Back on the water - ropes coiled and back to sailing

3rd March 2008

So, after three months at Karaca Söğüt it is time to say our goodbyes, coil our ropes and sail away. We will not be going too far in the first week or two but it does feel like we are leaving a mini new life behind. We have felt very welcomed here and many people have made an effort to wish us safe journeys. This small place in Turkey really is one of Earths paradises.

Our departure was not without its hiccups. As we raised the Genoa it got jammed near the top of the track – then suddenly up it went. We were trying to work out what had happened when I saw something on the pontoon. After puzzling for a while we realised it was the top 50mm of the furlex insert that ensures the roller reefing runs smoothly. The top of the furlex has been a problem before and we now need to find a supplier in Turkey. Our biggest concern is that the Genoa comes down or rolls in an emergency – in Falmouth Week two years ago it did not and we had a dangerous situation to deal with.

Everything else is good. We now have continuous hot water, thanks to Andy’s ingenuity and we also have a working Weather Fax for the first time also due to Andy designing a 15m aerial to be rigged up the mast via a halyard. The guy who made it understood and thought it a great idea. (later – the forecasts we get are useless so we still rely on GRIB files which always prove the most accurate of our three regular forecasts – Weather Fax, Navtex and the internet reliant GRIB). The only worry for me is heat in the cabin from 8pm til bedtime but as Andy said, soon the worry will be cooling the cabin!

Our first destination is English Bay – just 5nm from Global Sailing Club! But we have broken free and are on the road again.

12th March 2009

In the past week we have been illegal country hopping. We arrived safely in Bodrum after an exciting sail from Seven Islands – another bit of paradise in Gökova Gulf – at speeds in excess of 7 knots. We had called in advance and booked a slot – they assured us they had a space for us. However when we arrived they blatantly were not expecting us, asked us to wait and proceeded to move a small fishing boat off the fuel pontoon and then indicated that this was where we were to berth. We were not happy, especially when they told us we still had to pay €40 per night – the full price. As Andy put it – “you told us there was space, so we came, and then you put us on a fully primed bomb”. Eventually they moved us to the shore end of one of their pontoons where we had to go alongside sideways. If we had had a bigger boat we would not have fitted – but we were happy.

The main reason for a trip to Bodrum was to meet up with Jurgen who has some boat electrics work for Andy. Jurgen is an interesting character – he swapped his house for a wooden yacht 30 years ago, having never sailed before and has now made wooden boats his life. He is a designer and has turned his skills to project managing boat renovations. Currently he has two huge projects on the go – huge in that both boats are currently wrecks! The only down side of meeting up with Jurgen is the inability of getting out of bed the next morning unless it is to have a chat on the big white telephone.

From Bodrum we decided to pop over to the Greek Island of Kos, alcohol and pork were on our list of must buys. Also we wondered if Pippa and Richard were back from NZ. As we arrived at the town quay in Kos they were waiting to catch our lines. Amazingly they planned to leave the next day and sail to Turkey so we are now sailing in convoy.

Our sail from Kos to Palamut on the south side of the Daça Peninsula was exciting to say the least. For the first time in the Med we had waves breaking over us and had three reefs in the main and genoa. We were still sailing at speeds well in excess of 7 knots! Quite a first sail for Pippa and Richard. They have an Océanis 411 Celebration – much bigger and faster than us. We left 1.5 hours before them and after 6 hours of sailing they caught us up as we arrived in the small harbour of Palamut. Amazing timing. The wind had shifted round and dropped a bit by the time they got going so they had fewer reefs and had not had to put in a tack like we had (competitive??!! Who??).

This part of the Daça Peninsula is very windswept and actually reminded us a bit of rounding the Lizard. Palamut is a little oasis just off the tip of the peninsula, very sheltered for yachts with a few over-wintering here, including one beautiful wooden boat that looks just like the one in the film Multiluk (Bliss). In the summer they get 25 visiting yachts every day and there is a small waterfront of restaurants and grocery shops. This makes it sound touristic but it is very shanty town – there is a man who sits looking out of the open window of a caravan on this street and he looks like he is selling something. We went to ask what and he said “I sleep here”! Another lady lives in a shed made of plywood, guarded by a HUGE dog. Chickens run free and the men sit and smoke.The main industry is Almonds and this week is a special week as the green almonds are just at the stage where they are picked and eaten as a very special delicacy. The nut is jelly and the shell is crunchy, all with a piquant flavour they complement with chilli. We have been invited to go picking later.

At the moment there is great activity as they prepare for the coming season. They have a new road being built. A very labour intensive but commonly seen building method – they use a specially shaped brick that interlocks and seems to be effective in area where the ground is sandy and not very stable. The rate of progress was impressive and we wondered if they got paid piece rates. My theory is that as local elections loom this was a small bribe to the village by the current incumbent.

We are about to have our third day here – the locals are very friendly and after a beautiful day yesterday, the wind is threatening to get up again – we could not be in a better place!