Since the meltemi showed no signs of letting up for at least a week, so that we could cross the Aegean Sea to Greece, we had no reason to hang out in the Güllük Korfezi anymore. Having explored all the anchorages of the Korfezi that we'd intended to, we decided to move on, to see some of the more "touristy" places to the south of us, that many of our friends have been cruising in and telling us about, at Bodrum and beyond. We'd have plenty of time to head back north again, if it looked like the meltemi was going to take a break. Or so we thought.


South from Didim


September 16, 2023

Today we left the Güllük Korfezi, bound for places farther south.

We chose an anchorage that looked like it would provide good shelter from the strong northwest wind, which was blowing at a consistent 15 to 20 knots. As we headed out into the windy, choppy Aegean Sea, we were very glad to be going south, rather than north! Even so, we hugged the Turkish coast as much as possible, to minimize our exposure to the wind and waves.

After a four-hour trip, we arrived at our chosen anchorage. In the Navily app it's called Karaincir; in the Pilot Guide it's called Aspat Koyu. Whatever its name, it's a wide bay with a sandy bottom - lots of room to anchor, and good holding - near the town of Akyarlar. It was nice to be able to see the bottom through the water again, after the murky water of the Güllük Korfezi. We dropped Obama in about 30 feet of clear water, with 150 of chain to help him dig in and hold well in the strong wind.


Modern Turkish homes

On shore, the beaches were packed with umbrellas, lounge chairs, and people. Motor boats towed "hot dog" floaties behind them, loaded with thrill-seekers; they criss-crossed the anchorage in their attempts to dislodge the riders who were hanging on for dear life. It was a busy, vibrant scene.

Scanning the crowded shore, we didn't see an obvious place where we could bring the dinghy (plus, because of the choppy waves, it would be a wet ride to shore), so we enjoyed our time on Awildian, which we were happy to do. Over the next two days, we took care of small chores; read; worked on a jigsaw puzzle; perused the weather forecasts, looking for a break in the meltemi; played cards; called our friends, Alison and Randall (on sv Tregoning) to wish Alison a happy birthday. Basically just living our lives in a beautiful place.


Our neighbor, Aegean Clipper, at sunrise


September 18, 2023

"I AM SO DONE WITH ALL THIS WIND!!!" So began today's journal entry. The meltemi had been blowing for weeks, and it had gotten old. Really old. I was fed up with the constant whooshing, the choppy waves, the salt on every outside surface of the boat, the continual glances at the boats anchored near us (especially the ones upwind of us) to make sure they weren't dragging. I longed for the peace and quiet of a calm day.

Ready for a change of scenery, we pulled up our anchor and moved to a bay a few miles farther east, toward Bodrum. We were hoping to find a nice little town there, with a quay where we could easily tie up our dinghy, and maybe enjoy a meal at a restaurant. It didn't seem like too much to ask, with three different anchorages located in the bay.

But finding the right place to anchor turned out to be a bit like the situation of the chairs in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears:" it was hard to find one that fit "just right." The easternmost anchorage, Regia Mare Beach, looked promising for a restaurant dinner, but it was crowded with local boats, all on moorings; no one was anchored, probably because the water was so deep. A couple of moorings were available, but since we didn't know their provenance, weight limit, or structural integrity, we passed them up.

The westernmost anchorage, Bağla, was also full of local boats on moorings, in deep water, so we passed it by.

In the end, we opted for the middle anchorage, inexplicably called "Javelin" on the Navily app (more recently renamed Kargi Koyu). After cruising along the shore, keeping outside of the marked swimming areas,
hoping to find a reasonable spot to drop Obama, we discovered that the only suitable place was near the only other anchored boat in the entire bay. We felt bad for anchoring nearby, but there was a good reason why we were both there.


Some of the swimming areas where we couldn't anchor

In the afternoon, Eric was watching the windsurfers scooting around the bay, enjoying the big wind. One of them seemed like a beginner: he fell off the board a lot, and had a hard time getting back up and going again. The whole time, he was getting blown farther and farther away from the beach. He had passed us awhile back, and was farther out to sea now. Eric could tell that this guy was getting tired. Eventually, he struggled back up onto his board one last time, and waved toward shore, hoping to attract the attention of the windsurfing concession, so they would send the boat to tow him in. He waved, and waved, and waved. No one came, and he was getting blown farther out.

Eric decided to go get him, so we lowered our dinghy and went to see if he wanted a lift to shore. Not surprisingly, he did. He spoke English, which was helpful, as our Turkish wasn't all that great. He hopped in, and we towed the windsurfer sail and board alongside as we made our way toward shore. He was very appreciative, and asked if we wanted to join him for a coffee or a beer, but we said, "No thanks, just pay it forward. You can help someone sometime." Our usual response.

Later, I had a look at the weather forecast, which I do several times every day, when they've been updated. Well, well, well...this was new: According to this most recent update, it now looked like the meltemi might ease up in a couple of days - but not in the part of the Aegean Sea where we were; only farther north, near Ҫeşme. If we could get to Ҫeşme within two days, we could clear out of Turkey there, and comfortably cross the Aegean Sea to Greece. IF the forecast proved accurate, that is.

The downside was that Ҫeşme was more than a hundred miles away, to windward; to get there, we'd have to bash into the current meltemi the entire way. Not a happy prospect, but with the meltemi looking to quickly ramp up again after this short break, and us needing to get to the Corinth Canal before it closed for the year on October 1, we knew that this might be our only option.

Sigh.

We made plans to leave the following morning.


The big mosque and neighboring homes