What a great nights sleep, a calm sea, no music and very considerate neighbours, the perfect recipe for an undisturbed sleep. We lingered over breakfast as the nearby residents surface from their obviously equally good slumber, bodies outstretched towards that glorious sun, warming their sleepy skin. No one rushes, no one is too eager to pack up and go, this lifestyle requires as little energy as we wish to waste. The view of this bay commands our uninterrupted attention, boats move serenely through the glassy surface, barely noticeable and almost inaudible. Seagulls flutter down, dipping and breaking the perfect surface, they explore each tiny ripple in search of food, usually failing in their attempt. Owners are polishing their already gleaming hulls and chrome work, ropes are coiled and knots secured. This continuous, endless workload is carried out by all on the seas, a constant task to impede the powerful force of the sun, salt and weather. Without this care and attention to detail, these vessels slowly deteriorate which as you can imagine would endanger the lives of anyone on board. Soon the sounds around us escalate as fishing boats pull into their mooring after a night of work, tourist boats begin their daily challenge to capture the conscience of the wandering holiday makers. Some of whom had every intention of declining the offer of a day on board one of these lively, fun filled gulets. However, having succumbed to the sorrowful eyes and sociable character before them, a sailing day is organised and money has changed hands in the blink of a sun dazzled eye. Today is a cleaning day, I cannot see this task lasting too long, it is painfully hot. As ever, I tackle the inside while Kevin braves the outside in the hot, sticky sun. Within an hour we abandon the our posts, both feeling drained and dehydrated and in need of respite from the heat, we decide to take Zoe ashore. We secure and leave her to fend off the waves and other little boats alone on the busy harbour wall. Shelter from the sun is imperative especially as the day progresses, a breeze filters through each gap in the surrounding buildings, small lanes and streets tend to retain the warmth and are best avoided. We head to the council cafe or Belediyesi, where a perfect combination of light winds and salty air greet our lethargic bodies. These council run café's are usually placed in the most picturesque area of seafront, overlooking a pretty harbour or stunning view. Staff are generally very friendly and accommodating despite their hectic workload, we rarely see a quiet Belediyesi. If you are ever visiting a Turkish seafront, head for the most popular, perfectly situated coffeehouse, I guarantee it will turn out to be a council café. This cafe has the added benefit of free wi-fi, I cannot describe the joys of stumbling across free internet whilst out travelling. I say free however, this requires the purchase of refreshments at least, before we can smile sweetly while asking for a password. Drinks within these fantastic establishments are pretty cheap, bottles of water are only 0.50 tl or 12 pence, coffee is 6tl or 75 pence and beer works out cheaper than any other bar in town! That is......if you can find an empty seat and, if they sell beer. The sale of alcohol is forbidden within 100 metres of any Mosque or school in Turkey, therefore you may seat yourself comfortably, gazing at a spectacular location while picturing that long cold amber thirst quenching liquid, only to find, you cannot have one! I hadn't realised just how essential the internet has become to us, especially since we moved to Turkey and so far from our families and friends. Through social media and various sailing groups, we have also been in contact with some other boatees, some of whom are travelling in these waters too. Others just keep in touch with advice, suggestions for new anchorages and just general chat. Mark, a guy Kevin has been speaking to every now and again over the last few months, has just messaged. "Are you in Gocek, as I think your boat is behind ours in the bay?" What a coincidence, we had no idea that he and his family were in the area. We scanned his pictures trying to gain an image of their boat and boat name until we were sure it would stand out in the crowd. It would have to in among the thousand boats bobbing around us! Communication complete, and internet sufficiently used, we scrutinise the surrounding activity, boats of all varieties zip past so speedily, I can barely recognise their colour. (Remember those regulations 5 n.m per hour) not these guys, if you own a superyacht, believe me you own a very powerful tender with engine. The last thing these owners or crew want to do is sedately and leisurely travel, they love to show off especially the Turkish lads. This however has a massive impact on every other floating object in the vicinity, from pontoons to dingies to huge gulets, everything is bounced all over the place leaving a trail of spilled cups and tipped plates and of course some really annoyed and consequently rather vocal people. So we watch the ripple effect in its purest form just relieved we are not on the water at that time. On our way back to 'Kejstral' we scan the sea of boats and sure enough, Cygnus 111 is just in front of us, brilliant, someone new to meet up with later. The sun was taking its toll on our weary bodies, we now know why so many mediterranean countries have a siesta time, unfortunately Turkey does not adopt this daily ritual. In Greece most shops and stores close for their valuable rest period, allowing for a significant break from that unbearable heat. In the evening towns come alive again fresh and vibrant from their siesta, it is usually hotter here in Turkey, therefore quite surprising that this custom is bypassed. I need my siesta, Kevin needs my siesta, if missed, I become grumpy, hot and irritable. I then struggle to last until bedtime. Kevin manages to cope on most days without additional sleep, however, he cannot cope if I miss mine! Feeling refreshed and bubbly, ok just refreshed, we shower and plan to head back across to town for sundown. As the heat subsides we feel rejuvenated, ready for our evening walk and drink, that is, once we scramble onto Zoe and make our way across the busy sea to shore. Settled in Zoe, ready to zip over the water, we remember Mark on Cygnus 111, we ought to just call over, for a moment,… introduce ourselves and perhaps arrange an evening for drinks. We set off towards their Oyster yacht, nearing their boat we realise that someone is on deck reading, should we interrupt them? Feeling a little nervous we slow the engine and pull up at their stern, " hello" I shout. We are greeted by the lovely smiling face of Marks wife, Angelina. Soon we are onboard and have met both Mark, his wife and their son. This quick introduction and plan to meet at their convenience, actually turned out to be an 02.00 am wine/ beer filled evening ending in a rather tipsy goodbye. What a lovely family, they had already spotted us, when we first dropped anchor in Gocek, they had sailed past us. A test we all carry out when passing other boatees, is to call out hello, and await a response. Apparently Angelina had in fact called out as I was on the bow, anchor control in hand and looking rather sweaty, but I passed the test. I seemingly did wave back and return the hello, despite the fact I cannot remember the incident! Oh well, as long as I was polite, albeit sticky and dripping. During this great evening they explained that a couple of friends were flying over to spend a week sailing with them and their plan was to head towards Fethiye, would we like to sail across with them in a few days time? How could we refuse, we had planned to head in that direction anyway, exciting!
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Sailing Kejstral AdventuresRetired and following our dream of sailing around the world Archives
April 2019
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