Datca Harbour

I asked the harbor master if there was power. He told me the box next to my berth did not work and showed where to plug in two boxes down. Mary and I went off in search of a supermarket. I was working back on the boat when I noticed the power had gone out. Upon investigation it was found that a fishing boat had come in. There were only two outlets on the box I had plugged into. The other one was in use. The fisherman had unplugged my line and plugged in his. He was on his boat watching me. Although I was thinking ill of the man, I tried not to show it. I looked at the box and looked at the fisherman. He stared back at me. I said “There seems to be not enough outlets.”

To my surprise, he responded “It is my electricity.” Well, the box was right by his boat. Then he stepped off the boat and walked over to me. He pointed at the outlet and a wire coming from one end of it running across the street. For the first time I realized it was not part of the power box belonging to the harbour – it was an extension cord. The fisherman continued, “The electricity comes from my friend’s shop”.

I expressed my understanding and was about to coil up my power cord and go home when he said, “Wait” and began rummaging around in his boat. After a few seconds, he found an adapter that would add more outlets to the extension cord. I thanked the man profusely for his kindness. He did not have to do that for me.

We spent two days wandering around Datca, buying supplies, and catching up on computer work. The Turkcell shop referred me to a computer store where it was finally explained to me why my GSM modem no longer worked. When a non-Turkish cell phone or modem is activated in Turkey, it will work for about two weeks. After that, it will be blocked. I purchased a Turkcell modem for 100TL, the shopkeeper put my sim card in it and it worked. I was happy. In Turkey I can buy one month of modem time with a 4GB limit for 39TL or about $22.75 US.

Tuesday morning we motored to Bencik in calm winds and seas. Bencik is a long bay on the Hisaronu Korfezi. It is at the narrowest point of the Dorian peninsula and the Knidians once started to dig a canal here as a defense against the Persians. The canal was never completed and the Knidians were conquered by the Persians.

We anchored and tied to a tree near a swimming area toward the head of the bay.

Bencik Bay

We spent two nights in Bencik, exploring ashore and rowing up the creek that feeds the bay as far as we could. Mary had an altercation with a shaggy goat but won the fight. Occasionally, another boat would come in and anchor for an hour or so but, each night, we were alone.

There were many goat or mule trails up the hills, so we decided to do some climbing.  We did surprise a mule, who was very excited when he saw us.  He decided to go down the other side of the mountain.  This was mutually acceptable.

Thursday, we motored 5.5 miles around the peninsula to Kuyulu Buku. We anchored in 8 meters sand in the southwest corner of the bay. There was only one other boat in the bay.

Kuyulu Nuku

On shore was an abandoned campground complete with restrooms and wash area but no water. The rock formations were amazing. We hiked up the road that went to it and found more abandoned buildings. Staying near the bay, the road ended at another campground still in use. All along the way were tortoises and one very interesting lizard.

Lizard seen at Kuyulu Buku

Friday we motored the 2.9 miles across the bay to Marti Marina. Marti is shiny new and, of course, under construction. The site is gorgeous but a bit remote for long term use. It is also somewhat expensive. We spent one night there in order to do some work on the boat and have our laundry done.

Marti Marina

We topped off our diesel tank before leaving Marti Saturday morning. Several sources recommended stopping at a particular restaurant at the south end of Keci Buku. Unfortunately, the word was out and as we approached the dock a man came out to tell us they were full. He suggested another restaurant back toward Marti and we went there.

The place we went is called “Luna Begonvil”. It is a restaurant with a T dock that provides water, electricity, and WiFi. The food there was good and reasonably priced if you include the free dockage and the best restrooms and showers I have seen in years.

Luna Begonvil, Orhaniye

We thought it would be a long hike into town for groceries but found a Saturday market just one kilometer down the road.

From our berth at Luna Begonvil in Keci Buku to Selimiye was 8.7 miles including hunting around the bay for a spot shallow enough for Orca to anchor. A particular restaurant dock had been recommended as very good and inexpensive. There are several restaurant docks in Selimiye but we could not find one with that name. We tried to anchor but we do not have enough anchor rode to feel comfortable in 25+ meters. Someone on one of the docks beckoned us in so we went. Once secured, I saw the sign. It was another Luna Begonvil. The showers were just as good and the food was as good but cheaper. When I was unable to log in to their WiFi, they removed the password for me. I was impressed.

Luna Begonvil Selimiye

We walked around the town and eventually found the restaurant we had been looking for. Their sign was not visible from the water. Being Sunday, the place was full of families with rambunctious children. I am sure the food was good but it was very noisy.

Monday we made another short hop past several islands from Selimiye to Kocabahce. There, we tied up at the Sailors’ Paradise restaurant. With no other boats in the bay, I commented to one of the guys in the restaurant about how busy they were. He told me Orca was the first boat they had seen in two days. The restaurant was entirely dependent on yachts for customers as there was no access by land. However, toward evening two other boats came in and tied up.

Sailors' Paradise Kocabahce

Again, we hiked through the hills following goat trails and enjoying the superb views available in this part of Turkey.

The view while hiking near Kocabahce

It took less than an hour to shift from Kocabahce to Dirsek on Tuesday, 1 May. Not wanting another night at a restaurant dock we opted to anchor in the south of the bay. From there we took the dinghy to the restaurant for some beers and to the beach in the southeast part of the bay where we found a dolphin skeleton. The water was beginning to warm enough for swimming.

Dirsek Bay

The first of May is supposedly the beginning of the yachting season. Just to prove the point, at one time I counted 14 yachts in the bay. It was as if someone had thrown a switch.

Cokertme is a tiny hamlet that seems to have more restaurants than houses. Most of the restaurants have docks or moorings and yachts are welcome to use them without charge if they patronize the owning establishment.

Entering Cokertme

Friends told us that one in particular had everything a cruiser could ask for including a washing machine. When we arrived we found all the docks closed and under construction and the restaurant we were looking for closed. The “season” had not started and everyone was busy getting ready. We were able to pick up a mooring provided by Rose Mary Pirate Yachting and had a nice dinner with them. Several places had WiFi and gave us their passwords when asked.

Still not in an anchorage that looked comfortable in strong southeast winds, we left Cokertme Friday morning for Tuzla Koyu on the other side of the gulf. It was a 17 mile beat to windward but its always a beat to windward.

In the Carribbean, Tuzla Koyu would be called a hurricane hole.

Tuzla Buku looking northwest

The inlet is about one mile long, the depth at the head 2-3 meters, and the holding good. Two little boats are kept there but there are no buildings within a 45-minute walk. We hardly noticed the winds when they came and did a lot of hiking during the two days we spent there. A dirt road runs around the bay. In two days the only traffic we saw was a single bicycle.

Sunday, 15 April, we sailed the 10 miles east to Sogut, another tiny village on a picturesque bay.

Sogut looking north

There are three sets of docks in Sogut. We stayed at the dock furthest to the left when entering. It belongs to Sahil Marina. The marina is a small, family run affair. I knew I would like it as soon as I stepped ashore.

Everything a sailor could ask for in one place

They knew exactly what I was looking for.

Monday, we took a dolmus from Sogut to Marmaris, about 45 minutes away. It was our first time in Marmaris and we used it as a scouting expedition, supply run, and another attempt to figure out why our GSM modem didn’t work. It was a success on the first two counts but a failure on the third. The Turkcell people said they could not help because we did not have our passports with us.

While we were at Netsel Marina in Marmaris, we spotted a weather forecast. It predicted winds on Wednesday would reach force 10. That got my attention and I downloaded fresh grib files as soon as I was back on the boat.

We thought we would like to pass this storm someplace small. English harbour is only a one hour sail from Sogut and we went there on Tuesday. On arrival, we found it open to the forecasedt wind direction and already uncomfortable. Although there were no other boats there, it felt crowded.

We took Orca across the bay to Okluk. It felt better there. We anchored in 7 meters and tied the stern to a tree. Then hiked around the area and to the restaurant on the opposite shore.

Okluk waiting for the storm

I was hoping for internet access to track the approaching storm but none was available. A Swedish lady on one of the yachts told me the last forecast she saw was for 50 knot winds on Wednesday. We returned to Orca and put down a second anchor. Our rudder was close enough to the rocks to make me nervous. I pulled in the anchor lines as much as I dared to hold us off.

Wednesday morning the winds came. We could hear them starting to build after midnight. About 0700 a sudden gust came that was so strong it blew open the forehatch. It must have been 90 knots but lasted only a few seconds.

The winds continued strong throughout the day with frequent gusts that pulled water off the surface and whipped it into the air. There was heavy rain and occasional hail. A few trees were blown over. One by one, the boats tied up near us left. When the one next to us moved and left a bouyed anchor behind, I took advantage and added his anchor to the collection holding Orca off the rocky ledge behind her.

By Thursday morning the storm had passed and we were ready to move on. On the way out of Okluk, a mermaid was sighted on a rock. I hear they come out after storms.

A mermaid sighted near Okluk

We waved as we went past but got no response.

The destination for the day was Kargilibuk, just 5 miles west of Okluk. Kargilibuk is another hurricane hole. It is sheltered from all directions. We anchored in 4 meters over mud with good holding.

The well protected inlet of Kargilibuk

There is a restaurant in the bay but it is not where Heikell shows it. It is on the south side toward the east end of the bay. Called Ali and Eli’s, it has a dock with 3.5 meters on the end, with water but no power. The restaurant was not yet open for the season when we stopped by but we did meet Ali and Eli and found them to be wonderful hosts. They told us their specialty is Turkish BBQ.

The peaceful night we spent anchored in Kargilibuk was very welcome after the storm in Okluk.

On Friday, we were still using Monday’s grib file. We had doubts about its accuracy but it was all we had. Based on it, we decided to head west, but did not want to go as far as Knidos because the grib was predicting strong winds from the southeast and Knidos is open in that direction. The plan was to overnight in a little bay near Mersencik.

During the 33 mile sail to Mersencik we encountered winds from all around the compass. At one point we tacked without changing course. Anything the grib may have forecast was true at some point.

The cove at Mersencik does not go back very far. It has rocks on the north and south sides and a steep beach on the west side.

The cove north of Mersencik

We dropped anchor and tried to figure out what to tie the stern to as there was not much swinging room. I went ashore and could see the beach was subject to large breaking waves at times. Heikell said the cove was good in a meltemi but we were expecting winds from a different direction. After lunch we made up our minds to move on. It was 1400 and the only place nearby was Knidos.

It took 2-1/4 hours to reach Knidos. Half that time was motoring directly into the wind – in spite of changing course 60 degrees. We tied to the end of the dock and were the only boat in the harbour. It was a little bit rough but tolerable.

Knidos dock

There was no power on the dock because the storm a few days earlier had sent waves over (and into) the electrical boxes. We had beers at the restaurant and walked around the area exploring the ruins of yet another ancient city. There is much to see at Knidos and it is a recommended stop – in most weather.

That night the wind increased. It was not a storm but the waves in the harbour were high enough to hit the underside of the dock we were tied to. The wind held us off the dock. Even though we had snubbers on our dock lines, they would come taught with a heavy jerk every 15 to 30 seconds making sleep impossible. It was also as dark a night as I have ever experienced.

Things were slightly better in the morning. Mary and I paid the admission and went into the fenced off section of ancient Knidos.

From Knidos to Datca, our next stop, was 20 miles. We did not want to fight a strong headwind all the way but could not get a weather forecast. The people we asked told us everything from “it will be calm tonight” to “there is a big storm coming”. Eventually, the restaurant manager came. He had a laptop with a GSM modem (like we had but working). He pulled up windguru for us. It showed the wind dying overnight and becoming force 2 on Sunday. We spent the rest of the day hiking around. In the afternoon, four more boats came in and tied up for the night. We made some new friends and had a peaceful night at the dock.

Knidos Harbour

After avoiding the fish farms in route, we found an anchorage with good holding in 4 meters in nice but uninspiring surroundings. There were a number of large fishing boats with loud engines on the west side of the bay but they were not too loud to ignore. There were some restaurants ashore but we chose to remain on board so cannot comment on them.

Kazikili Iskelesi

Tuesday morning, we left in calm winds and motored south 14nm to Ilica Buku, weaving our way through the fish farms. There is a marina at the entrance to the bay. We stopped outside to look at it and a RIB sped out to us. The men on board asked if we wanted to go in and for how long we would stay. We told them we would stay one night. They radioed their office and after a short time told us they were closed. It all seemed odd but we had really meant to go further into the bay so we were not too disappointed.

The Ilica is a long bay with a right turn near the end. There is a beach at the head of the bay. We went in near to the head, anchored in 5 meters with a sand bottom, then took a line ashore. The scenery was very pleasant with tree covered slopes all around us. The water was clear and calm.

Tied to a tree in Ilica Buku

Although the environment looked very peaceful, there was road construction on one of the hills overlooking our anchorage. Jack hammers and dump trucks made a tremendous racket. We took a long walk down a disused road. The weather was perfect but after two miles, we could still hear the construction.

Wednesday, we got a late start and sailed 16nm out of the gulf and around to Gumusluk. The winds were near calm until we approached the harbor. There it took four attempts to get the anchor to hold in 5 meters with weed on the bottom. A stiff breeze was blowing through the harbor and we decided to put down a second anchor.

At anchor in Gumusluk

Gumusluk is on the site of the ancient city of Myndos. Unexcavated ruins surround the harbor and it is easy to spend most of a day exploring them. There are also several restaurants along the water most of which specialize in serving fresh fish.

We needed to get WiFi for my work and to update our grib (weather) files. I could see the WiFi stations of many of the nearby cafes and restaurants. We went to several of them for beer or coffee only to discover they all had problems and were unusable. The wind in the harbor remained strong out of the south – the direction we needed to go. We stayed a second night.

Friday morning, the wind was still blasting through Gumusluk. We walked up the hill to the Mars Cafe for lunch taking our netbook along in case their WiFi worked – it did. We downloaded a grib file and examined it over lunch. The weather did not look so bad. It was already afternoon but the Turgutreis marina is only about 5 miles south of Gumusluk so we decided to push for it. Much to our surprise, once we were out of the harbor, we found we could carry full sail with no problem. The hills around Gumusluk must funnel the wind so it is twice as strong in the harbor as it is outside.

Turgutreis is an expensive marina but has everything a discerning yachtsman, not on a budget, could want. We had our laundry washed and bought food at the supermarket across the street. Although they charge extra for WiFi, I found an open station I could use. We spent just one night there.

Saturday noon we were on our way to Gumbet, just over the hill from Bodrum. The forecast was for strong Southeast winds and Gumbet looked to be more sheltered than Bodrum. We went up into the Northeast corner of this large bay and anchored in 2.5 meters mud with good holding.

In Gumbet harbor

Heikell describes Gumbet as noisy but out of season it is quiet. Many of the bars and clubs were closed. In all, the town was not very exciting.

Getting internet access is always a big deal for me. In Gumbet I founds scores of WiFi stations – mostly encrypted – but when I went around to the various bars and restaurants they belonged to, I found either the business was closed or the service did not work. I have a GSM dongle I bought from Aldi in Frankfurt. I bought a Turkcell sim card for it in Dikili but let it expire over the winter when I did not need to use it. In Gumbet, I went to a shop and paid 40TL to top it off. My mistake was to not test it in the shop. When I tried it on the boat that evening, I got the message “Registration Denied”. The shop was closed on Sunday. Monday they tried to figure out the problem but finally sent me down the street to a Turkcell shop. They looked at it and told me to go to Turkcell in Bodrum.

On Tuesday, we motored the 4 miles around the peninsula to Bodrum. It took several tries to find a spot in the harbor east of the castle and get the anchor dug in. In contrast to Gumbet, Bodrum did feel like an interesting place.

Bodrum Castle

We began by finding the “big” Turkcell shop. There I was told my sim card was fine but my modem was being blocked because it was listed as stolen. We tried replacing the modem with a new one from Turkcell but my netbook did not even detect it. Because the netbook runs Linux instead of windows, the shop keeper was quick to declare the whole venture as a lost cause.

Our first task for Wednesday was to take the ferry to Kos and get new Turkish visas. Kos was a fun place to spend the day. I priced a new tiller pilot while I was there and found it to be about 100 euros cheaper than in Turkey. Re-entering Turkey, we got the new 90 in 180 day visas. We inquired about a 9 month visa for boaters but the official said he knew nothing about it.

We were able to get WiFi in the harbor and the grib file indicated strong winds from the southeast coming. Bodrum harbor did not look like a good place to be when they arrived. The Bodrum marina is ridiculously expensive.

Thursday morning we went into the castle museum when it opened. This is the best museum I have been to in a long time. Much of it is devoted to underwater archeology. Some of the artifacts displayed date back to the bronze age. I would like to spend more time there some day but we were anxious to move on to the next harbor. We still had to take on water before our target departure time of noon.

Bodrum harbor seen from the castle

On Wednesday, 28 March, 2012, we (mostly) motored from Kusadasi to the marina in Didim.  It was an 8-3/4 hour passage with adequate wind during only one hour.  The marina here is new – having opened in 2009.  Everything is shiny new and first class but not at all crowded.

Orca in Didim Marina

It has the biggest boatyard I have seen at a yacht marina.  And by big, I don’t just mean there are a lot of boats.  This seems to be the place for working on mega-yachts.

Just one or two sizes larger than Orca

Didim is a good place to stop and see some of the ancient ruins.  On Thursday, our first stop was the Temple of Apollo on the north edge of town.

Temple of Apollo

A dolmus (mini bus) took us there from outside the marina.

Friday’s trip to see Miletus, an entire ancient city, involved a bit more walking.  The closest bus stop is 5km from the site.  But the weather was gorgeous and we needed the exercise after hiding below deck from the cold all winter.

Miletus, Turkey

In Greek times, this city was an important seaport.  Now it is miles inland.  Some things are hard to plan for.

Today, Saturday, is market day in Didim.   I love going to the Turkish markets.  Although not as big as the market in Kusadasi, it was still amazing and had more than you could imagine.  Also, this one is covered.

The Didim Market

The produce here is excellent and the most common price is 1TL (56 cents US) per kilo (2.2 pounds).  How can you go wrong?  The only problem is a tendency to over buy.

The winds in this part of the Med are predominantly from the north.  We are trying to go south so in theory, it should be easy.  In practice, the winds come from where ever you want to go.  Just now they are from the southeast.  A break is forecast for Monday and Tuesday.  The plan is to move on then.

I removed the remaining screws that once held on the skeg and filled the area with epoxy filler. Orca has some drain holes in the bottom of her rudder. Water seeps into the rudder during the year and it is important to open the hole to let it drain when out of the water in case of freezing weather. Those holes had to be replugged with Sikaflex.

The bottom was painted with two coats of Tek Marine – a Turkish brand of anti-fouling paint. Other sailors in the area say it works well and it is much less expensive than the imported brands.

The last of January was the day we scheduled for launch. The big boat carrier was brought around at 1020 and the operators began jockeying it into place. The boats in the yard were packed like sardines and there was not much room to maneuver.

Positioning the boat carrier around Orca

The boat carrier is a neat machine. It has all wheel steering and everything is hydraulically operated. It has an 80 ton capacity and is usually used for boats considerably larger, and beamier, than Orca. That turned out to be a problem.

The carrier has six pads on hydraulic rams to support the vessel being moved. These pads can be raised and lowered easily but, to move them in, toward the centerline of the boat is a manual effort requiring some strength. As a result, the workers prefer to not move them.

A lifting pad in the wrong place becomes a squeezing pad

As the position of the pads move from underneath the boat and around the turn of the bilges the force exerted by the hull against the pads increases. In my possibly faulty calculations, where the angle of the hull is 45 degrees the force would be 2 times what it would be directly underneath and at 60 degrees the force would be 3 times.

Now there is another problem. The boat carrier is usually used to move boats that are longer than my 31-foot Berwick. The hydraulic rams can moved fore and aft but only with great manual effort. The moving crew of course had a natural desire to conserve energy so they used only four pads instead of six (as had been used during haul-out in September).

Too much weight concentrated on the aft pads

On the above photo note how high the aft pad is and how far forward it is.

It was difficult to maneuver the carrier into the road and get it turned around. This was due partially to the close spacing of the boats but more to the construction that left an open manhole just where the machine’s wheels wanted to go. A lot of fore and aft moves were made trying to work around the open hole – some of them rather jerky in nature. One of the jerks was accompanied by a loud cracking sound. The source of the noise can be seen below.

The damage is done - a crack in the hull

On the port side, just below the waterline and even with the aft saloon window, the hull had cracked. Not an easy thing to do to a 1975 Westerly Berwick.

My first thought was “There is a hole in my boat/home/office, what am I going to do?” Then, “What kind of a boat should I replace this one with?”

The yard supervisor was sent for and the boat was set down. I went aboard and checked the inside of the hull. No damage or deformation was visible. With the pad removed, the crack did not look so bad.

The crack

Within 20 minutes, the yard had someone grinding the cracked area. He ground down to the bottom of the crack which was not too deep.

The fiberglass ground down to the bottom of the crack

The guy then cleaned the area with solvent, and applied two layers of woven roving followed by two layers of mat.

Fiberglass mat going on over woven roving

He was working outside with an air temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius. He set up some heat lamps to help cure the resin. The area was smoothed with epoxy filler then sanded.

The damaged area filled and sanded

Bottom paint was applied and there was no visual indication that anything had happened.

The pads were then repositioned and all six were engaged.

The pads better positioned

Orca began again to make her way to the launch area. There she was transferred to the travel lift and, just three hours after being cracked, was gently set in the water.

We went through the standard checking for leaks – with a special emphasis on the damaged area. I burped the stern gland and started the engine. Correction – attempted to start the engine.

Orca’s old Volvo Penta MD2B has always started reliably and within three revolutions. Even after six months of sitting out a UK winter. Now it just cranked. There are only two things required for a diesel engine to run: fuel and compression. I could tell just by listening there was compression. That left fuel.

I loosened the injector lines and cranked. Nothing came out. Checked the secondary filter for air but there was none. Continued to crank for 30 second at a time to avoid overheating the starter motor. During the third or fourth cranking, fuel began to drip from the injector lines. I tightened them up and the engine started.

How did air get in the lines? I have no idea. It never happened before. I just now started the engine after letting it sit for three weeks and it started right up.

We put Orca back in the marina and have slowly been getting her ready for another season. They tell me the weather this winter has been unusually cold. It has been down to freezing several nights and one morning there was snow. This past week though has been great and the sailors are emerging from their hibernation – sticking their heads out of their companionways and looking around like prairie dogs.

Orca back in the water

We expect to stay in Kusadasi until the end of March. After that we will go to Didim, Bodrum then along the south coast to Marmaris and beyond.

Orca on the hard for winter

Things don’t always go according to plan. The UK work permits never materialized. We had prior experience with Minnesota winters and did not consider staying there a viable option.

Since a flight had already been booked from Minneapolis to Heathrow, we decided to stick to the script of going to Southampton then work our way back to Turkey.

We got to Southampton 18 December. It is a lovely city and I regret we could not stay and work over the winter. There is plenty of both old and new to see.

The old and new of Southampton, UK

There is even an aviation museum. I was unaware of Southampton’s aviation history before visiting the museum. To my surprise, they had a Sandringham that I had been aboard in Puerto Rico in 1979 when it belonged to my employer at that time, Antilles Airboats.

The former Antilles Airboats Sandringham in a Southampton museum

Over the three weeks spent in Southampton, we took several day trips. We hiked through New Forest.

A home just outside New Forest

We explored the Old Sarum outside Salisbury.

Our son Robert came and joined us for ten days. Together we took trips to the Isle of Wight,

Osborne House, Isle of Wight

London,

London, England

and Portsmith.

Portsmith, UK

Our intent was to travel overland back to Turkey by way of Zürich. When I priced train fare from London to Zürich I found it to be three times the cost of flying. So fly it was and we were in Zürich on 4 January. Two nights were spent there then we took a train to Lucerne.

Our accommodation in Lucerne was a rented apartment near the city center. From there, we walked everywhere we could for three days.  Unfortunately, the prices in Switzerland are as breathtaking as the scenery.

Beautiful but expensive Lucerne

The cost of a Big Mac is over $12 and we don’t eat at McDonalds. Lucerne is a beautiful place but three days was all we could afford.

Next was another train to Venice, Italy on 9 January. I loved Venice but I am a water person so that should be no surprise.

Main Street Venice, Italy

Venice is also an expensive stop, but not as expensive as Lucerne. We were able to afford four nights there. An advantage to seeing Venice in January is the sharply reduced number of tourists. Although nowhere near empty, you could see the ground in St Mark’s Square. In season it would be completely covered by sightseers.

St Marks in January

I also understand it smells better in winter. Another nice thing about Venice – there are no automobiles. Transportation is either on foot or by boat.

On the 13th of January, we boarded a cruise ship sized ferry and said goodbye to Venice.

Leaving Venice by ferry

While we were on this ship, another cruise ship on the other side of Italy hit a reef.

Thirty hours later we were deposited on the docks of Patras, Greece. We had booked a hotel in Patras in advance and taken the time to look at Google Maps to see how to get to it from the ferry docks. When we got off the ferry on the evening of the 14th, we were confident which way to walk to get to the hotel. Knowing which way to go was important because we were carrying way too much baggage.

Google Maps was accurate – except our ferry did not dock at the ferry docks. We confidently set off in the wrong direction. It took us two hours of schlepping to reach our hotel.

When we recovered the next morning, we wandered around the city. We found it a delightful place and refreshingly affordable.

Patras from "The Castle"

Unfortunately, the city was in the middle of a sanitation workers strike and there were mountains of trash piled up on every street corner.

An early morning bus on 16 January took us to Athens and a municipal bus carried us to the port of Piraeus on the Eastern side of Greece. There we boarded another ferry.

The ferry to Chios

This one conveyed us to the delightful Greek island of Chios.

The harbor at Chios

The town on Chios had ancient ruins and fantastic restaurants. But it was too cold to explore thoroughly. I am looking forward to going back there in the summer and sailing around the island.

After a two night stay in the Aegean Sea Rooms, we boarded another ferry. This one was for the 90 minute trip to Cesme, Turkey.

Cesme is a port we bypassed on our way south on Orca. Maybe we will stop there some other time. It looks like it might be worth exploring. This time it was just a place to transfer from ferry to bus. While we waited for the bus we saw snow flurries. Not a good sign.

A bus took us from Cesme to Izmir and another bus from Izmir to Kusadasi. By evening we were home, back on-board Orca in the Kusadasi marina.

Kusadasi Marina from Orca's cockpit (on the hard)

The marina at Kusadasi is well developed and a comfortable place to stop.

Sitting comfortably in Kusadasi

It is not cheap but not overly expensive either. I suppose you could call it mid-range by Turkish standards.

Thursday morning, we dropped off a bag of dirty clothes with the marina laundry service then hiked into town to catch a dolmus to Ephesus. Ground transportation is inexpensive in Turkey.

Ephesus was a major seaport in Greek and Roman times. Now, it is miles inland. It had a large population and lasted thousands of years before it was destroyed by earthquakes and changing geography. The ruins now cover a large enough area to make it challenging to see in one day.

The amazing library at Ephesus

Never the less, we did our best. Then back to Kusadasi, where we picked up some groceries and the laundry.

Friday was too windy to leave so we caught up on more boat work and I did some computer work also.

Saturday, 1 October was another day in port. We walked around town and got to know the place a little better.

Getting to know Kusadasi, Turkey

In season, Kusadasi is full of tourists. Many are Brits or Germans.

We talked to our friends in Minnesota – the ones we had worked with the previous winter. We had vowed to never spend another winter in Minnesota. But they had work to be done and thought it could be done in Southampton, UK. We agreed to fly to Minnesota for 9 weeks while the work permits were arranged then spend the rest of the winter working in the UK.

The plan had been to winter in Marmaris, Turkey. There the weather is usually mild and there is a sailing community with plenty of social events to help pass the winter. But if we were going to be in England, it did not make much sense to sail another 150 miles to leave the boat in a more expensive marina.

We made the arrangements with the marina and paid for a haul out and winter storage. A couple days were spent preparing the boat – taking down sails and giving away perishable food.

On Thursday, 6 October 2011, Orca was hauled out. The fouling was not bad and came off easily with the pressure wash.  She had been in the water only six months and most of the time is was fresh water.

Doing a good job with the pressure wash

Of course, there was the noticeable absence of a skeg.

Where once there was a skeg

Friday morning we flew from Izmir to Minneapolis.

A four masted schooner we had seen in Varna

Orca easily passed her – going the opposite direction.

On arriving in Eskifoca at 1510, we looked for a berth at the yacht club. There were a few empty spaces but this was a Sunday afternoon with a lot of boats out sailing. We did not want to take someone else’s berth and there was no one who could tell us where to tie up. In the end, we decided to anchor out on the north side of the bay. There was good protection from the strong north wind there. We set the anchor in about 4 ½ meters off a beach.

From the anchorage in Eskifoca, Turkey

At around 2200, the wind strengthened and the anchor drug. We motored back into shallow water and tried again. This time the anchor held till time to leave.

The next passage, to Agrilar was 56 miles so we got a pre-dawn Monday start at 0420. The wind was still strong from the north. The first leg was west giving us a beam reach. We made good speed (7+ knots) under reduced sail with quartering seas running 2 to 3 meters. It was exciting.  At some point we noticed that the knocking noise had stopped.

Orca passed Cesme, turned up into Agrilar Limani, dodged all the wind surfers, and entered Port Alacati at 1420.

Port Alacati is a new marina. All the facilities are clean and up to date and it is a very pleasant place to stay.

Port Alacati Marina

We had some deferred maintenance to take care of so we spent two nights there. I changed engine oil, adjusted the rigging and replaced some frayed dock lines. Then I went in the water to take a look at the skeg. There was no skeg. I guess it was ripped off by the quartering seas.

Although the Port Alacati marina is very nice, it is a long walk from the town of Alacati. There is a vacation home development just outside the marina but nothing much to see other than expensive homes in beautiful surroundings.

Yeah, I could live there - if I won the lottery.

Wednesday was another early start. We left before dawn and followed our GPS track back through the twisting channel. The winds were initially strong but they slowly diminished until, at 1500, we were becalmed. Oh well, thats what that 450 pound lump of iron is for.

Orca arrived at Setur Marina Kusadasi at 1600. We drifted inside the marina for a few minutes while the two boats ahead of us were shown berths. Then two guys in a RIB led us to ours and helped us secure. Although we did not know it at the time, we were home. As soon as Orca was put to bed, Mary and I headed into town for a look.

Downtown Kusadasi, Turkey

As soon as that problem was resolved, we were hailed by a Turkish Coast Guard boat.

A Turkish Coast Guard RIB investigating our suspicious vessel

First we were asked a number of questions over the VHF. The boat started to head away from us. Then they turned around and came back. We were ordered to stop. The boat tied along side and asked for our passports and transit log. They spent 10-15 minutes discussing these with someone via cell phone, handed them back, said thank you and cast off.

Ayvalik is a town on a large bay referred to as “The Lake”.

Ayvalik, Turkey

There are a number of anchorages around the bay but we made our first stop at the big Setur Marina. There we tied up to the fuel dock and topped off our diesel tank. While we were there, we walked over to the Migros grocery and stocked up on food. We also tried to get water but could not find a working tap.

Unwilling to spend money on a marina we chose an anchorage that looked well protected from the forecast wind. It was named Kumru Koyo on the chart and was at the far west end of the bay. We found a spot in three meters and dropped the hook. There were no buildings in sight and no WiFi.

The anchorage at Kumru Koyo

It was only 1520 so we did chores the rest of the afternoon. I installed an FM radio we had been carrying since Budapest (but just found the power connector in Istanbul). Crew did laundry.

Friday morning, Crew had the anchor up at 0820. We had to motor against a strong wind to get out of The Lake. Once out, the wind was fair but of variable strength. We alternated between sailing and motoring about every half-hour. An occasional knocking noise reminded us that the skeg was still loose.

Orca arrived at Dikili at 1335. A fisherman showed us where to tie alongside the quay. We were charged 50TL/night and paid for two nights.

Orca in the harbor at Dikili, Turkey

Dikili has a fishing harbor rather than a marina. The facilities were a bit rough but the people were friendly. The town of Dikili was a lot of fun to wander. It was busy and full of little shops where you might find anything.

A busy street in Dikili

The prices were the cheapest we had seen in Turkey.

Dikili is a gateway to the ruins of ancient Pergamon – which is why we paid for two nights in the harbor. I had thought I had already seen Pergamon – in Berlin. They have so much of it there, an entire museum’s worth, that it didn’t seem there could be much left in Turkey. I was wrong.

To get to Pergamon we first had to get a dolmus (a mini-bus) to the bus station. We didn’t know where the bus station was or where to catch the dolmus. A local shopkeeper came out to show us and waited until we were safely aboard the dolmus. A bus took us to the town of Bergama and from there a taxi took us to the top of the mountain where the ruins lie.

Pergamon was a big city. It’s theater seated 15,000. The Germans indeed carted off the best preserved pieces but somethings were just too big to take.

The amphitheater at Pergamon overlooks the city of Bergama

And of course, they couldn’t take the views.

Pergamon

A few buildings were well preserved and their tile floors were still intact.

A tile floor in ancient Pergamon

While at Pergamon, we met a gentleman who was part of a carpet making coop. He offered us a ride to his site, across the street from the bus station, and a tour. We took him up on his offer. That was an experience in itself and Mary has written an article about it on her blog. We had lunch and wine at the site and saw a lot of carpets.

They have a lot of carpets in Turkey

The fort opposite Canakkale

It is 26 miles from Canakkale to Bozcaada. The winds were variable. At times we were able to sail, at other times we had to motor. I hear this is common and some sailors refer to the area as the “motorterranean”.

Bozcaada is a Turkish island just beyond the mouth of the Dardanelles. It was the Greek base for the attack on Troy (it seems like yesterday) and has a well preserved Genoese castle.

Approaching Bozcaada Limani

There was a Turkish frigate anchored outside the harbor when we arrived.

The harbor has two sections. There is a well protected, crowded section for local fishing boats. It is attractive and surrounded by restaurants.

The fisherman's side of the harbor at Bozcaada, Turkey

There is also a less crowded and, as we found less protected, section for yachts.

When we sailed in, we were directed to pick up a mooring and tie bow to the concrete quay. The charge was 50TL (~30USD)/night. There was no shower and the toilets were, at best, primitive. We explored the town and found it very pretty. Dinner was good and the cost was reasonable and we returned to Orca for the night.

Around 0200, we were woken up by the violent motion of the boat. The wind had become strong from the southeast. The yacht harbor is completely open from that direction. The waves in the harbor were confused and about one meter high. One meter is not much when you are at sea. But we had our bow tied to a concrete quay and had a 40-foot steel hulled motor-sailer inches away on our starboard side and a 50-foot fiberglass powerboat less than one meter to our port. Both of these boats were leaping up and down and threatening to smash us to splinters.

Someone on shore came along the quay to help the people on-board double there dock lines. It would have been impossible to get ashore without injury. The powerboat to port had 4 guys on-board and they adjusted their lines and put out extra fenders between their boat and Orca. The big motor-sailer to starboard was unattended. Two boats were able to get loose and put to sea. We could see no way to get out from between our two neighbors without damage so we rode it out at the quay.

We did what we could on deck then sat in the cabin for a couple of hours. Gradually, the wind and waves subsided. By 0800, all was calm again.

We had planned to wait for the fuel tank-truck to come and take on diesel. But now, we just wanted to get out of that “harbor” as fast as we could. We fled Bozcaada at 0920 to head for better weather and a more protected harbor. Our destination was the ancient harbor of Assos, 37 miles to the southeast.

Assos is an artificial harbor originally built in about 1000 B.C. Heikell’s guide makes it sound hazardous with large stone blocks littering the entrance. We resolved to enter with good light.

About 1230, the sky clouded up and it began to rain. Shortly there after, Orca was hit by a squall with 40+knot winds. As we tried to lower the mainsail, a shackle on the mainsheet failed leaving the boom to flog out of control. We did manage to subdue the boom and, under bare poles, motored slowly into the wind.

The squall was short-lived. By the time we reached Assos, the sun was out again and we had the light we wanted to enter the harbor. The entrance was straightforward and no hazards were seen. We entered Assos at 1630.

There were no other yachts in the harbor. Someone on shore directed us to pick up a mooring and Med-moor to the wall. Two men helped with our bow lines. Once tied up, we discovered we were at the Nazlihan Hotel. We stepped ashore via a gang plank to our own table at the Hotel’s restaurant.

Our private table at the Nazlihan Hotel Restaurant

We were shown where to connect our power cord.

After wandering around the hamlet, we hiked up the road to the top of the hill. There lie the ruins of the ancient city of Assos. In the amphitheater, Mary performed an impromptu concert to standing ovations.

Mary performing live at Assos amphitheatre

The acoustics were fantastic.

We returned to Orca. Since the hotel was not charging us for the berth or the power (or the WiFi), we decided to patronize them for dinner. Although the place had been empty when we arrived, it was now full of American tourists who had come on a bus tour. We talked with them as we ate and they admired our humble home on the sea.

The next morning, we had breakfast on the boat while the tourists ate at the hotel and boarded their buses. After they left, we went ashore and ordered coffee. The waiter pointed to a big buffet that had been set out for the now departed Americans and told us to help ourselves.

So after a string of overpriced poor quality marinas, we found a beautiful spot with free mooring, free power, and free breakfast.

Our gracious host at Assos