Sailing along the Lycian Coast of Turkey 8th – 16th September 2006
Nobody missed the daytime, direct flight arranged through Panorama Holidays / My Travel Airline. A most civilised journey compared to last year’s marathon, enjoyed by all except Martin and Saundra who were obliged to carry out a study of the posteriors of the other passengers due to their unfortunate seating near the loo. At entry point in Dalaman airport, visas were purchased for €10 (no change given) by those with Irish passports, while those from the UK paid £10. An equitable arrangement!
Ray’s personal taxi-man had his sign on view when we arrived, and he quickly transported us across a mountain range with hundreds of hairpins and spectacular view potential, except that it was dark! The A&B Home Hotel in Gocek proved clean and comfortable, though drinks at the Bar were exorbitant, and the air conditioning was not functional.
We joined Niovi’s crew for a meal in the Kebab Hospital restaurant, where slow but friendly service provided an excellent, and very reasonable meal. After surprise champagne was produced to celebrate Ray and Jenny’s anniversary, the neighbours began complaining so some of us went home while others changed tables.
A fabulous breakfast of fruits, meats, eggs, vegetables, yoghurts and honey set us off to explore the town while Martin and Sandra went to negotiate the early acquisition of the boats. Ray was lucky to find a youthful Dentist who rebuilt a tooth for €40. The boats were ready at 11am, so the female crew went shopping in the supermarket while the men went shopping for shoes! Unfortunately Ray’s luck ran out at this point as a local ‘assisted’ him in losing his credit card into an ATM. It subsequently transpired that when Ray left to seek help, the fellow somehow retrieved the card, despite the ATM saying it had been withdrawn, and treated himself, before the card was cancelled. Jenny then lost her purse in a mild panic, and thus the purser became purseless,
Thassos, a 40’ Bavaria, awaited us at the Port Gocek Marina, a ten minute walk from the town, where helpful staff made the handover very easy. We set sail in a nice breeze and made Fethiye harbour in about 3 hours. Berthing was easy and marina facilities were excellent.
Niovi’s crew picked the Arena restaurant for dinner, so called due to it’s proximity to an ancient Greek arena. Very posh, but great food, although hot and sticky atmosphere despite the fans.
Up at 7:00 due to long day’s sailing ahead. Presented with our ‘Chouskikou on Tour in Turkey’ red T-shirts by Barry (Niovi trying to up the tone of the trip again). Sailed from 9:00 to 12:30 when we anchored close to the shore in the lovely bay of Kotu Burun for a swim and lunch prepared by the chief lunch makers (Howleys). Although the Pilot Book recommended staying 2 – 3 miles offshore south of Kotu Burun due to confused winds and seas, these did not occur, and we reached Kalkan after a further 4 hours at about 6pm.
To eat, we chose to go traditional and went to the dimly lit (was there a reason for this?) Belgin’s Kitchen, where we were served by “Paddy” the Irish waiter, who spoke with a true Aussie accent. Starters were exceptional, but some were disappointed in the main courses that had been recommended in the Rough Guide. Downstairs, coffee and liquors were served as we reclined in Nomad style while listening to a traditional group. Lightweights went back to the boat, while the heavies stayed to take a turn at belly dancing. The late comers returned to find Ray on watch as the wind had come up and the boat, (or was it the crew?) was bouncing off the quay.
After breakfast at 8:30, Brendan and Ray attempted to get money from a broken ATM while Marie and Jenny shopped for food in a rather over assisted fashion up the town. After a considerable wait for the men, Marie managed to help them to negotiate a good rate in the bank, and being solvent we headed for the boat. The supermarket near the harbour, in the middle of the fancy restaurants, was better provisioned. It was run by a massive tank of a Turk, and along with its aphrodisiacs, it provided a meeting place for the local gents to hang out on sofas in the cool back room.
We had great wind on the way to Ka? (pronounced Cash), and once the Howleen was in her lifejacket, she sailed with panache. (It is important to note that Marie’s skills were highlighted by the fact that we had not reefed our sails like some others!). Owing to the need for serious gibing, however, she relinquished the helm to those with a little more experience. Ray manoeuvred us into a tight space on the harbour inner wall with masses of instructions and plenty of noise from the locals and Niovi’s crew to help him. Having just seen the berthing performance of the latter, he ignored them! John absconded on a motor bike to see the doctor, minus helmet as is the local tradition. A necessary visit due to an infected foot, but sadly the treatment included giving up the drink!
The Pilot Book referred to a marina in the inlet of Bucak Deniz to the north of the town as an alternative mooring to the harbour. It noted that this inlet was open to the meltemi, which could create problems when it was blowing. It also noted that there was a plan to install pontoons. A subsequent inspection showed it was a place to be avoided, being on the run-down side of town, and without any sign of a pontoon.
It was so hot that we had to rig up rugs on the bimini to give us enough shade to eat lunch. Crew members dispersed to swim, shop and explore the 6,000 seat Greek theatre and the intact ancient cistern. Some concern was expressed by the building control experts who looked at the feeble supports to the decks overhanging the sea at a number of restaurants!
Martin, Ray and Jenny returned just in time to find a large yacht attempting to moor in the very narrow space between Thassos and our neighbours, who were apparently friends of theirs. After much “discussion” and shoving, they succeeded in pushing in while tearing off one of our fenders (Reminder: Check the knots on the fender end of the rope before use) and pushing four other boats up the line in a crush. It was a mark of our capacity for restraint that no one came to blows!
Barry chose Baches restaurant near the Lion Tomb at the top of the Uzun Carsi hill, where tortoises basked in the fountain in the beautiful “garden” setting. The food was great, but despite a promise, no boiled spuds. Sautee potatoes did arrive with the desert, but no liquors on the house despite Barry’s best efforts.
Kas proved lively at night!
Our slumbers were severely disturbed at 5:00 when the Imam called for prayer over the loud speakers. This was followed by an Englishman on the quay bellowing ‘you know who I am’ at an occupant two boats up, accusing him of having raped his girlfriend. A fight broke out, and the police were called. They were still present when we gave up trying to sleep and headed for the showers. Many versions of the truth were on offer along the quay.
The showers were delightful! The lady’s worked only when the men turned off their taps - and then only one lady could have hot water at a time! It was obviously due to these problems that Martin decided to take an impromptu shower while attaching the water hose on the quay, much to the amusement of crew and local onlookers.
After checking with the agents for the boat, which was Greek registered, we made the six mile trip to the Greek island of Kastellorizo, known by the Turks as Meis Adasi, thereby entering EU waters. Some helpful locals warned us before leaving Kas not to return there after our island hop, as the Police would have known where we had come from, and we would have to formally re-enter Turkey. We dropped anchor off a small island with a white Greek church (no Imam calling at 5:00!) just outside the entrance to the main northern harbour on the island. While others swam to shore, Brendan decided to release Marie from kitchen duties and, after many slippages of the oars, managed to bring her to dry land. Unfortunately the wind was against them on the way back to the boat, and despite Ray pushing and Jenny pulling, progress was slow. Barry decided to attempt a rescue, terrifying the swimmers as he gyrated towards the dingy on engine power. Marie reckoned they would end up in Rhodes due to his rather excitable sense of direction, but after much perseverance, he did manage to bring them back to the boat. Just as well Marie had her lifejacket on! It was a day for dingy trips. Ronnie and John disappeared (it is rumoured without lifejackets, money, shoes or mobile phone!) to explore the coast, Ronnie found it a little hot under foot on the melting roads.
A trip around the island was then called for. Martin decided that Brendan needed to do some practical work in the strong winds for the Yachtmaster’s Cert, and …well…WOW. Ronnie then spoiled the fun by insisting we come back to berth (because if we didn’t we wouldn’t have one). To complete his education, Martin put Brendan through the man-over-board routine as we entered the harbour. Brendan passed and the “man” was retrieved. Just as well as the berth was rather tight and all the directions of Martin on board and Ronnie on shore were needed to get Brendan to safety.
We were required to eat at the local, Lazarus’s place, as we were moored on the quay beside his restaurant and we wanted to borrow his loos. The food was unexceptional other than the pricey fish. The difference between Greek and Turkish restaurants was found to be that the Turks were friendlier and had fewer cats. We managed fine at dinner, despite the rise and fall of the adjoining boats which ensured that we did not regain our landlegs. Poor John – from where he was sitting, he had to cope with Martin’s apparent rise, fall and sideways movements. To stop himself from getting seasick, he had to turn sideways, which meant we only saw his profile for most of the meal.
Departed Kastellorizo around 10:00 in search of the Blue Cave. The tourist map was not explicit and we think we passed it at a point where other yachts seemed to be throwing their crews overboard to swim in to the cliffs. Spotting a large cave further along the shore, Brendan braved the dingy again to look after Martin and Sandra who were determined to check out the cave. After a few anxious moments the engine worked, and they disappeared into the depths, while Ray practiced 3600s in Thassos. The cave, sadly, contained wonderful amounts of nothing.
Heading back for Kalkan, one appreciated the non-competitive nature of the trip as we sailed past Niovi. Sadly our non-competitive nature had not rubbed off on John, who was shortly afterwards disqualified for attempting to overtake us while surreptitiously using engine power. Shameful!! We anchored for lunch in the lee of Heybeli Ada, an island near the main coast road east of Ince Burun. We had wonderful snorkelling over what appeared to be volcanic formations of rock filled with many types of colourful fish.
Niovi left before us, and on our way in to Kalkan, Ronnie radioed to say that the berths were all gone, but he was reserving a space due to be vacated by a gullet in about ten minutes!. We raced other hopefuls by using full sails and full engine. While tied up to the gullet for about an hour and a half, we enjoyed a chat with the owner who filled us in on the possibilities of renting one, the skills of sailing one, the art of making one, and the frigaries of the tourists who hire it. Barry and Marie had booked the Ottoman house for us and, after welcome showers, we had a magnificent meal (potless pot kebab included). Most felt it was the best yet. The meal was accompanied by two traditional musicians one playing the spoons and the other a seven stringed sez. This magical evening was enhanced by Necdet, the waiter, who traded card tricks with Barry and Brendan.
All the advice was to leave early when heading north to avoid the seas which built up during the day, so Brendan was dragged from his bunk in the pitch dark at 5:05 to lift the anchor. This was accomplished miraculously easily, but the trip out of the harbour was difficult due to blinding lights on fishing boats. Cliffs seemed to glow in the dark before dawn. On the way up the coast the advice in the Pilot Book to stay offshore seemed to be correct, as big seas caused tummy trouble for Jenny and Marie, who took a raincheck on breakfast, and concentrated on the helm to distract their stomachs. By 9:30 the seas dropped, making us wonder at the instruction to leave before dawn to avoid the swell!
We decided to head into Olu Deniz for lunch. On the way in to the beach from Kotu Burun, we saw a shoal, or was it a flock, of flying fish skimming across the surface. As entrance to the lagoon behind the beach is prohibited, we dropped anchor outside it. A friendly ice-cream men and a crew member from a gullet helped to tie the stern to the rocks. The ice cream men, who also sold pancakes which they made on their boats, were persistent, travelling significant distances to follow the boats in the hopes of a sale. Swimming was uninteresting in what appeared to be dirty water.
We decided to be adventurous on the last night and so headed across to Kapi Creek on the far side of Fethiye/Gocek bay. As we went through the narrow channel between Domuz Adasi and the peninsula under which Kapi Creek nestles, Niovi had a close encounter with a catamaran flying a Canadian flag, which was trying with little success to beat to windward up the channel. We entered the tiny harbour in Kapi Creek where we squeezed in beside some anxious Germans who felt we would squeak their fenders in the night! Tying on to a rickety board walk that had seen better days, some of us escaped the heat with a snorkel. Seeing the spider’s web of decrepit and poorly secured chains to which we were attached did nothing to inspire confidence, but the weather was calm.
Dinner that night was in the only available restaurant, where dining was in shifts due to pressure on the staff. We celebrated the last evening, and John’s forthcoming birthday by dressing up in our uniforms and enjoyed an excellent meal. When John recovered from his shock at being the centre of attention, (his second speech was at least verbal, the first attempt being speechless!!!) he promised to use his newly acquired prayer mat to ensure we all lived to be as old as him.
Marie and Brendan, along with Martin and Sandra were returning to Ireland on Friday night. A swapping of crews occurred, and Mary and John took the place of Jenny and Ray on board the good ship Thassos to head off for shopping trips in Go?ek and Fethiye. Meanwhile, Ray and Jenny joined Niovi’s crew exploring the many lovely inlets used as anchorages in Skopea Limani on the way in to Gocek.
Those rushing to shop obviously did not do too much damage on the way in, as on returning that night, Jenny and Ray found the boat intact. Martin reported an easy hand over, and despite rising diesel prices, the fuel refill was not too expensive at the floating fuel station in the far eastern corner of Go?ek harbour. Sadly the majority of the crew departed leaving Jenny and Ray to spend a lonely last night in the marina - well except for Niovi’s crew and their overflow who graciously included them in a last supper at the Kebab hospital. A neat rounding off to an excellent voyage.
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