To Finike in 30 Knots Aft of the Beam

Richard hangs on to the helm in the short sea and building wind....he is too busy to put on his shirt!


It is 17 NM to Finike from this anchorage and force 4 to 5 Beaufort is predicted - a fairly fresh westerly wind. We see the whitecaps as we clear the islands and know that we are in for a good sail. We are soon sailing briskly with a following wind and mounting seas.

It is a very fast run under full main and reefed genoa. We break the Matelot record when we hit 11 knots 3 times, frequently doing plus 10s in between but it is still hard to catch DB who has left before us, as she is surfing the short seas more comfortably than Matelot. Richard is kept very busy on the helm as Matelot gets caught under the stern by the following sea and tries to round up from time to time. We complete this short passage in 2 hours flat and it has been quite a ride.

Unfortunately we have a small hole in our new main sail where a broken plastic fitting on the spreader has punctured it. We see it sticking through the sail when we are almost at Finike and have no option but to carry on. The Dimension Polyant fabric has performed well by not tearing further and we are left with two small puncture holes. Our first job in Finike apart from provisioning is to get the main sail off and send it to the sailmakers for repair. Richard also goes up the mast to repair the protective covering on the spreader.

Pippy is running a little low on adrenalin this week for some reason!

The wind continues to howl over Saturday and Sunday, with rain and more wind predicted through to Wednesday. We may be here for a few days. Finike marina is very pleasant, but rather expensive nowadays. They have put their prices up quite a lot this season.


This photo was taken by Deep Blue on another day, but seems appropriate for this blog!

Myra and Demre

Lycian Toombs – Myra



We anchor well clear of the many gullets pulled in here and plan to walk to Myra 6 km away. Deep Blue set off ahead as the Matelot crew are still gathering themselves on board, however this proves to be an advantage because Pippy and Richard are given a lift by a passing good Samaritan and make it to Demre ahead of Andy and Brenda.

St Nicholas' church is very interesting and well worth the 10TKL per person to visit it. Pippy and Richard are more than happy to offer thanks to the patron saint of all sailors! A short 2 km walk from here to the Myra site is soon accomplished and we are astonished at the many ornate Lycian tombs carved into the cliffs in this amazing place, not to mention the huge theatre which was converted by the Romans for gladiatorial events. In its heyday the Lycian population of the whole coast was around 200,000 people and Myra was one of the six major cities of the Lycian League. It was possible in those days to sail right up to the city, but the river has now silted over and created a fertile river plain. The earthquakes have done their work here as everywhere and the tumbled building blocks bear witness to this.

Rock Friezes – Myra – 5th Century BC








On our arrival back on Matelot we find we are side-on to a most uncomfortable swell which rocks the boat so much that we know we cannot spend the night here. We motor approx 2 nm west across the bay to the small group of islands and sheltered water known as Gokkaya Limani, making for the calm and beautiful anchorage close to the “Boathouse” in the north western creek. It is so magical here, we stay two nights, swimming and exploring the ruins ashore.


Matelot and Deep Blue are grateful for this peaceful sheltered anchorage after a very busy and eventful day!


The Lycian Way walkway winds its way along the shore through this bay and we see walkers pass by from time to time and tents popping up at night. We have this anchorage practically to ourselves, but this all changes on 1 May – the official start of the season – when gullets begin to appear. We hope that they are picking up the rubbish that scars the beauty of this place.

Deep Blue Saves Matelot

Deep Blue anchors alongside. All is calm....









This friendly butterfly lands on board for a rest in the breeze....






The anchorage of Karaloz (Port Sant Stephano) with a long and lat of 36°11’.4 N, and 29°53’.4 E for those who want to look it up on Google Earth, reputedly offers good holding and all round shelter.

This is good because we leave Kekova Roads in a fresh westerly afternoon sea breeze. On arrival we make our way into the miniature fjord- like anchorage and pull in stern-to at the southern head of the bay putting out 30m of chain into mud and weed next to 2 gullets on our starboard side who have anchored at an angle into the shore. We drop and reverse in at the same angle. Soon DB joins us on our port side. With the exception of the light gusts, which come over the saddle from our port side, we have no wind and are in crystal clear calm water with fish swimming lazily under the boat.

We all sit out on deck until the light fades in this magical place. The wind dies out to nothing and it is a peaceful scene with the gullet crews preparing a barbecue on the rocky shore line and the laughter of their guests floating across the water. The forecast is for continuing light conditions.

At some time in the early hours of the morning, Pippy is aware of Richard up on deck. A slight breeze has filled in from our starboard side and is coming around the corner into the bay. At 5 am, we are again disturbed by the gullets leaving. Their engines make quite a racket.

The morning is relatively peaceful as the sun comes up over the hill, but that breeze continues to puff around the corner and blow us towards Deep Blue and too close for us to drop our shore line without falling down on them. This narrows our options as we cannot leave now until they do. It is only around 5 knots, but our angle side on to this wind is not good with rocks on the shore behind us. We are restless and discuss our preference for getting out and swinging free from the anchor rather than being tied ashore. Suddenly the breeze freshens (later DB tells us it was only 13 knots) and we must make our move. Richard has the engine running and Deep Blue are making ready to move out when our anchor suddenly lets go as Pippy is on the bow attempting to pull us out with the chain. It all happens in milliseconds… We are instantly blown sideways and backwards. Richard tries to use the propeller to move us forward but the rudder is caught on a rock and we are going nowhere. We are blown sideways on to Deep Blue and desperately fending off. We consider getting our other anchor out and kedging ourselves off but it is at the bottom of the deepest locker and the wind is really pushing us on to the rocks now. If we had another pair of hands we might have managed to get it out. Minutes seem like hours as Deep Blue pulls out on their anchor, gets clear of Matelot but with a tow-rope attached. Once they have their anchor up (by now our keel is on the rocks) they thankfully pull us out on the tow-rope. We are free but not sure of the damage underneath. Whew! Matelot appears to be functioning okay. Thanks Deep Blue – You have saved our boat!

We head out of the bay as the breeze is now making anchoring undesirable so we head for the port of Andraki, 3 miles away. This is the harbour close to the ancient site of Myra and town of Demre. Once we arrive there Richard dives under the boat to survey the damage – a large chip out of the rudder on the leading edge and an even larger chip on the trailing edge, plus a bit of paint off the keel. We are shaken and grateful as the outcome could have been much worse. We will need to haul out very soon to undertake repairs.

We review our anchoring technique, the anchor itself (a Bruce) and consider what we could have done differently and will do. This is not the first time our anchor has let go or slipped when we have taken wind on the beam while tied ashore. Something has to change.

Kekova Roads

Crossed Anchors…

While docking on 24 April, a Greek ferry picks up Deep Blue’s anchor and reverses across to the opposite quay, almost pulling DB apart in the process, so for our departure from Kas on 25 April we are expecting DB to have some trouble getting their anchor up. Two other yachts have had anchors hooked up this morning but have now got away. DB pulls out from the quay while we stand by. They slide their anchor along the ferryboat chain and manage to free it so we are soon reaching down the coast south then east, wind NW/W/SW progressively in 15-18 knots.

DB gets in a great spinnaker run but Matelot sails conservatively and lunches along the way. We are grateful for this when we see DB encountering some issues on their gibe, which they soon master and carry on. Sailing into the sheltered anchorage of Kekova Roads, we pull up next to Steve and Pamela on board SY Eirene, Helmut and Mary on Lady B, and also Sally and Al on SY Artemis, all EMYR Rally boats from last year. We have a great dinner on board DB and then join the Rally sailors in the bar on shore for a catch up.

It is wonderful to be back in Kekova Roads and over the next couple of days we walk to Kale Koy Castle along part of the Lycian Way track; marvel at the numerous ancient sarcophagi from 2000 – 3000 years ago, some toppled, some still standing; soak in the view from the highest part of the castle; take an early morning trip in our dinghies across to the (probable) ancient site of Simena now buried under the sea by earthquakes and view the various fish swimming amongst underwater piles of broken pottery amphora jugs and other items, while hanging over the sides with our masks on (diving is prohibited). We also walk part of the track westwards then return to our dinghies and fill large water bottles with mineral water from the spring, which empties into the bay. We pour this into the tanks on board for an additional mineral ‘shot’.


The days slip by and finally we decide to leave this bay and explore an anchorage on the southern side of Kekova Adasi.

Birthdays!....

Mmmmmm.. the Lemon Drizzle cake is a real hit!


Both Cap’n Buck and Pippy have birthdays coming up pretty soon. This year Cap’n Buck has a big one…

24 April and Pippy’s birthday finds us still in lovely Kas and rocking and rolling worse than ever as the weather continues to defy the forecasts and the strong westerly sends a surge into the harbour. It is nerve wracking getting on and off the boat now as the gangway slides sideways and up and down as we clamber over. Pippy falls and makes it on hands and knees in one incident, helped by Andy pulling her from the quay. In another attempt earlier she leaps off sideways as the gangway disappears in the opposite direction from under her, makes it to the quay but trips and dives for the crotch of a total stranger standing nearby, who is very understanding about it all! How embarrassing. Richard is much more steady on his feet thank goodness.

Deep Blue puts on a surprise birthday breakfast and Brenda has baked a lemon drizzle birthday cake decorated with candles. For those who don’t know, this is quite an amazing feat in a yacht gas oven. We are spoilt with home made muesli, fruits and yoghurt and Pippy is given some lovely gifts, including a really funky photo of herself cleaning the topsides, and a book “The Lycian Way” which we can pick up and use as a guide for on-shore walking when we are cruising this coastline. It includes 530 km of walking track from Fethiye to Antalya. How lovely it is to start the day in this way so far from home and family.

During the day we all visit the weekly produce market and stock up on wonderful fresh fruit, veg, nuts and other goodies. The value is amazing and the experience of shopping in this way is something we have grown to really enjoy for its diversity and contact with the generous and friendly local people who sell their wares in these markets. This is as much part of the experience of being in Turkey as visiting the ancient sites.








Later, Richard surprises Pippy with dinner out with Brenda and Andy at the Dolphin Restaurant up the hill overlooking the marina. It is great company and a wonderful meal of sea bass baked in herbs and cream, presented in the huge baking dish after a mezze of calamari and other Turkish delights. We are served the juices as fish soup before we tuck into the fish itself and soon find ourselves completely replete from the superb food, but this is not the end as it is all followed by a chocolate gateaux birthday cake of indescribable richness and more candles to blow out!



We slowly wind our way home through the narrow cobbled streets, past the old Lycian tomb and down the hill where all the funky shops are. Brenda and Pippy stop to try on some local fashion creations along the way…



It has been a lovely day and Pippy is going to have to work overtime to match this for Cap’n Buck.

Fethiye to Kaş... the Lycian Coast

Adrenaline junkies eat your heart out....We get caught by the afternoon sea breeze and catch a few waves in our inflatable!

On Thursday 16 April we motor out of Fethiye past snow capped mountains and both agree it has been a fantastic place to visit. The provisioning has been feverishly accomplished as there were some big spaces in the cupboards. The Tuesday market and the large Carrefour Supermarket provided everything we wanted.

The highlights of our stay in this lovely place include…

…The fish market in the centre of town where we choose our fish from the circular central stall and then have it cooked at one of the many restaurants surrounding this open area for a cost of TKL5 including salad, bread and potato chips. The atmosphere is super, the fish is fresh and varied. Andy and Brenda have John Dory, we have salmon from Norway.




…The friendly locals who are laid back and helpful in every way and set the scene for a great stopover in this lovely town.

…The fantastic holding of the anchorage in the inner harbour.




…The fragrance of all the citrus trees in full blossom…mmmm.

It is 15 NM to our next planned stopover at Gemiler Buku and a light breeze slowly fills in from the north west as we clear the harbour.

We experience the catabatic nature of this terrain when we round the point of Dokubasi. From here until we pass the island of Karacaoren, we are harried and slammed by regular strong gusts from the craggy cliffs to our port side. We hastily roll in some of the headsail and constantly ease the main as we crab and slide our way along here at times doing over 9 knots, not uncomfortable, just a little busy. It is a salutory lesson on standing further off shore when wind is coming over tall outcrops and mountains. It gathers at the top then drops like an accelerating stone towards the sea, gathering momentum along the way. This is not the first time we have been sailing comfortably in light breezes, only to round a headland and find ourselves in something quite different.

On arrival at Gemiler Buku and once tied stern to ashore on the western side of the bay, we immerse our senses in the beauty of the surroundings. Crystal clear turquoise water, golden beach and vegetation wild and lovely down to the shore. Off to our starboard we can see the island of Gemiler Adasi with its masses of interesting ruins.



We are woken by gusts coming across the bay between 3.00 and 5.00am, but are securely anchored thank goodness. We are paid a visit by Turkish Coastguard the next morning. They come on board and check our papers and crew list to make sure that everything is in order. Soon after this 3 of us (Richard stays on anchor watch) go ashore and get a lift with a German couple, Reiner and Biggie – in their very nice camper van - to the nearby abandoned village of Kayakoy, featured in Louis de Bernieres novel Birds Without Wings – a truly fantastic read. We see the sun and blue sky shining through the empty windows of the roofless stone houses on the hill side as we approach the site and walk the abandoned streets overgrown with wildflowers which seem to represent the ghosts of previous inhabitants. Kayakoy, built on the ancient site of the Lycian city of Karmilassos ‘died’ as a result of the population exchange program between Greece and Turkey in 1923.






Richard has a relaxed calm day on board and we all join him after a brisk 7km walk back to the boats. We throw our lines and search for a more sheltered anchorage for tonight, motoring past Gemiler Adasi on our starboard, otherwise known as St Nicholas Island.


In the western side of Bestas Limani we discover one of the true jewels of anchorages we have experienced so far. Very sheltered in the current wind, this protected bay is our home for the next two nights, tied stern to ashore. The turquoise water is crystal clear and icy cold but we all enjoy the swimming here. The wind in the night goes straight over our heads, We plan to visit the surrounding places of interest, leaving early the next day in our two tenders for the 2 mile trip across to the national park of Olu Deniz. It is flat calm when we leave and make our way to this “blue paradise” – more like a resort, with its inland sea thankfully closed to visiting boats. We watch paragliders leaping off Babadag Mountain, which towers above us and see them change from tiny shapes to scraps of collapsing coloured cloth when they land on the nearby beach. This is all very lovely but the best is yet to come.


The afternoon sea breeze is starting to ruffle the water when we make our way back across the bay to St Nicholas Island (Gemiler Adasi) and pull the tenders ashore on the sheltered northern side. The Byzantine ruins of 3 churches and accompanying buildings on this island date back to early Christian times and before. It is thought that it was a holy site on the route of Christian pilgrimages from Constantinople to Jerusalem, but was lost to the Christians around the 12th century, when attacked by enemies and destroyed by earthquakes. Further excavation work is planned to fill in the gaps of the history of this amazing island. We walk among the extensive ruins in the idyllic Mediteranean setting of blue azure sea and wildflowers. We have the island almost to ourselves and eat our lunch on a high plateau covered in yellow wildflowers, watching a pair of red kite birds of prey come and go from their nest in an adjacent cliff face.

By the time we make it back to our tenders, the wind and sea has come up and is blowing quite fresh from the southwest. We don life jackets and pack everything into the wet bag, tie it to the inflatable and motor out of the lee of the island. We get a bit of an adrenaline ride as we surf the crest of some of the waves in our 2.3m inflatable, arriving gratefully back into the calm shelter of our small bay 10 – 15 minutes later. It has been a great day.


On Sunday 19 April we leave Bestas Limani and head for our next stop of Kalkan – approximately 30 nautical miles and 5 hours away. We motor most of the way picking up a light breeze later in the day as we close on Kalkan past the long sandy beach near to the Lycian sites of Xanthos and Patara. Kalkan is a bit of a surprise. As we turn the corner into this tiny harbour we are met by loud music, which almost shatters our ears. However, we see our friends Eric and Susan (on board SY Lola K) tied up and figure if it is okay for them to be there it can’t be too bad. We reverse on to the wall alongside them, right underneath the blaring speakers and stage of the concert to be held tonight. The atmosphere turns out to be really nice once the concert of Turkish folk music starts. We take a short stroll around the town and then retire to the cockpit of Matelot, lie on our soft cushions and enjoy the music.

Monday 20 April turns out to be a day to remember as we four hire a taxi for the day in order to visit the important ancient Lycian sites of Letoon, Xanthos and Patara dating back to before 3,000 BC. These are huge sites and only partially excavated, with lots of discoveries to be made yet. Xanthos set on the Xanthos River was the centre of Lycia in its heyday. Nowadays the river plain is almost entirely silted up and its fertile soil provides a place to grow tomatoes for the whole of Turkey and beyond. We climb to the top of the hill above Xanthos to have our picnic lunch. The wildlife in Letoon and Patara is worth the visit with lots of terrapins basking on the rocks, the occasional tortoise, frogs and bird life.



Back on the boat and early to bed, we are up again the next day and departing for Kastellorizon, the Greek Island 15 NM away and very close to the Turkish coast. We are close-to when we come across a swathe of rubbish floating in the sea – lots of plastic items, bags bottles etc. This is very sad to see. We hear later that this idyllic island with its permanent inhabitants of 400 people tips its rubbish over a cliff into the sea. We do hope that this will change in the future as it is a beautiful place to visit very briefly for an overnight and we climb to the top of the hill behind the town and take in the view.




The harbour is calm for the night and we depart early the short trip next morning to Kas – pronounced ‘Cash’ getting tucked in behind the sea wall stern to as we hear the weather is taking a turn for the worst over the next 3 days. It is a good place to be as the westerly comes in overnight and we bounce around on our double lines all night, sleeping fitfully.

The next morning marks our one-year anniversary of the day we first set foot on Rupert Wilson’s SY Rumpus in Selimiye. We know this because it is Children’s Day in Turkey and the children parade in front of us in an event with entertainment, which takes up most of the morning. It is colourful and delightful to see all the children of the town decked out in their costumes.

It helps to take our mind off the building wind, which really is getting stuck in as I write. We are getting clouds of dust down the companionway in this relatively sheltered harbour. It is leaving a fine coating over everything and the decks are red with it. The wind instrument says around 30 knots. There is a big sea crashing against the sea wall and our lines are straining against the surging sea, which is coming around the corner into the harbour.

We are surrounded by several other yachts, Deep Blue on port side, two other yachts stacked side on to the quay on our starboard side. The wind is howling. It will be nice when this settles down but we may have another night of it yet. The spring loaded line on Deep Blue has just snapped at the end of the spring which is – or was, a shock absorber!

Matelot signing out for now. Next stop Kekova Roads.

Tomb Bay to Fethiye

Thursday 9 April

This morning sees us move on to Tomb Bay. Finally we have settled weather to enjoy this amazing location.

We sail towards the snow capped mountains in the north beyond Gocek – they seem so near and yet we are swimming in the waters at their doorstep.

The Lycian tombs are visible on the hillside on the right as we come into the bay and tie up stern to in a magical anchorage. We spend a couple of nights here exploring the hillside, which turns out to be quite a challenging climb, swimming and relaxing in the sunshine. Andy has an upside down experience in the water with his outboard motor so has to spend some time getting it going again, after which time it is put to the test in an episode of duelling dinghies… We and DB enjoy meeting Eric and Sue from SY Lola K and we also have a delightful evening and discussion with Cenk from Istanbul who moors alongside us on our second night.

By Saturday 11 April, we are running very low on food supplies and water. Also we have been cut off from internet access since leaving Marmaris, and Pippy’s computer continues to work intermittently – mostly not at all. It appears we will have to revert to a one computer boat, so keeping the battery charged on the Apple Mac will be a constant challenge.

We head for Fethiye and a chance to fuel up, power up, stock up on provisions and generally turn ourselves around.

Sunday morning 5 April and the weather has closed in overnight to bring heavy rain. We are in an exposed anchorage and decide we will not stay and take the river trip as 2 days of rain are forecast. Soon after breakfast the wind starts to make its familiar slight sound in the rigging and within 10-20 minutes we are hit by a sudden big gust spinning Matelot around on her anchor. We see the landscape flying by through the windows and hear the unmistakable rumble of the anchor dragging over rock. We are on deck in seconds, engine on, anchor up and heading out to sea. This is no place to be right now. We decide we will sail around the headland to the more sheltered waters of Skopea Limani in the Gulf of Fethiye where we will rendezvous with DB at some stage. Dalyan will have to wait for another day and next time we will go to Ekincik Limani at the head of the bay.

We are unprepared for the stunning beauty of Wall Bay, named after the ancient stone wall which dissects it. The water is bright yellow on the surface due to pollen dropped from the surrounding pine trees, and emerald green underneath. Richard carves tracks through it as he paddles ashore to tie up stern to on a couple of bollards. This stunning place reveals itself while we swim and wash hair in the sunshine.

By 1.00 am the familiar sound is back and we are being hit side on with wind gusting over the ridge behind us. We spend the remainder of this night awake on anchor watch with the sound of the water lapping on the shore not far away. It is a long night. The next day we accept the invitation from the Wall Bay Restaurant and tie up alongside on the pontoon. Deep Blue arrives a couple of hours later and over the next day or so several more boats arrive. The weather forecast continues to defy all the predictions until Wednesday when it finally looks like it is clearing a little but the wind is still howling. Not to worry, we get some odd jobs done on board and finish polishing the other side of the topsides.

Once Wedneday dawns we are ready take a walk and we head past lovely Ruin Bay over the ridge towards the site of Ancient Lydae. We are sidetracked along the way by a lookout over a beach and we climb down through the rocky forest trail, dropping on to a dried up riverbed which leads to the turquoise waters of the beach. We stop on the way to pick wild laurel leaves (bay tree), chamomile daisies, oregano and sage. We surprise a tortoise out on his morning stroll and stop to chat for a while. The water is so inviting, it is not long before we are all splashing about pretending it is not absolutely freezing! Fortunately the stones are warm from the sun and we soon dry out and break open our sandwiches. What a truly special day. We all decide this is a place we would love to bring visitors to. The only down side is the familiar sight of lots of plastic and other rubbish caught up in the driftwood along the beach and the spots of diesel tar which Andy and Richard both get on themselves.

We remain alongside this pontoon until Thursday and can truly recommend the genuine kindness and hospitality as well as roast leg of lamb done Turkish style by the Wall Bay Restaurant. It is a magical setting by the open fire looking out over the water and well worth a stopover.

A Day of Firsts....

First Spinnaker Hoist

Saturday 4 April sees us leave around midday after a relaxed start to the day. We enjoy a lovely sail with the wind slightly ahead of the beam to begin with but it slowly clocks around and we hoist the huge blue and yellow spinnaker for the final run into our anchorage at the mouth of the Dalyan River. This is a truly exciting moment which Richard has longed for and Pippy has been teased and cajoled into agreeing to. The wind is constant and light so it is a positive experience and we find that all the gear on board works well. – Matelot is very steady under spinnaker - unlike Rebel Rouser, we do not even look like we are going to broach! Watch this space!

We won’t dwell on this ‘other’ subject again but we also celebrate our first holding tank potty dump when we are carefully well out to sea. It works well but within minutes we hear the unmistakeable sound of a helicopter and we hope and pray that it does not come our way where it will spot the unusual coloured wake!

The radar is working well with its new cable up the mast – we even pick up a jet going overhead!

All is well on board Matelot…

Sunset sees us swinging at anchor at Delikada island near to where the turtles lay their eggs each year. We have been approached by several boats trying to sell us a trip up the Dalyan River to see the ancient town and the Lycian tombs in the cliff face on the way. However, they are all outrageously expensive and we decline. The forecast is for no wind at all and some rain. In hindsight perhaps we should have left and chosen a more protected anchorage but the setting is too beautiful.

Swinging at Anchor near Downtown Marmaris

Marmaris Harbour Wed 1 April

Wonderful news!..... Harper Lilly Buchanan was born yesterday - 31 March and mother and baby are doing well. We wish this morning that we were not quite so far away but the photo from Matt brings us much closer to home. What a thrill.

Morning is calm anchored off downtown Marmaris. We eat our breakfast on deck watching Marmaris mirrored across the water, go about its morning business in the warm sunshine. The buzz of it is comforting and somehow familiar. We set up our priority list for the day and head for the shore in the Matelot tender.

We have discovered that Marmaris is the very best place to get anything done on the boat and there are plenty of places to choose from. It is a fascinating town with a fantastic food market each Thursday, an interesting bazaar, and lots of fascinating shops.

Today we are looking for a new mattress for our for’ard cabin (the old one has a dip in the middle) and a Turkcell mobile data modem so we can download weather reports on board.

Jobs all achieved we see Deep Blue anchoring alongside later in the day and we all get together for sundowners before DB heads off to Rhodes the next morning.

Thursday dawns with rain after thunder and lightning during the night but thankfully no wind. We are spending a few hours stern to on the town wall each day to get shopping and mattresses loaded. We are so close to all the chandlery outlets we get lots of odd jobs attended to and feel happy to get them ticked off.

Pippy loads up with strawberries the size of apples, spices, nuts and tons of other fruit and veg from the market and we are almost ready to leave. A mishap occurs while we are off the boat for half an hour. A large wake hits us and throws the boat back towards the wall. Our wooden gangway becomes the buffer and catches under a steel ring, splintering in several places. We had lifted it 2 feet clear of the wall before leaving but obviously that was not enough! A small price to pay and the boat is not damaged, but we are soon back on our anchorage where we prefer to be.

Friday 3 April

Another glorious morning with warm balmy temperature at last. Pippy pots the basil plants purchased at the market and we breakfast on deck drinking in the view of the surrounding mountains with an indescribable feeling of wellbeing as we start the day. Richard repairs the gangway while Pippy prepares topsides for a cut and polish from the dinghy with the “Grunt” products brought from NZ which do an amazing job – much better than anything on offer here in the Med. By day end one side of the boat is polished and we enjoy lamb curry on board. The last of our business is finished here and we are off tomorrow towards Dalyan.

During the afternoon, Richard rescues a floating feather duvet belonging to another boat at anchor and we meet and chat to a young German man about his passage to here from NZ.