Today is a cleaning day and as I have previously talked about our excitement at having water on tap ..... I will not bore you again but .....yay water!!! We are also plugged into shore electric that is just as amazing, when you have been on board for a week or so, relying on the solar power ( which is fabulous) but we use 12 volts which does not power some equipment. It is a massive assistance to charge the engine and domestic batteries fully, we can also plug other things in too, computers hand held tablets, razor, hair paraphernalia and phones. The moment that shore power light is lit on our control panel we race to attach everything we can find, how sad are we! It also means that once disconnected we have lovely full batteries on everything for the next day or so. Most boats have an inverter which converts the 12 volt boat power into 220 volts, meaning we can plug in normal everyday items. However our inverter which converts ( 12 volts DC into 220 AC) is only small 300 watts so is practically useless! Another item to be replaced on our list of jobs for next year :( So, we are plugged in, wired up and electrified it feels great. Meanwhile the water is flowing happily into our water tanks from the shore supply, this means boat washing and laundry time. Kevin tackles the outside while I perspire profusely inside as all the hatches must be closed ( especially when Kevin has the water flowing!) He starts at the bow with a soft brush scrubbing gently everything which can get salty from the sea. Which is pretty much everything ropes, winches, chrome and all the fiddly bits on the deck. You would not believe how much the salt damages ball bearings inside winches, ropes become stiff and non compliant and salt can rot any material on the deck, covers and cushions spray hoods and the bimini all must be hosed off. I am perspiring unhappily below, I damp dust everything from the forward cabin walls, door and floor right through the salon until I reach the really difficult part ........the bathroom (or head on a boat) I usually need air by that point so hopefully Kevin is done with the soaking and switched off the hose. I emerge into the fresh air sweat (sorry, perspiration) running down my face looking really attractive...........not! When the neighbouring boatees stop for a chat, hmm bad timing as ever, I must look like a hobo :(( Our neighbours were a family from England who had hired their boat complete with skipper ( Italian) They chatted asking where we arrived from, how long we were here and where was our next stop. A very nice pleasant group of people who had to watch me wipe sweat from my face and neck for the entire conversation, charming. They did speak again, I was a little more talkative on the second occasion and probably looked somewhat more acceptable too! Back to the bathroom, the shower in here is fantastic, most people who set eyes on our shower cubicle are slightly jealous. It has a wooden seat so we ageing sailors can perch and hose down in comfort. Additionally we can wash feet with ease as you can imagine. It had a glass door and it is my favourite part of 'Kejstral' my pride and joy. Then there is the toilet hmm not so great, unlike your lovely toilet at home, this does not flush easily. They are designed to draw sea water into the bowl to flush then that water plus your personal waste is hand ( yes I said hand) pumped into a tank. They work very efficiently but are a bit of a pain to use. When we go ashore and just press a button or pull a handle to flush toilets in the normal way, we get quite excited we even chat about it to other boatees! The floor in here is a stippled effect, non slip material which is an absolute nightmare to keep clean. Being white it amplifies every dirty splash or mark and I won't even mention the short curly hairs!! So on my hands and (now stipple effect) knees I scrub this 1.2 meter by 700 meters of floor, dripping a little perspiration onto each clean surface as I go. Once complete, the bathroom ( head) is out of bounds for as long as it can be, just so I can walk past and smile at it for as long as possible. Kevin however does not recognise this, without even putting on those hospital plastic shoe covers, he just wanders in then wonders why I look like a seething, bee sucking lunatic when he emerges! The cleaning is over, we are hot therefore the afternoon is spent trying to find an appropriate place to swim. Bozburun is not a beach town, it is of course on the water but there are no areas to just jump in. Most of the seafront has been taken over by pontoon's and decking adjacent to bars and restaurants, therefore in order to cool off we must buy a drink or food. Not what we wanted, so we just walked through this very pretty town watching the locals going about their daily business. Shops bustling with frenzied activity as new produce is delivered, customers eyeing up their purchases before they are even unpacked onto shelves. Bozburun is clearly a busy, popular and in demand town, especially with sailors. For the rest of the evening we read, listen to music and relax as the sun snuggles down behind the mountains allowing the sticky heat to gently subside.
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Sailing Kejstral AdventuresRetired and following our dream of sailing around the world Archives
April 2019
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