Kayakoy, Turkey 28th June 2011

After a few days of varnishing Songster’s interior we decided to take ourselves off for the day on a local dolmus to Kayakoy, once known as Levissi, a deserted Greek village with two large churches and a number of chapels about 30 minutes from Fethiye.

For those who may have read Louis de Bernieres book ‘Birds without winds’ Kayakoy is the town on which is novel is based.

Up until 1922 approximately 25,000 people lived here in 2,000 Greek houses built on the hillside, each one built so as not to block the view of others. It was in that year that the British brokered a peace treat as a solution to remaining tensions between the populations. The Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 agreed an exchange of populations based on religion. Some 1.2 millions Greek speaking Christians were sent to Greece whilst 400k Turkish speaking Muslims were displaced from the Macedonian region of Greece resettling in Turkey. Following the treaty many Greeks left voluntarily some to Greece proper whilst others resettled on the small island of Kastelorizon, the eastern most Greek Island just a short distance from the Turkish coast. It is to Kastelorizon we plan to go in the next few days to renew our Turkish visas.

There had been a Christian settlement in this village since the 13th Century but the majority of the properties there were of a later period. After the departure of the Greeks the village was repopulated by Turks returning from Greece to Turkey but the majority built homes in the valley in front of the village where there now is a thriving agricultural community of around 2000 with large houses and the latest equipment.

It was a glorious day and being high the temperatures were very acceptable. We walked and clambered up what were the old narrow streets to the highest point through remains of houses where huge fig trees laden with ripe fruit grew at inaccessible angles, very annoying. Anything that may have been accessible had been consumed by goats or other animals so the thought of picking fresh ripe figs was not an option.

Although the dolmus was full of noisy tourists just a handful got off in the village and walked the heights the majority thinking it would be too difficult and too strenuous preferring to sit in a bar and drink beer or an alternative.

Sadly over the years the hillside buildings have deteriorated due to the elements and a massive earthquake back in 1957. Timbers used on the roofs and doors have long gone, many used by the Turks to help build new homes however it was evident that some of these homes had been quite large and the higher up the hill one went it was clear to see that the more affluent lived in this area. One of the things we were intrigued with were the different types of fireplaces which had been lovingly built into the corners of rooms although little remained there was just enough to appreciate that these were important status symbols.

The two remaining churches were in good condition particularly the lower church Panagia Pirgiottis built in the 17th C. Built with walls at least 1 m thick its murals are in fairly good condition. The pinky/orange exterior walls glowed in the clear sunlit. There were many holes in the inner walls, made for a reason other than joists, one was of great interest as we could hear a group of young fledglings making a huge racket. The hole was far too high for us to investigate but from the rubbish on the ground below it we thought it must be a large bird as there were dead frogs, very large beetles and other small animals, presumable dropped by a parent bird when feeding the young. Beside the lower church was the old bone house – bodies were initially buried but because of lack of space were dug up after a few years and the bones washed with wine and then placed in the bone house. When the Greeks finally left the island many of the bones were gathered up and taken with them but there are still a few remaining as you can see from the picture.

We finally worked our way through the village and down a very steep path stopping to admire the many wild flowers and the remains of the houses where we could see interior walls had been painted a deep cobalt blue. Once down at the lower level there were houses that still had shutters and doors in place so we could imagine how the village once looked. After a great local lunch of village pancakes, a type of large flat wrap filled with fetta cheese, parsley, spinach, onion and tomato we caught the dolmus back to Fethiye. It was a great day out with a gorgeous drive through the pine covered mountains.

On the way back from the dolmus stop we stopped off at the fish market to buy a couple of sea bass that we bbqd for supper which were delicious.

On 23rd March we decided we had spent enough time at Thulusdoo and should return to Hulemale to start preparing Songster for shipping. We had had an enjoyable time there but it was time for a change so once the sun was high enough to spot the bombies in the lagoon we set off back to Hulemale where we are now.

Time is passing by and we are still here, now been in the Maldives 2 months. The latest news on our ship is that it should be here around 5th April but of course much depends on its current progress from Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, where it is due to dock today and any delays it experiences between there and its arrival here. Once we have some definite dates we can all make arrangements for flights and accommodation both here in Male and in Turkey. Having had a number of days in Thulusdoo with no wind we now have westerlies which have picked up the chop in the anchorage making it at times somewhat lumpy and particularly difficult when going ashore with the dinghy.

Our first job back was to clean the bottom on the dinghy which had about 3 inches of growth, quite a garden. We hauled it up on to the foredeck with a couple of halyards, this is the first time we have done this and we will be doing it when we ship. Needless to say it took us a time to fathom out the best way to do it basically as it is so heavy. However we managed it and set to on the cleaning. By the time we had finished we felt it better to wait until early next morning in the lighter winds and flatter seas to return it to the water. Well that was when we got ourselves into trouble, using the windlass to haul the dinghy upwards, we had done this to lift it out, we had a total jam up and the dinghy would move neither up nor down and was suspended from the top of the mast. Thankfully a great group of guys from other yachts came to our rescue and within a short time someone was up the mast to untie the knot and the dinghy was back in the water. Another friend climbed the mast to release the rope and found the block had totally broken and the halyard jammed so it was all removed and brought down. It was simply wonderful for us to have help and a job that would have taken us all day to fathom out was sorted in less than an hour. Can’t tell you how grateful we were to everyone for their help.

Another purpose of returning was to renew our cruising permit which had expired so we are now legally able to stay until the end of April, but just hope that by then we will have been in Turkey a number of days.

We have also been able to purchase fuel. At Uligan we sold the excess fuel as we knew we would only be able to carry a small quantity on the ship, of course that has all been used so we are now buying more! A huge tanker, well by Songster’s standard, came alongside and tied to us. The sea was pretty choppy, one mooring line broke with the swell, but we both held on Songster’s anchor so we feel pretty safe here.

Since being here in Male we had not found a reasonable supermarket so we set off a couple of days to find Fantasy, a nice clean supermarket with plenty of good imported products, it even had very large packets of Kellogs Corn Flakes and Persil detergent. Not always available eslewhere. However, the prices were a great deal higher than we have been used to over the past couple of years and the shock of a cauliflower for £9 made me soon return it to the shelf. Unfortunately I did not realise how much the avocado was I bought until after I had paid for it – almost £4. I did not read that they were priced for 100g weight. In future I will stick to buying fruit and veggies where the locals shop.

Whilst in Thulusdoo I came across a tailor and asked if he would copy an extremely old sleeveless shirt I had bought in M&S years and years ago, no problem he said and I returned 36 hours late to collect it. Every time I have something made I always say never again, this was no better, he obviously was only used to making shirts for men so it was made with the button holes on the wrong side and a collar like a man’s shirt, all stiff and very high, so much for giving him something to copy from. However he did make a fantastic job of mending a tear in the old shirt. I am sure I shall wear the new shirt and noone will notice it does up on the wrong side.

Yesterday we took a load of laundry in to yet another place here in Hulemale, it seems everyone has a small cottage industry going on at home. From there we then caught the ferry to Male and then picked up another to the airport which is at Hulehule south of Hulemale. The two islands joined by a causeway and previously coral reefs have been reclaimed and are now considerably bigger than Male itself in area. The airport was teeming with people and to celebrate Singapore Airlines introduction of daytime flights there was a local group drumming with a few dancers. The noise was deafening and impossible to hear anyone speak. Whilst at Thulusdoo we heard drumming practices in the evenings, presumably this would have been similar to what we watched yesterday. We ambled around and then walked down to the Hulemale Hotel for a Western lunch of burger and club sandwich at a total cost of $30. This was somewhat dearer than the price we have been paying in Male at Trends for a buffet lunch at around £5 each so we will return to the local food in future.

Despite the boredom of waiting we have kept ourselves busy, most nights we have done something we never do, watch a DVD. A couple of nights ago we managed to watch The Kings Speech which we bought here in Male. A great film. Many cruisers are exchanging DVDs but as we are not avid fans of film we have a very embarrassing selection to offer, all too old or not violent enough. In fact we were loaned a film called Red with Helen Mirren, neither of us could make head or tail of it, everyone was shooting guns, we soon stopped it and returned to our books. Reading has become a favourite leisure activity for us. Brian keeps himself busy, at the moment the watermaker is giving him grief and we have had to buy water. The parts needed are relatively inexpensive but to get them shipped here costs a fortune so we will wait until Turkey where transportation by courier should be simpler and less costly.

We plan to fly from Male to Istanbul, not sure how at the moment and then spend a few days in Istanbul to do the sights before heading south by bus to Marmaris where we are booked into a cheap hotel to await the arrival of Songster. We then plan to return to Yat Marin, the marina we left from back in April 2002 to head to the Middle East.

We now have heard that our ship is due to arrive in Male somewhere around 30th/31st March so we have more waiting time. Our plan is to spend more days here in Thulusdoo and then return to the airport anchorage next week in time to get our cruising permits sorted out. These have incorrect dates on and having had a visit from Customs here in Thulusdoo two days ago we do not want to risk having anything wrong.

Thulusdoo is proving to be an interesting island. Firstly there is the Coca Cola factory where sadly we did not get past the security guard. It was easy to see the bottling lines and their large CO2 plant where the sea water is desalinated to add to whatever the secret recipe of Coca Cola is. Coca Cola, Sprite and other bottled drinks is shipped in vast quantities many times a day from the dock here to Male from where it is distributed to the many islands of the group. They obviously do not produce enough as the shops here have canned Coca Cola produced in UAE.

As usual on each visit ashore we are met by someone who owns a shop and they insist you come to look in the hope you have plenty of dollars to spend or give. Like most tourist shops the goods are cheap and tacky, not our style, and we do not have neither the space nor money. We in fact have plenty of items we would love to get rid of on board having stocked up with ‘giveaways’ for the poor people of Eritrea. There are no poor people here in the Maldives especially this island.

After our visit to a grocery store yesterday morning we were invited to the shopkeeper’s home where we met his extended family. Not quite sure who was who but there appeared to be dozens of people, particularly women and children. Not sure if they have a roster for cooking but the person cooking for the family was extremely busy grating coconut, preparing vegetables and pounding the mixture for chilli chips, their version of tortilla chips. They tasted delicious but were extremely hot. The family was very hospitable and the younger members were able to chat with very good English. School children are now taught all subjects, other than Muslim subjects, in English, it is difficult getting the ear attuned to the dialect but once you have mastered it you can understand everything. Many of the teachers come from India so they speak English like Indians.

This village has a number of shops selling groceries but they do not all have the same products. Needless to say as everything is imported the prices are higher than we are used to.

On our afternoon stroll around the southern side of the island we came across a huge colony of endangered Maldivian mega fruit bats. These bats are huge, they are the biggest we have ever seen and hopefully when we next go ashore in the afternoon I will have my camera to take pictures. Going ashore in the afternoons tends to be rather bouncy as the wind and accompanying chop come up around lunchtime each day. At least there is a jetty that we can tie to even if it takes a bit of effort to get on to it. In the afternoon surf it is too difficult to take the dinghy to the beach.

Two days ago we had an exciting morning, up early at sunrise we cleaned one side of Songster’s hull. Doing it during the day with the heat of the sun is difficult as it dries too quickly and like windows cleaned in bright sunlight, the paintwork goes smeary. Whilst doing this we could see we were surrounded by squid so we hastily got out the fishing rod and our new squid lure. What fun it was as we caught these squid and they then showered us with ink. Amazingly they always aimed it at us and as a result the boat was simply covered, we even found ink on the bed linen later in the day that had dried and was impossible to remove. These creatures contained enormous amounts of ink which they projected at great speed and thrust. We decided the clearing up process was not worth the time catching them so the fishing rod and lure is firmly away and out of site. The squid caught went into a seafood carbonara along with fresh tuna we had bought at the fish market in Male.

This morning Brian was up early to clean the opposite side of the yacht where yesterday we noticed long black streaks of squid ink that had been missed the previous day.

Now we have time to relax we cannot believe how tired we are, so after lunch each day we have a rest, I manage to nod off whilst Brian reads and rests. In around 10 days it will be all hands to the deck as we prepare Songster for shipping packing away sails, clearing the decks and making sure everything is stowed safely for the journey to the Med.

Our stores are going down slowly but we are still managing to eat very good meals from our vast supplies.

At least we are in warm weather, the sea is warm and at the moment no rain. Winds are blowing from the NW. With the transition period approaching, the period between the NE monsoon and the SW monsoon, the weather is likely to become unsettled. The NE monsoon does not seem to have happened this year so not sure what is likely to happen with weather over the coming weeks as the seasons change. We hear it Is cold in Turkey so it is better to be here at the moment.

We now have heard that our ship is due to arrive in Male somewhere around 30th/31st March so we have more waiting time. Our plan is to spend more days here in Thulusdoo and then return to the airport anchorage next week in time to get our cruising permits sorted out. These have incorrect dates on and having had a visit from Customs here in Thulusdoo two days ago we do not want to risk having anything wrong.

Thulusdoo is proving to be an interesting island. Firstly there is the Coca Cola factory where sadly we did not get past the security guard. It was easy to see the bottling lines and their large CO2 plant where the sea water is desalinated to add to whatever the secret recipe of Coca Cola is. Coca Cola, Sprite and other bottled drinks is shipped in vast quantities many times a day from the dock here to Male from where it is distributed to the many islands of the group. They obviously do not produce enough as the shops here have canned Coca Cola produced in UAE.

As usual on each visit ashore we are met by someone who owns a shop and they insist you come to look in the hope you have plenty of dollars to spend or give. Like most tourist shops the goods are cheap and tacky, not our style, and we do not have neither the space nor money. We in fact have plenty of items we would love to get rid of on board having stocked up with ‘giveaways’ for the poor people of Eritrea. There are no poor people here in the Maldives especially this island.

After our visit to a grocery store yesterday morning we were invited to the shopkeeper’s home where we met his extended family. Not quite sure who was who but there appeared to be dozens of people, particularly women and children. Not sure if they have a roster for cooking but the person cooking for the family was extremely busy grating coconut, preparing vegetables and pounding the mixture for chilli chips, their version of tortilla chips. They tasted delicious but were extremely hot. The family was very hospitable and the younger members were able to chat with very good English. School children are now taught all subjects, other than Muslim subjects, in English, it is difficult getting the ear attuned to the dialect but once you have mastered it you can understand everything. Many of the teachers come from India so they speak English like Indians.

This village has a number of shops selling groceries but they do not all have the same products. Needless to say as everything is imported the prices are higher than we are used to.

On our afternoon stroll around the southern side of the island we came across a huge colony of endangered Maldivian mega fruit bats. These bats are huge, they are the biggest we have ever seen and hopefully when we next go ashore in the afternoon I will have my camera to take pictures. Going ashore in the afternoons tends to be rather bouncy as the wind and accompanying chop come up around lunchtime each day. At least there is a jetty that we can tie to even if it takes a bit of effort to get on to it. In the afternoon surf it is too difficult to take the dinghy to the beach.

Two days ago we had an exciting morning, up early at sunrise we cleaned one side of Songster’s hull. Doing it during the day with the heat of the sun is difficult as it dries too quickly and like windows cleaned in bright sunlight, the paintwork goes smeary. Whilst doing this we could see we were surrounded by squid so we hastily got out the fishing rod and our new squid lure. What fun it was as we caught these squid and they then showered us with ink. Amazingly they always aimed it at us and as a result the boat was simply covered, we even found ink on the bed linen later in the day that had dried and was impossible to remove. These creatures contained enormous amounts of ink which they projected at great speed and thrust. We decided the clearing up process was not worth the time catching them so the fishing rod and lure is firmly away and out of site. The squid caught went into a seafood carbonara along with fresh tuna we had bought at the fish market in Male.

This morning Brian was up early to clean the opposite side of the yacht where yesterday we noticed long black streaks of squid ink that had been missed the previous day.

Now we have time to relax we cannot believe how tired we are, so after lunch each day we have a rest, I manage to nod off whilst Brian reads and rests. In around 10 days it will be all hands to the deck as we prepare Songster for shipping packing away sails, clearing the decks and making sure everything is stowed safely for the journey to the Med.

Our stores are going down slowly but we are still managing to eat very good meals from our vast supplies.

At least we are in warm weather, the sea is warm and at the moment no rain. Winds are blowing from the NW. With the transition period approaching, the period between the NE monsoon and the SW monsoon, the weather is likely to become unsettled. The NE monsoon does not seem to have happened this year so not sure what is likely to happen with weather over the coming weeks as the seasons change. We hear it Is cold in Turkey so it is better to be here at the moment.

Two days in the airport anchorage at Hulemale is enough when you are killing time. The tourist boat traffic is vast with their dinghies toing and froing at vast speeds at all times of the day and late into the evenings.

We have now ventured north of Male to a small island by the name of Thulusdoo where there is a small Coco Cola factory where the product is made using deslinated water. The process will be the same as we use for producing water on board. With a bit of luck we hope to get invited to view the process of making Coke here.

The island is one of very few that is not a resort island and on the way we passed many of them. They all look beautiful but we hate to guess what price they all might be. Some we saw had accommodation built on stilts out over the ocean with no means of getting ashore other than by small boat - guess one would have to pay an absolute fortune for that privilege.

However, Thulusdhoo, is a good stop and we are anchored between two reefs just a short distance from a wreck that is deteriorating under the strong sun's rays and the movement of the sea. The water Is a beautiful clear blue and we plan once we have completed a few jobs to go ashore to explore.

This morning we received good news that a ship has been nominated to pick us up but the date has been put back to 30th/31st for its arrival in Male so guess it will be a few days into April before we finally fly away towards Istanbul, Turkey.

In the meantime we plan to spend a few days here to explore and enjoy the water before finding somewhere else to hang out. We have almost 3 weeks before the ship arrives so still plenty of time to enjoy the warmth and give Turkey time to warm up.

After 9 days at Velassaru we lifted the anchor at 08.30 and headed out through the gap in the reef marked with a new pole. A few days previously the pole had been knocked down by a passing boat and then replaced with something a little sturdier, somewhat listing it stands at approximately 04 06.692N 73 26.245E. Passing to the south of it we had 1.9m of water under the keel at low water.

Our stay here in the lagoon had been time to relax and regenerate after all the previous weeks tensions. We had internet so were able to keep in touch and wait anxiously for any news on the ship that was due to collect us. The plan was to perhaps prepare the yacht for shipping here and then motor back to Hulemale a little near the time of departure but the days were passing by, our freezer was now empty, we needed some fresh veggies so it was decided to go back to Hulemale anchorage and from there get the laundry done and do a little more research on flights and possible accommodation in Male and Turkey.

The laundry was enormous as I had found a locker full of Brian’s t shirts where several at the bottom of the pile had gone mouldy, it was only the smell that made me look into the locker. A locker known to be normally dry and sweet smelling this was a mystery. I can only think that when we shipped water on the passage from Phuket water seeped into that locker and then soaked upwards. A few of the t shirts had to be discarded but the rest appeared to be OK when they came back from the laundry.

Our water maker has a slight problem, enough to stop me using the washing machine, it is not producing as much per hour so we are managing the water more conservatively at the present time. The water maker needs a new valve and we think we will wait till we get to Turkey where Brian will be able to buy one easily.

Our time in Velassaru has been quite social with the number of yachts there. Most evenings we were being entertained or we had friends on board so it was very pleasant. Friends also took me snorkelling out on the reef with them. Sadly Brian is not keen to swim or snorkel these days and I am rather reluctant to go off on my own for fear of a big fish or being hurt on coral so I am now a reluctant solo snorkeller. The coral on the edge of the small atoll was remarkably good although there were patches of dead coral there was a great deal of rejuvenation. It was at this island I saw Nimo for the first time, Nimo as you may know is a clown fish. I thought they were not as spectacular as other fish I have seen, they were a bit of a disappointment. The big highlight here was the sighting of three Clown Trigger fish. Quite unlike Nimo they are bigger and have huge black spots on their underbelly and are quite beautiful.

The resort on Velassaru appears large but there appeared to be little activity in the area we could see. Each evening, when the weather was calm enough, their local Maldivian boat would take tourists out on a sunset cruise, it was all rather nice as they sat on large leather type beanbags wearing beautiful clothes. Quite unlike us untidy cruisers who wear very little. It is understandable that they do not want us around on their shores, as one friend found when he dinghied close to the jetty and was told in no uncertain words to clear off. One night we watched a wedding taking place on the boat as they sailed close to the yachts.

There are resorts as far as the eye can see on every conceivable small island. The accommodation is built out over the ocean so there is no need for land just a small piece of sand is enough to call it a deserted island and the ability to charge a fortune for going there.

Brian’s birthday was on 3rd of March and I had used my best networking skills to get ourselves invited to the Taj Resort a few miles from Velassaru. The weather was not settled at the time and friends told us the anchorage was not that good so once we found out that the cost of a bbq supper was to be $175 per person plus drinks and taxes we decided very definitely that the weather was not good enough to go there. Phew! Thank goodness I had the presence of mind to find out the prices before we were committed.

With an empty freezer we are now chomping through the stores of packets, bottles and cans. It is amazing what scrumptious meals can be produced with a little imagination and a few fresh items added. We still have good supplies of cheese and bacon so will not go hungry for weeks.

Lets hope we get some good news soon on the shipping.

The Maldives, even though we had paid for a cruising permit, is not blessed with many acceptable anchorages and our next stop had to be well placed in order to make a long passage crossing the 30+ mile stretch of water to North Male Atoll. We decided on an early start to the day in case the anchorage was not suitable and we had to make the crossing to the next stop of Gaarafaru Atoll.

The pilot book reported an anchorage at the southern end of Varihura but the authors had not used it so we set off with Scorpio. Just a short distance from Kurehdoo, approximately 18 miles, we worked our way around the western side of the atoll to the east of the islands. Varihura looked simply beautiful from a distance and had a huge extremely shallow lagoon on the eastern side with clear turquoise water.

We made our way down to the southern tip and managed to find a small piece of sand amongst the coral to drop the anchor. Not an ideal anchorage but in the calm conditions we had it was fine.
This was an excellent anchorage for an early start with very deep water just meters away. We were told there was good snorkelling but we did not try.

Again our dinghy remained on board but I did get into the water with the intention of checking the anchor but the currents were too fierce for me.