Bodrum

We spent our last night in Turkey in Bodrum. Had a delightful meal in a restaurant on the waterfront and cleared out of Turkey on the morning of 25 April. We will miss Turkey. We have had a wonderful time there the last two years.

SV BeBe and a rendevouz with the Rouses’

The highlight to our 10 days in Marmaris was finally meeting up with Judy and Bill Rouse. We met Judy and Bill in the BVI in January 2007 when we were cruising on Seabbatical. They were just beginning a circumnavigation and we were anchored in the same bay on St. John. Since we were both flying Texas flags it was only natural we would end up sharing sundowners and stories. They had recently purchased an Amel Super Maramu and prior to that owned a Beneteau. Coincidentally Seabbatical was a Beneteau and we had recently placed an order for an Amel 54 the new boat Amel was building. But most important of all they were fellow Houstonians. That one evening was the only time we saw each other but we have kept in contact thru the years via email and blogs. Fast forward to 2011 and we finally crossed paths again in Marmaris, Turkey.

Back to the Boat – 2011

Greetings to one and all. We are back in Marmaris, Turkey on board Lone Star. We left Texas April 11 and after 3 planes, 2 taxis and a night in a hotel which reinforced that what you see on the internet is not what you get, we boarded Lone Star. We found her in good shape after the winter thanks to the watchful eyes of the folks at NOKTA. While we were gone we had two boat jobs completed – mounting one of the downwind poles to the mast and having a stainless cradle made and mounted on the port stern side of the boat for our life raft. Both jobs turned out great. We have spent the past week bringing Lone Star “back to life” and getting her ready for the cruising season. Today, Friday, April 22, we are leaving Yacht Marine for what we hope is the last time. Our plans this year are to head west. We will sail thru the Greek Islands, on to Croatia, Italy, the Balearic Islands ending in Gibraltar in mid September. Along the way we are looking forward to several sets of friends joining us. After a trip back to the States once the boat is in GIB, Craig will head back to Lone Star in October where he and his trusty crew will sail the boat to the Canary Islands and then on November 20 depart on the ARC with 240 other boats bound for St. Lucia in the southern Caribbean. We will be updating the blog periodically so stay tuned and see how close we come to meeting our planned schedule! Fair Winds.

Marmaris to Fethiye

After a one week stay back at Yacht Marine in Marmaris where we took care of boat maintenance, we were on our way again – this time south to the cruising grounds of Fethiye Gulf. The 3 weeks we spent in this area was delightful, a true cruiser’s paradise. Beautiful waters, there were so many places to anchor or taverns to tie off to the decisions were hard to make. Because so many boats visit this area, mooring balls and bollards on shore have been installed in some areas to protect the sea bed and trees on the shore. It made anchoring almost a no brainer. There were several spots which were our favorites. Just before Fethiye is Eckinicik Limani, a well protected bay with My Marina, an excellent restaurant with slips offering electricity and water. This is a good place to leave your boat for the day tour up the Dalyan River to the ancient ruins of Caunos. We were able to wander thru the ruins which included a temple, theatre, ancient port, agora and fort. Further up the river the tour boat passes beneath rock tombs on its way to the village of Dalyan where we stopped for lunch. A great way to spend the day. In Fethiye Bay other spots we enjoyed included Wall Bay, where we snorkeled over sunken ruins, Cleopatra’s Bay, a tiny bay with thick pines, and Tomb Bay with Lycian rock tombs in the cliffs. Two towns anchor Fethiye Gulf, Gocek in the west and Fethiye in the east where we made brief stops in each. The only negatives to our time in Fethiye had to do with it being August – lots of folks on vacation and the heat. Hey we had heard it was hot in Turkey in August but we thought, “We’re Texans. We can deal with heat.” Well we may be Texans but the heat was even too much for us. You know it’s hot when you jump in the water and instead of cooling down you heat up! So after 3 weeks we headed back to Yacht Marine to prepare Lone Star for the winter in the water. We must confess – our thoughts were no longer on cruising – we were anxious to get home. We had a very important date – our daughter’s wedding! As anxious as we were to get back to the states we did stop in Istanbul for four days. What an amazing, beautiful city – truly the crossroads of civilization. We saw many sights including the Haija Sophia (palace for the Ottoman Empire), Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar and Underground Cistern. Truly a great ending to a wonderful summer of cruising. Now on to the Wedding!

Our Travels in Turkey

View Travels in Turkey in a larger map

9 June 2010 - Bay of Marmaras to Kirigi Koyu

10 June 2010 - Kirigi Koyu to Didim Marina

12 June 2010 - Didim ro Kusadasi

16 June 2010 - Kusadasi to Altinkun

18 June 2010 - Altinkun to Kazikli Limoni; tied up to Kaptan Han

19 June 2010 - Kazikli Limani to Iassos

20 June 2010 - Iassos to Yalikavak

21 June 2010 - Yalikavak to Bodrum

24 June 2010 - Bodrum to Cokertme

26 June 2010 - Cokretme to Akbuk

27 June 2010 - Akbuk to Castle Island and back to Akbuk

28 June 2010 - Akbuk to English Harbor

30 June 2010 - English Harbor to Cokretme

1 July 2010 - Cokretme to Turgutreis

3 July 2010 - Turgutreis to Knidos

4 July 2010 - Knidos to Dacta

5 July 2010 - Dacta to Keci Buku

6 July 2010 - Keci Buku to Dirsek Bay

7 July 2010 - Dorsel Bay to Bozburun

9 July 2010 - Bpzburun to Ciftlik

10 July 2010 - Ciftlik to Marmaris

Cruising the Ionian and Carian Coasts

After a four day visit to Kusadasi we pulled out of the marina on June 16 and pointed Lone Star south. This time however, we were in no rush and were looking forward to some leisurely cruising. The coastline of Turkey is deeply indented with numerous gulfs. In each gulf are a number of bays all offering wonderful anchorages. Unique to Turkey are the small fish restaurants and tavernas found in many of the anchorages. These restaurants have their own private docks, often with electricity and water hookups, that boats can tie up to for free. All that’s expected is that you eat dinner or lunch at their restaurant. We took advantage of that custom and thoroughly enjoyed some great dinners. Grilled lamb, beef, chicken and fish were always on the menu along with mezes, the Turkish version of tapas or appetizers. Roasted peppers, eggplant dips, pickled seaweed, humus, grilled octopus and zucchini cakes were just a few of the mezes we sampled. Cooking on the boat definitely became something hard to do! When we didn’t tie up at one of the restaurant piers we anchored out in crystal clear waters that rival and surpass the Caribbean. In Turkey, in addition to anchoring, it is common to run a stern line to shore to keep the boat from swinging.

Gulluk Korfezi

The Gulluk Korfezi or Gulf of Mandalya is the first gulf south of Kusadasi. Two stops there were the highlights of this gulf – Kazikli Limani and Asin Limani. Kazikli Limani (harbor) is located at the very back of the gulf. It is hilly and heavily forested and lightly populated. The cruising guide does not do this bay justice. The guide book states there several mussel and fish farms at the entrance. However all of these have been removed and the bay has returned to a more natural state. We decided to tie up at Captain Han’s Restaurant and were glad we did. This was our first experience dining at a bay restaurant and even after stopping at many more it remains our favorite and the photo they took of us and the boat shows how beautiful it is at night. The owner Emre is an excellent host. We were the only boat that evening and enjoyed an excellent fish dinner and the good company of Emre and his friends. The other highlight was Asin Limani the site of the ancient ruins of Iassos. We med moored along the sleepy little fishing village’s quay. It was amazing to look across the harbor from Lone Star’s cockpit at the ruins which date from 400BC. Once the heat of the afternoon was gone we explored the Temple of Zeus, the agora (market), theatre and hiked through ancient olive groves to the Byzantine Fort on top of the mountain. Truly enchanting!

Gokova Korfezi

We entered the Gokova Gulf on June 21. Our first stop was the town of Bodrum, located at the mouth of the gulf. Bodrum is an enjoyable tourist town with dozens of gullets in the harbor and a very crowded marina. However after telling us there was no room, they found us a slip for two nights. Located right in the heart of the town the location was perfect for exploring the city. Not to be missed is the Castle of St Peter housing the Underwater Archaeology Museum. The castle itself is worth the price of admission. The museum exhibits are excellent and one of the highlights was the remains of a 15th century vessel and her cargo of glass wares –excavated by a team from Texas A&M –gig’em! Anxious to depart city life and enjoy the more rural features of the Gulf, we set sail after two days.

Following a 20nm sail we tied up to Rose Mary’s Pirate Landing in Cokertme. A number of charter companies have bases in Bodrum and Cokertme is a popular first or last night stop when cruising Gokova. There are four restaurants, all with their own piers, and were all full by sundown. The bay is beautiful and we decided to stay another night, this time anchored out. There are so many potential anchorages in Gokova you could spend weeks cruising this gulf. After Cokertme we anchored in Akbuk Limani, a picturesque spot with high mountains dropping steeply into the sea and crystal waters. After leaving Akbuk we sailed 5nm across the gulf to Sehir Adalari (Castle Island). We dropped the hook in turquoise waters and proceeded to explore the ruins on the island. The ruins date from the Carian to Byzantine times. There is a small beach known as Cleopatra’s beach. Cleopatra is rumored to have spent time on this island and had sand imported from North Africa to create the beach so her “good friend” Marc Anthony could sunbathe. Whether this is fact or fiction tests on the sand reveal that it is not native to Turkey and has similar traits to sand found in North Africa. Hmmmm.

After Castle Island we sailed down the south side of the gulf to English Harbor named for the British Boat Squadron which was stationed there during WWII. This is an absolutely gorgeous, well protected bay. The hills are heavily forested with pine trees and the water is mirror calm. It reminded us more of Lake Ouchita, Arkansas were we spent several family vacations, than the Med. We spent the first night tied up to the pier at Deniz Kizi Kaptan Restaurant and the next anchored out where we experienced our first attempt at running a stern line ashore. While our initial efforts may not have been graceful we did ultimately experience success.

Hisaronu Korfezi

On July 1 we left the Gokova Gulf and pulled into Turgutries Marina to await the arrival of two guests. Jaime, our youngest, had a good friend and fellow dancer who was traveling in Turkey with her sister who had just finished studying a semester abroad in Ankara, Turkey. Emails were exchanged, a plan worked out and Jessy and Daniela Kronberg joined us on board for two days of sailing. The morning after they arrived we took off on a 24nm sail to Knidos on the Datca Peninsula.
The winds were excellent and the sailing was great. Jessy was behind the helm for the majority of the trip and after a brisk sail we were tied up to the Knidos Restaurant Pier at 1230. Once again Knidos was an incredible site where from the boat you could look out and swim in the waters beneath ancient ruins dating as far back as the 7th century BC. Though overgrown, the ruins are impressive because of their size and setting. That evening the four of us enjoyed dinner in the restaurant and watched World Cup football on the restaurant TV. Spain was playing and it turns out Daniella was a huge fan, especially of one player – Pique. Sunday, July 4th we sailed from Knidos to the town of Datca, a distance of 20nm. Actually the wind died and we ended up motoring. Unfortunately Daniella missed her turn at the helm. Once we had dropped the anchor in the bay in front of the harbor the four along with Jessy’s and Daniela’s backpacks were in the dingy headed for shore. It was time to say our goodbyes and they were off on land for more adventures. It was great having them on board and spending part of July 4th with fellow Americans.

After a pleasant night on the hook and a walk in town the next morning we headed deeper into the Hisaronu Gulf. Our destination was Keci Buku a beautiful bay located at the very end of the gulf. Keci Buku is a beautiful cove with thick pine forests on all sides. There are several restaurants in the cove and we chose Iskele’s. Of course another great meal was had and the next morning we took a taxi inland to hike the Turgut Waterfalls. We arrived early, before the throngs of tourists, and Jan braved the cold mountain waters while Craig hiked to the top of the falls.
Later we had a 10nm motor sail past several islands and anchored with a line ashore in Dirsek Bay. We keep writing about the beautiful waters in Turkey but so far Dirsek takes the blue ribbon. The colors and clarity were amazing and we actually saw fish when we went snorkeling! Unlike the Caribbean there are not many fish to see in the Med and I think most of them hang out in Dirsek Bay. The next afternoon we left Dirsek Bay and the Hisaronu Gulf and sailed around the corner to Bozburun. Once a major center for sponge diving, the people of Bozburun now make their living providing services to the visiting cruisers.

We spent two nights in Bozburun – one night enjoying dinner at Osman’s and cheering Spain on to victory over Germany. We can’t believe we’re actually watching soccer and sort of liking it! After leaving Bozburun we were close to our starting point of Marmaris. We decided to come back into the Yacht Marine for a few days to get some work done on the boat, quotes for work we want to have done this winter and provisioning before we headed farther south. On July 10 we were once again tucked in on Hotel Pontoon gearing up for the next adventures.

Heading North

Finally, on June 8th, after two weeks in the marina we were on our way. Our plans were to head north as quickly as possible to Kusadasi. Kusadasi is the port nearest the ancient ruins of Ephesus. It would take about 4 or 5 days to sail to Kusdasi. The meltemi winds blow from the northwest, strengthen during the afternoon and get stronger as the summer progresses. Since our travels would initially take us against the wind the plans were to get early starts in the morning and make as much progress as possible each day. We headed out the afternoon of the 8th and had a delightful sail in Marmaris Bay running close into shore and past the harbor. It was great to raise the sails for the first time since last October and run thru all the systems while under way.

By 1700 we had dropped the hook, successfully- hooray!, and were anchored in a delightful anchorage right next to Marmaris Yacht Marin! So ok, we didn’t exactly get far – that wasn’t the point of the sail. We just wanted to work out the kinks and see if we remembered how to do this thing called sailing. The next morning we were off bright and early at 0630 for a 40nm motor sail to Kargi Koyu Bay on the Datca Peninsula. The day was uneventful and it was a peaceful anchorage with a few sunbathers enjoying the water and just two other boats to keep us company. Once again we off the next morning at 0630. We motor sailed for 64nm and at 1530 pulled into the new Didim Marina for two nights. The marina has all the modern conveniences and since it’s only a year old plenty of availability. While in Didim we visited the ancient ruins of Didyma. Didyma was a religious sanctuary to Apollo. The temple, the largest Ionic temple in the world, was destroyed in 494BC and was in ruins until Alexander the Great arrived. Reconstruction was never completed and what can be seen today dates from 300BC. Anxious to get to Kusadasi we continued on our way and pulled into the Kusadasi Marina on June 12. Once a small fishing village, Kusadasi is now a bustling tourist town with restaurants and shops lining the harbor and an excellent bazaar just a block off. Since it is the gateway to Ephesus cruise ships and bus tours are constantly coming and going and in the evenings the nightlife heats up. Within the confines of the marina are several restaurants, swimming pool and tennis courts. Our first morning we hired a taxi and were off to see Ephesus. Ephesus is the largest, best preserved Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean. At one point the population was over 500,000. St Paul preached here and established an early congregation and St John brought Mary here where, legend has it, she lived out her final days. Even with all the other tourists it was truly amazing to walk the ancient streets lined with columns, temples, theatres and homes and to tour Mary’s house. Another excursion we took while in Kusadasi was the ferry to Samos, Greece. Samos is the closest Greek island to Turkey; at one point they are only one mile apart. The harbor town is charming with all the requisite tavernas lining the quay. For those with inquiring minds and who are in the know – we were stamped in and out of Greece with no problems. For those of you not in the know, you’ll just have to wonder why that might have been a problem!

Beware of KIWIS Asking “Would you like to go for a Daddle?”

According to the Free Online Dictionary the definition of “daddle” is: To toddle; to walk unsteadily, like a child or an old man; hence, to do anything slowly or feebly. So when fellow cruisers Lindy and David Scrivin asked if we would like to go for a daddle Sunday morning and see some ancient ruins near Marmaris Yacht Marin we enthusiastically accepted. Lindy and David are a great Kiwi couple who left Auckland, New Zealand several years ago aboard their 42 foot sailing yacht Raconteur. Their journey has taken them deep into the South Pacific, thru the Red Sea and eventually to Marmaris, Turkey where they have wintered their boat for the past few seasons. We first met David when he “rescued” us outside Tansas, the major supermarket in Marmaris. Being newbie’s to town, we thought we were waiting for the Dolmus at the correct location but David recognized the error of our ways and took us to the correct bus stop. A delightful chat ensued on the ride back to the marina and a new cruising friendship was formed. We learned that his boat Raconteur had just gone back into the water and his wife Lindy who was in Wales visiting family would soon be joining him for cruising.

A few evenings later we ran into David and Lindy in the marina bar and the Sunday morning daddle was proposed. David explained the last hour would include a bit of steep but we had no worries; after all we trusted David completely – he had steered us correctly in Marmaris. Sunday morning with water and sandwiches in our pack and the sun shining overhead our band of hikers took off. Joining the four of us was Launa from Cat Callou who, with her husband, had recently completed a circumnavigation. As we were starting out Lindy informed us that in addition to the hike we would also be “geocaching”. Unknown to us, GeoCaching is a worldwide phenomenon, a treasure hunt that has been going on for the past 10 years. Treasures, or caches, are hidden all over the world in various containers. Inside the containers are a log book for recording your find and various small items such as magnets, band aids, small toys, etc. These items you trade for something you leave in the container. There is a website www.geocaching.com which lists all the known geocaches in the world and their GPS coordinates. You can input your location and find out if there are any geocaches near you. We have since found that there five hidden in different parts of Kingwood. As it turns out there was a geocache hidden in the ruins of the Ancient City which was one of the sites we were hiking to. Lindy had brought along her granddaughter’s “Travel Bug”, a small stuffed dragon who would visit the geocache if we found it but not stay. We soon found out that in addition to being expert trekkers Lindy and David are also avid geocachers. So armed with water, a travel bug and David’s new hand held GPS off we went on our little daddle.

So remember the definition of daddle at the beginning? Well we guess in the Kiwi Dictionary daddle must have a very different meaning. Almost immediately we were hiking uphill and not at a slow rate. At first, other than being uphill, the going was not rough – we were on a dirt road. However, soon we left the road and were hiking on trails and climbing over rocks. After about an hour we came upon the ancient village and after some searching voila!

The geocache was found. Pictures were taken, names were recorded in the log book and then the geocache was returned to its hiding place. After a brief rest we were on our way again with David informing us that the next bit would be the hardest. We looked at each other thinking, “Hey we’re from Houston – we’re flatlanders. What we just did wasn’t steep?” Apparently not. Soon we were climbing –not hiking virtually straight up the mountain over giant boulders and across fallen trees. Trail – what trail? The only way we knew which way to go was by following red painted markings. Markings we found out David had painted the year before. Turns out our trusted leader is not only an avid trekker, he also sets trails and leads hikes for others.

Though it was obvious we were out of our element, David and Lindy were encouraging us the whole way even announcing at one point we had broken the back of the trail. Well, I don’t know about breaking the trail’s back but at that point I was just praying some body part didn’t break! Finally, after what seemed like days but in reality were only 2 ½ hours we made it to the top of the mountain and the castle/fort ruins. Was it worth it? You bet. The ruins were intriguing and views stunning. We spent about 45 minutes on top enjoying our break and pondering the history of the ruins then we were off on our descent. We took a different route which was much easier; after all it was down and soon turned into a dirt road.

About ¾ of the way down we encountered an ancient cave that was used as far back as 4th century BC for religious ceremonies. Finally, thinking we would never see her again, we were back on Lone Star – totally exhausted and barely able to move. We also decided that if we ever recovered us two flatlanders were definitely going to work on this incline stuff. That evening we all regrouped in the bar for frosty coldies and to toast the day’s successful Daddle. However the next time a Kiwi invites us for a daddle……

Back to the Boat

Greetings from Lone Star! We are finally back on the boat. Our start this year was delayed due to our oldest daughter Jennifer graduating with not one but two masters from Columbia. How kewl is that? After enjoying all the graduation festivities in NYC and saying goodbye to family and friends we left Houston on May 22nd for Turkey. We arrived in Istanbul via a connection in Frankfurt on the 23rd. After an overnight stay in Istanbul we took a 1 hour flight to Dalaman followed by a 1 hour taxi ride to Marmaris Yacht Marina the afternoon of the 24th. Even with our bleary eyes and jet lagged brains, Lone Star looked great in the yard with new bottom paint and a clean shiny hull.

We spent the first night in the marina hotel and then moved aboard the next morning to start the 2 ½ day process of getting Lone Star ready for the water. We had to remove the propeller, drain the oil from the lower drive unit and replace the packing bearings. This was a first for Craig and he appreciated Bill Rouse's (s/v BeBe currently on a circumnavigation) comments about how to use the puller devise. Sure enough the propeller popped right off.

On May 27th Lone Star was back where she belonged – in the water.
We certainly won’t miss the endless trips up and down the ladder while she was in the yard but we do have to admit the “boat yard stair stepper” was great exercise. Since she’s been back in the water we’ve been busy with putting her back together for the cruising season. From putting sails back on, checking that all the systems were working to answering important questions – What’s this for? Where did I put that gismo? How does this work and what does it do? - our days have been full. But just in case you think it’s been all work and no play, let not your hearts be troubled. We have built into the schedule time for hanging out by the pool, enjoying sundowners with fellow cruisers in the marina bar or on board boats, enjoying the great Turkish cuisine and exploring Marmaris.

The actual town of Marmaris is across the bay from the marina. There are two ways to get to town – dolmus (bus) or water taxi. Both are a 20 minute trip and offer beautiful views of the bay and surrounding countryside. Marmaris has a lovely walk that rings the bay. Alongside the harbor are tour boats and Turkish gullets offering every type of excursion imaginable . Restaurants can be found all along the harbor walk serving amazing dishes. The Turks have definitely elevated the art of grilling to a new height. Just off the harbor is a bazaar full of shops selling anything you can imagine and an ancient castle worth exploring. So far we have found the Turkish people to be very friendly and helpful. English is widely spoken; it’s a required course in school, which is a good thing because the language is very, very different from ours.

Our stay in Marmaris has been extended due to problems with our “sports car” motor (dingy motor). Cruising would be next to impossible without the car; so off the motor went to a local shop and within two days we had her back and running like a champ. Now the time is finally here – tomorrow we slip the lines and set sail on a yet to be determined route exploring the Turkish coast and the nearby Greek Islands. Stay tuned for our next update from some unknown Turkish location. Fair Winds!