The week the Whiteley’s came!

The week the Whiteley’s came!

Technically it was two weeks, but what’s a couple of weeks when it comes to family.

We’d left friends ‘Moli’ and ‘Reckless’ relaxing in a beautiful bay and hot tailed it down to Port Gocek marina, (36 44’ 92N 28 56’ 43E) to ‘meet the parents’ as it were. I radioed through to the marina to request a berth for a couple of nights (thought we’d break Mrs W in gently). When I reported back to the Captain that they were going to put us on the wave-breaker, I could tell from his face this was not good. He explained, ‘it’s all in the name really’ we were going to be on outside of the pontoon that stops the waves breaking into the marina. Oh dear!! www.portgocek.com/english/default.asp

After mooring up we set about getting Stella ship shape. Every time a boat or gullet passed by their wake would send us rocking and a rolling, Stella even managed a couple of double bottom slaps at times. This was not good, we decided to go to the marina office to see if they could move us somewhere else. The answer ‘Not possible the marina is full’. We tentatively asked if the rate would be reduced as technically we were outside the marina. The answer ‘No’ said with a very nice friendly, if you can afford a boat, you can afford to pay smile! This is the most expensive marina we have stayed in at 46 euros a night!! Having said this they had showers and loos to die for. We met a very nice English couple on a boat called ‘Nutmeg of Poole’. Ended up going for dinner with them when the Whiteleys’ arrived, that’s the sort of thing that happens when your ‘sailing the dream’.

At prices like this we decided to just stay the one night, sorry Mrs W no gentle introduction. It’s more sort of in for a penny in for a pound! The next day we set off for Fethiye. Now as you all know Mr W (affectionately referred to as Seadog or Seadog senior) is a lover of the high seas and all things boaty. Mrs W is (and I’m sure she won’t mind me saying this) more a sea-pup, but ‘sailors hats’ off to her, she passed the initiation with flying colours.

The sail from Gocek to Fethiye (36 37’ 48N 29 05’ 97E) was a tad feisty at times (technical term), we had a reef in the main and full Genoa out. Seadog was on the helm we were tipping and flying along (Mrs W earned her ‘getting tippy badge’ with merit). On arrival in Fethiye we bumped into ‘Moli’ and ‘Reckless’ who’d popped into town to watch the Rugby!! www.ecesaray.net/eng/
We also bumped into some old friends of Mr & Mrs Seadog who live in Turkey, the plan was to meet up with them later in the week.

After a couple of nights in Fethiye we set off at 08.30hrs on a nice little 40 miler to a bay called Yesilkoy Limani (36 15’ 6N 29 22’ 6E) just outside of a town called Kalkan (this is where the in for a pound bit comes in). Now in our trusty pilot book it says that in order to get to Yesilkoy Limani, you have to pass ‘The Seven Capes’ words such as ‘nasty reputation’, ‘gusts from different directions’ and ‘confused sea piles up’ are used to describe this area. Sounds perfect for our second day of sailing!

We sailed with the Genoa and despite encountering some swell around said capes, all went well. That is until we approached the bay where we were to anchor. Now you all know about us and the wind, we have this sort of love hate thing going on. Well as we came into the bay, we definitely weren’t feeling the love, gusts of 28kts were coming off the surrounding mountains. The bay is quite deep and the advise is to anchor and take a line a shore. All very well, but when it’s blowing 20kts, unless you are man from Atlantis this can be a bit tricky.

I donned by special ‘shore line’ outfit (bikini and rather fetching powder blue swimming shoes) and got ready. Anchor away and off I went, the words of encouragement from the Captain ringing in my ears ‘Get that bloomin line on quickly’. I was swimming as fast as I could with the line between my teeth (well it wasn’t quite like that, but I was trying). It took a while to get out of the water and attach the line. Back on board the Captain and Seadog were trying to pull the line in, to straighten up the boat but it wasn’t working.

Turns out the line had sunk and got caught on some rocks whilst I was swimming (what are the chances of that happening?) Did I mention the wind was still being difficult. At this point things started to go a bit downhill, the captain jumped off the boat and dived down to free the line (part man part sea mackerel). This went o.k. but then a gullet turned up right next to us, the stern of Stella was drifting towards it. We managed to get back on board the boat, then the old adage it never rains but it pours came into play. The anchor dragged!! Did I mention the wind was still blowing, and well blow me down if it wasn’t blowing us towards the gullet!!

It was decided to up anchor quick smartish and abandon the shorelines which we’d collect later. At this point there was shall we say ‘a slight’ break down in communications (I’ll say no more than that. No, no I won’t be pushed). We moved to another part of the bay and dropped the anchor in 10m (did I mention it was still a tad windy) all ideas of a shore line were shelved. The captain got ready the ‘line retrieval’ gear (dinghy & oars) and rowed off to collect the 100m of line we’d left behind.

Time for a stiff sherry and some bacon and eggs. Our night in the bay was not the most restful the wind pretty much blew throughout the night (The Seadogs earnt their ‘night in windy bay at anchor’ badge). The next day a dip in the calm clear waters helped to ease the crew into the morning. Next stop 15 miles down the road or should I say sea, to a harbour called Kas (36 12’ 57N 29 38’ 29E)

Unfortunately the wind wasn’t playing ball and we had to motor all the way. Kas is a busy harbour, as you come in a man waves to you and tells you where to moor up. Happen he’s the harbourmaster, perchance the Port Police. Oh no he’s a local shop keeper trying to get you to go to his shop. Later we went for a swim in some water that that was pretty darn chilly in places, this was due to fresh cold water springs feeding into it. Just one night here, Kale Koy (Kekova Roads) here we come.

Now a few years back Seadog visited Kale Koy (36 11’ 4N 29 51’ 7E) and he had a hankering to go back. Having now been there, I can see why. We had a slow sail there, but hey what’s the hurry when your ‘sailing the dream’. As you approach Kale Koy there are three pontoons that belong to three different restaurants (very close together). Each time a boat approaches the patrons of each restaurant rush down their pontoon and start to wave at you in a bid to get you to come to their pontoon. (which is free, but the idea is you eat at their restaurant). We had several conversations amongst ourselves and with other people we’d met about which pontoon it was that Seadog wanted to revisit. The general consensus was the it was the one that was one in from the left (old fashioned folk would call it the middle one).

On approach things as always became a bit hectic and we ended up on the left pontoon. Seadog interrogated the woman to check we were on the right (no that’s the left pontoon) pontoon, yes she had 2 children, yes a boy and girl. He then went off to say ‘Hello’ to her husband. Ten minutes later we see him on the middle pontoon, we’re on the wrong one. Now at this point it would be very rude to jump pontoons. We decide to eat a meal in the restaurant we had now become attached to and have a drink in the one we wanted to be attached to.
Kale Koy is simply beautiful it has been built on an ancient sunken city, you can swim off the pontoon amongst sunken sarcophagus. There is no road there and the children have to go to school by boat. If you climb up to the castle (mountain goat abilities are required if you are to avoid paying at the ticket office) you get the most fantastic view.

Next day it had been decided that we would jump pontoons as the family on the right (by this I mean the middle) pontoon were really very nice and they remembered Seadog from his previous visit (No comment needed). They even had a picture of him on the wall! We didn’t feel it was right to just let the lines go and float over to the other pontoon, which we could have quite easily down. So we left went round the corner had a spot of lunch and a swim in a bay, then returned to the correct pontoon. An excellent night courtesy of Hassan Deniz (the middle pontoon, if you find yourself down that way). www.hassandeniz.com

God don’t I go on (don’t answer that). But hey when your on a roll your on a roll. Time for a break now, you really are stars for sticking with it. Well done you. Tune in next time to find out what happened on week 2 with the Whiteley's.

Love & pontoons The Captain & me XX

Thursday, 27 September 2007