Special Times

It is a huge thrill for us to be able to introduce these gifted young sailors Sam and Luke to Peter Cornes and Pete Montgomery and to have these two prominent patrons of NZ yachting (for different reasons) talk to them about the passion they all have in common.

As luck would have it, friends Claudia and Peter Montgomery are going to be holidaying in Marmaris on 29 June and we are looking forward to a special catch up with them. We have been in touch with Peter Cornes, owner of a 120 foot luxurious motor yacht and close friend of Pete and Claudia, who extends a dinner invitation to Richard and Pippy for the evening of 28th before Pete and Claudia arrive. We dine in absolute style and grace outside on deck, with the warm Marmaris air caressing our bare arms and the light fading to Arabian Nights blue after the sun goes down over the mountains surrounding the enclosed harbour. It is a fun evening with 6 other New Zealanders present and a nightclub nearby beating out appropriate tunes for the motor bikers convention being held nearby. The menu is vichyssoise soup, duckling, special cheeses from all over the world and a creamy melt in the mouth desert. Peter's amazing hospitality is a special treat for us and it is great to meet him after exchanging emails several times.

We are very spoilt to be invited back again the next night to dine with Pete and Claudie and again in Rhodes almost a week later when we go on board with our visitors Karen and Nick Bullock and their son Sam with friend Luke. Sam and Luke are on their way to Lake Garda in Italy to compete in the World 420s where they will represent New Zealand. It is a huge thrill for us to be able to introduce these gifted young sailors Sam and Luke to Peter Cornes and Pete Montgomery and to have these two prominent patrons of NZ yachting (for different reasons) talk to them about the passion they all have in common. This meeting will be remembered as a highlight for all of us.

Going back in time for a moment, we have picked up our first visitors to sail on Matelot this season in Kos Island at 3.30am on 4 July and are six on board for just over 2 weeks. We are determined to really pack it in and sail downhill from Kos Island, taking in Knidos then spending the night in Monastery Bay on the south western end of Simi. We sail on to Rhodes the next day. Nick and Karen are both accomplished sailors and Sam and Luke are itching to get out there and power up our boat. Our massive blue and yellow masthead spinnaker gets its first airing just out of Kos and then again and again since then. The competition is on to see who can go the fastest and so far Luke is the winner at 11.5 knots. We average 10 knots from Rhodes (after 2 nights there) to Wall Bay which is our best time yet. It is a bit of a nerve wracking adjustment for Pippy to make seeing the apparent wind is above 20 knots. Normally we put up the spinnaker in 5 knots and pull it down in 10!

All of this and having such gun sailors on board makes Richard go a bit dotty and here he is swinging from the spinnaker pole as a result!

We manage to take in Kappy Creek, Round Bay, Wall Bay (overnight on the pontoon thank goodness as the wind comes up in the night) and Tomb Bay all in less than 24 hours. We swim and walk and drink gallons of iced drinks as the heat is on. We head out to Fethiye for our next night and on from there.

Wall Bay is a huge favourite with us as we sit outside in the rustic restaurant and enjoy an iced drink in the lovely surroundings.