Tonight Gyatso is rafted five-deep off some large fishing trawlers in Dikili. Just when we thought that it was safe to make dinner onboard, there was commotion among the crew on the trawlers inside of us. Before we knew it, the entire raft began to move. Our 19-ton yacht and the fishing boat inside of us were riding “piggy-back” into the harbor tied to one of the big trawlers in order to let another one out. David calmed Lisa by saying, “Don’t worry, they do this all the time.” When the fisherman agreed to have us tie-up, they indicated (mostly in Turkish and with arm waving) that one of the boats had to go fishing, but that it was no problem for us to stay where we were. Lisa replied, “So that’s what they meant.” Continue reading A taste of Turkish hospitality in Dikili, Turkey→
It’s a holiday weekend here in Turkey but still early enough in the season that we were able to anchor in a small cove normally roped off for swimmers. Yesterday was the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day Holiday where Turkish children commemorate the life of the revered Atatürk on the anniversary of the first Grand National Assembly which convened in 1920. We enjoyed the sunny, spring afternoon relaxing in the cockpit and watching Turkish people enjoy the holiday ashore and in numerous boats going in and out of the harbor. A few hearty souls were in swimming. Others sat on the beach or in the beachside cafe. Fisherman lined the small jetty, some drinking Efes beer. Continue reading Joining in on Turkish holiday festivities in Dalyankoy→
With a weather forecast for very settled conditions, we chose to anchor in a cove the cruising guide described as idyllic. We made our way into Sarpdere Limani past a shrimp fishing boat working its nets and into the beautiful cove. It took us awhile to be certain that we could swing comfortably at anchor in 10′ of water with a weathered limestone shoreline on either side. A low pasture with olive trees along the shore and a long valley extending up into the surrounding mountains added to the serenity, but this is not a place you would want to be during a strong south wind. We were fortunate to have very little wind. Continue reading Idyllic anchorage in Sarpdere Limani (Koyu), Turkey→
We made a long passage today so that we could get to the Setur Marina in Kusadasi ahead of some stormy weather in the forecast. Once again, the forecast was fairly accurate — we had rain and thunderstorms in the early morning hours and passing showers the first day in Kusadasi. Continue reading A visit to ancient Ephesus from Kusadasi, Turkey→
After spending most of the day in Bodrum, we left the dock at 2:30 p.m. and anchored three hours later in this quiet little fishing village on the Bodrum Peninsula which is slowly being taken over by tourism judging by the fish restaurants lining the shore and the grid of holiday homes being constructed on the surrounding hillsides. We’d already visited a historic site and eaten out once today (a döner kabob snack on the walk back from town), so we decided against going ashore to look for the ruins of ancient Myndos. We shared a bottle of wine and enjoyed leftovers onboard while watching two men fishing in a small boat off our stern instead. It seems that they were doing the same as us, except they had a few fishing lines in the water and were pulling in some small fish every now and then. Continue reading The quiet harbor of Gümüslük, Turkey→
Despite warnings from other cruising sailors who did not like the marina in Bodrum (mainly because it caters to charter yacht fleets and is therefore expensive), we decided to put in at the marina for a night anyways for the convenient access to shore. We arrived around noon after motoring from Knidos since there was no wind for sailing. Continue reading A glimpse at underwater archeology in Bodrum, Turkey→
We anchored in Büyük Limani harbor at Knidos on the western tip of the Datca Peninsula by late afternoon on our second day out from Marmaris. We rowed ashore to visit the ruins of ancient Knidos which are scattered around the surrounding hillsides. It must have been quite a place in its heyday, but now there is not even a modern-day town on the site which was famous for having been home to the first nude statue of a female figure: a marble statue of Aphrodite by Praxiteles. From our guidebooks, we also learned that this was the home of Eudoxos, one of the founders of Greek geometry. Continue reading Anchoring among ancient ruins in Knidos, Turkey→
Today we departed Marmaris and set sail for the 2010 cruising season. After two months of polishing, painting and varnishing to prepare Gyatso for another season, we don’t even mind the first spray of salty water over the bow. In fact it’s a real thrill because it means we’re off on another adventure. Continue reading We’re off to Dirsek, Turkey→
Gyatso’s refinished mainsail boom in the sea of yachts at Marmaris Yat Marine.
Logbook Entry
Date: 4/14/10 Location: Marmaris Yacht Marine
We spent the past two months since arriving back in Turkey working nearly every day on refit, repair and maintenance projects. Today we decided that we had completed enough of the work to declare ourselves ready for another sailing season. We put away the tools and washed down the decks in preparation for departure tomorrow.
The upside of installing a new water heater was replacing the sink countertop in the galley. Credit: Lisa Borre.
Logbook Entry
Date: 4/11/10 Location: Marmaris, Turkey
While wintering-over in Marmaris, Turkey, we installed a new countertop for the galley sink. The old one was cracked when we bought Gyatso five years ago, and we’ve lived with it that way until a corner piece actually broke off last season.
