Waking gently to the sound of seagulls, takes me back to our hometown in Devon, England, and that was not a good reminder! You assume the sound takes you to the ocean and these gliding, majestic gulls soaring over clifftops above beautiful sandy beaches. No......... that is not my image at all, having lived alongside them for many years the word headache comes to mind! Noisy, dangerous, damaging and down right nasty when around towns. They steal food from your hand, take food from newly vacated tables, one even landed on our BBQ grill ( it was still lit!!) So, to wake to a more sedate, 'proper' sea gull, is somewhat more enjoyable. The subtle lapping of water against the hull, a fishing boat engine chugging quietly through the waveless sea brings us into another balmy day. Stepping out into the cockpit bleary eyed, cuppa in hand, nothing can prepare you for the breathtaking sight of sun dancing on the water. A slight haze floats eerily above the water level as the heat draws it upwards. Neighbouring vessels begin to rouse from their slumber, one by one, each coming alive with people unfolding slowly as the sun warms their sleepy skin. The beginings of chatter coming from not only the boats, but the beachfront too. Time seems to be no issue, it is only 07.45, yet I am longing to cool off in that welcoming pond of glitter below us. A few bodies have slipped into the cool clear water, waking with the invigorating experience. By 08.00 I am in, now that is impressive, and just to top that, I entered the water within a minute which is brilliant for me. Yes, you guessed, another of my bravery awards :) Ask anyone who has witnessed my pathetic attempts to ' just get in' well I normally do, get in, just in my own painful, millimetre by freezing millimetre, wincing with each skin cell that touches the offending brutally icy water. This year, one of my personal challenges is to be a little more elegant when bathing outdoors! So far so good, just don't judge my 'balancing on a stony beach' attempt to ' just get in' that is a separate issue altogether!! Today our plan is to clean 'Kejstral' it is as any other piece of property, a constant battle to maintain that glossy exterior, shiny chrome work and dust free cabins. Then there is the tender, she may have to wait, Zoe as we have named her, is rather battered, as she is an ex charter boat, (a zodiac) Zoe has endured a lot of stick. Together we assemble cloths and buckets, while catching glimpses of the gentle awakening of our neighbours, aware that it is still pretty early. We work through until we cannot tolerate the heat any longer, then jump, ( ok, slip slowly) into the inviting water. You have no idea just how good that feels!! :) Around us, little tenders are skimming the waters surface, heading for shore, each one filled with excited passengers eager to sample a little of Yalikavak town. After lunch and now that Kejstral' looks glowing once again, we take our place within the steady stream of 'tender' traffic. Negotiating our way around yachts and beautiful gulets, and the odd fishing vessel. We find ourselves gazing at the fabulous scenery, completely forgetting to watch out for rope and obstacles that might damage our engine, and have a few near misses en route! Safely on shore at the far end of the bay, the heat once again hits you like a wall, breezeless and sticky. By the time we reach the belediyesi (council cafe) we crave fluids, I cannot image how the people following Ramadan are coping. The beginning of June saw the start of Ramadan this year, which normally would be a good month as the temperatures are easily tolerated. However, this year we appear to be having the worst heatwave for a long time. 57 degrees has been recorded in Antalya, we have seen 46 degrees so far. Many of the Muslim faith abstain from certain pleasures during the 9th Islamic calendar month. Food and water must not pass their lips within the hours between sunrise and sunset, that is probably the most difficult of their challenges. During the hottest months of the year, that must be unbearable. As we have an exceptionally hot June, this surely must be extremely dangerous for some. We are not planning to follow suit, therefore, we order water and of course a refreshingly cold, tastebud tickling beer. The cafe is busy, families gather talking noisily, council workers, swarms of them, are diligently cleaning around us. The most recent achievement by Bodrum / Didim Council, which has amazed us is the clean up. We have never seen so many workers gardening, cleaning and litter collecting over the 10 years we have visited Turkey. What a fabulous job they are doing, beavering away in this profound heat they seem dauntless. Whilst we sit nearby sipping on our icy beer, feeling rather guilty :( While we endured our refreshments, we watched in awe as a blood transfusion centre inflated before us, literally!! A white van with the words 'Kan Nakli', drew up alongside the play park to our left. Instead of the 20 or so giggling energy filled children occupying our vision, we now had a white van man! Miraculously within a few minutes, an inflatable, bouncy castle looking construction grew before our eyes. We were mesmerised, not quite sure what was going on. The construction team suddenly became the medical staff. Trolleys and drip stands, tables and chairs, together with a cay (tea) urn and boxes of biscuits all appeared from this awesome white van. Within about 20 minutes there were people lining up waiting to be a donor, absolutely fabulous. :)) Our evening continued with a wander around the lovely marina. As you enter the atmosphere changes dramatically from Turkish family chatter to utter disbelief and hushed tones of wonder. Each building is marble coated and filled with luxurious boaty items, or the alternative for those people without a water vehicle, fabulous interior designed home decorations. There are buzzing restaurants and coffeehouses embellishing the waters edge, enhanced beautifully by the setting sun. Gradually, as you make your way through the busy shopping / eating area, the boats are luring you further towards the decadent, high end, multi million pound floating hotels, each with a price tag to scare any bank account. The boats grow in size further around the marina, daring you to peek at the lavish interiors and opulent design. Crew stand guard, looking trim in their designer attire, each wearing their walkie talkie as a fashion accessory. They almost will you to ask, "who is on board", " who owns this masterpiece", but silently they tidy, clean and polish. Some crew serve the occasional owner/ renter on board, it is another world. Kevin and I agree, that being on a more normal sized, traditional yacht and working with the sea and wind, is by far a more exhilarating experience that those superyachts can possibly imagine. However, they are stunning!! We make our way back around the bay on foot until we reach Zoe, our tender. Sun bleached and hot she lays surrounded by the street dogs, trying to find a cool spot to doze. We head back to 'Kejstral' for a glass of the red stuff before retiring for the evening.
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Sailing Kejstral AdventuresRetired and following our dream of sailing around the world Archives
April 2019
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