do was about 1.5 to 2.5 knots. At least we could hold the course.

Safely underway again, I troubleshot the engine and found the problem. The oil cooler support bracket had broken and the remaining part of the bracket had worn a hole into the side of the cooler from the engine vibrations. There had been a little oil in the bilge the last couple of time we used the engine, but I'd been unable to find where it was coming from, It was high on my list of things to do in Valetta; now I know what it is and can get it fixed.

I wasn't sure if I could do a temporary patch on the cooler and didn't want to take the chance of dumping another 5 liters of oil in the bilge (the first 5 liters was contained in the engine compartment with no risk of it going overboard) if I failed. I then decided that I might be able to by-pass the cooler if I could connect the input and output oil hoses together, but as I started working on it, the seal on the sea water side started leaking and I really didn't want to deal with that. Closing the seacock fixed that leak. Now what?

We were very lucky with glassy seas, very light traffic, and the ability to sail in the light wind. It took over eight hours to sail the next 10 miles, but we were moving towards Malta. We would get excited when the wind would "gust" to 4 or 5 knots. Unfortunately, our wind finally gave up complete around 0530 and we launched the dinghy.

We tied the dinghy alongside and started using it as a tug, praying we had enough gas to get us the last ten miles. With the dinghy at half throttle we were moving at 2.5 knots. Thanks to the calm seas we were able to do it safely and after only another four hours with me in the dinghy and Stephanie taking care of "Brilliant" and our radio check-in with Valetta Port Control we arrived.

The Manoel Island Yacht Yard, our destination for the winter, had many mooring cans floating off their shipyard so it was fairly simple to get moored. I dinghied in and spoke to the main office and they sent out a workboat to help bring us stern to their dock.

Heck of an end to a good trip.

For the cruisers out there, check-in to Malta was very refreshing after Greece, Turkey, and Croatia. All that was required was a trip to customs where the only thing they wanted was two crew lists, one for customs and one for the police. That was it no money required!

Log 357 NM

#10-04 Brilliant's Log, 31 August-14 September 2004

Hi Everyone,

We are out of Turkey and across the Aegean Sea. The weather has really been turning odd for this time of year, very windy and cool. We had some good sailing for the better part of a week after leaving Turkey, but were then stalled on the Greek islands of Amorgos and Ios by a strong gale for the over a week. Because of the gale and losing so much time we had to bypass the islands of Sikinos, and Folagondros, that we had hoped to visit. We finally arrived in Chania, Crete yesterday morning after a good overnight passage. The season seems to be ending too soon and we are still a long way from Malta.

Hope everyone in Florida made it through "Frances" without much damage.

Pete & Stephanie Peterson
s/y "Brilliant"



31 August 2004, Tuesday, Pithagorion, Samos, Greece, 3741N/2657E

Checking out of Turkey in Kusadasi was relatively painless. We both had a long walk into town to visit Passport Control and the Harbor Master. Then back to the marina to check out with customs. Stephanie did a good job with last minute shopping to spend the last of the Turkish Lira. We managed to clear the breakwater by around 1030.

We left early enough that the winds and seas were fairly light, but sufficient for a lovely sail. We spent almost two and half hours on an easy close reach. Approaching Samos Strait, from the north this time, we lost the wind in the lea of Samos Island. We motored for 30 minutes through the strait until the wind started filling in again.

As we neared the end of the strait, we saw a serious wind line on the water ahead. The gentle breeze from the north side of the island was accelerating down the south side and it was time to reef now. With the sails nicely reefed, ahead of the blast for a change, the 20-30 knot puffs on flat seas made for a fast sail to Pithagorion.

The harbor at Pithagorion on Samos was well protected from the seas and most of the strong north wind. Unfortunately, the quay was full, but we found a good spot in the beautiful anchorage just outside the inner breakwater with half a dozen other yachts. It took two tries for a good hook set and I dove on the anchor to visually make sure it was really set well... and it was.

This was easiest check-in to Greece we've had yet. Just the normal three places to visit, but all in close proximity. And best of all, all of the officials were very pleasant to deal with. Maybe it was a bit of the Olympic Spirit. While I was checking at Customs, the official and I had talked about our possibly going to Agathanisi for our next port and he said if we were going there for sure, he would have sent along a gift for a little boy who lives on the island. I wasn't positive we'd be stopping so didn't take the package.

The really good news checking in, was that the cruising tax Greece had been charging for entry to the country has been suspended. So a savings of about $90 was a good deal for us this time.

In the evening we took the dinghy back to town and walked the waterfront, stopping for an ouzo at a cafe' to toast our return to Greece. We also stopped by the customs office again. Over the ouzo we decided to take the gift for him, we'd stop and drop it off at the restaurant the boy's father runs right on the harbor.

Log 21 NM


1 September 2004, Wednesday, Ay Yeoryiou, Agathanisi, Greece, 3727N/2657E

Leaving Pithargorion a 20-25 knot wind on the stern made for a quick downwind run to Agathanisi. As we came around into the lea of the island the seas flattened but the catabatic winds made us unsure of staying. The strong gusts in the approach had us very concerned about anchoring for the night. We decided we'd try to anchor right off the beach in front of the restaurant. If it wasn't good one of us would run the gift in and we could leave again.

Fortunately, we did find protection from the wind once we got close in and found the anchorage empty. We took the choice spot, set the anchor in the sandy bottom, put out plenty of chain and decided to stay.

Let the show begin! Within minutes of getting into the harbor we had a half a dozen boats coming and going. Ferries, Navy patrol boat, Coast Guard, charter boats, three cruising sail boats, a couple of big power boats one of them was "Isle of Sentosa" a boat we met on the EMYR rally, and a huge Turkish gullet.

We did have to laugh at a group of eight Dutch men on a 49' charter sailboat. They kept trying to set their anchor and it kept dragging. On their third attempt I asked how much chain they were putting out, "15 meters, we always use three to one.", was the response. In the right conditions 3:1 will work, but if there is wind 5:1 or more is what works. On their fourth attempt half the crew went ashore and the remaining crew had to deal with the again dragging anchor. This time they tried to get onto the little town quay and the sound of the bow smashing into the concrete was really ugly. Watching the Navy patrol boat crew scrambling with fenders to keep the charter boat from running into them was a sight. The Navy did finally help them get tied up until they could collect the rest of their crew and depart the scene.

With the show over we went swimming and checked our anchor and the anchors for the other two cruising boats anchored close to us.

In the evening we went into "George's Taverna" and delivered the gifts for Antonio the owner's 5 year old. The owner remembered us from two years ago when we'd eaten there. We enjoyed a long relaxing full Greek fish dinner with all the trimmings and George paid for our wine to say thanks.

Log 17 NM


2 September 2004, Thursday, Ormos Levitha, Levitha, Greece, 3658N/2629E

It was a long night as the high winds continued, but we were felt secure on our good anchor set and slept well. Hoping to take advantage of an easier sea with an early departure, we cleared the harbor by 0700. The sails were up and we shut the engine down within ten minutes with the wind dead on the stern.

The strong gusts and flat seas in the lea of Agathanisi really pushed us along. With reefed sails we were seeing 8.2 knots in the puffs until we caught up with the building seas.

The wind stayed on our stern at around 15-20 knots, apparent, and we surfed the two meter seas down wind to the island of Leros. Passing the north end of Leros we pulled into the anchorage in Partheni for a quick stop at the Agmar Marina chandlery for a few items we had only seen there and for lunch.

It was a short dinghy ride to shore and with our business taken care of we were underway again at 1315.

Clearing the channel between Leros and Archangelo we were surprised to find the wind had shifted to the west a bit. Now on a beam reach with a reefed main and double reefed jib we made our way through the seriously chunky water to the island of Levitha.

Levitha is a tiny island with only one family that lives on it. They have a dozen or so mooring balls that they maintain in the sheltered bay and run a taverna out of their home. We had stopped in Levitha last fall on the way to Turkey and never took the opportunity to get ashore. Even though it was late afternoon when we arrived we did make it ashore.

The family has a lovely little complex of houses and in addition to the taverna have a large farm of sheep and goats. We enjoyed a beer and chatted with Tom and Von off "Etcetera" and a very pretty English ketch. We also chatted with Suzie and Rodney "Glennlyon" another EMYR boat who were there also.

Log 40 NM

3-7 September 2004, Friday-Wednesday, Katapola, Amorgos, Greece, 3650N/2552E

Off again at 0700 to make our way west to Amorgos, but was it ever a nasty day to be sailing. The first hour and half wasn't too bad as we sailed in the lea of Levitha and the other small islands along the way, but as we cleared to the open sea it got very rough.

The five day forecast we'd received hinted at stronger winds and seas over the weekend, we changed our plans to anchor in an out-of-the-way bay and headed for the safe harbor of Katapola.

We were close hauled as we worked down the north side of Amorgos and realized too late that we should have gone farther off shore. Amorgos has very high steep cliffs that with the high seas and wind created a maelstrom as the waves bounced back.

Trying to clear one of the headlands we finally gave up and started the engine until we could safely clear it. So naturally this would be the time we would end up with some engine trouble. Working in the hot engine compartment in rough seas isn't my idea of fun and Stephanie didn't have a better time as she fought to keep us off the lea shore in high seas and fluky winds. After about half an hour we had the engine going again and were on our way again.

We finally arrived in Katapola, tired but safe, in the late afternoon. We found a spot on the town quay and after four tries were able to get "Brilliant" to back up long enough, in the 15 knot cross wind, to get moored stern to. After a day like this we question our sanity about why we're cruising, but it passes quickly once the boat is cleaned up and we can relax with a sundowner.

The weather developed as forecast and we found ourselves stuck here for a few days. There was no point in going out in the high winds and seas if we didn't absolutely have to, so we have decided to stay put. And when the ferries stopped running on Sunday we knew we'd made the right decision.

Katapola is a lovely town and we have been enjoying meeting the other cruisers. We had two crews over for a cocktail hour and they both reciprocated. It's one of the joys of cruising meeting people with a common interest.

On Monday we rented a car for the day and explored the island from one end to the other. Beautiful island, but rather barren and wind blown. From the tops of the mountains we could see that we were much better off waiting for a favorable wind; it was very ugly out there.

Tuesday we had hoped to be underway, but were stuck. One of the ferries parked itself over our anchor chain and we won't be going anywhere until they go. So we'll just have to be patient.

Log 38 NM


8 September 2004, Wednesday, Amorgos, Greece, 3650N/2552E

It looked like we have a favorable forecast weather window of a couple of days. The ferry that was parked over our anchor left in the morning and we got underway around 1000.

So much for the weather forecast yesterday! Leaving the dock at Katapola we gently sailed out of the bay. Expecting winds of 20-25 knots and rough seas we thought we we had prepared ourselves and the boat for a very fast sail direct to Chania. Everything was secured below, we had double reefs in the jib and a single in the main that we knew would give us good control in those conditions.

But as we cleared the headland, three meter plus seas greeted us. This was going to be a ride,we thought. Then the full force of the wind caught us. We had already reefed the mail and jib in anticipation, but did not expect 35 knots. So as we worked to reduce the mainsail a bit more, a strong blast of wind hit us at the top of a wave and split one of the zippers that holds our bimini (sun cover over the cockpit) on. This started flapping, making a tremendous amount noise and added to the stress as we worked to get the boat balanced for the higher seas and wind. After less than five minutes we knew it was time to return to the bay to regroup.

We safely tacked 180 degrees between a large set of waves and surfed back towards Amorgos. Rather than going back to Katapola we decided to anchor out in a little bay just across from the town, to make it easier to leave again. We passed two other boats heading out as we came in. Both of them went out, tried it, didn't like it and also choose to return and anchor out near us. It was really nasty out there!

After a short discussion we decided to wait one more night.

Log 6 NM


9 September 2004, Thursday, Amorgos, Greece, 3650N/2552E

Regrouped and ready we tried again around 0700. The seas were down to two meters and the wind was only 25 knots with 30 knot puffs, but we were even better prepared for them today. Sailing a close reach (about 60 degrees off the apparent wind) for the first 6 miles we had a wet ride as we cleared the west end of Amorgos. Finally clearing the lea shore and ugly rocks we were able to turn downwind for a broad reach to the south west. The ride immediately improved and we stopped getting covered with spray. "Brilliant" also loved it and our speed went from 5 knots up to 6 - 7.5 knots for the rest of the trip.

Our plan was to sail by the south end of Ios and decide there if we wanted to continue on to Crete or wait. Being hit with 35 knot winds again before getting into the beautiful bay of Manganari, Ios made the decision easy. So at noon we set the "bruce" in four meters of clear water in the deep sand. Then with the strong gusts hitting from different directions we put a second anchor out; our big "fortress" storm anchor. This arrangement let us relax without any fear of dragging. We settled down with good books to wait for better weather.

A 35 foot Slovenian sailboat with a boom jury rigged for a mast came into the anchorage in the late afternoon and anchored near us. The Captain dove into the water to check his anchor and also checked our, which is a very nice thing to do, then swam over for a chat. They had lost there mast sometime earlier in the season and were making their way back to Slovenia for the winter. He also passed on the latest weather forecast that was calling for a very strong gale.

We were very surprised when after about an hour we watched them haul their anchor up and depart to the west.

Log 27 NM

10-11 September 2004, Friday-Saturday, Manganari Bay, Ios, 3639N/2522E

And so we wait! The wind continued to howl into the bay. Managanari provides good shelter from the seas, but not from the wind. There would be periods of calm that would last for a few minutes, but for the most part we were seeing sustained winds of 25-30 knots with gusts up to 40 knots.

We spent the time waiting reading books and copying the weather forecasts from the VHF, the shortwave and the Navtex-none were encouraging.

Log 0 NM

12-13 September 2004, Sunday-Monday, Manganari Bay, Ios, 3639N/2522E

We are going crazy here! Sitting at anchor, with little to do but read books and listen to the wind wears on you. We were getting very anxious to get moving with our need to cross the Ionian Sea to Sicily and Malta before the middle of October.

The morning Navtex forecast was more doom and gloom, still calling for near gale wind on our planned route to Crete. But the 1250 report gave a more encouraging one and we had both anchors up and were underway within half an hour.

We were pleasantly surprised to find wind and sea less than forecast and soon found ourselves sailing on a broad reach with 15-20 knots of wind and 1-1.5 meter seas on the quarter. "Brilliant" was averaging over 6 knots for the first half of the trip.

The wind and sea continued to decline as we approached Crete. Around one in the morning the wind was down to 5-10 knots and while we were still making 4 knots the sails were flogging because of the seas. Normally we would have cranked up the engine at this point rather than listening to the noise, but we were nursing our transmission that has been telling us it's got a major problem.

Thankfully, wind filled in again and we had a fair ride until 0730 when the wind was again down to 3-5 knots off the Akrotiri near Chania. With 10 miles to go, we still wanted to save the transmission, so continued to sail. The wind was now off the nose and we s-l-o-w-l-y made our way towards Chania. After two and half hours we were still three miles out when the wind totally died and we started the engine. We idled into the ancient harbor of Chania around 1100 and were pleased to find that they had finally laid moorings for visiting sailboats in the middle harbor. It made mooring a breeze for the tired crew of "Brilliant".

Chania is a homecoming for us and we are looking forward to seeing old friends, taking care of the transmission, restocking U.S. supplies at the Navy Exchanged and visiting favorite restaurants.

Log 95 NM

#09-04 Brilliant's Log, 19-30 August 2004

Hi Everyone,

It has been a good week or so for us, we left Marmaris (a bit poorer after the repairs and improvements to "Brilliant") and gunk-holed our way to Kusadasi. This will probably be our last chance to cruise at a slow pace for this summer, so we have really enjoyed ourselves.

From here out we are traveling fast. We plan on checking out of Turkey tomorrow and into Greece at Samos. Then a fast trip across the Aegean to Chania, Crete. Couple of days there then on to the Ionian Islands. We need to be in Malta by the middle of October so we can get "Brilliant" secured and us back to the states in time for the November election. Every vote counts, but being a Florida voter; I'll have more faith that my vote will count if I'm not sending in an absentee ballot like last time.

Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend. I remember when I used to work... don't miss it a bit.

Pete & Stephanie Peterson
s/y "Brilliant"



19 August 2004, Thursday, Marmaris Limani, Turkey, 3649N/2819E

After getting to an internet cafe to e-mail the last log, we wandered through the Thursday market in Marmaris. The market runs for blocks thought the back alleys and you can buy pretty much whatever you need there from clothes to groceries. We picked up a couple of gifts and took care of our FF&V requirements.

Back to "Brilliant" by early afternoon, we gave her a thorough washing to clear the dust from all the work we had done. I paid our marina bill that included all the work we had done (ouch) and got our clearance paper so we could actually leave.

Around five in the afternoon we slipped the lines and headed over to the fuel dock. Our last fill up was in Lebanon where we paid only $.40 per liter of diesel, so it was a reality check when we filled up 213 liters (55 gal) at $1.14 per liter ($4.38 per gallon).

With the fueling complete, we motored across Marmaris Limani to anchor for the night. With the wind still blowing 15-20 knots, we ended up all the way at the other end of the bay. It was a bit too close to the noise and "boom-boom" music of the disco's , but the holding was good and we just needed a place out of the marina for the night.

Log 5 NM


20 August 2004, Friday, Bozuk Buku, Turkey, 3634N/2801E

Our early morning departure from the Marmaris anchorage with no wind, a flat calm sea and the sun is just rising was beautiful. We found the wind just outside of the bay, but it was confused. The high mountains in this area makes the wind very unpredictable, we would see it go from 5 knots on the bow to 20 knots from the stern in seconds.

Once we cleared Kadirga Burnu (a cape south of Marmaris) and turned to the southwest, the wind settled and we enjoyed a lovely broad reach for about an hour and a half. But as we passed the next cape the wind totally died and we were back to motoring. The current was with us and we made good time. Just outside of our destination, Bozuk Buku, I noticed a very strong wind line coming out of the bay. We quickly furled the sails and were hit with a solid 20 knot blast of wind that was funneling through the bay. Very typical "sailing" for this part of Turkey.

We had been in Bozuk Buku two years ago and looked forward to visiting the rough little family restaurant called "Ali Baba" again. As they say , you can never go back. The free mooring and dock had really been improved from the last time, the restaurant now had a floor and a generator for the electric lights to replace the gas ones, but it had lost the rustic charm that we liked so much. I should also mention that the food was triple the price and Ali was no longer there cooking on the outdoor grill.

Log 26 NM

21 August 2004, Saturday, Aspot Koyu, Turkey, 3658N/2718E

The wind stayed up all night and made for a noisy night. Expecting the worse for weather as we rounded the southwestern end of Turkey today we left at 0630 again to beat the afternoon winds. The wind in Bozuk Buku seemed to have been a local effect wind, because as soon as we cleared the bay it dropped.

We raised sails as we cleared Karaburun (cape) and with flat seas and a beam reach we had a great sail to the channel south of the Greece island of Simi where the wind was shadowed. Clearing west of the island the wind filled in again and as we headed northwest we enjoyed another great sail.

Expecting strong winds on the nose, we had several plans for places to tuck into if it was really uncomfortable, but the conditions were much better than we expected. We made it to Knidos on the end of the Datca peninsula, where we were going to spend the night, at around 1230 and decided to keep going. We had been to Knidos before and knew it would be crowded and that the holding isn't very reliable.

Rounding Cape Krio we were surprised again by the lack of wind and found ourselves motoring again. This area is notorious for high winds, but it wasn't until we reach the corner by the Greek island of Kos that we found the winds. The channel between Kos and Bodrum was blowing at 15-20 knots and we motored sailed across the last 7 nm to Aspot Koyu, arriving around 1530.

Aspot Koyu was just a convenient spot to stop that we hadn't been to before. It was well sheltered from the seas, but the wind was still coming into the anchorage off the surrounding hills. The pilot book recommended the north part of the bay because it was supposed to be quieter. We found a new beach club with lots of people, small boats and the LOUD "boom-boom" music blasting. We decided to stay in the south end where we found the a good place to anchor in about 8 meters of water.

Log 56 NM


22 August 2004, Sunday, Gumusluk, Turkey 3703N/2713E

I copied the RTTY (Radio Teletype) 5-day Weather Forecast, using our Sony short-wave/single side band receiver and Apple iBook laptop, in the morning and it didn't look good. A fast moving front is supposed to be bringing strong north northwest winds down through the Aegean Sea starting Tuesday and not decreasing until Thursday. With this news we decided to go to an anchorage just north of a marina we had planned on checking out as a possible wintering site. Then we can relax for the rest of the day and duck into the marina to ride out the meltemi winds.

Leaving early we had almost no wind and motored around the west end of the Bodrum peninsula. The only excitement on the short trip was that our old Garmin handheld GPS did not want to lock on. While Stephanie visually navigated through the reefs on the route I tried to figure out what was wrong. About the time we cleared the reefs, it finally got a good fix. The problem was with the rechargeable AA batteries (our life is all about charging batteries), I had pulled them out to recharge and didn't have another set to put in, so the internal memory must have cleared and it lost the time and position and it just took a long time to find itself.

The GPS makes navigation very easy, but we still retain the skills to do "eye ball" coastal navigation and always use the charts even with a working GPS. The best defense against "hard water" (reefs/shoals) is reading the depths by the color of the water.

We pulled into Gumusluk around 1000 and found it very crowded. A deep, but narrow little bay there wasn't much room to anchor, but we finally found a place near the restaurants that wasn't exactly where we wanted to be. With the hook well set we relaxed and shifted to our cruising mode... swimsuits and books in the cockpit. We had just settled in, when the other boats crowding the anchorage started departing. We decided that where we would rather be and waited for the charter boat that was in the spot to leave. Then quickly pull the anchor and moved to the better spot.

Gumusluk turned out to be a very pleasant place. Quiet restaurants, a few pensions, and Turkish children playing in the water on the little beach have lots of fun. We swam as the temperature rose and enjoy the calm before the expected storm.

As we sat down in the cockpit for our dinner we received a wonderful treat. Maybe a quarter mile away a Smooth Jazz Band started playing at one of the restaurants. The acoustics in the little bay were perfect and it sounded like they were right next to the boat. They played until 2300 and then, with no wind or discos blasting, it was very quiet for the rest of the night.

Log 11 NM


23-25 August 2004, Monday-Wednesday, D-Marin, Turgutreis, Turkey 3700N/2715E

It was very calm in the morning and we were in no rush to get moving. Our morning coffee (a very large cup) lasted until almost ten, but when the first puffs of the forecast wind hit us it was time to move. Once clear of the well protected Gumusluk Bay we found the winds had definitely increased and we were glad to be sailing downwind with only a few miles to go.

D-Marin is the name of the brand new marina located on the rather exposed west coast of the Bodrum peninsula. We had thought about wintering here and wanted to see what the facilities were like. This meltemi (north wind) gave us a chance.

The marinaros met us with their inflatable Rib boat and led us to our berth. The wind was blowing 15-20 knots in the marina and at about a 45 degree angle to where we were directed to tie up. The cross wind always makes it interesting, especially without a bow thruster. Then to make it even more interesting we find the slips are American style finger piers instead of the usual Med. laid moorings tailed to the dock. So we had to scramble to re-rig fenders (rubber bumpers) and lines, while getting the boat turned around. It wasn't pretty but we got "Brilliant" tied up without damage to her or anyone else.

The marina is beautiful and we spent the next three days enjoying the fine facilities. The main downside to the play was the price per night... way out of line with the other marinas in Turkey. They seem to be geared to cater to the wealthy Turks who want to move their boats out of Bodrum. Consequently, not much in the way of amenities for the cruising crowd. No book exchanged was the last straw.

Log 3 NM


27 August 2004, Friday, Salih Adasi, Gulluk Korfezi, 3708N/2729E

We departed the marina around 0700 hoping to beat the meltemi winds. Inside the marina it was dead calm, making leaving the slip very easy, but clear of the breakwater it was a different story. The wind was already up to 15 knots, on the nose of course. We motorsailed for about an hour and half, then as we approached Gemitasi (Wreck Rock) we were able to secure the engine and sail.

Inside Gulluk Krofezi, a large bay just north of the Bodrum Peninsula, we ended up on a dead run downwind. We rigged a preventer on the boom and coasted for the next couple of hours making 2-6 knots. A very relaxed sail.

Arriving near Salih Adasi our destination, a very pretty island deep into the bay, we furled the genoa and inspected several anchorages along the shore. At the last minute we finally put the mainsail away and motored into a little cove on the east side of the island.

A gullet was there for a lunch break when we arrived, but we had plenty of room to anchor. Shortly after we arrived, a small Turkish sailboat came in to the cove. Naturally, we wanted to check out where they anchored in relation to "Brilliant" and how well they set their anchor. The two older gentlemen were very relaxed about the whole evolution. They dropped their anchor a little chain just in front and to port of us. They made no effort to set the hook (usually you back down on it with the engine in reverse to make sure it's in good), but both immediately jumped into the water for a swim.

I was a bit nervous about them being in front of us, but relaxed when I saw that their boat was riding clear of us. For the next hour we watched as their boat slowly dragged anchor past us, while the two gentlemen were sitting in the cockpit enjoying their lunch. We continued to watch for another hour as they kept going, neither of them taking any action or even checking the anchor.

When they were a couple hundred yards offshore they finally pulled the anchor aboard and sailed away. We figure they were only there for lunch, so why sweat the small stuff; and it is all small stuff. I really need to work on being more laid back.

We had a fairly quiet evening, except for the back and forth of the work boats tending the fish farms near us.

Log 27 NM


28 August 2004, Saturday, Kazikli Iskelesi, Gulluk Korfezi, 3720N/2728E

Of early again we motored to Asin Limani. An almost landlocked inlet, it is the site of the ancient harbor if Iassus.

Once safely moored we quickly changed and walk around the harbor to ruins of the city. While not very well marked we saw some wonderful Greek and Roman ruins, another amphitheater, several well preserved mosaic floors and a castle left by the Knights of St. John during the crusades.

On the way back to the boat, we wandered through the Asin, Saturday market and found a few things we couldn't live without.

Asin is a nice harbor, but we wanted a few more miles behind us for the day. Casting off we headed for Paradise Bay. A head wind forced us to motor most of the way, but with about 4 miles to go, we turned into Kazikli Limani and the wind was on the beam. Motor off... we were sailing! Suddenly, we spotted a pod of porpoise and they spotted us, our first for this season. For the next ten minutes five porpoise entertained us while we provided a vehicle for them to surf in front of. It is hard to describe how wonderful it is.

According to the "pilot," Paradise Bay was supposed to be this was beautiful little cove and a great place for the night. As we coasted by under sail we found a "Paradise Lost," the cove was now a fish farm with little room left to anchor. Disappointed, we checked out a couple of other coves nearby and found more fish farms. Finally, going all the way into the Limani we found a place for the night.

Log 27 NM

29 August 2004, Sunday, Altinkum, Gulluk Korfezi, 3721N/2717E

Plan "A": Early start, go to Altinkum, anchor, dinghy to shore, get a taxi and visit Didyma, get back to the boat, go 5 miles farther up the coast to a quiet anchorage.

Well, we almost completed plan "A". We got our early start, however the wind started rising earlier than expected. Before we could reach the town of Altinkum the wind was over 20 knots (yes, on the nose, where else). We had no problem avoiding the reef and got an excellent anchor set on the first try. "Bruce" likes sand! It was only 10 am so we decided to have a big breakfast before taking the dinghy ashore.

The wind in anchorage was only 10-15 and we were well protected from any swell, so leaving the boat for a couple of hours didn't worry us. Dinghy in the water, engine mounted, and started first pull (dirty gas was the problem last time) and off to shore we went.

The taxi driver saw us coming, literally! He caught our line and helped us secure the dinghy before asking if we wanted a taxi to Didyma. Hard negotiation followed and we had our round trip arranged. We always pay too much for cabs, but didn't want to deal with buses because according to Plan "A" we wanted to get underway before it was too late in the day.

Didyma, was a religious sanctuary to Apollo and famed for its oracle before Delphi was famous. What remains of the largest Ionic temple in the world are still awe inspiring. We spend almost two hours wandering around this ancient site that was started in 300 BC and finished 500 years later.

Our taxi driver was right on time to pick us up and safely returned us to the quay where our dinghy was still tied. And we had an uneventful ride back to "Brilliant." Everything according to plan.

We were anxious to get out away from Altinkum because it is a little beach town that is on an even par with the big resort cities when it come to shear noise. The cacophony of sound from the thousands of people on the beach and the competing music from all the bars was overwhelming.

But here is where we decided to deviate from plan. It was blowing stink outside by the time we returned; looking out to sea we could see all the white horses and a large swell running. All we wanted to do was go about 5 miles farther down the coast, but neither of us felt like pounding into what we were seeing for even an hour. "We can live with a little noise for one night!" We said.

The live entertainment started around 8 PM, the speakers were pointed out to sea. A disco had a10 million candlepower strobe lights pointed directly at us, something new for us. And as expected the music from the bar quit around 5 AM.

We should have stuck with Plan "A."

Log 14 NM


29 August 2004, Sunday, Port Saint Paul, South of Samosa Strait, Turkey 3739N/2700E

After the lovely entertainment of the previous evening and night we were off around 0600. We had almost two hours of favorable wind before the north winds filled in. We arrived at Port Saint Paul around 1100. An uneventful passage, made easier by the early departure. Because of the location near the Samosa Strait, we were getting strong meltemi gusts blowing from two directions. To make sure we had a good night we went ahead and put out a second anchor.

Saint Paul, on one of his voyages up the Anatolian coast, is supposed to have put in here for the night, to rest his oarsmen from the backbreaking slog against the meltemi (we can appreciate that). The anchorage is exactly what we like, private and quiet. We had a good ride in the dinghy to explore the bay then a swim in the warm clear water.

Log 28 NM

30 August 2004, Monday, Kusadasi Marina, Kusadasi, Turkey, 3757N/2715E

OK, so the anchorage wasn't all that great after all! While it was protected from the swell, the wind increased rather than decreased during the night and we kept getting blasted 25 knots from one direction, a lull, then 25 knots from the other. Neither of us slept very well worrying about the two anchors. It's a toss up which was worse the loud music or tenuous anchorage.

At 0500 with the wind still beating us up, I worked at untangling the two anchor rodes (lines). The rope rode had at least six wraps around the chain rode. It took about twenty minutes to get them both aboard and it was a good thing we set two because one had dragged during the night.

Underway, we motored into 25 knots of wind pouring out of the Samos Strait. Once actually into the strait the wind decreased and as we cleared it to the east there was only about three knots. It appears we were victims of a local effect wind last night that was accelerating as it funneled through the Samos Strait.

We arrived at Kusadasi around 1030 and checked in. We'll spend the night here take care of a few last minute things, then clear out of Turkey tomorrow morning.
Hopefully this log will go as well today.

Log 21 NM

#08-04 Brilliant's Log, 7-19 August 2004

Hi Everyone,

It's been a good couple of weeks. We enjoyed the slow pace of cruising in Skopea Limani and life on the hook. The week in Marmaris has been expensive, but we have been able make a couple of very important repairs and to complete several other projects on our to do list.

It is looking like we will probably head to Valletta, Malta for the winter. Our rough plan is to see a bit of the Aegean coast of Turkey then a fast trip across the Aegean Sea to Crete to see friends there, stopping at some of the islands we missed on the way. Then around the south end of Greece to the Ionian Islands. From there across the Ionian Sea to Sicily then south to Malta. Our hope is to have the boat in Malta by the middle of October. It's an ambitious plan, so as always in cruising we go with the weather and get there when we get there.

Once all the work was finally finished on the boat, there was a near gale (28-33 knot winds) blowing in the southern Aegean Sea. Since it was coming directly from where we want to go, we stayed put for a couple of extra days.

Hope everyone has been having a great summer.

Pete & Stephanie Peterson
s/y "Brilliant"



7 August 2004, Saturday, Gocek, Skopea Limani, Turkey 3646N/2856E

Our poor showing on anchoring last night came back to haunt us this morning. I had managed to lay our anchor chain over the German boat we had come in next to in Ortism Buku. Naturally they decided to leave before us, so they managed to pick up our chain. Normally when this happens they should have stopped the boat and it would have been a simple matter of lifting our chain off their anchor. But no they decided that "MORE POWER" was the answer and tried to pull free. This of course brought the two anchors together and they weren't going anywhere without dragging us along. Watching them struggle with it (there were eight people on a 40 foot boat) I finally rowed over to first, apologize for laying the anchor over theirs and two, to help them get the anchors apart. They were nice and offered to pull us to Fethiye with them, but I declined. The anchors were really jammed and I couldn't get them loose working from the dinghy. I had to ask them for a hammer and with a solid tap from the hammer the anchors came apart and they were free. Very embarrassing to have done such a poor job of it last night.

With that start for the day we decided to get underway and head to Gocek to get the log out and pick up a few supplies and FF&V. Having been here before we knew exactly where we wanted to anchor and had only a short row to the dinghy dock (the outboard engine still isn't running right).

We like Gocek, it's a very small town, but has some really unique shops and a Migros SuperMarket (a big chain in Turkey). The internet cafe we went to has improved 100 percent since two years ago. Last time they had half a dozen computers all sharing a 56k modem... ssssslllllloooowww. This time it was broadband and we each took a computers and really took care of some internet business.

We treated ourselves to a grilled Sea Bream and Chips lunch that was delicious then rowed back to "Brilliant". As we were securing the dinghy we found a note from one of our friends from the EMYR rally. Annette on "Day Dream" was anchored close by and wanted to say hello. So we dinghied over to say hello and invited her for cocktails.

It was good to catch up one news of her travels and other rally boats we had seen. Our plan had been to just take care of business in Gocek then head to another quiet bay for the night. Instead after cocktails we decided to spend the night right where we were.

Log 3 NM


8-9 August 2004, Sunday-Monday, Tomb Bay, Skopea Limani, Turkey 3641N/2852E

A few sips of the morning coffee and we hauled anchor and headed for Tomb Bay. The anchorage at Gocek has very good holding, is close to town, but there are hundreds of boats around you. The constant wash from boats going in and out of the marina and the dinghies going full speed through the anchored boats make it a noisy and uncomfortable place to be.

As we motored south into Skopea Limani we took advantage of the flat seas and zero wind to do a compass deviation check on our new autopilot. This requires steering the boat through a couple of slow circles then adjusting the computer compass readings to match the ships compass. With that completed we went into Tomb Bay and found a great spot to tuck into. It was much prettier getting anchored and the two lines ashore this time.

For two days we did little but sit in the cockpit and read. When it got too hot we jumped into the water for a swim, this cruising life is tough.

For my birthday, Stephanie cleaned up about 150 feet of shoreline and filled three bags full of trash. A Turkish man on the boat next to us had observed her work and came over apologetic about the trash and insisted that he be allowed to take the trash to the dumpster around the corner. Stephanie let him know that we didn't think it was the Turks making the mess. Still she wasn't sure if he was offended that she had picked up the trash. For me it was a great present.

Our Dutch friends from the rally on "Day Dream" came in to the bay and stopped by to present me with a very unexpected birthday gift. They had moored to the restaurant dock and we stopped by for a beer and snack before going to the restaurant for dinner. We had a very nice fish dinner, but the haircut I'd hoped for after dinner didn't happen because the barber wasn't there that evening.

Log 5 NM


10 August 2004, Tuesday, Marmaris Yacht Marina, Marmaris, Turkey, 3649N/2819E

With a long day ahead of us we made coffee and were underway at 0800. We motored out of Skopea Limani into a very light and variable wind until around noon when the west wind began to fill in. With the wind just slightly off the nose we were able to unfurl the sail and gain a knot of speed by motorsailing for the next hour. Then it shifted enough that we could actually shut the engine down for a while and still make over 6 knots.

The sailing didn't last long and the wind started to fill in with a vengeance. It continued to build as we approached Marmaris and peaked at 35 knots (that's a gale in our book). Bright and sunny with a gale wind, go figure. "Brilliant" behaved well and once we lost the swell under the mountains near Marmaris we finally made some speed to get us into Marmaris Bay.

Inside the bay the seas were calm, but the wind was still whipping up to 22 knots. We made our way to the marina we had stayed in two summers ago and found it hugely expanded. The marinaros met us outside and led us in to a good berth on a brand new floating dock.

Once the boat was safely moored I went to check in at the office. I was very glad to see that our friend Amelia was still working at Technical Services and that she remembered us. She had helped us with several projects two years ago when we were here and we hope for the same good service. We do have a few things to take care of while we are here and hope to have everything finished in a week. It is hard not to be seduced by the low cost of the marina (6 euros per day) and the easy marina life with unlimited power, water and showers.

35 knots of wind just isn't any fun anywhere, so we can write this trip off as not one of our favorites, but it's good to be back in Marmaris.

Log 45 NM


11-19 August 2004, Wednesday-Thursday, Marmaris Yacht Marina, Marmaris, Turkey, 3649N/2819E

We have spent the week catching up with old friends from the EMYR rally and making new ones. Ayhan & Anna from "Daisy" were next to us when we arrived; they were putting their boat to bed for the winter and I helped Ayhan with an eye splice for his new dock lines. He reciprocated by going to the Sanay (industrial park) with me. Being a Turk, Ayhan was extremely helpful translating for me so that the machinist knew exactly what I wanted, without my having to resort to my making hand signs and drawing pictures.

We also met Rich & Rose "Waltz", John & Mary "Kittywake", Luigo "La Piatta" who borrowed our hose, then shared his knowledge of ports along southern Italy with us. Romey & Linda, "Eliat" who we had met late season in Greece. From the rally there was Frank & Tari on "Vision", Mary Lou & David, "Samarinda II". Lot's of sundowners either on their boats or ours, a fun time.

Our stop in Marmaris was primarily to take care of some boat projects. Of all the places we have been this seems to be the best for getting quality work done cheaply. There are at least half a dozen marinas in Marmaris, quite a few charter companies and thousands of boats, which makes for a town geared for the yachting industry.

Our number one project was to replace an engine mounting bolt that had broken off during the rally. It was probably stressed when the engine got out of alignment last summer. Thankfully, it turned out to be an easy fix. Once the mechanic had jacked the engine up, he was able to turn the bolt out of the block with a center punch and didn't have to drill it out as I was afraid would be required. He replaced all the other bolts as well and it only cost about $20.

Next was to fix the water pump that failed and I had to swap it out half way between Cyprus and Turkey and this was where our new friend Ayhan from "Daisy" really helped. I have rebuilt the pumps several times now, but this one was in much worse shape than I originally thought. The old bearings had seized and damaged the drive shaft. Luckily in Marmaris they have skilled machinists in the old Sanay (industrial park) and the pump was rebuilt for about $30 which included manufacturing a couple of brass hose fittings.

We replaced some of the running rigging with new line and finally added one more battery to our house bank in hopes of staying just a little longer "off the grid" without having to run an engine to charge batteries. This ups the house bank to over 500 amp hours.

The marina has an excellent stainless steel worker and we had him do several projects for us. Hoping to quiet the "beast" down a bit we had him shock mount the wind generator. The solar panels on our arch were fix mounted, he built a beautiful system to articulate them, so we can now point them more directly at the sun and gain more power out of them. He has also made new locking handles for the dinghy davits that will be all stainless steel instead of plastic. The davit manufacturer wanted an outragous amount of money to replace them, this will be better and cheaper. Of course the jobs took twice as long as the original estimate, so we stayed much longer in the marina than planned.

Because we do not anticipate returning to Turkey, we spent Sunday rug shopping. There are thousands of carpet shops everywhere you go in Turkey, and some of the merchants can get annoying, working very hard to pull you into their shops trying to make a sale. We had the name of a shop here in Marmaris, recommended by a friend who collects old carpets. We spent several hours having tea and trying to decide which one we liked. In the end, we settled on two small carpets, about 2'x3.5'. There was a larger one that we liked, but the price we offered was too low. As Aydin, our salesman, was wrapping up the carpets, the 'boss' offered us the larger carpet and one of the smaller ones, for the price we wanted. So, we now have two beautiful Turkish carpets -- which will probably be going into storage this winter, because neither fits on the boat! I guess someday we will have to live in a house again.

Tomorrow we hope to be underway again. We'll be heading west then north along the Aegean coast of Turkey for a couple more weeks of cruising, before we have to start moving towards our winter harbor.

0 NM

#07-04 Brilliant's Log, 23 July-6 August 2004

Hi Everyone,

Ashkelon Marina was excellent and very inexpensive ($8 per day for "Brilliant") and the people were great and we strongly recommend it as a place to visit or winter over. For us however, it was time to start moving west. So we really are back to cruising now and have covered a lot of ground in the last couple of weeks. We are now in the vicinity of Gocek, Turkey and slowly making our way further west.

The log doesn't do a very good job of describing just how much joy we had during our sail to Cyprus or how really uncomfortable to the trip from Cyprus to Turkey was or the pleasure of just doing nothing anchored in a beautiful bay. These highs and lows are all part of cruising and we really love this life.

Pete & Stephanie Peterson
s/y "Brilliant"




23-25 July 2004, Friday-Sunday, Ashkelon Marina, Israel to Larnaca, Cyprus

Israel Customs/Immigration was a bit later than the 0900 we had asked them to be there for the check-out formalities, but we were still able to get underway just a bit after 1000.

It's hard to describe the joy we felt as the last line was cast off and we quietly made our way through the marina and out through the breakwater. Over seven weeks here gave Stephanie the time she needed to recuperate and she was really ready to go.

The wind was 8-10 knots from the west and with our northwest course we had the sails up in less then 10 minutes of clearing the marina. Close hauled for the first couple of hours we were making about 4 knots into a gentle rolling 1 meter swell.

Around 1400 we had cleared all the Israeli coastal warning areas and fell off the wind unto a very comfortable close reach as the wind built to 10-15 knots.

It was also about this time that suddenly the automatic bilge pump started pumping out water. This is not a good sign, we really try to keep water out of the boat. It's good that the automatic bilge pump works so well because we rarely check the bilge underway, since we normally have a dry bilge.

I quickly went below and checked the aft bilge... dry. Then thinking it might be the flexible water tank leaking, I checked a small access hatch near the tank and tasted the water... saltwater! I immediately knew it had to be the new watermaker installation and began pulling apart the v-berth to get at the installation. Sure enough there was about a pint of water coming in each time we would go into a wave. It doesn't sound like much but quickly adds up. It took an unbelievable number of fittings and hose clamps to get the unit installed and one of the plastic fittings had broken and was allowing seawater to enter the boat. Stopping the water was a simple matter of shutting the valve on the thru-hull fitting. Problem solved now we just have to find a replace for the fitting before we can use the watermaker again.

With that fixed, we relaxed and enjoyed our unbelievable luck with the wind; almost unheard of in the Med the wind was actually working for us and we continued to sail through the night.

After sailing with the Eastern Med Yacht Rally with over 80 boats on passages it was nice to see only three other ships and not having to dodge other rally boats. At night, the lights on ships can be very deceptive, so having a working radar makes it so easy to clearly understand what the other ships are doing and to keep well clear of them.

Into the next day we continued to sail. The compass course to Larnaca, Cyprus was 345 degrees and we had no trouble holding the heading. In the afternoon the wind piped up a bit and we reefed the jib for a more comfortable ride, but it only lasted for a couple of hours before returning to a steady 12 knots. Our boat speed stayed above 5 knots and we started to look at our arrival time in Larnaca; 0200. While we have done it, entering a new port in the dark isn't one of our favorite things, so we started trying to slow the boat down.

Reef in the main and the boat flatten out and sailed faster? Rolled in some jib and the boat continued to sail at over 5 knots. It was funny, we finally decided to hove to (a maneuver to safely park the boat at sea) while dinner was prepared and eaten. This finally gave us a bit later arrival time and we continued on to Larnaca.

As we entered Larnaca Bay around sunrise, the wind died and we drifted in under sail making 1.5 knots. We only started the engine for the last couple of miles, pulling up to the visitors dock just before 0700. It had taken us around 45 hours to make the 200 mile passage and all but the last couple of miles under sail. What a great return to cruising!

Log 200 NM


25-27 July 2004, Sunday-Tuesday, Larnaca Marina, Larnaca, Cyprus 3455N/3338E

After going side-to the check in dock in the Larnaca, Marina, with it's seven foot high quay, I went in search of someone to clear us into Cyprus. After wandering around the marina, very quiet on a Sunday morning, I found someone from the marina office. He made arrangements for us with customs and directed me to the Harbor Police. The whole check-in was pretty painless and if we hadn't arrived on a weekend we could have escaped the extra charge for the overtime for the customs officer. What a racket that is they only officially work from 0800-1200 Mon-Fri anything else is overtime.

After hauling down the "Q" flag (we are required to fly this quarantine flag until we are officially cleared into a country), we moved to a better berth in the outer harbor basin. With the boat secured and power plugged in we both collapsed for a good long nap.

The next two days were spent exploring the town of Larnaca in the southeastern corner of Cyprus. Having been to northern Cyprus we wanted to get a taste of Greece Cyprus. Maybe because we had spent so much time feeling stuck in Ashkelon or just burned out from all the exploring in Israel, we just didn't feel inspired to rent a car, or take buses out of the city to see more of the country.

Larnaca is very much a beach resort with a beautiful boardwalk and outdoor cafe's, restaurants and a lot of tourists. We blended in with the crowds, did a little shopping, visited the museum and enjoyed our time there.

Log 0 NM


27-31 July 2004, Tuesday-Friday, Larnaca, Cyprus to Cavus, Turkey

Expecting strong daytime winds from the west, we planned our departure for Tuesday evening to at least get around the island before the winds came up. We cleared customs and the Harbor Police and were underway just after 2100 on a very clear night.

A light off shore breeze was blowing and we quickly set sails. The 10 knot wind on the stern and the calms seas were wonderful while they lasted but as we rounded Cape Kiti we totally lost the wind. The wind stayed calm through the rest of the night as we motored slowly into a gentle swell and counter current making under 5 knots of speed.

Morning brought the wind, unfortunately on the nose and we continued to motorsail making little progress. At 1430 we reached the western end of Cyprus and were faced with 15-20 knot winds from the west northwest and a building sea.

Tired of motoring, we decided to try beating to windward feeling it would be the best way to get past the western end of Cyprus. Turning to the southwest on a starboard tack we spent the next four hours pounding into the two meter seas with reefed main and genoa, hoping to get enough sea room to clear the northwestern cape of Cyprus.

As plans go this was a good one, but didn't account for a slight shift of wind. After clearing over 20 NM to the southwest we tacked to the north. For the first couple of hours it looked good for clearing the cape, but the wind shifted slightly to the north and when we were just getting ready to tack again, around 2230, the wind completely died. We finally just gave up on sailing, started the engine and motored through the night to the northwest and towards our destination.

In the morning a west wind came up and we were able to set sails again, this time we could hold to our rhumb line. Sailing close hauled through the morning and into the afternoon we were making good distance to the northwest. By late afternoon the winds had built to 18-20 knots. Even with the sails reefed down the two meter seas made for a very wet and uncomfortable ride, so at 1630 with wind now topping 26 knots, we decided to fall off the wind about 20 degrees for a better ride. While this course put us well off our rhumb line to Finike we figured we could make it up after the wind died in the night.

What a ride! With the wind and seas on our beam the speed immediately jumped up to 6-7 knots and we were taking much less water over the bow. We were still taking some pretty impressive rolls when we would get caught by a breaking wave though. The wind topped out at a steady 25 knots with gusts to 31 before it finally started moderating around 2000.

The plan had worked and we were now in Antalya Bay and about 40 miles east of Finike. We decided to pass on a night entry into Finike and headed due west for a little bay we had anchored in last year, Cavus Limani.

Using radar to find the entry to the bay, we were a bit confused by the radar picture. It appeared that we were getting false targets that made it look like it was the wrong harbor. As we got closer it we could see the lights and the entry clearly, but it wasn't until we motored through the first patch of cold air that we realized that the patches of cold condensed air were giving us the false radar picture.

By 0030 we were on a good anchor set and were able to get a good night's sleep before going to Finike in the morning.

Log 256 NM

31 July-2 August 2004, Friday-Sunday, Finike Setur Marina, Finike, Turkey 3617N/3009E

The anchorage was very quiet and calm, providing us with the rest we needed. We quickly got the boat moving and arrived in Finike Marina around 1130.

The clearance into Turkey was easy this time... we let the marina do it for us. All we had to do was visit the passport police so they could verify it was really us and pay the fees. Much easier!

We had hoped to take care of a few minor repairs here, but realized that Finike did not have the facilities we were looking for so we stayed long enough to check-in, clean up the boat and have a nice dinner out on Saturday night.

Note from Stephanie. I usually don't add much to the log, as Pete does such a good job. But, once in a while, something occurs that really touches the heart. As we were walking the local market, getting fresh veggies and fruit, before heading out, we stopped to buy some cherries. A man came up to us, and asked where we were from ( a common occurrence). When we said America, he got very excited. He thanked us for coming to Turkey, and exclaimed how much Turks like Americans, and asked when the Americans would be coming back. He talked about how the English and Germans are nice, but not half so friendly as Americans. (We always express out delight with the Turkish people and the country.) The man left, we finished our purchase, and as we turned to go, the man was back, pressing bunches of grapes into our hands, and begging us to tell our friends and all Americans to come back to Turkey.

It is hard on a country that has had a big tourist population that suddenly disappears, and Turkey is trying to get Americans to come back (hence the change in the price of a Visa from $100 to $20). It is even harder for us, to come face to face with local people who are suffering from lack of tourists.


Log 21 NM


2-3 August 2004, Sunday-Tuesday, Gokkaya Limani, Turkey 3612N/2954

Ahhh! Cruising at last! Just to the east of Kekova Roads is Gokkaya Limani a wonderful little bay with excellent shelter, good holding for the anchor and warm, clear water to swim in. With our early start from Finike, we arrived before noon and found a beautiful little cove to anchor. While Gokkaya isn't a very secluded bay with the constant traffic from the Gullets and tripper boats bringing hoards of tourist out for a swim or overnight on a boat, but for the first two days we were alone in our cove.

For the better part of three days we just kicked back and did as little as possible. The light breeze kept the temperature comfortable and if it got too hot we would just jump in the water for a swim. Lazy days.

The one downside to our stay was that our new outboard decided to die on us while we were out for a joy ride in the dinghy. It started acting up after we had explored a little sea cave and were a couple of miles from the "Brilliant". Luckily we were able to nurse it back to the boat before it completely failed. The engine is less than a year old and still under warrantee, but just one more thing we'll need to take care of in Marmaris.

Log 23 NM


3 August 2004, Tuesday, Polemos Buku, Kekova Roads Turkey 3610N/2948E

Ok, you have to change the scenery sometimes, so after a leisurely breakfast we motored into Kekova Roads and to the far western end where we found another lovely anchorage. It was much quieter than Gokkaya Limani and we spent another lazy day swimming and reading in the cockpit.

It was so quiet, that after dark we started hearing the owls hooting.

Log 6 NM


4 August 2004, Wednesday, Bayindir Limani, Kas, Turkey 3610N/2939E

A quick 45 minute stop in Ucagiz to pick up some fresh bread and a few other essentials, before heading west again. Our goal is to get to Marmaris, Turkey sometime next week, because we know we can get some of the repairs and improvements we want done there. Not being in a hurry allows us to visit some of the little bays we missed last year on our way to Antalya.

Bayindir was a typical anchorage for this coast; deep water, requiring us to drop the anchor in 15 meters and then running a line to shore from the stern. The one remarkable event here was the large sea turtle that kept popping up every hour or so during our entire stay. At one point it poked its head above water about 20 feet from where Stephanie was swimming, turned and looked her right in the eye. The weather this time of year is warm clear and sunny. With light winds building in the afternoon, unfortunately from the west where we're heading, then dying in the evening.

Log 11 NM


5 August 2004, Thursday, Yessilkoy Limani, Turkey 3615N/2922E

Underway around 1000, we motored into a light 5 knot breeze for the two and half hours to our next anchorage. Yessilkoy is a little bay near the town of Kalkan. Having spent the better part of the summer in harbors or marinas we are working real hard to stay out of them now, we really like "hanging on the hook."

Again nothing really remarkable about this bay except that maybe we had a heck of a time getting the anchor to set on the weedy bottom and finally switched anchors. The "Brittany" that does much better than the "Bruce" in these conditions and set the first try.

Once it we were settled, naturally the wind we had been fighting while anchoring died and we enjoyed the rest of the day, except there were way too many noisy gullets here. Two late arrivals parked on either side of us, blasted music and ran generators well into the night.

Log 16 NM


6 August 2004, Friday, Ortism Buku, Skopea Limani, Turkey 3642N/2854E

A relatively long day for cruisers, but there are very few good anchorages between Kalkan and Fethiye Bay. Our plan was to try the anchorages in Gemiler Limani about a 30 NM trip. As expected we had light wind of 5-10 knots on the nose all day, but the coast current was pushing in our direction so we made good time motor sailing.

Gemiler is a beautiful spot, but is very deep and unfortunately was full to overflowing with gullets, charter boats and flotillas. We checked out every anchorage in the large bay and couldn't find anyplace that looked good to us.

It was now 1530 and we decided we might as well make our way into Skopea Limani, a great cruising bay near the town of Gocek. It took us about an hour to get around the cape, Ilbis Burnu, working through very confused seas that really slowed us down. But once clear of the cape we were able to turn north and picked up a light breeze on the beam and flew across the bay at 6.5-7 knots. The wind was so good we actually saw many of the gullets with their sails up, a very rare occurrence.

Ortism Buku is a typical deep bay off of Skopea Limani. Heavy pine forrest coming down from the steep sides to the waters edge, plenty of protection from the prevailing wind and not too terribly crowded.

We provided a bit of entertainment for the other boats as we struggled getting "Brilliant" anchored and tied to shore. This is not always a pretty evolution as we have to drop the anchor, back the boat into the spot we have chosen, then one of us jumps in the dinghy, rows like crazy to get a line around a rock or tree, then row the bitter end back to the boat, while the other person is trying to hold the boat in position without running into the neighbors. Fun stuff with a two person crew, but we did get the job done.

No sooner did we finish that, when a local boat came by with some Turkish pancakes for sale. That pretty much took care of our dinner for the evening.

Log 51 NM