TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

Friday 4 May Kas to Fethiye

After a quick trip round the market and packing the boat we were ready to leave. We had a committee of G&J and M&M on the pontoon to see us off – so we had to go!

Away by 9am. Not a breath of wind. We ended up motoring all the way to Fethiye – even the “Seven Capes” was like the proverbial mill pond.

After 2 attempts to anchor between YC and the coastguard base we gave up and went onto YC’s pontoon as it was very quiet. Memet decided we needed a challenge and had us down the inside past the Ece pontoon! Not sure how we will get out again! 

We were treated like returning royalty – so we were glad we came after all. Even Batu walked down to the boat to see us.

Saturday we spent shopping. 

Sunday 5 May Fethiye to Deep Bay

There was no-one on the inside of us, and the boat on the outside said they were leaving, so we waited until we all on our own – then it was easy to get out!!

Another gentle motor sail on flat seas.

We picked up the mooring buoy in Deep Bay with our new Swiftie, and, if I say so myself, we made it look easy. Then we settled down to watch others making it look hard. Just occasionally we do something right!

Deep Bay was as usual a peaceful place, the wind died at night (as it should).

The plan was to move on to Marmaris on Monday but the forecast showed overnight gusts off Marmaris on Monday so we decided to stay another day here on this comfy mooring buoy – why not?

Tuesday 8 May Deep Bay to Marmaris

Left the buoy (regretfully – we will be back) at 8:15 and ended up having to motor to Marmaris. Uneventful passage – other than the main halyard getting wrapped up in the lazy jack blocks and being a nuisance to free.

We anchored off the town in 10m – anchor straight in and dug right in – nearly took the windlass off the deck! I do like an anchorages like that!

The new dinghy floor is a success. Its much more stable and much easier when Neil has to balance to fit the outboard. So hopefully that has given it a “new lease of life”. Each year we say “it owes us nothing” and expect to have to buy a new one and each year we cope with it. Its very faded now – people recognise us – not many people have an apricot coloured dinghy! The side tubes are not very tall so in a chop we do tend to get wet, when (if) we buy a new one it will have taller side tubes!

Wednesday 9 May Transit Log Day

Our transit log expires on 11^th so that is why we are in Marmaris, to renew it.

Went to see the same agent as last time and he said it had expired yesterday. What? It seems that one stamp – the vital customs stamp – was incorrectly dated 8^th! We showed him our passports to prove we were not in Turkey until the 11^th. “Maybe problem” – off he went. It wasn’t a problem – well not to us – he must have talked nicely to the authorities for us. So the log was renewed, no fine. Total cost 210tl including the agent fee.

That night I was putting away the papers when I noticed that it was a “commercial yacht” log instead of a “private yacht” one.

So next morning we rang him – its OK he said. The harbour master has run out of the “private yacht” ones so he has added extra stamps on top of page one! We were dubious so we checked with another agent who confirmed the story. We have to accept it! Its Turkey!

Thursday 10 May Marmaris – Ciftlik

By the time we finally got away it was 10:30, heading for Bozburun. We had no wind up to lunch time and then it hit with avengance. 24k on the nose. We tried to sail – but it was gusty and hard work. After  an hour of making little progress we decided that by then we didn’t have the daylight time left to mess about tacking. By 2pm we had not made it to island that is the halfway point in the trip. So we turned around and flew under headsail to Ciflik and went on the sailing club pontoon. That was Ok – windy little hole but we backed up nicely to the pontoon. The lazy line he gave us wasn’t lined up to where he tied our stern lines, so we had to change lazy lines and that left a gap – but he said it was OK.

We should have known better, we had just ordered our “kofte” in the resturant when a boat tried to force his way into the gap – we dashed back and fended off and explained that there was no lazy line where he was. So we ended up taking the next line across again and moving our stern lines again. I was cross. In all an extra 6 charter boats full of Russians came in just as it went dark – all milling around – scary!

Friday 11 May Ciftlik to Bozburun

It was windy all night – really quite gusty – coming from the land down the valley behind the pontoons, blowing us off. I really don’t really like this place – it was like this last time we came here.

So we were up and off early – don’t want to be caught out again – away by 7:30am.

So of course there was zero wind.

At the corner by the Simi chanel we found some wind and had a nice sail under just the headsail into Bozburun.

Spent a couple of nights in the anchorage debating the forecast and where best to be. There is some southerly so it would be nice to get past Kos for once – but it looks like rather a lot of southerly. Wouldn’t it be great if the wind was constant? Don’t you think that this wind business is a design flaw in the grand scheme of things?

We decided that we would head out and use some of the wind. We emailed Kos marina and have a berth for 2 nights from Tuesday.

Sunday evening we had just eaten in Osman’s when we noticed the sky going dark so we dashed back to SL. Sure enough we had just got the outboard stowed and the dinghy across the transom when the thunder rolled in. What a storm, lightening, rain, hail and then strong gusts of wind up to 20k from 2k. The wind came so quickly that it healed us over! We huddled under the spray hood watching with the instruments all on checking our position and the engine battery on – just in case. We were OK but one of the other yachts dragged.

It was scary but quite comforting to know that we had anchored well and the anchor was holding.

Monday 14 May Bozburun to Simi

Guess what? – no wind. Motored to Simi, used some headsail for a while.

Simi harbour was nearly empty! Only 3 visitors when we arrived.

Neil decided to race the ferry in – so when we got into the harbour (doing 6k) I wasn’t ready and somehow it was my fault!

What a surprise J&R were on the quay to take our lines! They fooled us into thinking that Jonro was in Pedi – but she wasn’t they were on holiday! Island hopping by ferry (now there’s a thought!)

We checked into Greece, no problems, and stocked up with some cheap Mythos.  

The harbour didn’t really get very busy – we were suprised by how quiet it was. The shop owners said it was quiet as well. More Russians arrived and at 3am I had to get up and ask them to be quiet. Maybe it was the sign language or may it was the PJs either way they got message and we all went back to sleep.

Tuesday 15 May Simi to Kos.

We didn’t find this southerly wind until we got to Knidos, infact we had some NW to start with so put the sails up – we had a nice sail for 30 minutes then it died.

At Knidos we had a broad reach and then as we turned for Kos it got more and more astern and finally died, again. A beam of Kos the wind was southerly coming off the island and swooping down the hills – we had 12 gusting 20k – what!!! I kept looking at the marina and thinking it must be calm in there as I can see a sail up. It was calmer but not hwat would call calm.

Anyway they berthed us on B pontoon (charter boat alley)

The forecast is yeuck so we smiled nicely at the manager and he has allowed us to stay until Saturday (normally visitors have to go Friday as the charter boats come in). But we had to move to E pontoon – that’s OK its a wider piece of water.

Had a hire car on Wednesday and toured the island (and Lidl’s!).

Its Friday today, heavy rain and strong winds last night – glad we are here. The sky is black and more rain is forecast today. So here I am again in Kos marina, listening to the wind, trying to be enthusiastic about heading further north tomorrow and  typing up the internet log – sound familiar?

Tuesday 10 April 

We flew back to Turkey, intending to use A2B to Fethiye ottogar and then the dolmus to Kas and then Shank’s pony! But, at the luggage carousel we got chatting to a lovely couple who had a private taxi booked to Kas and they offered us a lift. We readily accepted (it cost us the driver’s tip as they had already paid) and when we got to Kas we were glad we had as it was raining heavily. The taxi took us right up to the back of Silver Lady!

It rained so much that we resorted to ship’s stores for our evening meal. Not sure that this what we were expecting from Turkey.

Next morning the sun was shining and it all looked a lot better. We have one day to get ready to launch, and the list of jobs is:

1. new fridge anodes
2. new shaft anodes
3. new hull anodes
4. new prop anode
5. grease log
6. fit new seacock
7. polish hull  (if we have time)

Well, the first 6 went smoothly and we had already arranged with the yard that an engineer would work with us on the seacock as it need a special wrench that we don’t have. So we disconnected the pipework and Neil started to polish while we waited. The engineer (Morat who is about to become a welcome sight!) arrived, and our wrench was not man enough for the job so he went and got the biggest socket set I have ever seen. He simply put the socket over the seacock and put a tall pole and a cross bar and turned it – easy – just like that. Wow!

But the new seacock was taller than the old one and the angled piece would not turn under the lip of floor. So Morat got more tools and took 5mm (literally 3 threads) off the through hull fitting with an angle grinder. Then it all went back together beautifully, he tightened it all up for us and left us to refit the pipework.

Looking good for the launch…….

Thursday 12 April – Launch Day

We launched late morning and no leaks from the seacock. We motored to our berth and Neil checked the engine room – arghh the shaft seal is leaking. In the 5 minutes we had taken to get to the berth we had what seemed to be a gallon of water under the engine. Now it sometimes has an odd drip at the start of the year but never this. We tweeked and poked but, although we could only reduce the flow to a trickle, it did not stop – its never done that before. We went for help. Mid afternoon the engineer arrived along with Metin (the boss). After 30 minutes they pronounced that we would have to lift out. Job could not be done in the water. So by 4:30pm we were back in the slings, and 450 euros worse off! The girl in the office says that we can have a month on the hard included in the price – I really hope not that long!

To cut a sad story short; after the shaft has been “split” and much debate has taken place, it turned out that the spare shaft seal that has been on the shaft for 5 year is too hard to use. Well, Metin will fit it but will not guarentee the work – so its a no go. 

We had to order a new shaft seal from the UK (the following Monday). We had one sent FedEx and then decided that as G&J are due out in 8 days we will get them to bring a set as well – just in case the first set get held up in customs. 

8 days on the hard……

We settled down to wait. We had some horrid weather – a really nasty storm with heavy rain and strong winds that fair shook the boat in the cradle. The lift man assured me it was normal to move a bit – the pads are all new rubber and have some give in them – apparently.

Thank goodness for G&J’s bike, and thank goodness I got ours out of the locker while we were on the pontoon. We cycled up and down the yard all the time!

We had a day out in Fethiye by dolmus to sort our Neil’s phone and see the bank, and have a break from the yard. 

I re-polished the hull (don’t ask). In fact I used a colour restore cream first and then polished it – Neil was very pleased with it when it was done – I was just glad when I got to the end! 

But what a stupid job that it is:

1. Take a medium shiny surface
2. Rub with cream until its dull
3. Wipe vigorously
4. Rub with more cream 
5. Polish vigorously until it gets back to shiny

Now I ask you, does that sound like work for the sake of it, or what?

We pottered around doing other fitting out jobs – the teak got cleaned and oiled, the damaged bit in the cockpit corking got replaced, (but the masking tape tore the teak – have you noticed how one job generates another?) Neil fitted the new Speed Seal (new cover for impeller housing). I unpacked all the odds and ends that we brought out with us.

Painted the dinghy floor and black parts with a special paint to stop the black coming off onto our feet ect…

Finally 8 days after ordering the seals arrived – both sets in our hands within 2 hours of each other!

Wednesday 25 April – Launch Day 2

The fitting went very smoothly and we launched (again) late afternoon. We were held in the slings while Morat checked everything – but there was  water coming in through the Speed Seal cover. So Neil had to quickly replace it with the old impeller cover – and of course one of the screws sheared off. But it held and was dry.

Morat tweaked the seal and that was good as well. We motored up and down for 5 minutes and still dry – hurrah. Finally onto a berth. Back to back with Petronella, and G supplied me with a very large G&T – purely medicinal you understand – for my nerves!

Neil email the suppliers of the “super duper” Speed Seal expressing his opinion of the seal and asking for advice. Next day we had an email before 8am UK time telling us that the pipe feeding the water pump on our Yanmar engine needed cutting back a little to allow the cover to seal correctly. On checking with a mirror we could see that this was indeed the problem. Now why the devil didn’t they say that at the time we ordered it?

Thursday 

J kindly helped Neil to sort out the snapped off screw and using his dremil  implemented the instructions from Speed Seal and (dah dah) it was dry. But, J noticed a split in the pipe leading to the water exchanger!!! Neil cut the pipe back and realigned it to take the pressure off the end as this was the second time a small split had appeared at that point.

Friday

After the market – we would not miss that for anything – I went up the mast and washed it (no honestly) and sprayed the groove with silicone spray. I assumed that it would dry so I put on plenty. It did not – it all ran down the mast groove and pooled on the deck – what a mess it took hours to get it clean.

For the last few years we have managed with a home made slatted floor for the dinghy. When we rarely used the dinghy in the UK waters it was much easier to fit and store, so the original solid floor went in the loft and guess where it still is?and too heavy to bring out, (unless we leave all the food and other things we like at home). The boat yard up the road are building a gullet and we made a template and asked if they could supply a ply floor in 3 sections. We agreed a price and it was made and varnished for the next day. Neil was a little disappointed at the state of the wood which was badly marked on one side and looked as though it had been kicking around the yard for a good few years – but try explaining that in Turkish! Still it fitted and looks as though it should make a major improvement. 

Whilst we were talking to the engineers in Kas we noticed they had made a small wooden handle to remove the top off the water strainer so we copied the design and had one made. That should save two of us with “marigolds” trying to open it!

Saturday

Sails and bimini fitted, and we are looking like a sailing yacht again. It just seems to take longer each year to re-rig everything – is it just because we are getting older?

Sunday 

Oiled cockpit teak and polished the topsides.

Monday

Sea trials. All is good – no drips – all reefing lines in correct places – we are fitted out!!! 

Now to find the energy and enthusiasm to move; its so comfortable here electricity, water nice clean toilets and so many friends. So many excuses not to move!