It was 1120 hours when we left the palm-fringed beach under 'the Hook' in Degirmen Buku, as we were waiting for the wind, so we could sail across the gulf, having had enough of motoring from bay to bay. We had full sails up as the wind was very light. It was also more or less on the nose and we had to tack backwards and forwards to make our way to the end of the inlet. Once we passed the headland, the wind lifted slightly and blew from the west, so we were able to stay on the one tack, all the way across the gulf, to Akbuk Limani, on the north side of Gokova. The wind steadily increased to 18 knots and we put a reef in both sails, maintaining a boat speed of around 6 knots. However, as we moved away from the land, the wind dropped off a little, so we released the foresail fully again, leaving the reef in the main, as we expected the wind might increase again as we neared the northern shore. We were able to sail all the way into Akbuk Limani, a deep bay which faces east, away from the prevailing winds. It was a much larger bay than we had envisaged and had a restaurant pontoon in the southwest corner and a long beach, backed by bars and restaurants on the west side. On the north side, there were high mountains, leading down to rocky coves. Having skirted round the bay, considering our options, we decided to swing at anchor on the north side, which was only 5 metres deep and good holding in mud and sand. The south side was sheltered but we would need to anchor in about 16 metres and there was weed on top of the sand, making the holding less secure, especially with our CQR anchor. There were already 4 yachts anchored so we dropped our anchor east of them and it held firm first time. We put the outboard on the dinghy and headed over to the pontoon to have a look around. We walked the full length of the beachfront and stopped at a bar at the far end, only to find it didn't serve alcohol, a pity, as it had a table in the refreshing cool of a freshwater spring which was emptying into the sea. Eventually we found a bar which served alcohol and had a beer each. This is a small holiday resort, which caters for the Turks and has a more Muslim bent. There was a single row of beds and brollies along the narrow shingle beach, so it wasn't too crowded but it was a lively little place. I bought a few provisions at a small market and we returned along the beach to the dinghy. On our way back to the boat, we called in to an interesting looking place less than 200 metres from our boat. We thought it might be a campsite with a bar, as it looked a bit ramshackle from a distance. We tied up to the little jetty and could now see that there was a restaurant and bar up through the trees with tables under a white wooden arbor, as well as tables dotted around in various shady areas. There were also decked areas, in tiers and of various shapes and sizes, with sunbeds and / or tables and chairs, allowing you to have an almost private space to eat, sunbath and swim, overlooking the bay. We were lucky enough to grab one such place, with a lovely view of Muirgen. Pete went to the bar to order a couple of beers but said they didn't have any crisps and I was getting a bit peckish. He said, however, that the bar owner was bringing us something else. What he brought us was a bucket full of live sea urchins. He sat down beside us and with a heavily gloved hand, picked up an urchin and proceeded to show us how to clean it to get to the meat. The meat was formed in 6 pockets around the edge of the shell and he teased it out with a small teaspoon, before adding olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Pete tried it first and then it was my turn. I was a little apprehensive but decided it was small enough to just swallow if I didn't like it. It was actually pretty good, perhaps not something I would die for but an option if we ran out of protein. The man continued to gut the urchins and we tasted more and when he found one which was more yellow than beige, that was much better, akin to a small oyster. The action was drawing a small crowd, some wanting to try it and some pulling faces of distaste. We shook the man's hand and thanked him before heading back to the boat, Pete in the dinghy and me swimming there.
Later that evening, we listened to the Superleague Grand Final, between Wigan and Leeds. Wigan were battering Leeds, who held well in defence but struggled to get down field in attack. However, it was only 4 points to 2 at the break, with Leeds scoring a late penalty kick and Wigan having only one unconverted try to show for their efforts. The second half was a whole different story, with Leeds coming out victorious at 20 points to 8. We were into the Grand Final from 5th place. It was now after midnight, Turkish time.
We spent a lazy morning at anchor, following our late night. Around 11.30am I saw something in the water, which then disappeared. Then it surfaced again and it was a turtle. Not long after, we had a squadron of cuttlefish alongside us, presumably what the turtle was hunting. There were at least 30 of them. Having eaten lunch, we repaired to the Roco Beach Restaurant and Bar where we found a circular decking area with 2 sunbeds and an umbrella. Pete ordered a beer and a bottle of water for me and we settled down to soak up a bit of sun, have a dip in the sea and tune into the other Superleague semi-final, between St Helens and Salford. Salford put up a brave fight but lost out to Saints; some say they were robbed by the ref but it's hard to tell from the radio commentary. That set us up for a grand final, at Old Trafford, on Saturday, against St Helens. They would hopefully be without Morgan Knowles following a horrendous chicken wing tackle on Chris Ackers.
In the evening, we returned to the Roco Beach for dinner and wandered up to the bar area, as there were no tables available on the decks. We were greeted there by the owner who took us back towards the sea to look for a secluded table overlooking the sea. As we knew, they were all full, so he duly removed the sunbeds from where we had spent the afternoon, swept the deck and placed a table and 2 matching chairs there for us. Nothing was too much effort; typical of the Turkish hospitality. The menu was only available in Turkish so we had a discussion with the owner about our preferences for food. We said meat, not fish, as we had eaten plenty of fish recently. Pete selected lamb with mushroom sauce and although I fancied the same, I was persuaded, by Pete, to order the beef which sat on potatoes, yoghurt and tomatoes, which did sound appetising. We ordered a decent bottle of white wine and a bottle of water too. It really was a romantic setting and the food was fabulous. Pete got carried away and ordered a second bottle of the very good wine, while I considered what it might cost. I estimated £30 a bottle, as wine is not cheap in Turkey. The final bill, including what we had to drink in the afternoon, was around £125, of which less than £25 was food. The wine was actually 690 TL per bottle (£34). However, it was a fantastic afternoon and evening and the proprietor worked hard for his cash. As we sat finishing the wine, a floating object came into view in the darkness. I was convinced it was a paddle board, lost from someone's boat and we resolved to 'rescue' it on the way home. Disappointingly, it was only a polystyrene float, so I wouldn't be trying paddle boarding yet.
It was Sunday 18th September and we needed to get our blue card updated to say our black water waste had been emptied, so we needed to go to Oren Marina, about 6 miles west of Akbuk. Going west is difficult against the wind and swell, so we were up reasonably early to leave before the wind increased. The anchor was well dug in and came up surrounded by a massive clump of mud, which required the boat hook to dislodge. The sea and wind were calm and we arrived at Oren marina at 10.30am and contacted them on the VHF. They welcomed us to the marina and said to come in and await assistance. Inside, there was a catamaran on the fuelling pontoon and a yacht waiting to go to the fuelling pontoon and the marina boys, in their dinghy, were assisting another yacht onto the fuel pontoon; a busy morning. The dinghy came to us and asked us for a 10 metre rope, which was unusual. I handed one over and we followed them down the marina to A pontoon, the wall at the end, by the restaurants. The purpose of the 10m line was to tie it to the lazy line, such that the line that came on board was a nice, clean one, whereas the usual lazy lines, which spend much of their lives under water and wallowing on the bottom, are often dirty and impregnated with barnacles and urchin spikes. They are sometimes referred to as slime lines. Having moored up and visited the office to check in, where we met Halil, who we had previously had email contact with in relation to our proposed summer berth, we found the Little Havana Cafe, where we had brunch. The menu was limited but adequate and I chose a cheese and mushroom omelette and Pete the toast with cheese, accompanied by 2 Turkish teas. The breakfast was a veritable feast and even with 2 extra teas, came to £7.50. No more food would be required until tea time. Back on board, we unpacked the folding bikes, pumped up the tyres, using a bike pump left against the harbour wall with 2 other bikes and set off down the promenade. We hadn't gone long before Pete appeared to ship his chain. I continued on, assuming he would soon catch up but he didn't. I turned back and the sprocket had detached and the chain was hanging loose. We tried to fix it but it needed tools, so we left the bikes at a bar and continued on foot, hearing an Aussie accent on our way. We returned to the bar and sat down for a beer and iced tea and the barman called over to a guy that his English friends were here. He came over and sat down and explained that he had been on the fuelling pontoon that morning and was really excited to hear an English accent and professionalism on the VHF that morning. His name was Bruce and his catamaran was at anchor off the beach. We had a long chat and a drink and swapped numbers. Pete and Bruce had stuffed mussels from a passing street cart and then we returned to the boat to fix the bike. The Leeds Rhinos Ladies won the Superleague Grand Final, 12 - 4 against York, although we had missed listening to it. Overnight it was very humid and we were plagued by mosquitos, as a result of being close to the long grass and plants in front of the restaurants and bars.
At 9am on Monday morning, we phoned for our laundry to be collected, before going for breakfast at Little Havana. I was surprised when the man said the laundry would be back to us at 2pm. As we were eating breakfast, we saw the Scottish guys, who said to come over to the other restaurant where they were planning to eat. They were in for repairs, not the first time in their 3 week charter and described their sailing so far as 'The Voyage of the Damned'. Having split up after their breakfast, we returned to the boat to do the chores, something which can't be escaped when living on aboard. The duster, the vacuum cleaner and the mop were out to clean the inside of the boat to within an inch of its life and the bedding was changed. The water was replenished too. Then we headed to Marin House, a bar in the marina, not far from our yacht, to watch the Queen's funeral. We had lunch there while we were watching too. The laundry was returned bang on 2pm and had been washed, dried and ironed; 3 loads for £30. We are not used to having clothes ironed while on board; what a treat. Even Pete's cargo shorts were beautifully pressed. Overnight we were assaulted by the mosquitos again.
Bruce had recommended a French cafe for breakfast so, on the Tuesday morning, we headed off on our bikes to sample its delights, only to find that it is closed on Tuesdays, so we went to the El Coridor restaurant instead. We had a good read of the menu and noticed that they did a T-bone steak for £12.50, so decided to go there for dinner that evening. We provisioned at the marina Migros, ready to leave the following morning. The wind had really blown up and the swell with it. The boats in the marina were rocking and rolling, as there is no wave breaker under the concrete pontoons, something that Kamil, at Kairos had warned us about. Our boat was in the best place, being sheltered from the wind by the buildings but when we returned to the boat, one of my flipflops had been blown away. Damn! We agreed that the boat was being moored in the best place for the winter, behind the huge concrete walls of Kairos marina. We topped up the water and I got bitten by ants in the process. We then put everything on to charge before heading for a shower. The facilities at Oren are excellent, in that respect. The shower blocks are air conditioned, very modern and clean and have hairdryers. With todays cooling wind and the aircon, I was actually able to blow dry my hair straight without needing another shower afterwards. Bliss! The T-Bone steaks were excellent and I almost as excited by the bowl of freshly cooked vegetables that came with it. I hadn't had broccoli or carrots in weeks. After dinner, we headed to Marin House for a quick one, feet up in the egg chairs, listening to great music and watching the seascapes videos on the big screen.
Next morning, we settled up with the marina, them applying the fees against the credit on our account and had our blue card registered, then we radioed for assistance leaving the quayside. We needed to fuel up so headed onto the fuelling pontoon. The swell was rolling in through the marina entrance, making it extremely bouncy on the pontoon but we somehow managed to fuel up without making too much mess. We stayed within the confines of the marina to remove our lines and fenders and then set out into the swell. Our time on the north coast was coming to an end, for the time being at least.