Pottering around the northern Cyclades.

Sunset at Naoussa

We finally departed Naoussa on Saturday morning at 0930 having dined ashore a second time the previous night and filled the boat with enough victuals to last for a month! The intention had been to head for Ios and for the crew to take a ferry back from there, to Mykonos, in order to catch their flight home on the Tuesday. With the winds forecast to be strong south west or west for the next five days we decided Ios was a non starter, there are no protected anchorages in Ios in such conditions, and so we decided to go north again so that the team could leave directly from Mykonos.

Supper at the Glafkos Taverna

Hence from Naoussa we sailed north towards Delos with the intention of navigating the Delos channel and then deciding whether to turn left to an anchorage on northern Rinia or right to Panormos on the north coast of Mykonos.

Sea Cloud anchored off Delos

As we sailed past Ancient Delos the sailing cruise ship “Sea Cloud” was also anchored in the straights, making a splendid sight. In the event the wind died for an hour as soon as we were north of Delos and so, after navigating the channel, we lunched in flat calm seas whilst motoring towards Panormos; conveniently, after lunch, the wind came up again and we arrived in Panormos at 1530, sailed onto the anchor and set about enhancing our sun tans!

Lunch under way (On engine!)

Next day dawned with the predicted westerlies blowing hard and, as a consequence, we stayed put in Panormos until it abated. In the event this didn't happen until late in the evening and so we opted to stay put for an extra night and to circumnavigate Mykonos the next day.

The swimmers ashore ready for lunch

Monday dawned clear and bright with a steady north westerly breeze and thus it was that we sailed off the anchor at 0930 and beat out of Panormos before turning east and heading round the eastern end of Mykonos. By 1200 we were anchored in the quiet bay at Tigani ready to swim ashore for a final crew lunch, the only slight snag turned out to be that the taverna on the beach was not opening before 1 June and today was 27 May! Not to be defeated we sailed off the anchor and headed for Agrari Beach where we knew from experience that the restaurant was open. We were not disappointed , the welcome was excellent, service friendly and the food fresh and delicious. Our opinion was in no way swayed by the free desert and liqueur provided on the house at the end of the meal!

Delicious lunch in fantastic surroundings

After a short sojourn in the sun we set off again for Mykonos Marina, that well known (by now) dust hole on the outskirts of Mykonos town. A final night in the bars and clubs of Mykonos ensured that no one was up early the next morning and, following a late breakfast in the Mathew Taverna (adjacent to the marina), we rented a car for two hours and I drove the departing crew to the airport. I suspect they slept well on the flight, they certainly needed to! I then returned to the marina via the supermarket, returned the car and set about sorting the boat out ready for departure next day.

Shortly after my return I received a text from Joachim and Michael, the two friends from Munich whom we had taken for a sail to Paros; they invited me to supper in a local taverna that night. They had found an excellent taverna about a mile from the marina and a very pleasant night was spent sampling their cuisine. Next morning they were also heading to the airport and so they came round for breakfast in the Mathew Taverna before passing a final hour on the beach and then they too were off on their return journey. I was alone onboard, single handed, for the first time this year.

The forecast strong south and south east winds made a departure that day unattractive and so I decided to stay put for a further 36 hours, finally departing Thursday morning at 1000. By now of course there was no wind! Typical, but after half an hour motoring south the wind came up and I was able to sail south to Agrari Beach and spend a quiet afternoon sorting myself out. That evening I decided, slightly against my better judgement, to stay put and remain tied back to the rocks at the end of the beach. It was so quiet and peaceful, that was until 0330 in the morning when the sea and wind got up resulting in me having to make a rapid departure, leaving the shore line tied to the rocks! I certainly wasn't going for a swim to release it in those conditions, in the pitch dark, and it wasn't going anywhere; it was after-all tied to the rocks. Twenty minutes later I made a night entry into the bay at Super Paradise, which was much more sheltered, and anchored Kurukula in 5m of water, 50m from the beach. Needless to say the discotheques were silent; the one time I could have done with their lights to light up the bay! Moral of the story, look at the weather forecast before going to bed!

Super Paradise beach with competing discos' right and left

Paros, viewed from Mykonos, Super Paradise

Next day I returned to Elia, in slightly calmer seas, and anchored for 20 minutes to recover my shore rope. Someone had kindly coiled it on the rock for me. After that I headed back to the shelter and noise of Super paradise for the rest of the day and the following night. The discotheques, which compete to out-do each other in volume, stopped at midnight; fortunately, the wind however had other ideas!Between midnight and 0900 it managed to blow from every direction under the sun, throwing up a short uncomfortable chop entering the bay and then veering round to west to hold Kurukulla across the waves. A very roly and uncomfortable night was had by all! But that's sailing!

I now have two weeks single handed before my next guest arrives; Melvin is joining via Athens and then ferry to either Sifnos or Milos. The present eight day forecasts are mostly light and variable hence it will be a slow drift down through the islands, that is once I leave the Mykonos area, I may just wait a day or three and see if the forecast improves!

More when I do.

To the northern limit for this year.

On passage Simi to Leros

On departure from Simi we headed west intending to leave Kos to starboard but as we approached the end of the Turkish mainland the wind veered and we changed the plan from, heading out to Asti Palia, to, rounding the eastern end of Kos and then heading north through the Dodecanese. The result was a fast sail northwards to Leros where we anchored at 1630 in the bay on the south end of the island, at Xerokambos; an excellent 65 mile sail, most of which had been with good winds and on a close reach, the fastest point of sailing.

During the thunderstorm

The anchorage at Ornos Roussa, Dhenousssa

Next day was a 1000 start in rather variable conditions. The weather was overcast and the clouds unstable. Prime thunderstorm conditions and we were not to be disappointed! Our original intention was to sail north to Fournoi or Patmos ready for an early departure next day over to Mykonos where our next crew members were due to join. By the time we had sailed off the anchor and cleared the bay it was already raining and the first lightning strikes were visible. Half an our later we had to set course westwards to clear the worst of it but even so we were treated to a spectacular show of thunder and lightning with very many strikes visible onto the hills of Leros. The boats closer to the shore had a much worse time than we did; we managed to skirt the worst or it but not without heading more than a few miles west. The result was another change of plan and we continued west to the very small island of Dhenoussa, about ten miles east of Naxos. We anchored in Ormos Roussa just as the sun was setting. On our approach to the island we had been followed by a French catamaran who, on entering the bay, motored past us at full speed to ensure he got first choice of anchorage position. We continued to sail in, rounded up and anchored in our chosen anchorage; we then went for a brief swim, served ourselves a gin and tonic and settled down for a pleasant evening on deck. The French were still trying to get their anchor to hold! Eventually, after several attempts in their chosen spot they motored over in our direction and anchored about 50m away. We grinned quietly!

On the waterfront, Naoussa

Next morning dawned bright and warm with a good northerly breeze. With time in hand to get to Mykonos we decided to head for Naoussa in Paros first and to fill up with water and food there. Easier and cheaper than Mykonos. By mid afternoon we were anchored in the north-western bay, Ormos Ay Ioannou, in Naoussa bay. We had the anchorage to ourselves and so settled down for the night.

Next morning we motored gently across the bay, in no wind, and moored up in the marina at Naoussa town. The marina used to be well maintained but is obviously in decline. Few of the holding off lines remain and they have ceased to charge for it's use. Obviously not covering its costs and another example of EU money potentially going to waste! The town itself seems to be doing well enough, smartly painted and awaiting the start of the tourist season. It also possesses two very good supermarkets (by Greek standards) on the outskirts. Watered, re victualled and refreshed by a beer in the taverna on the quay we set sail for Mykonos. A 20 mile beat to windward. The wind held for the first hour or so but then died away. Rather than drift for hours with the sails flogging we decided to motor in and thus we arrived in the anchorage at Agrari at around 1600; still no wind.

In Mykonos marina

The small beach at the western end of Agrari has a stage structure, now in ruins, built for Yehudi Menuhin to entertain the Greek King and his guests when the Royal yacht was anchored offshore in the spot we now occupied. It is also the beach that featured in the film “Shirley Valentine”. We spent just one night there before moving into Mykonos Marina (which now hardly deserves the name). It is becoming more run down every year and there is no sign of the facilities ever being completed. Even more of the holding off lines in the non charter yacht berths are now defunct. We managed to take the same alongside slot that I occupied last year but fortunately it was only for a day or two this year. That night Christoph and I headed into Mykonos town to give him the conducted tour. It does not take long but the architecture is very attractive and given that I was pinned down here by strong winds for almost three weeks last year I was greeted like a long lost friend in several of the bars; no wonder my bank account took such a hit last year! A bottle of local beer is €6 in almost every establishment!

Next day we hired a car to collect the new joiners from the airport and, given that the weather was not great for sailing, we headed from the airport for lunch in Ano Mera, the second town on Mykonos. It was a chance to introduce Stephen, Chris and Jason to normal life on Mykonos before exposing them to the tourist hot house that is Mykonos town itself. We lunched in a very simple Greek taverna, found last year and run by a very entertaining Greek girl and her parents. Their welcome alone made the trip worthwhile, notwithstanding good food and wine at a sensible price.

On completion we returned to the boat, decanted the travellers onboard for a snooze (they had been up since 0400), then Christoph and I headed for the best supermarket on the island to top up the victuals. That done we returned the car, enjoyed an early evening sundowner onboard and finally headed for Mykonos town for a second night out on the tiles and to show the others the lights!

Anchorage on Rhinia west coast

Most awoke with a slightly thick head the next day and so, after a slow start combined with a light breakfast, we sailed out of Mykonos and headed for the northern anchorage on Rhinia. On arrival, an hour and a half later, we sailed onto the anchor in our chosen spot but, although the water was flat, the wind was still slightly troublesome; as a consequence, after a leisurely lunch we sailed off the anchor and headed to the better protected anchorage on the west side of the island. There we cooked supper, pasta with meatballs, watched the sun set and retired for a relatively early night; compared with the previous two that is!

Tied back to what remains of the small quay in Paradise

Elia beach

Anchored in Ornos Ay Ioannou, Naoussa, Paros

Fishermans harbour, Naoussa

Naoussa at dusk

Sunday dawned windless and stayed that way. Great sunshine but no wind! As a consequence we motored the ten miles back to Elia and this time anchored with a long line tied back to the rocks. Sun and sea were the order of the next two days. No sailing to be done with no wind. Our only excursion was to motor to Paradise Beach, where we tied back to the old quay for a pair of hours whilst a team went ashore to replenish our wine and beer stocks that had run dangerously low, and then it was another motor round to Super Paradise for lunch. Sadly only one of the three restaurants on Super Paradise was open (slow start this season) and that was the self service café associated with the beach disco bar at the eastern end. The food was mediocre and the noise uncomfortable, hence we decided to go back to the boat and head back to Elia which was all the more tranquil. Readers should not be misled by the names Paradise and Super Paradise.. they are misnomers! Whilst preparing to leave we were hailed by two German holidaymakers on whom Christoph decided to practice his mother tongue. Suffice to say they became part of the crew for the next two days but very kindly also took Christoph to the airport from Elia beach for his departure to UK next day. The day was windy but by 1600 it had abated enough to set sail for Paros again and by 1900 Kurukulla was anchored in Naoussa for a second time but this time in the eastern side of the bay, where the protection from the forecast south east winds would be better. The winds never materialised that night and next morning we spent an hour ghosting across the harbour and returning to the idyllic anchorage where Christoph and I had anchored following our arrival in the Cyclades. A day of swimming and sunning (with what sun there was, it was slightly overcast) and then we headed to the marina in the evening for a night alongside; we entered with the intention of supper ashore and a pre departure run to the supermarkets next morning. In the event the forecast strong southerly winds arrived during the night and so it was we decided to stay in the harbour for two nights enjoying the free berthing, electricity and water!

More when we leave.....

2013, We're off again.

Kurukulla ready to launch

The 2013 season started in some chaos, In the last two weeks before departure I managed, with the aid of an excellent solicitor in the form of my friend Nick Stuart-Taylor (Biscoes, Petersfield office), to buy the top floor apartment in the same block in which I live; with completion occurring, at earliest, on the day Kurukulla was originally due to go in the water. Fortunately I was able to delay launch by 12 days, at modest cost; giving time to complete the purchase, move apartments, introduce tenants into the old apartment, finalise all the necessary administration (changing addresses etc.) and fly out to Marmaris, all with three days to spare to do the anti-fouling and underwater maintenance before the launch. Not much of a challenge there then! To compound this I managed to put my back out two days before the move; fortunately this time it recovered relatively quickly, but to make life easier I sub contracted this years underwater painting and topside polish, (I concluded having my back in good shape for the start of the season was worth more than 600YTL approx £220 the hull work cost).

Another advantage has been having company this year for the preparations. A friend, Christoph, had volunteered to sail the first leg out to the Greek Islands. When the programme changed he very kindly agreed to stick to his original dates and assist with the commissioning work enabling me to catch up the time lost in the programme and thus enable us to arrive on time at his departure point from where his flights are already booked (we hope!).

330 ton crane seems a bit excessive

The launch of Kurukulla was straightforward and the work to be done soon completed. The most complex item was the manufacture of new fairleads on the bow, to replace the ones broken in the storm in Bozyazi last year, and this was completed by Wednesday. Thus it was Wednesday night we set off into Marmaris to have a last meal ashore and to visit the local Transas supermarket to top up on all the necessities for the voyage north into the Greek Islands. I had decided to depart Turkey from Marmaris to avoid having to make additional stops en route, this should have been easy but bureaucracy had taken its toll. Instead of being able to pay the agent at the marina to do all the necessary administration it was now necessary to appear in person at the international ferry port at an appointed time for a head count of those onboard. As we arrived for this process we were waived off the berth nearest their office and sent to the far end of the liner berth, half a mile away, from which we had to walk to and fro to the office. All designed to be helpful! In addition one now has to have a “Blue Card” on which all of your black water (i.e. sewage) pump outs have to be recorded; as I had not had one previously (I had deliberately avoided getting one to avoid the hassle) I was now require to buy one before I was allowed to leave! Not only that but I had to buy a “virtual” pump out (from the agent) to prove that the boat was empty before departing. Nothing was ever pumped out of anywhere but honour was satisfied for the officials!

Anchorage at Marathouda, Simi

Alongside in Simi, waiting.......

Simi town drops into the distance

All that done we set off for Simi, our first port of call in Greece and the scene of the next battle with bureaucracy. We had a great first sail into the Rhodes Straits, light to moderate winds and varying from broad reach to close fetch. This resulted in us reaching Simi in the early evening and thus we decided to anchor overnight in the inlet at Marathouda on the south eastern side of the island. Next morning dawned bright and clear but with very light winds and so we sailed off the anchor and made a slow passage north up the east coast to the port of Simi where the necessary paperwork could be completed. We arrived in Simi port at 1410, 10 minutes after the immigration police had closed the office for the afternoon! Since the cutbacks in manning to reduce the Greek deficit (there are now only two officials to man the office), they only open from 0800 – 1400 and 1800 – 2100. The Port Police (aka Coast Guard) on the other hand are open all day but sadly, they explained, they could do nothing until the Immigration Police had stamped the crew list form with which they, the Port Police, had provided me. We settled down for a frustrating four hour wait. Our in and out visit was not to be! To add to my black mood one of the ferry line handlers tried to persuade me to reposition the boat from the temporary alongside position (on what used to be the quarantine berth) that we had taken to a Mediterranean moor in the harbour for which he would of course we then would have had to pay. He got short shrift! His friend, whose fishing from the quay had been momentarily interrupted as we came alongside, and who had persuaded him to intervene, was equally disappointed. At the end of it all we finally got away at 1930, four hours later that planned, and headed for the nearest anchorage in the adjacent bay, Ormos Emborios, where we arrived just after dusk. Not the best of anchorages, especially when visibility is constrained by poor light, but we managed to anchor in 10 m just off the hamlet and spent a safe night there. Next morning, at 0800, we got under-way again just as the wind was setting in. This wind built to 20+ knots from the west and so we limited our days sailing to a quick motor round to the anchorage near the monastery at Ay Emilianos, on the west side of Simi but protected from the west. The monastery seems to have only one inhabitant, and elderly caretaker or monk who scrutinised us closely on arrival but then paid us no more attention.

The monastery and anchorage at Emilianos

The anchorage was not as good as described in Heikell's pilot but give we were sharing it with only two other fishing boats it served our purpose for the following 18 hours.

We leave tomorrow at 0600. More when we are further north!

Round the circuit to the 2012 season end in Marmaris.

After two nights at anchor off Fethiye Adasi I finally sailed Kurukulla off the anchor and set sail eastwards towards Karacaoren Buku a distance of some 12 miles. Shortly after clearing Fethiye I was on port tack when I noticed a race being started just ahead of me with the start line south of Kizil Adasi. It was a group of 12 Sunsail 43s' starting on the windward leg and heading off on the same course that I was planning. Having arrived in the vicinity of the start line as they started I decided that, without impeding any of the racers, I would test Kurukulla against them. Despite being single handed Kurukulla arrived 4^th out of 12 to the weather mark where they turned back north and I continued south. A bit of fun along the way!

The rain at Karacaoren Buku

The weather deteriorated as the day went on and we arrived in Karacaoren Buku in almost half light as the dark clouds gathered. I sailed Kurukulla on to the anchor only to realise that the several plastic water bottles around me were not just drifting they were being used as floats for moorings! Shortly afterwards, to make life more complicated the owner of the “moorings”, the local restauranteur, directed another charter yacht to take the mooring directly ahead of me, well within my swinging circle. When I pointed this out to the skipper his reaction was “no problem, the wind never comes from that direction”, ten minutes later he had to eat his words as the thunderstorm started and 25 knots of wind hit us from the east. Fortunately I had taken the precaution of swimming out and putting a line on a mooring astern of me to prevent Kurukulla swinging to the wind, thus preventing the two yachts coming together.

Sunset at at Karacaoren Buku

I am not sure he even noticed! After the storm I veered the line, weighed anchor and then picked up the mooring properly, the restauranteur gave me a funny look but did not ask for any payment; normally the price of the mooring is eating in his restaurant!

Next morning early we set off for Kalkan, some 30 miles down the coast. There was no wind but that did not matter as after three days, without starting the engine, the batteries were in need of a decent charge. Three hours later, with the batteries fully charged the wind duly arrived and the second half of the passage was a fantastic close reach along the coast ending in the anchorage at

Yesilkoy Limani, the bay on the west side of the Kalkan bay, where we anchored in the northern part of the bay. Fortunately I was able to see the anchor settle on the bottom and was sure it was in good sand; this became important when the thunderstorm arrived that night with brief but strong winds setting Kurukulla towards the shore. The anchor held firm but one of the two other yachts in the anchorage was not so lucky having to reset their anchor at 2300 in the pitch dark.

Even given a relaxed start to the morning I still had one day in hand in order to get to Kas in time for the arrival of my next visitor; however, when the winds arrived in the early Sunday afternoon the temptation was irresistible and so I hoisted the main, sailed off the anchor and set course for Bayindir Limani, a mile south of Kas, arriving at 1730.

Stern to in Kas, on the corner.

The last 45 minutes were with the engine again as the wind died completely and another thunderstorm was threatening. I anchored in the central bay in Bayindir Limani just as the light was fading, I found myself watching, carefully, the lightning high in the sky; it was striking somewhere further inland. Despite the threat, ultimately the rain and lightning did not come to anything and the night passed peacefully.

Ruins at Gokkaya Limani

Next morning I moved a few hundred metres into a more secluded bay, away from the gaze of the clients of the beach restaurant, and settled down for a bath and dhobi followed by breakfast and another swim.

Following this, at 1000, I set off for Kas to be sure of getting a berth in the town harbour. This proved to be a good decision for two reasons, firstly the day proved to be much windier than forecast, secondly by mid day the harbour was overflowing with vessels seeking shelter; by which time I was firmly ensconced simply awaiting my joining crew who was due to arrive sometime after midnight.

Christoph in a Sarcophagus

Just as is was settling down for the evening a Swedish owned yacht arrived and squeezed itself in on the corner of the quay adjacent to me. A difficult place to moor but, with the harbour as full as it was, there was no choice. To placate me I was invited onboard for a very generous whisky, such invites work wonders!

That night my new crew, Christoph, arrived at 0130, via a dolmus, from Dalaman Airport, the joys of late night Thomas Cook flights! Next morning we made a quick visit to the local bakery to source fresh bread, plus some other delicacies, and then set off for Kekova Roads some 20 miles to the east.

The ruins of Aperlae

As we entered the roads the winds diminished and we suffered a brief burst of rain; it did not last though and ultimately we sailed into the anchorage at Gokkaya Limani at 1800 for a late evening swim and supper onboard. Next day dawned with rain already falling and continued until mid afternoon; however, once the rain had passed through we sailed the length of the roads and anchored in Polemos Buku, just as the sun set.

Self on the walls of Aperlae

From here we visited ancient Aperlae the following day (my third visit this year!) unexpectedly incorporating a lamb/goat (not sure which) soup lunch and fish supper in the Yoruk fisherman's restaurant.

Having ordered fish for lunch we discovered at 1400, after a pair of beers, that the order would be satisfied at about 1900 that night! Realising their error, and to ensure we did not go hungry, the soup was provided gratis, as a stop-gap! Such generosity! The fish, when it arrived, was delicious.... We got back to the boat at 2100.

The next day, to ensure a timely arrival in Kalkan, we sailed off the anchor at 0900 and ghosted our way to the exit from Kekova Roads.

Gemiler anchorage

From here on we enjoyed intermittent wind and managed to complete most of the passage under sail, resorting to the engine only for the last two miles. We anchored in the anchorage on the west side of the bay for the night and then, next morning, berthed in Kalkan port for a pair of hours to allow us to purchase some victuals in the town. On completion we motored out of the harbour, headed out of the bay, hoisting sail an hour later as the wind filled in; we had 27 miles to go to reach our next destination, Gemiler Adasi.

At 1800 we anchored and tied back to the rocks in the NW bay; a tranquil anchorage where we were to stay for two days given the total absence of even a ripple on the water surface throughout the following day! Fortunately, despite the tranquillity, the area is well served by boats selling fresh bread / produce or ice creams. On the final morning we sailed off the anchor and enjoyed a short but slow beat out of the bay followed by a very enjoyable spinnaker run all the way to the entrance to Fethiye bay.

At 1630 we anchored off Fethiye for a brief swim before heading into the marina to await the arrival of Alistair, the last guest of the year.

Bread baked on the premises, delivered at Yassica Adalari

He duly arrived just before midnight (the joy of an afternoon flight from Gatwick). Ten hours late, following another victualling run to the local Carrefour, we sailed late morning and motored the short distance to Fethiye Adasi for a swim before sailing off the anchor and heading to the anchorage at Yassica Adalari, this time it was a much more tranquil stay; no storms or groundings!

Next day, given that it was another windless day, we sailed off the anchor and drifted from here to Tomb Bay; all of three miles in two and a half hours!

Ruin Bay, Skopea Limani

The following morning was similar and so we sailed down to Ruin Bay for lunch and a swim and to wait for the wind to fill in.

This was followed by a rather better sail from there to Kizilkuyruk Koyu the furthest anchorage south in the Skopea Limani area; including an interesting beat through the narrow channel when exiting the southern end of Skopea Limani; our objective being to be as far as possible down track for the next days passage to the anchorage at Baba Adassi,

An evening G&T whilst at anchor, Baba Adasi

for an overnight stop before heading onthe next day  to  Kargi Koyu, just outside Ekincik Limani. Next day the wind had returned and we arrived at Kargi Koyu all too quickly in a brisk south westerly doing 7 knots on a beam reach. We sailed on to the anchor and with the bay to ourselves, almost unheard of in this area, but it was not to last.

Marmaris Castle and waterfront

Another yacht arrived an hour later and, as always in these circumstances, anchored only two boats lengths away in a bay half a mile wide!

The pressure wash after lift out

On goes the new cover

After an upper deck film and a tranquil night we set off the following morning on the last leg of the jouney, to Marmaris; starting in a gentle breeze and ending in a flat calm. We stopped and drifted, for a swim, before entering the bay at Marmaris and, following a refuel at Netsel Marina, we entered Yacht Marine for the final berthing of the year.

That night we dined at the Pineapple Restaurant in Netsel following which Christoph and Alistair set off for UK early the next morning; I, between showers, set about the task of putting Kurukulla to bed for the winter, including fitting the newly acquired overall winter cover.

More next year after Kurukulla goes in the water on the 22^nd of April...............

The view from the helm, cover on!

In the Marmaris area

En route Marmaris

Marmaris town from seaward

In the end we were to spend two days in and around Marmaris. I sorted out the details of my temporary residence permit but found out that I had to be available the next evening at 1700 to receive some of the paperwork, thus we were to be delayed leaving. The first night we went into town and dined in one of the waterfront restaurants, picked up some late night shopping from the Migros Supermarket, and caught the 2300 dolmus (minibus) back to the marina. Next morning was bright and clear and so we decided at mid day, all other tasks having been completed, to head out of the marina and take Kurukulla on the five mile passage, out of the Marmaris Bay, around the (almost) island of Nimara Adasi, and anchor in Yalanci Bogazi; this is the bay on the far side of the isthmus that forms the seaward side of the marina and connects Nimara Adasi to the mainland. Our final anchorage was 200 metres from the marina but on the seaward side of the isthmus. A good anchorage in W or NW winds and it was from here that I set off in the dinghy to land on the beach, cross the road and enter the main gate of the marina, all to collect my papers. That done we were free to leave the next morning.

Dalyan River heading towards Caunos

Our destination was to be Ekincik Limani in preparation for visiting ancient Caunos the next day; in the event we chose to anchor in Kargi Koyu just 0.5 miles short of Ekincik as it was verging on deserted and Ekincik looked quite crowded. We dropped anchor, under sail, in 10m, with enough room to swing between us and the beach. Our only companions were a small catamaran and a charter gullet, both some distance away. Supper onboard, a film night and early to bed were the order of the day with an early start the next day to visit Caunos. In the event this was not to be. Having made a reasonably early start, 0800, we motored across to Delikada, anchored inside the island and took the dinghy ashore to catch the public boat up river to Caunos (Kurukulla's draft is too deep to cross the sand bar at the river entrance). We were there at 0930 which seemed the ideal time with the exception that we were told that the public boats had been reduced to one per day and, surprise - surprise, we had missed it; it departed at 0900. The public boat is like a dolmus service and costs a few Turkish Lira; the alternative, that our adviser was more than keen to sell us, was a private boat costing €100 per head; we declined the offer! Unfortunately the boat co-operative operators almost have a monopoly and you are, not surprisingly, discouraged from taking your own dinghy up the river. Thus it was that we enjoyed a swim, early lunch and then sailed off the anchor heading for Baba Adasi, our next anchorage. Here we again anchored under sail in the lee of the island and settled down for a quiet evening,

Sunset at baba Adasi

The plan had been to take a parascending trip here, via the water-sports centre, but the boat was not operating. Next morning the boat passed us but full of tourists doing a high speed circumnavigation of the Island! Just our luck.

Dinner at Pineapple, Netsel Marina

From Baba Adasi we were to be forced to return to Maramaris for Steve's departure, he left by ferry to Rhodes and flight onwards to UK. Fortunately the wind co-operated and we were able to lay Marmaris in one tack, we almost made it right to the entrance to the bay of Marmaris without tacking; from here it was a short beat through the entrance and we were on track for Netsel Marina, one of the other marinas in Marmaris and the one most convenient to the ferry terminal. To “celebrate?” Steve's departure we dined in the Pineapple Restaurant, on the waterfront, over-looking Kurukulla. Next morning we walked the 250m to the ferry terminal and Steve was on his way back to UK. I then set off, by dolmus, to do some business in Yacht Marine, and finally left Netsel late that afternoon. The next two days were spent anchored in the bay of Marmaris, near Yacht Marine, doing some of the outstanding maintenance and relaxing.

48 hours at anchor is enough! On Thursday morning, 27^th of September, I sailed off the anchor for a very relaxed passage to Ekincik 'again' but this time I anchored in the Ekincik anchorage with the other 10 boats that were there; the east side was the least crowded and thus my choice for the night. Next morning there was a gentle breeze and so I took the opportunity to rig the No1 genoa (first outing this year!) before setting off to anchor at Baba Adasi again and then on eastwards. My next crew member is due to join on the 8^th of October in Kas so plenty of time for a relaxed passage east!

Tied back to the rocks at Kizikuyruk Koyu

From Baba Adasi it was onwards to Fethiye Korfesi and an anchorage in Kizikuyruk Koyu, an anchorage with two arms, one of which was crowded and the other occupied by only one other yacht. I chose to anchor with a line ashore on the north side of the north arm in a delightful little cove. The anchorage itself is deep but by laying the anchor cable along the edge of the shelf the cove was quite tenable and the tie back made easy by a large hole through the rock! I did my usual swim the line ashore to the amusement of the other yacht in the anchorage. Later in the evening we were joined by one other yacht but the magic of the place was unaffected.

The pool at Yassica Adalari

Next morning on the lightest of onshore breezes I was able to sail off the anchor and head to Yassica Adalari, a small group of islands off Gocek. I had been determined to return since my brief visit some months before when I was tempted to leave earlier than I had planned by the offer of dinner in another yacht! This time I decided to anchor in the inner pool; this is rarely frequented by other sailing yachts as the entrance, as I found by trial and error, is only 3m deep. Enough for Kurukulla though. In the centre of the pool was the only other occupant, a catamaran, anchored but without a line ashore; I dropped my anchor as close to him as I dare but the result of his presence was to limit the amount of anchor cable I could put out, something I was to regret later! Not long after my arrival the catamaran departed and another yacht was encouraged to enter! This was a Turkish yacht, also single handed, but unfortunately we did not have more than three words of a common language; task next year – learn Turkish.

Photo taken by moonlight, Yassica Adalari, pre wind!

The surroundings here were idyllic and I decided to stay two days. The decision was made easier by the arrival of an elderly lady each morning, in a small boat, selling freshly made stone baked bread. Staying here too long would be very bad for the waistline! Each evening there was also a replay of “Watership Down” on the beach; a number of wild rabbits, of every colour imaginable, black, white, brown, mixed, all congregated to devour what the tourists had left behind! Late on the second day there also occurred the first thunderstorm of the year with a silent deluge to accompany it. Initially, for the first two bouts of thunder and lightening, there were no strong winds to accompany it. This was not to last though! At midnight the final bout of the storm arrived but bringing with it 35 knot winds from the SE, directly on Kurukulla's beam (the forecast was max 10 knots from the SW!). The result was that the anchor dragged and we swung round parallel with the shoreline going aground on the soft mud. It was so gentle that I did not even feel her take the bottom and being the middle of the night and in a safe if not normal situation I decided to wait until morning before getting her off. At 0645 the process started, by 0730 I had also swum a line across the width of the bay and tied it off to one of the securing points on the far side. The combination of that line led to a main winch, the engine on full power ahead and the three heaviest sails on the end of the main boom, pushed out to starboard to give her a list and reduce her draft, and she came off, very slowly; it was a much tougher process than I had envisaged; the soft mud was covering hard sand and that had a much firmer grip! By 0830 we were back where we had started the night before but with much more anchor chain out! By the time I departed for Gocek, 1430, three other yachts had taken the challenge and entered the bay. Amazing how yachts congregate, the publicised outer part of the anchorage was almost empty!

Departing Gocek

An hour later I was anchored in the bay at Gocek. There are five marinas in Gocek but given that I did not need water and that it was much easier to anchor than Med moor in a marina, I chose to anchor off and use the dinghy to go in. The evening seemed to be building towards another thunderstorm and so, in the cause of safety, I decided to delay going ashore for victuals until Wednesday morning. By mid-day all was sorted and so after an early lunch I set off for Fethiye, a couple of hours sailing away. Having looked at the options for anchoring in the vicinity of Fethiye I opted for the anchorage on the SE side of Fethiye Adasi, the island effectively closing the entrance to the bay in which Fethiye sits.

Anchorage at Fethiye Adasi

Although open to the SE the anchorage is reasonably well protected and I sailed in and anchored at 1600. In the anchorage was only one other yacht, a Dutch couple whose boat I recognised from Marmaris. Next morning I dived in for a morning swim and got quite a surprise, the water was freezing cold (or in comparative terms anyway), I had anchored directly above a source of very cold fresh water coming up from the bottom of the bay. As I am under no time pressure I decided to stay a second day and do a bit more maintenance. The plan is to depart for Gemiler Adasi tomorrow and then onwards to Kas, my next deadline, by Monday next.

More in a few days …...