Tuesday 28 April: Fleeing the rolling
Early (more or less) rise yesterday and anxious to get away from the rolling swell in Ciftlik bay that has been relentless for two nights now. The wind that blew through the valley between two mountains kept Clio pretty much parallel to the SE swell, becoming quite uncomfortable. So we lifted our lovely shiny new Rocna and headed in the direction of Fethiye Bay. We motored for a couple of hours and went into a nice looking bay behind Baba island, always on the lookout for good anchorages, but the wind was coming from the west and it looked like there might be more swell so we opted to continue on our way. With a little wind now the sails were hoisted and we managed another little while without the assistance of the iron horse. As the sailmakers had turned the sails into windtunnel objects with telltales on every square cm, better trimming the sails is now possible and there is still much to be learned about the interactions between the varying controls such as main traveller, foresail sheet cars, mainsail outhaul tension etc.. We managed to get 5 kts speed from 7 kts wind, not bad for a first more serious trim.

On reaching Fethiye bay we found a beautiful anchorage, Siralibuk limani (Deep bay), and Chris did get to have her first experience of trying to hook us onto a buoy. She managed to secure it on the boat hook but could not lift it close enough to thread the rope through. So we walked it to the back of Clio and threaded a line through the eye and then walk it back to the front again to secure it to a cleat. Some more practice is required to master this procedure, especially in windy conditions!

The water was completely flat and looked inviting and Chris braved the expected water temperature and had her first swim of the season, be it in her wetsuit. The water is still a little chilly but definitely worth taking the plunge after the last three days of feeling not so well. Then time for a lovely hot shower on the back deck and sit in the sun with a glass of wine and contemplate the troubles of the world. The bay is a truly beautiful spot, we slept very well last night, no rolling (we'll check Clio for moss today).