Marmaris - and Back on the Boat at Last!

The photo on the left is the day we arrive with our bags still on the ground. One week later things have changed a little. We have tied the side curtains to the boat next door to get some shade from the blistering sun as we work through the day. Our sense of exhaustion some days is like nothing we recall we have ever experienced before, but have probably forgotten that we felt this way the last time we worked underneath the boat.




On 5 June our journey to Marmaris from Istanbul starts at 4.45 am with our wake up call for the taxi to the airport at 5.30 am. A comical (in hindsight) situation develops as the taxi does not come and the hotel owner appears to have remembered our wake-up call but forgotten to book the taxi. Don't worry he says, your bed is still available tonight! Not what we want to hear. .... At the airport we go through two security checks before boarding. This time we check all our luggage through including back packs and pay the excess baggage fee of $60.00 willingly. Almost no time later, we are circling over Bodrum and see the Med sparkling below us. We have booked a car to take us through to Marmaris and are getting very excited to be so close to our second home again.

Unfortunately our car has not turned up and we watch the free Atlas Jet buses depart for Bodrum town, leaving us at the mercy of the rank of taxi drivers circling like crows in the now deserted airport. One hour later our car appears with apologies for having been waiting at the international airport for us by mistake! The car is comfortable though, air conditioned and roomy, and we gratefully pile in for the two hour drive to our destination. All the familiar landscape passes by - some new roads have been built. We are sooooo excited!

On arrival in Yacht Marin Marmaris, we almost drive right past Matelot as she is tightly jammed in between two large boats in an otherwise nearly empty expanse of concrete which is usually chock a block with boats. In a bit of a daze which goes on for 2-3 days we re-acquaint ourselves with our floating home. She is in very good condition despite having been left for so long. The winter cover has been removed and Jes Holman has been on board and given her a thorough wash down. We can see from odd patches of dirt that she has been covered in deep layers of dust. She rapidly becomes a work zone, with a rolling moving scene of jobs going on.

Pippy enjoys cake and yoghurt for breakfast one day!

The supermarket has improved since we were last here. We buy filled rolls for less than NZD2 each for lunches, the selection of bread is wonderful and there is plenty of f and veg to choose from too.

Today is bottom cleaning day as we take off the old antifoul with wet and dry sandpaper and copious amounts of water, ending up blue from head to foot ourselves in the process.

Richard is so happy as he manually scrapes all the old antifoul off the boot top...***!



Richard has developed a time line and a list of jobs with our deadline of launch date on 17 June. We have acquainted ourselves with the new WestMarine Store in Marmaris and spent enough there to justify a lift back to the boat with all our purchases.


We have an amazing catchup with our old friends Andy and Brenda on Deep Blue. They come into Yacht Marin 2 days after we arrive! Seems like no time has passed since we last saw them.

Each day we take a break in the heat of the afternoon and swim in the really lovely pool here.

Tomorrow we will take a swim in the sea instead. It is taking a little while to adjust to the heat which is absolutely baking with the boat getting much hotter inside while out on the hard stand. It is like crawling into an oven to go to sleep at night - then the mosquitoes pile in for their share of the action. We have purchased a plug in mosquito repeller, but it does not slow them down at all. Tonight we have put a net over our hatch to try to help a bit. Cooking on board without a plug-hole is an interesting experience. The system is... pile up the dishes until there is a bagful and then lower them over the stern and take them on a trolley to the hand wash area and deal to them. The monster Ikea shopping bag has proved very useful for lowering the dishes down to the ground on their way. Oh did we forget to say that we came across a huge Ikea store in Istanbul and Pippy purchased new stainless steel pots - the galley slave will be happy now.

We quickly discover that it is very inexpensive to eat in the restaurant here at under NZD20 for a main course, and even better to go to the Workers Cafetaria where you don't even have to get changed and can eat a huge meal for under NZD10.



A shower and cold beer at the end of each day is a life saver!