Onwards westwards.

Kurukulla alongside in Bozyazi

Rather unexpectedly the wedding party came to an abrupt halt at 2300 as did my prospects of a peaceful night. The north wind returned disrupting the celebrations and causing me some angst as to whether Kurukulla's anchor would drag. Aydincik is a relatively small harbour and although shallow, 4m maximum, there is not a lot of room for error. I had put out 20m of cable which allowed me to swing to within 10m of the harbour wall whilst keeping me clear of other boats and moorings. With the wind gusting 30 kts there was not a lot of clearance! I need not have worried. By the following morning the wind had not abated but neither had Kurukulla moved. At 0600, convinced I was unlikely to get any more sleep that morning, I decided to follow my original plan and sail. There was rather more wind than I would have chosen but at least it was offshore and creating no sea to speak of. Hence I weighed anchor, discovering in the process why we had not dragged, thick heavy mud, and set off for Bozyazi. With my ribs still not right I decided today would be a motoring day and we arrived at 1100 at the entrance to Bozyazi harbour. Once inside I chose an anchorage clear of all others, enjoyed an early lunch and retired to my bunk for a few hours to catch up on lost sleep. That evening I received a personal call from the coastguard who came out in their inflatable to tell me that, despite the harbour being almost completely empty, other than their patrol craft, I was not allowed to anchor in the harbour and would have to go alongside. Since my arrival a French catamaran had also arrived and anchored but they were ashore and so, when there was no response to the hail, they were ignored! I duly complied and moved alongside the empty quay but for what purpose I do not know, the Coastguard then ignored me, no check on my papers etc; the only result was that I got free electricity and water. Nobody came to collect any dues for two days and when they did they only charged me 25YTL (£9) for the one day!

The castle at Anamur Kalesi

I spent the time in Bozyazi recuperating and sorting out the boat, cleaning fenders and washing down the boat in general. On the final day a couple, whom I had met during the previous visit, arrived in their motorboat and invited me for drinks onboard that evening. He was an ex Army WO and they now live in Northern Cyprus, spending their summers afloat on the Turkish Coast.

Next morning I ghosted out of Bozyazi and headed around the southern tip of Turkey, at Anemurium, then heading NW to Yakacik Koyu, a bay offering some shelter from the westerly swell; this was to be my next overnight anchorage. After four hours sailing and motoring, alternately, in very light winds we arrived and anchored at 1115, time for a swim..... After lunch I decided to take a nap and awoke at 1600 to find another yacht, Turkish registered, anchored 30m ahead of me. I was somewhat surprised to be hailed in an Australian accent asking where I came from. She had mistaken my blue ensign for an Australian one! Notwithstanding we got into conversation and I discovered that they were a live-aboard couple, he was Turkish, she from Melbourne. Very kindly they offered me some of the proceeds of their days fishing, hence it was fresh mackerel for supper. In return I invited them over for a drink and they duly turned up at 2000, including Suzie, their live aboard terrier. It turned out that he was a merchant navy Captain and that they had been cruising together for two years and were now debating buying a larger boat, their present one was much the same size as Kurukulla. They departed at 2230 and I set to to prepare a late supper. The mackerel was enormous and delicious. Before departing I offered them the chance to browse the bookshelf and take with them a few of the embarked books, in return they dropped off a selection the next morning before they sailed for Cyprus. A fair swap....

Approaching Gazipasa

Half an hour after they departed the anchorage I too set off but in the opposite direction, towards Gazipasa. This was some 18 miles away but took four hours to achieve in light winds; a fun sail all the same.

Some of the fishing fleet at Gazipasa

Gazipasa is busily being developed, not only have they built a new airport serving international as well as national flights, the port is also being totally reconstructed. The only problem is the mess whilst they are doing it! The place is covered in red dust and the water is the colour of the Mississippi, mud coloured, not at all pleasant. Fortunately I was planning to stay only one night. It is also the home to numerous large fishing vessels, many of which were berthed at various points around the harbour perimeter, and all of which decided to depart at 1900, just as the sun was setting. It was almost like some mechanised ballet, watching them all manoeuvring, simultaneously, avoiding each other and jostling for position in the queue to depart. No movements coordinating authority, such as a Queen's Harbour Master, here then! In the midst of all this the mobile ready-mix convoy arrived to cast the next stretch of the quayside, the shuttering for which had been put in place this afternoon..... They don't hang about here.....

Alanya again

The following day we covered the last 25 miles to Alanya, partly motoring but mostly, slowly, under sail. On arrival I berthed Kurukulla in exactly the same spot as last time and renewed the acquaintanceship with the same fishermen who kindly assisted, taking my lines and offering the use of their electronic water key to allow me to top up Kurukulla's water tanks. From here it was a day of cleaning the boat and stocking up from the local supermarket in preparation for the next arrival, Steve, the following night. Steve's flight was due in at 2245 so it was always going to be a late night but when the transfer company bringing him from Antalya tried to drop him off at the marina and not the Old Port, a late night turned into an early morning, especially after we had gone ashore for a bite to eat following his arrival! Alanya does not close until 0400, I can testify to that from personal experience!

More when we sail.