Well as you know from our Winter report we did manage to escape from Finike Marina and all the partying that we endured over the winter.
We left in calm conditions followed by Lis and Flemming on Summertime and motored to Kekova Roads for our first night at anchor, we managed to put the sails up for about an hour but that was really only a token effort. As we entered Kekova we were greeted by two large dolphins swimming in front of our bows so that was a memorable start to our cruising season.
We looked into Woodhouse Bay anchorage but decided that it was a bit too small for both of us without tying back to the shore and that was a bit too much hassle for just one night. We anchored in Polemos Buku at the Western end, a lovely peaceful spot with plenty of room and good secure holding for the anchor.
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| Dolphins to Welcome us to Kerkova | Kerkova Roads From the Anchorage |
The Lycian Way is a coastal path that covers over 500km of the coast from Fethiye to Antalya and it passes Kekova so Chris and Flemming went for a short hike from the anchorage to explore. It is marked with red and white paint and is little more than a goat track in places but it does pass through some wonderful unspoilt country. If you want some more info have a look here http://www.lycianturkey.com/lycian-way.htm
From Kekova we set off for the remote Greek Island of Kastellorizon, only 2 miles from Turkey but nearly 70 miles from the Rhodes the nearest other Greek Island. The weather promised light winds on the beam but it wasn’t listening to the forecast and we ended up having to beat to windward with F5 occasionally F6 winds that stayed persistently on the nose round every headland. We were glad to drop the hook in the lovely anchorage adjacent to Kastellorizon Harbour.
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| Part of The Lycian Way at Kekova | Kastellorizon Anchorage with Summertime |
One of the main reasons to stop at Kastellorizon was to see the Easter Parade, this is very important to the Greeks and is probably the main religious celebration of the year. Despite Kastellorizon only having a permanent population of around 200 the turnout for the parade and services was impressive. A huge ferry had brought people over from Cyprus and all the soldiers and officers from the Military Base were out in dress uniforms along with all the ferry officers, there were probably over 500 people around in total.
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| Kastellorizon Easter Parade | Kastellorizon Harbour with Cliff Path Beyond |
Behind the harbour of Kastellorizon is a 300m high cliff with a very steep and winding path snaking up to the top, you can see it in the picture above. Chris and Flemming decided that they had to go and explore so set off early for a hike to the top, strangely the girls decided they didn’t need to join us.
The climb up is hard work with rough stone steps and steeply sloping paths winding along the edge of the cliff, it must have been a huge project when it was originally built and it is still in very good condition.The views make it all worthwhile and we had sunshine to help improve things.
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| “Stairs of Death” – Kastellorizon | Looking Down – The Anchorage and Turkey Beyond |
In Finike some of our friends used to do an early morning walk up a long stone staircase that they took to calling the “Stairs of Death” but they were just a pussy cat compared to the climb here so Nostromo and Thala will have to call in at Kastellorizon.
Once at the top the path levels out and crosses the interior of the Island where we came to a monastery undergoing refurbishment with more European Money, most of which did not seem to have been spent on the work!! Anyway we took advantage of the builders seats for a breakfast stop before heading to the highest point of the Island at the North with yet another Monastery built in another inaccessible spot. We could look north up the Turkish Coast and South over the harbour and onwards down the Turkish Coast so it was definitely worth the effort.
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| Building Site Breakfast Stop | Looking Over the Harbour From the Top of The Island |
From Kastellorizon we headed for the upmarket resort of Kalkan and had more dolphins to greet us in the approaches. Kalkan is quite a small harbour and is probably overrun with Gullets and Tripper boats in the summer but at this time of year there was plenty of room, unfortunately the Harbourmaster decided to return to work on our second day so we had to pay 60TL (20 Euros) for the next night, at least we got stocked up with fresh supplies and water.
Next stop was Kapi Kreek in Skopea Limani to the South of Gogek, a beautiful spot but spoilt a bit by the restaurant owner deciding that he could put pontoons and lazy lines around practically the whole creek leaving nowhere to anchor and then expect you to eat with him. Although this is normal practice in Turkey with restaurant pontoons you have usually got room to anchor and so not be obliged to use there often overpriced and poor quality restaurants, not so here!! We ignored the convention and he was not very happy but I suspect there was little he could actually do about it. For anyone who does want to visit there is probably just about room to anchor and tie back to the East shore at the entrance before the pontoons start.
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| Barber Shop, Kapi Kreek | Tranquillity in Kapi Kreek |
A walk ashore did reveal a Barbers / Massage Parlour hidden in the trees as well as some nice views over the other side of the peninsula.
An early start next day for the 37nm to Turuc Buku just south of Marmaris, mostly motoring with a couple of hours sailing late in the day when the breeze built a little.
We had a lovely little passenger for 2 or 3 hrs of the trip and his mate joined Summertime for a ride just behind us, the Hoopoe is a bit of a rarity in the UK but is fairly common over here as it is on their migration route from North Africa, our visitor certainly seemed pretty tired so maybe he had flown a very long way and needed a rest.
At Marmaris itself we found Reflections, la Foret D’eau and Lurata all friends from Finike. We also picked up a couple of new solar panels to add to the three already on our new stern arch as well as exploring the huge array of chandleries around the town and the supermarkets for supplies.
We had a lovely little passenger for 2 or 3 hrs of the trip and his mate joined Summertime for a ride just behind us, the Hoopoe is a bit of a rarity in the UK but is fairly common over here as it is on their migration route from North Africa, our visitor certainly seemed pretty tired so maybe he had flown a very long way and needed a rest.
At Marmaris itself we found Reflections, la Foret D’eau and Lurata all friends from Finike. We also picked up a couple of new solar panels to add to the three already on our new stern arch as well as exploring the huge array of chandleries around the town and the supermarkets for supplies.
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| Early Morning Departure | Passenger to Marmaris – Hoopoe |
On our way to the Greek Island of Symi we stopped at Ali Baba’s pontoons in Bozuk Buku where we did eat in the restaurant but it was pretty average with small portions and not cheap, also no water or electric to ease the pain. At least we did manage to sail all the way once we got out of Marmaris Bay with some quite boisterous winds requiring some reefing of sails at times, also a few other yachts on the same route so a bit of competition to brighten the day especially since Nimrod and Summertime left everybody else in our wake.
Next stop was Symi to replenish ships supplies (alcohol) since it is around half price in Greece compared to Turkey. We ended up tied to the unfinished harbour wall in Pedi Bay which meant a bit of a hike over the hill into Symi town but it seemed much less windy than the harbour itself. There is a wholesale warehouse on the road from Pedi where we ordered wine and mixers etc, however we found that the drink stores in the town were cheaper for some things and had more choice, also if you are buying a reasonable amount they will all deliver direct to the boat so no carrying involved.
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| Under Full Sail towards Mercencik | Summertime Enjoying the Breeze |
So leaving Symi with a much heavier boat and a lighter wallet we headed round the notoriously windy Datca peninsula towards the quiet anchorage at Mersincik. We left at first light because the forecast predicted rising winds through the day and that is what we got, we motored through the narrow, shallow Nimous Passage with the clear water making it look even shallower but still a couple of metres to spare so not really a problem. We soon had the sails up and managed to sail most of the way apart from an hour of motor sailing when the wind headed us as we approached the end of the peninsula, once round the corner the wind did build as promised and we had 25knts at times but we soon turned downwind and had a fast easy run into Mersencik apart from some big gusts in the approaches as we took the sails down.
A gentle motor across the bay took us to Bodrum to anchor under the castle and head ashore to the market and supermarket but once we got back to the boat the wind had risen and the anchorage was getting a bit uncomfortable so we moved 3nm to shelter behind Karaada Island for the night.
Around the corner next day to Turk Buku and a neck and neck sail with Summertime once the wind had settled, at one point we had to tell Flemming to turn away as he nearly ran over our fishing lines. Once again the wind built later in the day especially round the headlands and gaps between islands, the anchorage in Turk Buku is well protected though so a quiet end to the day.
Unfortunately it was also time to say goodbye to Lis and Fleming for a few months because they are heading north towards Istanbul and we are staying around this area for Sue to fly home and friends flying out to see us, at least Summertime are back in Finike next winter and we should meet them again as they head back South later in the summer.
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| Spectators in Asin Limani | Asin Limani Harbour |
We motored up to the protected inlet of Asin Limani to hide from some forecast strong winds and for Sue to get to Milas Airport. We had a number of cows watching us anchor and tie back to the shore and they never even moved despite Chris in the dinghy with ropes only a few feet away. The village is a very sleepy little spot but does have a couple of supermarkets with fresh bread and a Friday Market, also about 6 fish shops but only a couple seemed to be open, this must be the place for fish in the summer – maybe because of the large number of fish farms in the area.
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| Isene Buku Shipwreck | Ancient Iassos Ampitheatre |
The ruins of ancient Iassos are worth a look around and it is a nice walk up to the old fort overlooking the harbour. I could also see the sunken gullet in the picture above on the other side of the headland, not sure what happened but will have to ask the locals and report back.
We got invited for a meal by Helen and Jean (English and French), a couple of old sailors who have a cottage nearby that they built themselves about 20 years ago, it is now almost completely hidden behind and beneath the roses and vines that have grown around the place. If you didn’t know it was there you would never find it – you have to go through a tunnel of trees and bushes to get to the house.
Sue was taken to the airport by the local taxi driver for a week of family visits while Chris has a week on the boat to catch up with a few more jobs although at the moment the weather is cloudy and wet so not brilliant for working – at least it means you all get a timely blog update!!
Sue returns with son Joe and his girlfriend, Heather to spend a week with us and then we are joined by our regular crew of Rich and Caroline for 3 weeks in June so it may well be after that before you get another update.
