We returned
That’s the great thing about plans; they always sound so perfect. We got the boat scrubbed and ready for the new season. We actually got to the point where more boat projects were crossed off the list than were added to the list, but the “list” still has several years worth of “to do” items remaining. Challenges this year included getting the bird’s nest out of the boom. Seems we had an entire condo built inside. We also were having a bimini made for the boat. The contractor was to have finished it before we arrived but it seems they lost all the dimensions over the winter. “Don’t worry, we can do it in 2 days. We’ll be there on Saturday,” we were told. We also had our electronic wind instrument at the Raymarine office in Marmaris. They were going to fix it over the winter, but, when we returned – oops not done yet. “Don’t worry, we will come on Saturday.” So, now Saturday was going to be a big day! But in fact as it turned out, we were 2 for 2. Both companies came and by Saturday afternoon we were sitting under our new bimini with our instruments now all working correctly. Things are good on Sugilite!
We finally decided on Monday we were ready to push off to join up with our buddy boats from last year (Triumph, Alcid and Tapestry). Hank and Julie (Tapestry) had left to sail north and join the rally a few ports earlier while Triumph left Monday morning with Frank and Gail (Alcid) crewing with Dick and Eilene. We were delayed a bit waiting to resolve our dinghy motor problem. Seems that we are still experiencing problems from when the meltimi flipped the dingy and motor over last year in the
Bag getting the engine fixed. We pushed off from Marmaris Yacht Marina on Monday, May 7th to catch up with Triumph for the night so we could both join the rally in Gocek. As we entered the harbor where Triumph was anchored, we decided that I should be in charge of anchoring the boat. Over the years Steve and I had settled into specific jobs – he ran the boat and I did the lines. That night we switched. I picked out where to anchor and Steve and Lee put down the anchor. We also used the second anchor in back to keep the boat from swinging in the night because we were fairly close to a rock wall. This moorage was very deep so you had to anchor very close to shore. Next morning I was again in charge of getting the boat out of the moorage. After telling Steve my plan, then he gave his advice on problems I might encounter. The second anchor on the back had gotten stuck so Steve suggested we get a snatch block out so we could then use the winch to crank it in. Little did we know how important those lessons that prior night and morning would be later on.
One of the requirements of the EMYR is that all boats will be “dressed” while in port. That means having flags (usually what are called signal flags) running from each end of the boat to the top of the mast. That night we also were madly tying together all the country flags that we had collected over the last 4 years. Our boat could now be “dressed” each time we entered a harbor. The flags, new rally hats, official boat number made us official rally “belong-ers.”
We pulled into Gocek in the morning and waited for the arrival of the Rally boats. Gocek is a developing tourist town. They are madly building new condos and have a very nice marina. The town actually has a couple of marine stores that are quite well stocked. The three of us had lunch in town and Lee got introduced to ordering something off the menu and not knowing exactly what it might be and, once it arrived, still not knowing what it was. We had similar experiences with the grocery stores. We were looking for salsa but have now concluded it’s not available in
It was a bit windy when rest EMYR boats arrived but was great fun to see the support that was available to help “land the fleet!” We had our first cocktail party and started to meet the other people in our group. Because Tapestry, Sugilite and Triumph are all assigned to different groups, we now began meeting our new team members. Most of our group is German, Dutch, Swedish, French or English. Its interesting to hear their stories of where they have been traveling and its amazing to realize most of us have done pretty much the same ports sailing in the Med. Ursula and Gunter are our team leaders. Although English is the official language of the rally, much of our communication also comes in German.
That night we got a phone call saying Steve’s mom had more serious problems and we decided it was time for Steve to leave for
A special tour had been set up for Gocek and we toured the Lycian Tombs. These are tombs built high on the rock faces so that the elite Lycians could have a good view to enjoy the afterlife. After the boat tour past the Tombs, we visited a beach were the Loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs. Because it was in the middle of the day, we didn’t see any turtles or eggs. Last stop on the tour was the mud baths, but, because it was cold and windy, we just watched others turn themselves into “mud coated statues.”
We had problems with our electric plug for the boat and after the tour went with Dick (Triumph) to go to the marine store to buy the new connections so Lee could make up a new plug that would let us plug into the marina’s electricity. After a second trip to the store, we finally got the plug problem solved. Then, later that night as we were going though the drawers, we found the plug that we thought had been left in Marmaris so now we have 2 plug adaptors in case we leave a connector in a future marina.
Next morning we were scheduled to leave Gocek for Kekova Roads, a 68 nautical mile distance. As Steve had backed the boat into the slip, I knew our take-off would be pretty easy. Because our Rally group had to arrive before 1700, we decided to leave at 5 am (68 NM / 6 knots per hour = 12 hours either motoring or sailing at 6 knots). Before Steve left, we went over the pre-trip check-off list of what to do each day before starting the engine: the belts, oil level, engine coolant. If you run the bilge pump with the engine room door open, you can see the fluid going through the tubes. It never really all comes out but its reassuring to watch it so you know there is not “lots of water” in the boat.
So, here we are that first morning at 4:30 am. The engine and I are getting to know each other while Lee is getting the hatches closed. We get the engine going and cast off and gracefully move out of our slip. We were about to applaud our success when we see in the dark 30 feet away another boat just sitting in the middle of the waterway without any lights on, blocking us! I put the boat in reverse and try to decide what to do. There might be enough room to go around them but at 5 am in the dark, we’re not too sure. Finally the boat blocking us decides they really do want to leave and they start their engine again and turn on their lights. We slowly follow them out of the narrow harbor.
When we got the new bimini, Steve had them put a zipper window in the back part. I found that it is just big enough for me to stand on the seat, hold on to the steering wheel and stick my head out the top of the bimini to see where we are going. With all the dew on the windows at that hour, the view from below through windows doesn’t increase your level of confidence.
So, we are officially on the way to Kekova Roads. Lee and I had charted the route on our charts the prior night and knew exactly our expected headings and waypoints. Lee did not have a lot of navigational experience, so I explained to him the system Steve and I had developed over the past few summers. Each half hour (or hour) we would record our location in the log and also draw it on the chart. We use a little sticky arrow on the chart that you can easily move from position to position. This allows you to quickly look at the chart and see the where you are. Then we would compare our location with what we had planned. We double checked each other to make sure we got it right. Because there was no wind, we spent the entire time motoring although occasionally we would put the jib up if the wind was in the right direction. It was a bit rough out in the bay, so many of the fleet diverted behind islands and navigated between the rocks. We didn’t feel overly comfortable with changing our planned route so we stayed out with the waves. Both Triumph and Tapestry went inside. That was the longer route, but seemed maybe to be the shorter, easier route. We tried to keep up the speed so we could beat Tapestry to the anchorage (they didn’t know we were racing them), but to no avail. By late afternoon, we also put up the main but usually would take it down shortly thereafter because of the wind in the wrong direction.
Kekova Roads is a small Turkish village without a marina. We all anchored out in the harbor. On our second try we got the anchor to hold. Hakem and Anna, a Swedish couple about 45 years old, were anchored nearby so they gave us a ride into the docks where our cocktail party was held. She is very beautiful and Lee is convinced their V berth has been converted into a walk-in closet because Anna always comes out in stunning clothes. Hakem is blond and very handsome.
The “docks” in Kekova Roads were a collection of plywood somewhat nailed together and they would flex and bend when you stepped on it. Everyone was very careful getting out of the boats. The local town had young Turkish girls (9 years old??) do a dance for us. It was very neat and we had a great time.
Because Lee and I were a bit stressed after the first day, we decided to go back to the boat early. Hank (Tapestry) offered a ride in their dingy – a small two person dingy. We carefully got the 3 of us in. Then Hank revved up the engine and we were off! Oops – he had forgotten that he still had the anchor down and the little dingy anchor slid along the bottom until it hooked the big lines of the fishing boats and the three of us came to a very quick stop. We were very lucky to still be in the dingy! We carefully backed up and worked several angles until the anchor came loose. That was a one close call for the camera.
Next day we had a tour of the castle. When we landed at the castle’s dock, the entire town’s young girls and some boys came to meet us. Each carried a small basket of handmade shawls. They each attached themselves to one person, asked their name, asked about their boat and developed a “personal rapport” with that person. Then we all started climbing up rocks to the castle. This “climb” turned into a bit of a scramble and was definitely not easy – nor particularly safe in sandals. Along the way, my young boy would pick flowers for my hair or pick wild thyme or mint for me to smell. As the climb got harder, he directed me to the easiest path. Eileen (Triumph) was guided by a town lady who had to be about 80 years old. She held Eileen’s hand the entire way, helping her along the route. As they made this climb several times a day, the lady turned out to be in better shape than any of us. So, we finally go to the top of the climb and saw the view of the harbor from the old castle. Now, after all the flowers and personal climbing assistance, who isn’t going to buy the shawl that “my mother made this past winter.” Mine is red with little shells sewn on the edges. Very nice, very pretty.
Next we were supposed to have had a tour in a glass-bottom boat to view a city that sank into the sea after an earthquake. Turns out the “glass-bottom boat” missed somehow in the translation but we saw some rocks that used to be houses and stairs that went into the water. The highlight of the trip was when Anna and Hakem came over to point out the 62 foot Hallberg Rassy at anchor in the harbor. Several nights before joining the rally, they had met this boat and had been invited over for drinks. The owner of the boat was Christof Rassy, the owner of Hallberg Rassy Company and he was just finishing up a 18 month cruise around the world and was taking the boat back to
Next day was a quick 18 NM sail (motor) to Finike Marina. Before leaving the anchorage, I practiced backing the boat up, using other boats at anchor as my targets. It’s not easy to back up the boat. In fact, it’s really hard!
We were schedule to arrive not before 1600 – 1700. We have been having a problem with black flecks in the water system. Gail (Tapestry) had suggested while we are out motoring into headwinds, empty the water tanks because all the flecks are in suspension. So, en route to Finike we dumped all of our fresh water.
When we got into the harbor, we called to let them know we were there. Dave was at the point directing the joker boats so he had us wave from the bow. A guy swam over to our boat to help me land the boat. As he’s getting close, Dave says, “Do you have the boat in neutral?” I assured him I did! I didn’t want to kill off the guy helping us land. As we got close to the slip, the joker boat gave us the bow line early. Then with the boat in reverse, it pretty much went in like it was suppose to. The swimmer assisted by giving suggestions on what to do. It was comforting. The Finike Marina had a representative meet each boat and give us a bouquet of flowers and a bag of oranges. We were definitely impressed. This area of
That night we had another cocktail party. Steve and Margaret (Joy) have now joined the rally so we caught up on what they have been doing since we last met at a party in
The Finike tour took us to more Lycian Rock Tombs and to a great amphitheater. We had a great time climbing around in the amphitheater. The EMYR rally has an official song that they keep having us practice so we got a group of people together in the center of the amphitheater, and after practicing our favorite Shakespeare lines, we sang and danced the EMYR song – at least some of us did!
Last stop on the tour were more ruins and something to do with St. Nicolas. The best part was our first introduction to camels. There was a guy with 2 camels and a baby camel parked outside the Santa statue. Frank (Alcid) decided to get an up-close look at the camel. I took a few photos, and then the guy insisted that Frank take a ride around Santa Clause Plaza on the camel. It was great fun but the rest of us decided to save the camel experience until when we arrive in camel land. Not sure exactly when that will be, but imagine it is
We had a problem with the tour today. Something got lost in the translation – in fact – there was no translation! The entire tour was in German so we missed most of the highlights except looking at the rocks and reading our guide books. I’m already “ruined out.”
That night they had reserved the Turkish Haman for us (Turkish baths). First you lie on these hot marble slabs and when you get hot, you go get a bucket of water and pour it over yourself. When you are “done”, this guy comes and gets you and then begins a massage with the loffa brush. When all your skin is gone, then they start a bubble massage. This guy blows into a gauze bag, then squeezes it and tons of bubbles come out the holes. It’s quite interesting. Anyway, Lee and I had our first Turkish Haman in Finike.
The next day was a 45 NM sail (motor) to Kemer. That’s about 8 hours and we were to arrive between 1500 – 1600, so we didn’t have to get an early start. We went back and forth between sailing and running the engine. At least we’re getting good at putting sails up and down. We have been keeping a chart of the water temperature for swimming. Today it was 22.9 degrees C. As we got into the harbor, the joker boat and the guy in the slip perpendicular to us helped us land (“move your right hand down further”). We were wedged into a very tight slip and almost ran over the chain holding the boat perpendicular to us. It’s a great marina favored by many boats that over-winter in
Lee took the tour of the day while I worked on Screamer orders for
That night was our official Kemer Party – sportcoats and ties for the men and dresses for the women. Afterwards we went out to dinner with Triumph, Tapestry and Joy. We had a great 10 Euro dinner including drinks. Because of the great facilities at Kemer, we decided to send out laundry there. Unfortunately, when it came back, we were short one pillowcase and had an extra towel and shirt. Lee then went back to try to get the pillowcase back – not an easy thing to explain in Turkish, but he was successful.
Next day we headed across the bay for a 12 hour sail/motor to Alanya. This time they were very specific on the times to arrive. Sugilite ended up being the last boat in. I tried 3 times to med moor but things didn’t work out. The third time had possibilities but then we ran aground. After that Dave came on board and found another, deeper spot and talked me through the process. This time I faced the back of the boat instead of the normal way of driving the boat and it actually worked much better. The entire fleet of EMYR boats watched the 5 attempts and they were very supportive. Dick and Hank had been there to catch my lines for the 1st – 3rd attempt but then when we moved to a new position to land, there were other line handlers on shore.
Because this “new” marina is very undeveloped (no electricity, bathrooms or water) we did a potluck in each of the group the night we arrived. We had some brownies on board, I cooked up a batch and we were the hit of the potluck.
Each morning they are having an exercise class on the docks. After the climb to the castle in Kekova Roads, I decided I needed to get in better shape so now I’m one of the participants. Anna and Hakem also attend. Of course, she has the greatest exercise outfits and always great lipstick so it takes the aerobics to a new level. She’s a real inspiration. We all really love her!
Ron Heikell’s book on
Hank and Julie (Tapestry) were just moored down from us and we had talked about leaving for our first overnight passage together. When I got back on the radio to reconfirm how much longer before they were ready to go, Julie came on to say Hank had fallen down the stairs inside the boat and an ambulance had just arrived to take him to the hospital. She said they were now out of the EMYR. It was a huge shock. He had surgery the next day and they are taking him by ambulance back to Marmaris Yacht Marina where they will leave their boat for the winter. Julie and her crew will work their way up the coast to meet up with Hank. We were very saddened by the news.
We are now down to 67 boats split into 6 groups. We had specific arrival times again. There were questions about the weather forecast. The official EMYR had one version, other people had a much less enticing one. I took my charts and book and consulted with both Paul (New Dawn) and Dick (Tapestry). If it got bad, it would be early in the am so we decided to leave a bit early and hope to arrive before it got bad. It never really did get bad, but then we had about 4 extra hours to kill in Girne before we were allowed to enter the harbor. The wind was now Force 4 – 6 so we headed out to sea to sail. The boat even got up to 7 kts so it was a great sail. Then we realized we were maybe a bit too far out and had to hurry to get back to the port for our scheduled arrival time. When we arrived there were 4 other boats circling around outside the entrance and they kept us circling for almost an hour more. Then they said, OK – come in and all 5 boats headed in at the same time. I was a bit worried because I knew it was a small harbor. We thought we were going to do another med mooring but it turned out we were the 3rd layer of boats out from the shore. The joker boat took our anchor from the stern and carried it further out so we in fact did a med mooring in reverse. Should be interesting to see all these boats untangle.
When I checked in with the customs officials at Girne I had Lee’s and my passports. He asked “Who is the Captain?” When I told him I was, all 4 officers looked up and smiled at me. They thought that was pretty cool. They are keeping our passports while we are here and have given us “shore passes.”
Last night we had another dressy Reception at the castle in Girne and tonight is the Rally Dinner and Pirate’s Party. I’ve taken the day off touring so I could catch up on the computer and hope to find an internet that will let me upload these photos. If not, then I will just send the story.
Hope all is well with everyone. No final word on when Steve returns to try and reclaim the title of Captain of Sugilite. It may be next week – or if not then, hopefully in