Alanya

Pooh Bear and the Honey Pot



We are looking forward to seeing our friend Hasan Kakmaz and the progress on the new Alanya marina. We motor sail all day into a light breeze and arrive at the entrance at 6.00 pm – tie up to the wall and are immediately invited to join in a celebration on the marina in one hour’s time. We are surprised and interested to find that the Vasco Da Gama Yacht Rally boats are here (around 10 of them, - website address is www.vascodagamarally.nl) and we are a part of their celebration dinner.

Hasan is very busy with the investor-owners of the Marina but once he has time to relax we enjoy a wonderful reunion with him and renew our friendship. Much of the marina complex is still to be completed with concrete frames in place for what appears to be most of the buildings, lots of work to do yet. Tomorrow we plan to haul out here – the hardstand is pretty much complete – and attend to rudder repairs and new antifoul.

On the Hard Stand again:

Matelot comes out of the water looking very clean and in great shape. The chip on the rudder definitely needs attention and takes a couple of days to stop dripping and dry out.


This sure brings back memories...!






While we wait for our paint to arrive we take a rental car and pop back to Bodrum and Kos Island. The modern, mostly 2 lane highway is laid into a landscape of fertile valleys, shimmering green fields of wheat and high snow capped mountains which all make for a panoramic drive. It is great to see our friends and Kos Island and Bodrum again and they are both in full summer mode.











Try riding a bicycle with a cask of wine held in each hand hanging from the handlebars. We stock up in Kos!





Richard with Bodrum Castle in the background...








We round a corner in a small country town and this is what we see....!




Ataturk and a massive waterfall just out of Antalya....




Back in Alanya, the EMYR Rally boats are arriving from Kemer and the partying starts all over again. With typical Turkish hospitality all boats in the marina are included in the functions which include a cocktail party, a sit down banquet in Alanya city and a final pot luck dinner held right beside our boat on the hard stand.


We have a wonderful catch up with our Group Leader Bodil and her husband Ole from last year....



We are all partied out by the time we say our farewells to Hasan and watch him sail away in Ibis II, our home for more than a month on the rally last year.






Hasan sails away on Ibis II....





Pippy polishes the stainless steel on the bow....

Before we know it the painting and polishing is finished and it is time for us to relaunch Matelot today 25 May 2009. Tomorrow morning we are being picked up by a bus at 5.30am outside the marina gates for a tour of Cappadocia and Mt Nemrut too we hope. …..back Sunday.





Back in the Water we go.....! Just need to get the washing in first!