Well then, two or three things have happened since the last update, in addition to provider Swisscom screwing up.
First and foremost, my (G’s) mother passed away on Thursday August 12, she was 91. When the heads up came we happened to be in Kusadasi marina and instead of checking out, had to look for a way to get to the Netherlands. As most planes were full with returning tourists, we had a hard time finding a slot but with the help of a travel agent, and at a price, we found some tickets. Made it just in time. Next Sunday, 22/8, we will travel back. Job 1 will be to free the bottom (of the boat) of marine life and start heading to Alanya again.
After the last update we had left Kusadasi to head towards the Black Sea. Stopped in Nerkis Bay and were woken by the Coast Guard in the middle of the night hailing a fishing boat in the shallow end of the bay. Turned out the CG boat had too much draft to get into the shallow end and they “asked” the fisherman, by bullhorn, to come to them. Apparently the cove is a smugglers’ haven and the fisherman got the third degree.
From there we went straight to Ayvalik and spent some days there waiting for southerlies and installing an anode on the shaft (under water). Met Margrit and Geni from Carus again, as well as Hakki and his new bride. Ten other boats, including Stuart and Steph of Matador (UK), had the same idea of stopping off waiting for the wind to turn.
nice clear water in the bay under the WWI monument at the entrance of the Dardanelles (BUT not for swimmimg!)
A week later we left for Babakale, from there to the bay under the WWI monument at the entrance of the Dardanelles and after that up The Creek. Interesting experience what with up to 4 knot currents against, but with favourable eddies the other way. The boat speed changed from three to two to 7 knots! Crossing the Creek twice proved an interesting experience, the traffic is something else and the Automatic Identification System (AIS) was a great help trying to determine which of the freighters was aiming at our bow and which ones were passing behind.
Out the top end we tried to anchor in a small fishing harbour but is was loaded with sailboats already and we had to continue. Long story short: we ended up parking near a steel mill. Security tried to chase us out, but the crew on SY Cherokee negotiated a stay until 6 am.
This This is SY Cherokee leaving at 6am!!
we took a nice walk in Karabiga
A few days later we stopped at Tekirdag, met some nice Turkish people (Hakki, Sukran, Mine, Necdet and their little daughter Petek) there and used the proximity to the Greek border to rent a car, nip across and get our visas renewed.
Then on to Atakoy, get fuelled up, and the run up the Bosphorus. Another 20 miles of hair raising turns and traffic. The traffic around Istanbul, between the Asian and European sides, is horrendous, and you have to keep your nerves and stay the course, while keeping an eye on as much as eight ferries, all of which, this is Turkey after all, try to pass ahead of you.
besides heavy traffic there were also some really nice old houses to look at!
We spent some time at Poyraz, a nice anchorage at the end of the Bosphorus before heading east along the Turkish coats direction Sile.
Sile
In Sile we sat out a nasty easterly storm.
We were tied to the seawall and were looked after by friendly fishermen who supplied us with mussels and other seafood.
These places, see very few tourists, meaning that when you walk by all conversation stops and when you try to make eye contact, they look away. In Eregli we met the people from the local sailing club and saw a submarine dock. In Kozlu were were received by Yunus, who thought our Turkish courtesy flag looked a little ratty and insisted that we took his. Very proud, these Turks.
In Amasra we had serious winds from the mountains at night and the resulting waves turned our dinghy upside down when landing the next day. People gave us funny looks when we walked around the town in wet clothes, but we have long stopped worrying about what other people think of us (we already know). Just as well we had forgotten to take along a camera and our mobile phone!!
We had wanted to do a land trip and had been looking for a place to leave Octopus for a few days. In the end we decided to return to Kozlu and tied Octopus to the new dock there. The fishermen promised to looked after her.
The chief of the Sea Police came by and gruffly asked for our papers. It became obvious to us that he had seen few transit logs and that he was was just curious. We visited him the next day in his office. When we told him that we wanted to travel inland Sadik and his sidekick drove us to the bus terminal and helped us get tickets, while people looked for the handcuffs around our wrists. The cops then drove us to a nearby shopping center and to Kozlu harbour. Turns out that Sadik and a friend had set up a sailing school there.
The next day we left for Safranbolu, where 80 % of the world’s saffran comes from, then to Kastamonu and Sinop, nice old cities.
Safranbolu
Sinop, view from the old castle
very old prison in Sinop, the three men wanted us to take their picture, they took a break from attending to the garden!
Four days later were were back in Kozlu where we found Octopus in good shape. We gave the head fisherman, Naci, a carton of cigarettes (all Turks smoke) which made him very happy.
On July 1 the annual Seaman’s festival took place for which we dressed Octopus overall. Of course we did this for another reason as well, Canada Day!!l Dressing up (raising the flags) a gesture which was much appreciated by the locals. We watched the swimming races and have never seen so many swimmers swim so badly fors so long.
The pole climbing was interesting (kids climb along a 35 degree slanted greased pole over water toward a small Turkish flag) and a team effort, fellows (never girls in this male dominated society) pushed one of their own along towards the flag, netted first price, a live sheep….
getting ready!
going .... going...... gone !!!
We also attended the opening of the sailing school and Umit and Eynur, Sadik’s friends, invited us to their place.
We met their children Ece and Mustapha Can and spent a pleasant evening “talking” with them with the help of two dictionaries and Google translations. The next day daughter Ece sailed with us to Eregli.
A few days later we arrived a Kefken Adasi. Winds were strong and at one point we heard friends Harald and Claudia of Pegasus on the radio, calling the Coast Guard. Receiving no answer we called Pegasus. They wanted to know whether anchoring where we were was permitted. As the Coast Guard was sitting right in front of us and had not thrown us out we told them that is was probably okay. Harald helped me there and in Kefken harbour getting my fresh water pump fixed.
Amazing, bystanders in Kefken offered to take the pump to a workshops 10 km away, brought it back fixed and wanted no money for it, “Courtesy of the People of Turkey”. We met Ibrahim, one of the drivers of the Search and Rescue boat stationed on Kefken Island. In Kefken village Saim Uslu was a big help. A local fisherman offered us fried Hamsi and fried eggplant and invited us for tea. We offered him some Canadiana, which were gratefully accepted. Another fisherman offered to clean Octopus’ bottom (they have snorkels and compressors) for 150 YTL but did virtually nothing and I had to do it myself later. It takes all kinds….
some of the happy helpers taking a break
Back in the Sea of Marmara, after almost getting killed by the passenger vessel El Mahmoud (from Panama, as you probably guessed), which needed to overtake in a place where it shouldn’t, we anchored in Cam Liman. Interesting place where apparently motorboat owners from Istanbul take girlfriends and “working ladies” (Crocodile Dundee) as we saw a lot of “dancing” and boat rocking in spite of the absence of wind.
We visited Mudanya, where we were the first yabanci (foreigners) to visit since the marina opened six years ago. As always, you immediately get invited for tea and whatever food is on the table. Considering what the municipality was charging, they probably won’t see any other foreigners for another six years. From here we visited Bursa using public transportation.
Bursa, many old buildings have been skillfully renovated, we enjoyed strolling through the place
Busra is well known for Silk scarves
In Turkeli harbour, new, no charge but a serious swell, we saw a small fishing boat being towed in, followed by a Coast Guard tender. The enormous fisherman of the boat being towed was yelling at the Coasties and eventually they made him blow in a tube to check for alcohol. Judging by the hesitance which which the blowing was done we suspected that there was an alcohol problem. This was borne out by the test and the police came and picked the fisherman up. Later in the day a couple came to scrape mussels off the seawalls, probably to sell to restaurants, judging by the quantity.
Back in Babakale, after a sleighride down the Dardanelles with speeds of up to 9.3 knots (20 km) we were told to park alongside Ahmend’s disabled fishing boat. The reason became apparent when twenty trawlers arrived a few hours later.
Babakale is small and these boats had to park in bunches of seven alongside each other. Their catch was picked up by refrigerated trucks for the markets in Istanbul. Ahmed showed me how to clean and fry squid.
View from Octopus!
Back in Ayvalik south bay we saw SY Vonasi (stands for voyaging onasmall income!!) again, with Chris and Claire, whom we know from two years ago in Greece and we had dinner with Hakki and Cahri.
The military are ever present in Turkey. The best real estate along the bays is reserved for the Navy and they throw their weight around. Families live on base and certain restaurants are guarded by rifle carrying sentinels. As soon as you get too close the rifles come up. In Sile we were aware that there were live firing exercises going on and the Navtex said we should stay 4 miles offshore. When we turned, a patrolboat blocked us and we were were told to go 7 miles out. Another hour wasted. All of Turkey’s coastline is designated as training and firing zones and on the approach to Kusadasi we had to change our plans to avoid getting shot at. The paranoia really gets to you after a while. On the other hand, the military has probably prevented Turkey from becoming a theocracy, they do defend Kemalism, although the politicians are trying to subordinate them.
Sorry about the lack of updates but we have had some serious issues with our Webhosting provider Swisscon (Swisscom, that was a total freudian slip of the finger!) Bluewin incompetence has been giving Brigitte high blood pressure and many sleepless nights!!
Before leaving Alanya Brigitte made a copy of the site and deleted everything up to sailing season 6 and last winter, now we are back with info going as far back as 2008, great for you but not so great for us because it means downloading way too much data! So adding this minor issue to all the other issues has made us decide to look for an alternative!
We will look at alternatives and as soon as we have made a decision we will post it here and make a link to our new site or blog.
Well then, we are underway as I write this, from Kusadasi towards the end if the Cesme peninsula, playing hide and seek with some Turkish warships. We will anchor one night in a bay near the end of the peninsula and expect southerly winds tomorrow which should enable us to head north towards the Dardanelles without too much grief (said he, end the gods were rolling on the floor laughing…). If the forecast is correct, we, exceptionally, will have southerlies for the next four days and with luck we will make the Black sea. We spent three days in the marina in Kusadasi, catching up with Necdet and Ayla, refuelling and fixing little bits and pieces. The marina is getting expensive and Turks have interesting marketing techniques: as fewer people come because of the economic crisis, they raise the prices to make up for the loss. Price elasticity of demand be damned. Leaving Alanya we had the usual problems rounding the islands near Finike: at half an hour past midnight we caught a sheet of plastic in the prop. Unwilling to go for a midnight swim, we coasted into the Finike bay and anchored just off the marina, at four in the morning, figuring help would be near if needed, and got some sleep. As the engine ran a little hot I first checked the radiator: nearly empty. Found the leak (our mechanic hadn’t tightened the filler cap neck enough) and fixed that. Then I found the oil level very low: found that I hadn’t tightened the internal water pump enough and fixed that. Then for a swim: the plastic was still wrapped around the prop but two dives fixed that too. We then motored on to one of our favourite anchorages, Kekova Roads. Next day on to Kas, then overnight to an anchorage near Altinkum and after that an easy drive to Kusadasi. The Coast Guard followed us out in the morning: this is the second time they do this: they try to count the number of illegal immigrants you have sitting on deck. These days however, it may well be that the try to stem Greek emigration to Turkey, what with all the crap going on in Athens. Would be nice to see the Greeks learning to do a full day’s work, but don’t count on it. The Greek CG aimed what looked like detectors at us as well and we suspect that they have infrared detection gear, picking up body heat.
That’s it for the excitement: southerlies would be nice as we would be able to sail for awhile and turn the Perkins wind off.
April 2010
Hi! We are back on board!
Left Amsterdam 1.5 hours ahead of the volcano-ash shutdown. We have friends who have visitors on board who have involuntarily extended their stay indefinitly. Mother Nature gives us the finger, I love it, by the way! Right away there are volcanic experts on UK and German national television, you know, 55 year-ish with up-to-date gel hairdo’s, who have an opinion on whether the ash has an effect on aircraft engines and how much the airlines and perishables business are losing every nano-second. Bizarre!!
I think the Amish have got it all figured out and if "schadenfreude" were a permissible part of their culture they’d be thumbing their noses at us.
We flew to Holland on March 9. G spent all five weeks in Holland, enjoying Tieke and Ruud’s hospitality and visiting family, friends and parents and B spend the first 2 weeks in Holland and left after that to go to Canada.
Mom’s not in good shape, but at 91, what would you expect. Dad, 93, has had a cataract and a melanoma operated on and is doing well. They are getting help from professionals and are doing as well as can be expected. I was happy to be able to do some of the driving to and from medical appointments.
Evert (my brother Piet’s son) and Wilma are getting married in SA at the end of October and we are planning to attend. This would offer us an opportunity to travel around for a while and we are looking at a purchase and sale contract for a 4wd with a rooftop tent for a period of 4 months. Not cheap, but probably the best deal going.
Now we are back in the Alanya Marina “village”, with the attendant gossip and other aspects we can do without. No wonder that, if we can’t get along in a 50 people community, we can’t get along globally. I have to say, however, that such a village encompasses the most stubborn and opinionated people on the face of the planet (otherwise we yachties wouldn’t be here).
Anyhoo, we will be leaving for the Black Sea in a week or so (it’s too hot in southern Turkey in the summer), we have installed the new chart plotter and can, with the help of IAS, establish the course of big vessels and can call them, by name, if there is a conflict. This will be helpful in the Dardanelles and the Bosporus.
We have television on board during the winter in the marina. Just now, as I am typing this, a scrolling BBC news line says that “an Iranian cleric has stated that women wearing revealing clothes cause earthquakes…..” Any questions?
I (B) left Amsterdam for Victoria (Canada) on Monday, March 22.
I thoroughly enjoyed my week with Lars and Sharon in Victoria.
They live in an older but nicely renovated house with two other roommates and the arrangement seems to work really well for everyone concerned.
Lars had the week off and he managed to leave me with a good idea of what life is like for him on the island. In no time he had me convinced that Victoria / Vancouver Island would be a good place to be! (A phone call with Marion Huck and a conversation with Matt T (ex Kanata) confirmed that!) Friday evening we had an early birthday party (BBQ) for Lars and that gave me the opportunity to meet some of his and some of Sharon’s friends. I enjoyed that very much, I feel that way, when Lars talks about his friends and what they have been up to, I can better relate, I suppose that is a typical “mom thing”!
The weekend we spend on Mayne Island, a beautiful tranquil place inhabited by people looking for a more relaxed way of life!
Many thanks to Lea (and of course her parents) for letting us make use of the lovely cabin.
Unfortunately the week in Victoria went rather quickly and before we knew it we were sitting together on March 30, celebrating Lars’s actual birthday with a very tasty meal cooked by Sharon, followed by a birthday cake baked by mom!
All in all it was a GREAT week, I really enjoyed my time with Lars and Sharon; thanks to both of you for making my stay so special! I am already looking forward to next year when we will have more time and of course when Gerry as well can see where and how our son Lars decided to make a living!
Next stop on my itinerary was Ottawa, Canada’s capital.
That area of Canada I know much better, having lived there for nearly 30 years. Our daughter Kim and husband Seba live in Orleans where they bought a nice house (yes I know Kim, it is not perfect – but for now it is a comfortable home!)
Kim came to pick me up at the airport (many thanks) and Seba prepared a nice meal (many thanks to you too!) and we managed to have some mom and daughter talk before Kim had to leave for work, 7pm to 7am. Kim had been working that shift for the last month! Needless to say her nerves were a bit frayed and she was very much looking forward to the end of the week when she had booked time off to “enjoy my visit”; I think that was the reason anyway!!
In order to make her work more pleasant on Friday evening I was invited to go along and experience a typical Friday evening/night at the 911 Ottawa Police Centre. Let me tell you, that was an eye-opener! To start with we had a hard time getting into downtown Ottawa, we did not realise that the Ottawa Senators were playing one of their last games prior to the start of the NHL play-offs, the roads into and out of town were blocked, Kim had to use all her local knowledge, dodge a few nearly red lights and avoid a few already drunk pedestrians in order to just clock in on time.
Thankfully when doing the night shift parking is not a problem as the underground parking at the police station is not being used by the day-time office workers. I received a big hearty welcome, everybody seemed to know that I was Kim’s mom, the crazy one living on a boat sailing the seven seas (well, two of them anyway - edited by G) An incredibly delicious potluck dinner was put on a long table (I was told it was in my honour, however I believe it was an early Easter feast) well it was great and that is what really counts. Kim organised a headset for me and with that I could hear the conversations but I was not allowed to participate, oh well, maybe next time! It was one of the first warm evenings, Good Friday, with other words a long weekend and Hockey Night, what a combination, no wonder all hell broke loose! There were many calls about groups of kids getting carried away, throwing stones and empty beer bottles into backyards, breaking windows in the process, ringing doorbells, accosting elderly pedestrians, racing cars and or motorbikes, stealing bikes or cars, loitering in front of restaurants etc. But the “best” call came from a mother who said that her 13 year old son was misbehaving and calling her a bitch. He refused to stop playing games on the computer and when she disconnected the pc he ran away! Not for long, they found him but he only came back because he was allowed to play again! But now mom threatened the son with calling the police…..well, he was not impressed and as a result she had to follow through. The call came in and Kim was the lucky one picking it up. 911 Emergency - good evening, how can I help – what is the problem? Well, Kim understood the situation, however 911 is not really the phone number to call when a parent has a disciplinary issue with a child. Kim pointed out that it was a busy night and that as soon as an officer would be in the area that he or she would stop by. Kim also gave the caller another phone number to call, it was the number of the Ottawa police youth department, however that number would only be answered coming Tuesday and clearly the mother needed the issue addressed that evening…..bizarre indeed and I am sorry but I am unable to tell you what the reaction of the attending officer was. s for me, it gave me a whole new appreciation of what Kim does, the potluck dinner was a bonus and the promise to join one of the officers in a police cruiser next time made my night. I highly recommend for Gerry to spend a nightshift “on duty” when we come racing by on our bikes next summer!
As for me, it gave me a whole new appreciation of what Kim does, the potluck dinner was a bonus and the promise to join one of the officers in a police cruiser next time made my night. I highly recommend for Gerry to spend a nightshift “on duty” when we come racing by on our bikes next summer!
Once Kim caught upon some sleep we took time out to go and visit the house Sebastian has been building for his parents. It is indeed an impressive sight, Seba has done an excellent job, congratulations, the house looks well build and between Seba and Lars (and Sharon) we have the building of our retirement lodge well covered and should they run into trouble we get Kim and she can do some disaster management! All we need now is a plot of land somewhere!
The time with Kim was very enjoyable, we had a nice Easter BBQ with Seba’s parents, sister and friend Joel and before long it was April 6 and my birthday!
Kim had the day all organised, we had appointments at a spa where we got royally spoiled and felt positively rejuvenated.
Dinner was enjoyed in the company of “old” friends Loretta and Alan, Birgit and Murray and Laurie and of course Kim and Seba. Many thanks again to all of you for joining me in making my 60th birthday a special one!
Saturday Kim drove me to Toronto where we had a reservation in a hotel. In the evening we enjoyed the Harlem Globetrotters and the next morning after a peaceful breakfast we headed for the airport.
Dear Kim, thanks for a wonderful 10 days, thanks for taking the time to organise all the special treats I had a great time and I am really glad I could come and see what life is like for you and Seba in your own environment. It is always good to see you and your brother in Europe (celebrating yet another birthday) but that is not the same at all.
I look forward to next year when hopefully we can experience some great days biking together.
In summary, my visit to Canada was G R E A T! The best birthday present in a very long time, many thanks to G for understanding and accepting my need to do that!
This has given me closure, I have now seen that our kids survived “our leaving / moving to Switzerland” in 1994 and I can try to stop feeling guilty. Both, Kim and Lars have managed to get their ducks in a row! I saw with my own eyes that they are well established and they are well on their way of living a good life! Wonderful indeed!
Kim and Lars, we love you, keep up the good work!
February 12, 2010
Yeah, well, marina life is busy, starting with a 7 am local walk up in the hills behind the marina, Thursday walks with a group of Brits and Germans from Alanya,
Tennis clinic every Tuesday and Thursday, tournament every Saturday and casual playing when ever weather permits!
Daily Yoga in the late afternoon, weekly movie, games and BBQ, the occasional party and not to forget replacing lines which attach Octopus to the floating dock and of course some winter maintenance
and playing with Rex, the puppy the cruisers have adopted. Rex will rue the day he met us as one of the first things we did was take him to the vet to have him neutered... If the size of his paws and head are anything to go by he'll be huge as an adult.
At Sue's (Blue Max) birthday party we put on some sketches,
including a remake of the Village People's YMCA (we called ourselves the Village Idiots) under the guidance of Soo (GwenL)
and a hilarious Lone Ranger and Tonto sketch.
One morning we were joined on the 7 am walk by the Turkish owner of the restaurant across the street. He is busy having it remodelled after his previous tenant skipped and left him with an enormous electricity bill. Mustafa is not the most slender of persons and we didn't expect him to stay the course, but he did. Funny to see the locals' reactions. Normally we are treated with benign neglect, because we are just a bunch of tourists who don't know any better than to walk, but if you have Mustafa along you get respectability and credibility, as his family owns most of the banana plantations we walk through. Everybody knows him. He used to own a jewellery store and has a permit to "carry" as the American euphemism goes. This came in handy on our second walk with him. As a pack of semi-feral dogs set upon us he pulled his gun and shot a blank at them (at least I think is was a blank...). Suddenly the dogs found other things to do somewhere else.
Brigitte organized a wine and cheese tasting last Saturday. We bought ten different Turkish wines and eight cheeses and had people blind-taste and evaluate them. Interestingly, the better wines and cheeses were rated accordingly, unlike at Netsel marina last year where the same wine came in first and last. The event was well attended.
I had our engine serviced in the sense that all the (mostly original) hoses, the leaking water lock, the faulty temperature gauge and the fuel shutoff solenoid were replaced, and the engine repainted. Light bulbs were installed or replaced so that we can see the engine instruments at night. Diesels run very hot and when something fails, the engine overheats very quickly. I installed an exhaust temperature alarm last year too. One of the workshops in the yard offered to do this for €500 which I thought very reasonable, taking into account the blood transfusion I usually need after a few days with my arms in the engine compartment and the poisoning accompanying the breathing of paint fumes. It appeared that one the alternator bearings needed replacing, but when the alternator was reinstalled it did not charge the batteries. Enter the "electrician": a kid with two wires attached to a 12V light bulb for a multi-meter. He stuck his wires into my electrical lines and thought my cables were corroded. Another "electrician" from Antalya came who didn't know anything either. Alternator back to the shop: "works fine". Electrician from Kemer marina came who, for € 100, determined that the regulator was fried. I had to send the thing to my electrician, Macit, in Marmaris, for repair. Macit came a week later, driving all the way from Marmaris, saying that the regulator was fried because it had been hooked up wrong. Cost: another €60 for the repair and TL 150 for Macit's gasoline. He didn't want to be paid for his time (Macit's a pal). He told marina management that the damage was caused by incompetence and we have been given a promise of repayment. Inshallah. We shall see. In the meantime the alternator and regulator work fine, so that we have the possibility of charging the batteries which may come in handy, what with the frequent power failures here. Alternating Current here is defined as `on again, off again`, 80 Volts one day, 360 next.
Christmas day there was an incident involving the travel lift and the US yacht Cascade. Space in the yard was hard to come by due to the many concrete dock pieces drying and the many yachts already on the hard. The travel lift operator in a moment of inattention and in the dark of night neglected to notice that the lift was turned around and when he tried to drive it away, the part of the lift that is closed on top pulled Cascade off its supports and the yacht crashed to the ground: total loss. The operator is one of the good guys and all the yachties put in a good word for him. He was allowed to stay (the marina needs him) and the yacht's owner is happy with the offer the insurance company made him. Case closed. We have since learned that Bob of Cascade had a successful hip replacement and he has purchased another sailing yacht in Spain! There is comparatively little experience in the marina, but the boys are learning. During yet another blow the docks were being patrolled at night to check the lines.
Last Thursday I got an allergic reaction to something and my face, especially around the eyes, got swollen. Tried to fix it with antihistamines, but it did not go away so I ended up at the hospital. Got a jab in the ass and antihistamine pills and cortisone cream for the eyes and two days later the problem disappeared. Still don't know what caused it, though.
January 8, 2010
Another year! That doesn’t bother us so much, but we are glad that the hoopla of Christmas and New Year’s has come and gone. The former is not a big deal in a Muslim country but the latter generates a fair bit of interest. We celebrated Christmas quietly but made a bit more noise on New Year's Eve!
we had some great food (thanks Dave of SY Gwen L)
we had some fun
what with most if not all yachties packed in the well decorated bar. We managed to stay awake until midnight, while a number of friends lasted until 4 am...
These were not the ones who came along on the (daily) 7 am hike... or
The 1st Alanya marina polar bear swim (water temp 18C); -- (spiked) hot chocolate & brownies were served following the swim!
Gerry & his rubber ducky are among the keen swimmers!
Since then we have celebrated my birthday, organized a 4 hour hike to Konakli, and hiked to Lyrbe with a group of Germans and Brits from Alanya. We had been there before with Trish from Kemer but there are nice ruins from the Roman period. Temperatures are in the twenties during the day and we watch with horror the wintery conditions in North-America and Western Europe. Occasional easterlies still result in serious and unacceptable swell in the marina but at least the atmosphere among the live-aboards is excellent.
December 25 2009
Gerry entering today’s Christmas Tennis Tournament „all dressed“ for the Occasion!
December 21 2009
Towards the end of October we were getting ready to pack for our trip to Villars Switzerland. Merel (Gerry’s cousin) offered us their apartment in Villars; November to Mid December is not a popular time to go into the mountains, usually it is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter and the activities change from hiking/biking to skiing once the snow flies. But we decided that we did not care, we were looking forward to the mountains and on cool nights to sitting in front of a fireplace with some good music and a good book and a nice glass of wine…..
But before we could enjoy the chalet we had some business to attend to in Zurich and we stayed with my (B’s) parents. What a nice surprise, our daughter Kim decided, after talking to her grandfather Werner, that she would like to come and see everyone and after talking it over with Sebas she booked a flight and actually arrived the same day we did! The next day we had a small family reunion, thanks Nicole for offering your lovely home as the meeting place! A good time was had by all.
However after the weekend (at that point we had visited more friends and our daughter Kim had flown back to Canada (or was it Affoltern am Albis?!) we got busy with the admin stuff. By Friday November 6 we left Zurich with a rented car, stopped in Berne for a visit to the Dutch and Canadian embassies for passport renewal applications and once that paperwork was underway we headed for Villars. The roads were dry and we arrived in Villars in plenty of time to unpack and make a shopping list and drive back down into the valley for some serious shopping. Since we did have the car for another day we decided to take advantage!
view from the apartment
The day after we arrived we had snow, about 10cm and the temperature was such that the snow did not melt right away, we could enjoy the white stuff for a few days, we hiked daily, not necessarily UP, but instead we looked for hikes which took us below the snow limit…..
and after a few days winter was over and fall returned and with it the possibilities of hikes to higher altitudes. It was GREAT!
Ensex, on the way to Col de la Croix
We visited friends Emile and Chantal (SY Targui) in La Tzoumaz over the hill from Verbier
we had Gerry’s sister Tieke and husband Ruud for a weekend visit and we just plain enjoyed ourselves.
The weather was good, about a week before we left from Villars (G went to Holland and B back to Zurich)
we had loads of snow, it looked beautiful, sorry no snowman, it was pure powder snow and I am sure the locals had a ball skiing!
Once G was back at my parents’ as well we had some more admin stuff to take care off and then it was time to pack our bags again; because we were away for 6 weeks the airline allowed 30 kilos per person, do you realize how much chocolate and cheese etc. that is!!
We did find the time to stroll around Zurich and enjoy the beautiful & plentiful Christmas decorations, some Glühwein and hot chestnuts
We arrived back at the Alanya marina at 2am on Monday, December 14. “King Richard” of SY Blue Max had come to fetch us with his car. The SW/SE winds had been strong the day before and as a result the docks, bridge (which connects land with dock) and the boats where all swinging, rocking and jerking and not necessarily in unison. Getting our heavy bags on board was a real challenge and so was trying to go to sleep, the noise from the creaking lines, springs, docks was unnerving and annoying as hell. What a “welcome back” present!
Needless to say we were not too active on Monday and we did only some shopping on Tuesday and life became more normal as the week went on. We were informed that we should consider ourselves lucky because we apparently missed the “father of all storms” on November 4th (remember the “mother of all storms” took place on October 14th.
After installing 2 additional heavy duty springs, this now means we are hanging off 4 springs on the bow, the movement has become a bit gentler and I hate to admit it but we are nearly used to the “practically constant motion and noise”; that does by no means mean that we like it however. By the way, many thanks to Willi and Christina on SY Panta Rey for replacing one of our springs which broke while we were away!
Last Thursday, we were in our cockpit playing our daily Scrabble, when we heard someone make an announcement on the VHF radio that there was a power surge happening. This usually happens on the other dock and so we were not too concerned, however I did go down to the galley to turn off the hotplate. Back in the cockpit the conversation on the VHF got quite hectic and frantic and I heard a pop and a crackle and after that the unmistakable smell of an electric fire! We dashed down below and found one of our multi-plug power surge bars “fried”, it even left a smudged stain on the floor; that is how hot the bar got. Oh well, if that is all that went wrong we were very lucky!
At night we realized that our 2 laptops and our brand new 12Volt small flat-screen TV (we just brought back from Switzerland) had all suffered burned-out adapters! And on Sunday morning when Gerry got ready to cook our weekly treat (scrambled eggs with bacon) he could not understand why it took so long for the hotplate to get going; well, it is gone!
Today some of the fellow yachties will meet with the investors to discuss the many open issues and concerns the liveaboard group has and we are curious to find out what solutions materialize for the short term. The swell will not go away any time soon and clearly there was a mistake made in the design of the marina breakwaters. Rectifying this, by the government, will take time (years?) and money. But addressing our other issues should be much easier indeed.
However, life here at the Alanya marina is not all bad, we do have great tennis courts, we have weekly cricket matches and we do have a “Jeu de Boule” court as well. Our weekly BBQ is always a great success and the bar is open daily, a small market allows you to get bread, milk and eggs without having to leave the marina. The marina offers free bus service twice a week to go shopping at two different bazars and once a month to go shopping at Metro. We do have 2 free washing machines, a washbasin to wash delicates or dishes and even an ironing board and of course the washrooms, however there is room for improvements (hot water and cleanliness).
We are all gearing up for Christmas and NewYears and we will write a new update in 2010.
October 23, 2009
We have not moved much, just a trip outside to pump the holding tank prior to going alongside.
We had anticipated the visit of Gölün and Adnan, who have a spice store in Alanya, and who were curious about life on board. They would have had trouble getting on board via the bow (we always dock bows-to) and we went alongside instead to make boarding easier. But they called the day of their visit to say they were too busy. I think they were a little shy. PS: they did come a week later and we spent close to two hours with them.
A few days ago we had another “mother of all storms”.
Another one of those “we have never seen such bad weather” moments. Lightning left and right, continuous thunder and the bridge between one of the docks and the land disappeared in the water. Richard of Blue Maxx decided this was a good time to declare a republic and erect a customs post.
One of the many pieces of Styrafoam which got blown all around the marina. We decided it looked like an iceberg which I suppose would make us the seals or polarbears (your pick) ..... or it could also be our very private little island .... in any case we took it for a spin around the marina
Wednesday evenings are very popular here at the marina. Gerry usually starts getting the BBQ ready an hour before sundown and soon the yachties come along, they bring their own meat and drink and a side dish to share. We started of with about 15 people, last Thursday (remember Wednesday was the storm of century and Gerry had the smarts to go and cover up the wood and coals!! just before it all started) we had 55+.
September 19, 2009
We are now back onboard Octopus and after some stocking up of the “pantry” we are now really ready to leave for some nice anchorages. The weather is, as expected, very nice and hot and our bodies are slowly coming to realize that we are here to stay and it is time to get used to the heat!! (easier said than done!).
We are visited by Jaap (a cousin of Gerry’s from Holland), his wife Sophia and their children, friends etc., 9 persons in total in a minibus with 8 seats. Thankfully little Jacok spends most of his time on the floor. Lovely visit with swimming, pizza and talk. Jaap and Sophia have spent much time in Turkey on several other occasions and enjoy the country and the people, like we do ourselves.
Jacob the artist at work (Jacob got a bit tired of all the adult talk and he went looking for something better to do)
…..and so we leave Alanya marina, our destination is the lovely anchorage Kekova Roads, a place we have visited off and on for the past 3 years. There is little wind and we do some motor-sailing because we are a sailboat after all) but soon we have to roll up the sail because all it does is hit against the railing and spreaders. We breathe a say of relief, we have past the Taslik Burnu, the cape Octopus loves to hate! …. And we head for our last waypoint which is basically the entrance of Kekova when we hear a noise and notice that the engine temperature has risen drastically! Stop the engine and Gerry for a change puts on his “Mike the mechanic” hat and heads down into the galley to open up the engine compartment. Well, the culprit is quickly identified; the fan belt is shredded to bits! No worries, we just happen to have a few spares handy. G fixes the new fan belt and because the conditions are calm we decide to give the engine a bit more time to cool off; but since we have been underway since noon and it was 08:00 the next morning we felt it would be nice to get to our destination to get some “zzzzzz”. The engine starts purring again after 10 or twelve tries to purge the air from the fuel lines, however the temperature stays high. The Mike cap goes back on and G feels that the next obvious check has to be the impeller which most likely suffered due to the heat. Out comes the impeller, NO it looks like new, in goes the impeller and off comes the cover of the radiator to see if we need to add some water (again due to the extreme heat of the engine); yes, there is the problem, G manages to add loads of water but finally the radiator is full, cover back on and restart the engine. The engine starts purring however the temperature stays high. The Mike cap goes back on and now we are at a bit of a loss, we have looked at all the easy thing, what else can there be wrong. Well, we are a sailboat, let us sail….. a good idea but not workable, there is NO wind and by now the swell has started to build and we are rolling gently from side to side. We decide to pump up our dingy and with the help of the outboard motor move Octopus along to the nearest marina where we can hopefully get some rest and address the problem when the cobwebs have been removed from our brains.
The idea of using the dingy parallel to Octopus was a good one, but the swell is too strong at this point, and we have no options other than calling for a tow! 5 hours later (yes it took some time for the motorboat to come) we arrive at Finike marina during a BF7 afternoon storm! We were sailing with half the genoa out as we were being towed, it was quite an experience!
The problem was easily repaired (loose hose, which I didn’t see due to lack of sleep, G) and we stayed at the marina for 2 good nights sleep before heading off again.
Kekova Roads is lovely, not too many people and good weather. (we even managed to use our BBQ for the first time!)
We are just about ready to move camp when we get a text message from our friends on SY Mirica; they will be arriving in Kekova the next day and since we are footloose and fancy free we decide to stay a bit longer ….it was great to see Alyson, Phil and the kids Erica and Miriam, there is never a dull moment!
Our next destination is Kas, the bay where (for the past 5 (10?) years) they have been building a new marina. We sat at anchor here in the spring when we came from Marmaris to Alanya; work has indeed continued, the breakwater is just about visible above the water, we feel the whole breakwater construction could do with more length and height; but ….sitting at anchor in this bay is great, there is always something happening.
There is a road being build up along the mountain, the material which comes off the hill is moved down to the water and used for the breakwater; and the flat area which has been build a long time ago as part of the marina terrain has been “taken over” as a landing site for paragliders. The work on the marina is ongoing, they work late into the night and sometimes it does get a bit much and we escape into the village of Kas which offers nice alleys, shops and restaurants. Kas is touristy but not overwhelmingly so!
One late afternoon, we are sitting in our cockpit relaxing after our daily round of Scrabble I remark on the fact that “I think it will be a quiet night, all the trucks have left, the two ditch diggers up on the hill are not visible either, in short it looks like a peaceful night! GREAT!
10 Seconds later there is this enormous bang and rocks and dirt start flying through the air! …… no wonder the construction crew left the site!! Too bad we did not have our camera ready; the pictures we did get are somewhat after the fact but still…
Once again we had the pleasure of sitting at anchor with SY Mirica, we enjoyed a nice meal on board Mirica and played mathematical Scrabble (Triolet) which was won by G, sorry Phil we know there is that rule that the captain of the ship always wins…but …we did make up for it we hope by having that extra glass of wine “it would be rude not to”!
A few days later the dust was getting to us (they started to use a rock crusher) and we decided to move anchorage, we stayed in Kas but headed for the Bayindir Bay. This is a big favorite of SY Panta Rei (Willi and Christina). We found Nuri’s beach easily and enjoyed a few days there, looking at Kas from a different angle.
Nuri’s place is a real family operation, and one gets treated very well. On leaving one of the junior helpers wanted to show us that he has indeed learned something. When we arrived and asked for the mooring line he did not understand; so when we left he thought he did understand and instead of leaving the mooring line to sink nicely to the bottom of the sea he was busy trying to lift it up, the result was not pleasant, our engine stopped, the line was tightly wrapped around our propeller shaft! Gerry swam with our 100meter landline to shore, there our friends Mike and Brigitte made sure we were properly attached, I went forward to drop anchor and at one point realized that my right second toe was bent at a weird angle! I limped inside the boat and got a bandana and wrapped it tightly around the toes. Interesting, for as long as I had not seen the toe sticking out into leftfield the pain was dull, but once I realized what I had done it hurt like hell! Mind over matter?! Anyway, it was not the time to worry, we had more important matters to take care off and Gerry was busy untangling Octy! Gerry freed “Willy” and we were off, though Mike, who is a dentist, did offer to have a look at my toe. Teeth, toes what’s the difference, they both start with “T”! Thanks for the offer Mike, but sailors know that broken toes are wrapped together and after that it is a waiting game…patience being my middle name (teehee, G), that should be a piece of cake!
We sailed and motor sailed to Kekova and once again anchored in some of our favored bays. The weather started acting up, the winds got stronger and since I was not all that comfortable on board, movements a bit restricted, we decided to head for home (read Antalya Marina).
We arrived on Friday, September 11 and attended the regular Saturday evening party here at the marina. Life here at the marina is getting better and better, work is progressing nicely and the investors are confident that it will be a great place to spend the winter. Activities have started, there is the daily walk at 7am lead by Bob of SY Trilogy, we had our first weekly Wednesday evening BBQ last night; it was a success and will be a popular event in weeks to come. Tonight the “unofficial” bar will be in operation and Sunday some of us will head into the hills to explore the country site. There is a Jazz festival at the beginning of October and for the sporty types the annual Triathlon will take place later that month.
August 12 2009
Time flies: we’re back in Alanya, the bilge was dry so we’re relatively happy. Relatively, because the heat is something else and Brigitte’s skin is not amused. Oh well, in another few months we’ll be bitching because of the cold. The airplane had some problems with the heat too: particularly as we were approaching Antalya the heat waves from the ground caused some anxious moments with some.
If I was excited about Amersfoort’s 750 years existence, later I found out that Utrecht has been around for 1300 years… BefAugust 12 2009ore leaving, we attended a free organ concert in the Dom of Utrecht. At the end the organizers requested a contribution, an organ donation, so to speak, so that the free organ concerts could continue…The organist played on all three organs in different locations in the church and in between played, dare I say it, musical chairs.
We spent four days on Anne’s motorboat “Zeearend” and cruised the waterways between Sneek, Friesland and the New Waterway, below Rotterdam.
Motoring through Holland’s canals and lakes was a novel experience which we thoroughly enjoyed.
We also got to spend quality time with sister Kitty and brother-in-law Anne. It is surprising how much solitude there still is to be had in such a crowded country.
Brigitte found some time to relax. Gerry has this rule, everything on board has to have at least 2 uses! Now here we have a good one, Fender, Footrest and possible excercise ball.Good news Anne, you should be alllowed to keep that fender, it passed the test!!!!!!
In some villages one has to pay a fee for passing through a lock and or having a bridge opened…. sometimes, as a special “attraction” a friendly bridge attendant swings a Dutch wooden shoe your way and you are expected to deposit the correct change in it and let the shoe swing back!
We sailed past the HaL-cruise vessel Rotterdam, which will be ably navigated to northern Europe by cousin Evert in a few weeks.
The very enjoyable 5 weeks in Holland were crowned with a nice farewell dinner at Kitty and Anne’s, their son Anne junior and girlfriend Esther and of course daughter Frederiek as well as Tieke and Ruud managed to join in. The only fly in the ointment was that cousin Merel managed to break her foot (in three places) whilst vacationing in Switzerland and at the time of our departure we were unsure of the timing of their return to their home in Bilthoven. M&H, once again many thanks for letting us “look after” your beautiful abode!
We are presently awaiting Jaap and Sophia and 7 kids (including their own) to arrive by minibus this Friday. They are swinging by on their, by now annual, trip through Turkey and we’ll feed them lunch (probably pizza from Domino’s). Gerry was briefly thinking about making pancakes, but stopped that thought before it got away with him! (I am thinking HEAT & cooking MANY MANY pancakes for 7 hungry kids and 4 adults!!!)
Some of the boats that were here when we went to Holland are still here, but most have left (since the marina started charging on July 1…). We are meeting others, some who we knew already, some not. We met the new owners of TicketeeBoo, Phil, Alyson and the girls, Erica and Miriam. If you want to see a fairly unique (sailors are a superstitious lot) and funny boat renaming ceremony, visit their site at http://www.mirica.co.uk/.
There’s not much to do (due to the extreme heat) aside from bike trips into town for food and staying in the shade, near the fan. Brigitte is sewing mosquito netting to the hatch covers, I’m back to learning Turkish and Saturday or so we’ll be on our way towards Kekova Roads where the waters are cooler and we can sit at anchor… Before leaving we will use the new free laundry here. At least some of us will start with out a clean sheet…
Because of all the repairs on Octopus we forgot to mention that occasionally we also have some good times; like going to see Carmen and Aida
at the Roman Theater in Aspendos.
Perge was also one of the excursions offered when the EMYR was here in late May
and since we had not seen that particular “pile of rubble” we decided to have a look see!
……and it was worth it!
July 15 2009
We arrived in Bilthoven on July 2nd; the trip from Turkey to Holland was uneventful only the trip from Schiphol airport to Bilthoven was a bit of a challenge due to a fire in one of many tunnels in the Schiphol train system. This meant that there were no incoming and or outgoing trains from the airport and the result was total chaos! We managed to travel with public transportation to Bilthoven anyway! Thirteen hours on the road, in total.
It feels good to relax in Merel and Hans's beautiful garden as the last three weeks had been hectic on board Octopus.
When we got back on board in early June we applied the antifouling (3 coats!!) ....
..and then we were lifted back into the water. This is always a tense moment; the captain climbs on board first to make sure there is no leakage below and once the OK is given the lift operator releases the straps and the boat is “free” to go! Gerry did give the thumbs up and we made it to our slip, tied all the ropes and had another look around below. That was the moment when Gerry noticed that we had an indoor pool, not something one normally has in a boat the size of ours!! We had no choice but to make use of the bilge pump, something we usually avoid doing in a harbour because it is unavoidable that with the water you also pump some less desirable liquids….. The stuffing box seals had dried out in the extreme heat while the boat was on the hard and hence we no longer had a reliable seal preventing the water from entering the boat when the engine was engaged! The situation did improve as the seals softened and the “river” turned into a creek and then dried up!!! However G had lost confidence in the system and was looking for a replacement. We decided on a Volvo Penta stuffing box and the discussion started “can we do the replacing in the water or out of the water…… and we decided to play it safe and got lifted again!” Our friend Willi from Panta Rei offered to help and after six long hours (the temperature inside the boat was about 32C), much sweating and swearing and finally the prop shaft was separated from the transmission and the new stuffing box could be installed. We were lowered back into the water and just like the last time, G jumped on board and headed down below and the rest of us waited with bated breath for the “OK sign” – however we got a LIFT NOW sign/gesture instead! The guys gathered around the problem area again and it was decided that the problem now was of a different nature; the shaft tube was now leaking and had to be repaired. The lift operator offered to do that, he said he had experience with fast hardening fibreglass repairs…….once done Octopus was once more lowered into the water and the waiting game repeated itself! Unfortunately Gerry surfaced with a concerned facial expression and once more we were lifted. At this point the guys had been busy for the better part of the (terribly) hot day and it was decided that we would spend the night in the slings and the issue would be revisited the next morning (cool heads work better).
After more deliberation Roel (Horizon) concluded that one of the hose clamps was no longer closing “round” around the stuffing box and that resulted in the leakage. Once new, more robust hose clamps were installed the problem was indeed fixed and Octopus was once again a seaworthy vessel, sorry, without an indoor pool!
This was a good time to leave the marina and head for one of our favoured anchorages called Kekova Roads. We departed mid morning, ready for an overnighter, and were able to motor-sail and as the wind increased we managed to shut down the engine and enjoy some peaceful sailing. However the weather changed and soon we were motoring again and Gerry was once again bothered by my “I hear a different engine noise” comment. Agreed, I tend to hear or see thing frequently (yes, I am a scaredy cat, still after all these years) and I often point out this or that – but sometimes I am right; (ok sometimes I am not!!) but after I voiced my opinion a few more times he humoured me and went down to take a look-see and “Houston, we have a problem”! Once again (like 2 years ago during stage 1 of the EMYR) the banjo bracket of the number one fuel injector had a crack. This means injector 1 has a poor fuel burning process because some diesel escapes through the crack, it smells and the hot diesel fumes mess up the inside of the boat…we quickly shut down the engine and hoisted the sails and moved slowly with the little wind there was direction “home” (read Alanya Marina) We got there shortly after midnight and decided to anchor in the harbour and were greeted in the morning by the friendly and always ready to help marinero Mesut (also known as the lift operator, diver, translator, bread bringer, etc.)
Gerry, with the help of Mesut “the translator” made his way to the Sanayi (an area in every larger Turkish city where all the tradesmen gather and offer their services) and by the end of the next day we had a welded bracket! A day later we had another one, machined from steel. It is remarkable how the trades people in Turkey still know how to repair things, it is not yet a throw-away society, unfortunately we know that this will change as the country turns more “European” or “American” and as a result loses that quality. An email to Perkins Istanbul was not answered and we decided to see if Perkins Netherlands might be able to find us an actual Perkins Banjo bracket just to be on the safe side. Two should be here by mail by the end of this week.
Well, having solved the fuel injector problem Gerry tackled the external water pump problem which we had addressed this past winter in Marmaris. When a lad at the Alanya Sanayi had a look at the failing part he wanted to know where we had the part fixed and Gerry told him his fellow countryman in Marmaris had repaired it this past winter! Well he was appalled at the work and promised he would fix it and we would not have any issues with it for the next 5 years (zee proof of zee pudding is in zee eating…..as they say in France)
….and so we would have been ready to leave Alanya marina again, however at that point we decided that the remaining few days before our departure to Holland we would just plain stay put. We left Alanya on July 2nd.
Our time in Bilthoven is very enjoyable. We bike daily, rain or shine, through wooded areas or along polders or waterways or we stroll through the idyllic parts of Utrecht. It's amazing how much forest this overpopulated country still has. And history: Gerry cycled through Amersfoort, which is celebrating its 750th anniversary!! We also manage to catch up with family and friends and we look forward to spending a few days on Zeearend, the motor yacht of Kitty and Anne's, travelling back from Friesland to the Rotterdam area.
Weesp, one of the many picturescue places we saw whilst travelling the waterways through Holland.
June 3, 2009
Finike worked out all right: caught up with Windfee (CH) again, Alba Blu (D), Cruising Queen (D) and She Cat (UK). From there we left for the Cinevis anchorage and then directly to Alanya. On our way to Cinevis we were held back for a few hours by the Turkish Coast Guard as there were live firing exercises by the navy along our route. Although theirs was a “suggestion” only, we thought it was preferable to heed it as opposed to getting a free haircut, courtesy of the navy. Alanya, the new marina, was a bit of a surprise, as mooring lines had not yet been installed and we were requested to anchor stern-to. Octopus does not back up particularly well (longish keel) and docking bows-to requires some preparation (digging up and laying out the stern anchor etc.) so we went alongside behind old friends Jacqueline and Roel of Horizon (NL). Jacqueline showed us where things are in Alanya.
Caught up with Willi and Christina of Panta Rei too and got to know two classy Brits, Jean and Bill (mid-eighties and still sailing!!).
Preparations for the arrival of the EMYR (65 boats) caused a lot of work to be accomplished in very little time and the marina looked half-decent just in time.
No wonder we did not move very quickly! A nice Beatles song comes to mind (Octopus's garden)
We were lifted on the day of the EMYR arrival and were pleased that much of the growth on the bottom was washed off by the high-pressure hose.
Much cleaner after the power wash
This will speed the boat up by at least a knot. Alanya Marina has very competent marineros and lift operators. Over the following days we cleaned and sanded the underwater ship (wrecked my back in the process) and prepped the boat for a coat of primer and two coats of Hempel Oceanic antifouling when we come back on June 9.
See, now we are ready to race Octopus, all 18 tons (G could not believe the weight)
Oh yeah, we also partied with the EMYR crowd, I think…
After arriving in Holland we helped organize the 90th birthday party for mom
and caught up with our kids, Kim (with husband Sebastien) and Lars.
there was even time for a friendly game of "Jeux de boules"; we shall not talk about the result however.....
The Stuurop family (missing the photographers Piet & Gerry)
The party was a great success and we met cousins, aunts and uncles who we otherwise rarely see, in addition to brother, sisters and parents. We will now house-sit in Holland during July (when it’s hot in Turkey) and have been invited to use a chalet in Villars, Switzerland in November.
The hiking should be great! Rien and Hans will visit Saturday and Sunday we will visit Nicola, Kees and Guus of Flying Eagle and on Tuesday we will return to Alanya. TTFN!.
May 10 2009
We left Marmaris on April 8, later than we had wanted, but the weather was not auspicious and we decided to buy an additional four days from the marina at a horrendous price but that’s the way it is these days… Moneybags we are, with little feet underneath. Said goodbye to fellow yachties, Mehmet, Hasan, Zack and especially Macit and off we went.
Friends Yvonne & Dicco
Zack who helped us with some language difficulties with the local phone company!!
Brigitte enjoying some quiet time on board Octopus
we find it hard to believe that tourists can be that inconsiderate ......pix takenduring a bike race, not ten meters apart.
As an aside, according to “management” Turkey had passed a bill two years earlier, holding Internet service providers responsible for tracking the type of sites their clients access. Naturally nothing had been done but the lawyers scared management into turning the Internet off from one minute to the next, so as to prevent us terrorists and pervs from communicating. Never mind that some people are still working and depend on the Internet for their work. Some got really upset.
Arrived Fethiye the same day, moved to Goecek and bought a Magma gas-fired barbeque. We have never fished, for fear of actually catching something, which we might have to cook indoors. Now that we can grill outdoors, however, we will give it a try. Turkey has not yet succumbed to big trawlers (90’000 in the EU) and people fish with handlines and small nets, so chances are that there still some fish around. Around Goecek the big boats have already reserved their summer spots by plonking themselves in little bays with lines sternward and sideways, with just the hired help on board. Money still talks, apparently. In the marina many, especially Brits, had been complaining that their currencies had devalued (against the Euro) and that interest rates were such that they had no or little income and were looking for work (especially on other yachties’ boats).
Motored to Kas on a nice day (starting 04:30 am…)
and from there to Kekova Roads where we have been hanging out since. Met up again with Onur and Jacqueline and had a meal in their restaurant, along with Windfee’s Judith and Andre (CH). Nice to see them again too!
Experienced a Force 7 two days ago, during which our anchor dragged twice, once in the afternoon and once at three in the morning. Some boats showing no anchor lights didn’t help: we missed a few by not much, trying to re-anchor in the dark. We understand the battery issue, but jeez…We have installed LED tri-colour and anchor light which consume a fraction of incandescent. So little, in fact, that I sometimes have to look up the mast to check that the anchor light is on because the ammeter doesn’t move.
Tomorrow Finike for a few days, then to Alanya to see whether the marina is finished enough for us to leave Octopus and fly to Holland.
April 10 2009
Before we’re underway again this brief update.
Just after our trips to Europe both Brigitte and I got sick, I had a serious laryngitis and Bri got a bronchial infection. With B there’s always the risk that it turns into pneumonia. We both got massive amounts of meds and are now back on our feet (but still a little weak). Hate to think of getting sick in locations where there’s no medical help. On the other hand, you probably don’t get sick where there’s no “civilization” (such as it is).
Brigitte and I spent a week’s “vacation” (meaning away from the marina gossip) on the island of Kos (Greece) and in Bodrum. Kos was a waste of time: everything is closed and the island itself is hardly worldwide. The woman working the reception in the hotel did not understand why we gave her a hotel voucher which clearly stated that we had paid and that the hotel would get reimbursed via a travel agent, so when we tried to check out the problem started…..it just so happened that we checked out on Greece’s National Holiday!
A really good reason for nobody to work; as if they needed a reason for not working in Greece!! and that made dealing with this issue a real problem! We called our reservation agent (long distance of course) and we were told that everything was in order and that under no circumstances were we to pay again….. but the receptionist did not agree and wanted our credit card details! After much arguing she did let us check out and she told us that she would call us the next day and we could fax the credit card details at that point. We never did hear from her, so we assume that they had finally figured it out. However we just heard from our Internet travel agent and they were really sorry about our troubles at the Kos hotel and they send us a 30€ certificate to be used next time we make a reservation with them!
Anyhoo, we brought back some nice cheese and a few other things and our Turkish visas are good for another 3 months.
Bodrum is nice even in the winter; this is a view from the castle / museum at the harbour entrance
We met Serdar, a dual Turkish/American citizen who owns a California type bar on the waterfront (www.lajollabodrum.com). Serdar serves very good Cappuccino or Latté with delicious home made cheesecake and one evening we enjoyed a really nice (mind you, not cheap) Turkish red wine. Serdar will also serve soufflés during the summer and he was close to a deal with a butcher to be able to serve nice US-style steaks. So, if you are in the neighborhood we recommend that you pay him a visit.
Meanwhile we have a new bimini-sprayhood, a lazy bag for the mainsail and new cockpit cushions. Gerry finally installed the SSB radio and as of this afternoon, with the help of Cristata’s Terry, the SCS antenna tuner, Yaesu radio, Pactor modem and Compac laptop seem to be talking to one another. This will give us email capability when out of reach of the telephone system and enables us to talk to other hams. Callsign is VE3UIK.
The marina (Netsel) in Marmaris was okay until (here too) new management spoiled it. Tradesmen (from outside the marina) working on your boat now have to pay 20 Euros per day, per job, per person (in fairness, a second person is a real bargain at 15 €!), prices are increased while you’re looking (discounts are no longer honored, people who have prepaid their stay are asked to pay additional amounts prior to being either put back into the water or being lifted etc); the WiFi has been turned off (without prior warning or communication of any kind) on some stupid pretext etc. It is very sad to see what is happening to this marina; I suppose it is a normal development, management (local and overall) sees a possibility of making more money quicker and as a result that homely feeling is gone and us yachties turn into money-bags with little legs underneath! This is a phenomenon we experienced in Croatia and in several other places here in Turkey. However, overall we enjoy the Turks and their beautiful country and we are very much looking forward to seeing more of their coastal and inland sites.
We are slowly going to make our way towards Alanya where we will put the boat on the hard and fly to Holland at the end of May to celebrate mom’s 90th. When we return we’ll do the antifouling and sail to Cyprus. After that we’ll see. It seems to shape up to be a nice lazy season!
First and foremost, my (G’s) mother passed away on Thursday August 12, she was 91. When the heads up came we happened to be in Kusadasi marina and instead of checking out, had to look for a way to get to the Netherlands. As most planes were full with returning tourists, we had a hard time finding a slot but with the help of a travel agent, and at a price, we found some tickets. Made it just in time. Next Sunday, 22/8, we will travel back. Job 1 will be to free the bottom (of the boat) of marine life and start heading to Alanya again.
nice clear water in the bay under the WWI monument at the entrance of the Dardanelles (BUT not for swimmimg!)
This This is SY Cherokee leaving at 6am!!
we took a nice walk in Karabiga
Then on to Atakoy, get fuelled up, and the run up the Bosphorus. Another 20 miles of hair raising turns and traffic. The traffic around Istanbul, between the Asian and European sides, is horrendous, and you have to keep your nerves and stay the course, while keeping an eye on as much as eight ferries, all of which, this is Turkey after all, try to pass ahead of you.
besides heavy traffic there were also some really nice old houses to look at!
Sile
We were tied to the seawall and were looked after by friendly fishermen who supplied us with mussels and other seafood. 
In Amasra we had serious winds from the mountains at night and the resulting waves turned our dinghy upside down when landing the next day. People gave us funny looks when we walked around the town in wet clothes, but we have long stopped worrying about what other people think of us (we already know). Just as well we had forgotten to take along a camera and our mobile phone!!
The chief of the Sea Police came by and gruffly asked for our papers. It became obvious to us that he had seen few transit logs and that he was was just curious. We visited him the next day in his office. When we told him that we wanted to travel inland Sadik and his sidekick drove us to the bus terminal and helped us get tickets, while people looked for the handcuffs around our wrists. The cops then drove us to a nearby shopping center and to Kozlu harbour. Turns out that Sadik and a friend had set up a sailing school there.
Safranbolu
Sinop, view from the old castle
very old prison in Sinop, the three men wanted us to take their picture, they took a break from attending to the garden!
getting ready!
going .... going...... gone !!! 
We met their children Ece and Mustapha Can and spent a pleasant evening “talking” with them with the help of two dictionaries and Google translations. The next day daughter Ece sailed with us to Eregli. 
some of the happy helpers taking a break
Bursa, many old buildings have been skillfully renovated, we enjoyed strolling through the place
Busra is well known for Silk scarves 
Babakale is small and these boats had to park in bunches of seven alongside each other. Their catch was picked up by refrigerated trucks for the markets in Istanbul. Ahmed showed me how to clean and fry squid.
View from Octopus!
Mom’s not in good shape, but at 91, what would you expect. Dad, 93, has had a cataract and a melanoma operated on and is doing well. They are getting help from professionals and are doing as well as can be expected. I was happy to be able to do some of the driving to and from medical appointments. 
I thoroughly enjoyed my week with Lars and Sharon in Victoria. 
Lars had the week off and he managed to leave me with a good idea of what life is like for him on the island. In no time he had me convinced that Victoria / Vancouver Island would be a good place to be! (A phone call with Marion Huck and a conversation with Matt T (ex Kanata) confirmed that!)
The weekend we spend on Mayne Island, a beautiful tranquil place inhabited by people looking for a more relaxed way of life! 
Once Kim caught upon some sleep we took time out to go and visit the house Sebastian has been building for his parents. It is indeed an impressive sight, Seba has done an excellent job, congratulations, the house looks well build and between Seba and Lars (and Sharon) we have the building of our retirement lodge well covered and should they run into trouble we get Kim and she can do some disaster management! All we need now is a plot of land somewhere! 
In summary, my visit to Canada was G R E A T! The best birthday present in a very long time, many thanks to G for understanding and accepting my need to do that! 
Tennis clinic every Tuesday and Thursday, tournament every Saturday and casual playing when ever weather permits! 
and playing with Rex, the puppy the cruisers have adopted. Rex will rue the day he met us as one of the first things we did was take him to the vet to have him neutered... If the size of his paws and head are anything to go by he'll be huge as an adult.
including a remake of the Village People's YMCA (we called ourselves the Village Idiots) under the guidance of Soo (GwenL)
and a hilarious Lone Ranger and Tonto sketch. 
Brigitte organized a wine and cheese tasting last Saturday. We bought ten different Turkish wines and eight cheeses and had people blind-taste and evaluate them. Interestingly, the better wines and cheeses were rated accordingly, unlike at Netsel marina last year where the same wine came in first and last. The event was well attended. 
we had some great food (thanks Dave of SY Gwen L)
we had some fun
what with most if not all yachties packed in the well decorated bar. We managed to stay awake until midnight, while a number of friends lasted until 4 am... 
The 1st Alanya marina polar bear swim (water temp 18C); -- (spiked) hot chocolate & brownies were served following the swim!
Gerry & his rubber ducky are among the keen swimmers!
Gerry entering today’s Christmas Tennis Tournament „all dressed“ for the Occasion!
view from the apartment
Ensex, on the way to Col de la Croix
we had Gerry’s sister Tieke and husband Ruud for a weekend visit and we just plain enjoyed ourselves. 
we had loads of snow, it looked beautiful, sorry no snowman, it was pure powder snow and I am sure the locals had a ball skiing!
We had anticipated the visit of Gölün and Adnan, who have a spice store in Alanya, and who were curious about life on board. They would have had trouble getting on board via the bow (we always dock bows-to) and we went alongside instead to make boarding easier. But they called the day of their visit to say they were too busy. I think they were a little shy. PS: they did come a week later and we spent close to two hours with them.
One of the many pieces of Styrafoam which got blown all around the marina. We decided it looked like an iceberg which I suppose would make us the seals or polarbears (your pick) ..... or it could also be our very private little island .... in any case we took it for a spin around the marina
We are visited by Jaap (a cousin of Gerry’s from Holland), his wife Sophia and their children, friends etc., 9 persons in total in a minibus with 8 seats. Thankfully little Jacok spends most of his time on the floor. Lovely visit with swimming, pizza and talk. Jaap and Sophia have spent much time in Turkey on several other occasions and enjoy the country and the people, like we do ourselves.
There is a road being build up along the mountain, the material which comes off the hill is moved down to the water and used for the breakwater; and the flat area which has been build a long time ago as part of the marina terrain has been “taken over” as a landing site for paragliders. The work on the marina is ongoing, they work late into the night and sometimes it does get a bit much and we escape into the village of Kas which offers nice alleys, shops and restaurants. Kas is touristy but not overwhelmingly so! 
10 Seconds later there is this enormous bang and rocks and dirt start flying through the air! …… no wonder the construction crew left the site!! Too bad we did not have our camera ready; the pictures we did get are somewhat after the fact but still…
Nuri’s place is a real family operation, and one gets treated very well. On leaving one of the junior helpers wanted to show us that he has indeed learned something. When we arrived and asked for the mooring line he did not understand; so when we left he thought he did understand and instead of leaving the mooring line to sink nicely to the bottom of the sea he was busy trying to lift it up, the result was not pleasant, our engine stopped, the line was tightly wrapped around our propeller shaft! Gerry swam with our 100meter landline to shore, there our friends Mike and Brigitte made sure we were properly attached, I went forward to drop anchor and at one point realized that my right second toe was bent at a weird angle! I limped inside the boat and got a bandana and wrapped it tightly around the toes. Interesting, for as long as I had not seen the toe sticking out into leftfield the pain was dull, but once I realized what I had done it hurt like hell! Mind over matter?! Anyway, it was not the time to worry, we had more important matters to take care off and Gerry was busy untangling Octy! Gerry freed “Willy” and we were off, though Mike, who is a dentist, did offer to have a look at my toe. Teeth, toes what’s the difference, they both start with “T”! Thanks for the offer Mike, but sailors know that broken toes are wrapped together and after that it is a waiting game…patience being my middle name (teehee, G), that should be a piece of cake!
Motoring through Holland’s canals and lakes was a novel experience which we thoroughly enjoyed.
In some villages one has to pay a fee for passing through a lock and or having a bridge opened…. sometimes, as a special “attraction” a friendly bridge attendant swings a Dutch wooden shoe your way and you are expected to deposit the correct change in it and let the shoe swing back! 
We sailed past the HaL-cruise vessel Rotterdam, which will be ably navigated to northern Europe by cousin Evert in a few weeks.
at the Roman Theater in Aspendos. 
Perge was also one of the excursions offered when the EMYR was here in late May
and since we had not seen that particular “pile of rubble” we decided to have a look see! 
……and it was worth it!
When we got back on board in early June we applied the antifouling (3 coats!!) ....
No wonder we did not move very quickly! A nice Beatles song comes to mind (Octopus's garden)
After arriving in Holland we helped organize the 90th birthday party for mom 
and caught up with our kids, Kim (with husband Sebastien) and Lars. 
there was even time for a friendly game of "Jeux de boules"; we shall not talk about the result however.....
The Stuurop family (missing the photographers Piet & Gerry)
Zack who helped us with some language difficulties with the local phone company!! 
Brigitte enjoying some quiet time on board Octopus
we find it hard to believe that tourists can be that inconsiderate ......pix takenduring a bike race, not ten meters apart.
and from there to Kekova Roads where we have been hanging out since. Met up again with Onur and Jacqueline and had a meal in their restaurant, along with Windfee’s Judith and Andre (CH). Nice to see them again too! 
Bodrum is nice even in the winter; this is a view from the castle / museum at the harbour entrance
We met Serdar, a dual Turkish/American citizen who owns a California type bar on the waterfront (
