We managed to sail all the way to Bozburun, dropping the foresail about 5 minutes out from the harbour. It was incredibly busy, with yachts anchored in every cove and row upon row of gullets, with every available space on the town quay and the outside wall of the harbour taken too. We later discovered it was change over day, for the gullets, on a Friday and they would all be gone later in the day or early next morning, at the latest. We put our fenders and mooring lines on but doubted we would find a space in the little harbour. We motored in slowly and there was a big space alongside just by the entrance. We headed towards it and a young lad waved to us and pointed to a small space right in the corner, where we could go stern to with the anchor down, alongside a German yacht. We needed to find Gordon's restaurant, where the owners would telephone Gurkan, the agent from Pera Yachting, who would bring our papers. The owners were on the lookout for us, as they shouted us from across the road and gave us a friendly welcome. We ordered a couple of beers while we waited. Gurkan arrived and took us through the paperwork and then took us along to the police station so they could stamp our passports. The police were very friendly and welcoming too and there was no hassle at all. We returned to Gordon's, also known as Osman's, and Gurkan explained about the blue card and having the waste pumped from our holding tank, as it's forbidden to release grey or black water into the sea in Turkey. The blue card has a bar code which is registered to the boat and when you have your waste pumped, the marina scans the bar code and logs the date and number of litres online. If you are stopped by the police / border control etc. you show your blue card and they can check you have been pumped out. Fines for not doing so can be up to 38000 TL, about £1900 at current exchange rates. In practice, smaller places will scan your bar code and log details without pumping out, for a small fee and tell you to go release the waste in deep water, well away from shore. This is because they lack the facilities to treat the waste themselves and have to pay for it taking away. As I am writing this, on the 7th July, that hasn't happened to us. Our blue card would not be ready until the following morning. Gurkan charged us €40 instead of €75, a Cruising Association discount and we can recommend his services. There was also a fee of €70 for entering Turkey. We ate some meze at Osman's for a late but light lunch (£2 per head) and paid our bill, reserving a table for two, for dinner, on the front, looking out into the harbour. We had a browse around the shops but nobody had a suitable oar for sale, so on returning to the boat, we asked the harbour guys if they could get us an fuel for the outboard. They asked for 150 TL (£7.50) and said they would get 5 litres for us. Obviously they went and syphoned some from a store somewhere and pocketed the cash as they produced the goods in minutes with a big grin. When in Turkey!!!! It appeared to be a family run affair, including Ochran, who can't have been more than 9 or 10 years old but had the uniform and rode around the marina on a bike that was far too big for him. We had a wonder down the local beach and back but the water was a bit murky, probably due to the number of boats at anchor. The surprisingly good showers turned out to be directly behind the boat and cost us 50p each. I could even have plugged my hairdryer in, not that it's needed when it's 36C and breezy. Pete had a good natter with our German neighbour, Gunther, before we headed back to our prime seat at Osman's for dinner. Dinner was amazing and the service from Yam Yam, Osman and Rasaman even better. We shared a couple of meze plates, then I had the donner kebab, which is absolutely nothing like what you would get at home. It was a large, flat piece of spiced lamb mince on a skewer, served with rice, chips and vegetables. Pete cannot remember what he had but, knowing him, it was probably octopus. I had 2 glasses of white wine with dinner, definitely imported sauvignon, supposedly very expensive but dinner for two came to less than £35. I still want to go back! A peaceful night was spent on board and we didn't even mind the haunting call to prayer at 0445.
Saturday morning we provisioned the boat, using a couple of very good supermarkets, stopped in at Osman's to contact Gurkan regarding delivery of our blue card, having decided to leave today and anchor out, mainly due to the heat and not being able to swim off the boat in the harbour. While we were waiting, Osman gave us Turkish tea, on the house. The Turks drink this very sweet but it's lovely black with no sugar. Once we had our blue card, it was time to leave, although we didn't intend going very far. Having departed the harbour, we headed to one of the nearby bays to anchor but we couldn't get good holding, so we continued south down the channel towards Sogut, where there are restaurant pontoons and an anchorage. Before we got there, we found a secluded place to drop the hook and take a long line, or two, ashore, as it was due to get quite windy. We called this Goat Island, as it had a resident population of goats on the shore and no signs of human habitation. We enjoyed swimming and sometimes skinny dipping, until we were almost caught out by a girl in a rowing boat appearing out of nowhere, trying to sell blankets and trinkets. We were a little more careful after that but still enjoyed our seclusion. The wind fair howled overnight but our lines held and we had a reasonable night's sleep.
Andrew and Marie had given us notes of places to visit between Bozburun and Marmaris, so we decided to head around the peninsula to Serce. Initially we had no wind but it wasn't long before we had enough wind to get the sails up. Pete started to raise the main and then realised that the main halyard had caught behind the radar and he couldn't get it free, so we decided to sail on the foresail alone. We regained WIND GR signal as we went around the headland in sight of Rhodes, so sent a few messages and received a few emails. We had been shocked to find out it would cost us £6.85 plus VAT, per day, each to have data in Turkey, from EE. Calls made or received would be £2.05 per minute and text messages 75p; about £400 for the month for the two of us, so we decided to rely on free WiFi or Greek signals when we could get them. We have managed so far. Having come around the headland we were downwind sailing with the foresail and everything was comfortable, so I said I would go up the mast to free the main halyard. I put the harness on and Pete attached the spinnaker halyard. He told me to use the rigging to guide myself up the port side, which was fine, until the spinnaker halyard got trapped under the radar, at which point I had to be lowered down a foot so I could swing myself round to the starboard side. Up I went again, until I could sit on the spreader and free the main. It's really not that high, in the context of the full mast height but it does make a difference when the boat is moving left and right and tilting fore and aft in the slight swell. However, the view from up there was magnificent. Pete lowered me down slowly and I took off the harness, giving the pinch places a bit of a rub. We didn't really need the main up now and continued under the foresail to Serce, a beautiful natural harbour, with a very narrow entrance. We motored around and decided to anchor on the west side, in about 8 metres, taking a long line ashore. In the afternoon, we used the handy billy to lower the outboard engine onto the dinghy and fuelled up, so we could take a run up to the other end of the anchorage, where there was a small pontoon and some mooring buoys, belonging to the restaurant. As you will no doubt guess, we stopped in for a quick, refreshing beer and admired the view. There was no WiFi available here, or at the small cafe bar, halfway back down the anchorage. However, the raised position of the cafe bar, which was built on stilts and it's view through the narrow entrance, towards Rhodes, allowed us an occasional but minimal WIND GR signal. It was enough to send WhatsApp messages but not for calls, so we managed to send a few words home. Not long after returning to the boat, a man approached us in a small rowing boat, selling his wears; tapestries, blankets, ceramic dishes, honey, olive oil and spices. We purchased some oil, a large bag of oregano and another of chilli. He asked us if we wanted bread delivering in the morning, so we accepted. It was pretty windy in the late afternoon and overnight but the anchor held ok; there was just a bit of rolling while we were sleeping. We decided to stay a second night at Serce but we moved to one of the mooring buoys, having received our bread delivery around 11.30am and planned to go for dinner at the little restaurant, which is the usual charge for use of a pontoon or buoy.. We soon realised that there were showers here too but it was too late as we had used precious water to shower on board. There was no menu for food, just a verbal list of what was available that day. The owner brought out the fish for us to select from. We plumped for calamari to start, then I had lamb and Pete had sea bream, as the sea bass was of a size for 2 people and I wasn't in the mood for filleting fish.. We also shared a bottle of wine. We were fleeced; the equivalent of £65, double what we had paid in Bozburun. We found out later it is one of the most expensive places to eat. We slept better, swinging on the buoy than we had the previous night.
The following morning we left Serce, for a 12 mile sail to Ciftlik, another of Andrew and Marie's recommendations. On leaving Serce, we picked up WIND GR again and were able to get a weather forecast. We could see something large and dark floating on top of the water, not far from the cliffs. Pete thought it might be a dead turtle but it turned out to be a dead goat, proof that they are not always as sure-footed as they appear. We needed to pass between an island and the mainland, or go round the island and I was trying to pinch up to take the shorter route. In the end, we lost the wind altogether, just before reaching the island so had to resort to the engine to make our way through the gap and continue on. Ciftlik is a wide bay, sheltered by an island. At the west end of the beach, there are pontoons belonging to four little restaurants, all of which turned out to have small markets, selling drinks, bread and other basic food items. We anchored off the beach, beyond the usual line of buoys marking the swimming area, with a beautiful view of some shorefront villas, with palm trees and shocking pink bougainvilia. There were a couple of trip boats in, during the day, playing loud music but once they had departed, all was peaceful. The next yacht over was flying the red ensign and sporting a Cruising Association pennant, as were we, so we swam over to say hello. They were preparing to leave and return to Marmaris, as they were flying home in two day's time but we had a decent chat and they introduced themselves as Andrew and Sarah. Having returned to our boat, we waved them off and sat in the sun to dry off, so we could go ashore in the dinghy. There was a chance we would bump into Andrew and Sarah when we reached Marmaris tomorrow. Late afternoon, we went ashore by dinghy, landing at one of the pontoons, where we were obliged to go for a drink. I ordered the 2 Tuborgs, while Pete was watching the arrival of a yacht, which was trying to anchor very close to Muirgen. He left me in the bar and returned to the boat to ensure the anchor wasn't popped. On his return, the observant barman swapped Pete's beer out for a cold bottle, his original, unopened one having warmed already in the sun. We headed to the next bar, set back a little from the waterfront and much quieter. Here there was excellent WiFi, so I was able to have a video call with Mum. We ate on board and watched the sun go down behind the hills.
It was the 30th June and we had heard nothing from Marmaris Yacht Marine, to confirm whether they had an annual berth available for us, although they had confirmed a price, so we headed into Marmaris to visit the marina. We needed to do some laundry, have a waste pump out and fill up with water, as well as have a really good shower anyway. Marmaris town and resort is at the top of a large, circular bay, more or less an inland sea. It is surrounded by mainland, with a couple of islands to the south, providing a couple of narrow channels in. There are a number of marinas and pontoons available here, as well as several anchorages. Netsel is the main marina, at the east end of the town and it's very pricey there. We headed to Yacht Marine, on the opposite side of the bay. You enter from the Marmaris Bay side but once inside, can access the beach on the Med side, on foot. Having called up on the VHF, we were met by a boat and advised to follow them to our allocated berth on Charlie pontoon. They actually sited us on Echo, probably after seeing that we were smaller than they expected. The berth was right at the end of the pontoon and wasn't really wide enough, so we were sticking out into the fairway and couldn't get the second stern line in the best place. There was almost a mishap when Pete accidentally put the boat in forward instead of reverse and then gave it more gas when it wasn't reversing as expected. He recovered it in time though. The boy they put on the pontoon to take the stern lines had no experience whatsoever and couldn't even tie the line off or pass it through the cleet and throw it back to you. It was a major struggle to get the boat reversed onto the pontoon and tied on. Eventually things were coming together and the boy managed to get the starboard stern line back to me. I was tying it off on the cleet when he gave it a yank and the rope caught on my big toenail, nearly ripping it off. It was painful but there wasn't too much blood. A lesson relearned regarding bare feet or flip flops on boats! I would have to spend the rest of the season wearing a dressing to hold my toenail on.
We headed to the marina office to check in for 2 nights. The office was beautiful and ornate and it had aircon, which was very welcome, as we were suffering in the 36 degree heat. We handed over €110 for the 2 nights, including water. We declined electricity, as the wind turbine and solar panel were providing what we needed. The marina has everything you could need - chandlery, sailmaker, engine servicing, supermarket, library, bar / restaurant with games room and a swimming pool. We needed the gib shortening, to take account of the recently fitted Harken roller reefing, which sits higher than our old Rotastay one. The foresail had been shortened in Portugal at a cost of €150. We called into the sailmakers to ask if they could do the job and how long it would take. They said they could probably do it in a day and to drop it in at 10am tomorrow. We headed for the swimming pool to cool down. It was great to be able to swim without the saltwater. In the evening, we ate on board and sat on the port side of the boat watching the swifts swooping and diving, followed by the sunset and the descent into darkness. It was still too hot to go to bed. We could hear the music from Marmaris town, probably 2 miles away but could also hear the owls hooting. It was a beautiful night. We hadn't seen Andrew and Sarah, or their yacht, so assumed they were berthed on the opposite side to us.
The following morning, we went back to the sailmakers and they had a look at the sail. They could do the job today, for collection tomorrow at 10am and the charge would be €20; bargain. Next we visited the chandlery to buy a new oar and new gib sheets, as ours were starting to fray. We needed to fill up with diesel and were told to ask at the supermarket, which seemed a little strange. Usually there's a fuel pontoon. Anyway, the supermarket confirmed that someone would come to the boat in around 15 minutes. We weren't sure what to expect. Twenty minutes later a young man arrived on a small motorbike which had been converted to carry a fuel tank and filled us up at the berth. Very ingenious. Next we filled up with water. It was a day for doing the chores and next up was washing the boat and cleaning it inside too. Floors were swept, heads cleaned and the cooker taken apart for cleaning too. After a quick lunch on board, we changed the sheets and took our dirty bedding, towels and clothes to the laundry. There was only one washing machine available, so we loaded the clothes. The lady said she would put our bedding and towels in when another washing machine was free and to come back in two hours. We headed to the swimming pool again to relax and keep cool until the washing was ready to collect. Even though it was 4pm, there was going to be no problem getting the washing dry before nightfall. The boat looked like a Chinese laundry with all the rails covered with washing, as well as a line up between the mast and the forestay. We left it to dry while we went to the bar to see whether we could get the Tour de France time trial on the TV. Unfortunately they only had Eurosport 1, not 2 so we were stuck watching snooker with our beer. We were joined by an Aussie, who introduced himself as Martin and his partner, Suki. We chatted at length about where we had all sailed. Martin had done the Pacific and had lots of knowledge to share about that. They had a big catamaran, on the hard standing, which was having a lot of work done on it. They were living on board at the same time. They suggested meeting up for a drink, at Bora Bora, another marina bar, around 8pm and having a look at their catamaran on the way. It really was big, with four double cabins, a single and a crew cabin too. They prefer a cat as it always sits upright in the water, it doesn't heel like a yacht. We actually like the heel. Bora Bora bar was very stylish and faced the part of the marina where the superyachts are berthed. It has big beds and sofas to relax on and a swimming area, as well as some tables for eating. We settled on a big sofa and a waiter headed over, just to tell us we couldn't sit there as it was reserved. We went to move to one of the big beds with the cushions, to be told we couldn't sit there either unless we wanted to pay for the privilege. We had to sit at one of the tables. As a result, we only had one drink and we made it last. Nobody ever came to sit on the big sofa, in fact the place only had one other group of customers besides ourselves.
The following morning, we provisioned the boat for a few nights at anchor and visited the library to pick up some books to read, before going to collect the sail at 10am. Martin and Suki had been to see our boat while we were away, unfortunately but hopefully we would bump into them again on our travels. They were planning to head over to Preveza for the Winter and that was also a possibility for us. We made the boat shipshape, putting everything in its place, closing the hatches and called up the marina office on the VHF, to let them know we wanted to pump out the holding tank and then depart. We were acknowledged and told to standby, which we did, for about half an hour, at which point the boys arrived on the little rib to assist us with departing the berth and mooring up at the pump out station. Once the tank was empty, Pete went to the office with our blue card to pay the fee and get the records updated, then we were off.