Our mission, and we have chosen to accept said mission, is to spend two nights out in a bay testing the power! The things we have to do ! :) One of the bays near Yalikavak, called Gumersluk, looks very pretty. However, each time we have either driven or sailed past, it has been rather busy. Today we are going in! The morning was very hot at 08.00 hours, hoped it would be a little cooler so early in the day :( never mind, as previously mentioned in my blog, the Meltemi wind usually begins in the late morning, picking up to a peak mid afternoon. So hopefully our sails will benefit from a good old breeze. We planned on two nights away, therefore, clothing and food were the main things to organise, most other things are already on board. Now that the weather is quite hot, 35 degrees (shade) yesterday in our garden, it's only June !!! One main item to bulk buy is bottled water, we can go through 5 litres in 24 hours and that is just to drink. Salads are ideal meal choices, saves on gas and easy to consume in the heat. We do try to plan carefully in our budget, as money is, and always will be, limited. Therefore, with a huge fridge and small freezer, we can be well equipped and eat both healthily and at a sensible cost. We also have a two ring gas cooker with an oven, all perfect for long journeys away. I digress, sorry, I love managing the budget and food! Now that our boat is stocked, hatches secure and cocks closed, we drop our lazy line (anchor rope) loosen the stern lines then set off. Leaving Akbuk bay is always exciting, never quite knowing how the wind will welcome our little boat, or how the sails will play to the winds fickle ways. Today we had the Genoa out within the first 10 minutes, weather reports have highlighted 18 to 20 knot winds later today. With the mainsail reefed, we tentatively take our place in this huge ocean. The sea is calm, slight swell on top and very gently we manage to win over the wind, 5.5 knots carrying us south westerly. It is such a magnificent feeling to travel using the power of wind alone :) Two hours into the journey, we lose the power, well the wind at least! I feel we have been betrayed, bringing us out here then stealing our source of movement. We started the engine with a forlorn look at the now furled sails. It was only playing tricks on us thankfully, 30 minutes later, with 12 knots of wind and increasing, our sails were happily flying free and looking pretty awsome. We tipped the speed at 7.3 knots which is really quite fast for our design of boat, heeling slightly but comfortably we finish the 4.5 hour journey at Gumersluk. As we round the headland into the narrow bay, which faces north west, we are surprised to find no respite from the now 20 to 25 knots of wind! Hmmm not what we anticipated or wanted, we did drop anchor in 16 meters, let out around 45 meters of chain and settled with a coffee. The swell was a little annoying, therefore Kevin took a stern line, quite a hefty rope, out to the rocks for a little more stability. Although the wind was persistent, we managed to relax, snoozing in the shelter of our canopy, before tackling a few jobs. At around 7 pm, I had just plated up tea when I hear, Dee, get up here! So on climbing into the cockpit I immediately see the issue. We had drifted towards the rocks which had stabilised us so well. The stern line was holding fast, however the strong gusts of wind were now coming from a different direction, which in turn dragged the anchor out of its steady position ! Swiftly I ran to release the anchor, whilst Kevin started the engine, in addition he tried to loosen off the stern line. Unfortunately he ended up cutting it, just to prevent us being taken towards the rock. Once free, we pulled forward into a more open space before resetting the anchor. Phew, another anchor issue averted! Back into the tender as we had to rescue our now abandoned stern line, which was still securely tied! We tried to decide if we could have prevented the problem, however, we didn't and probably couldn't have planned for the wind direction changing. So, now what to do! The idea that it could all happen again, encouraged us to head to a more sheltered, secure bay. There was very little space within our current location. Yalikavak was our next choice. We were acutely aware that the sun would be setting within the hour, which obviously becomes a concern when dropping anchor in new surroundings, so the clock was ticking ...... on leaving Gumersluk, the wind kept up its force, and together with the swell around the headland, we were taking a little battering. Not too stressful, just not what we had planned. An hours travelling time all on the engine, as our need to get there, out weighed our wish to play with the sails. Yalikavak is pretty much one of our favourite places in Turkey, so far anyway. Fortunately we are also familiar with the sheltered spots and fairly good anchorage potential. Soon, we were snuggled into our sanctuary, anchored, relieved and settled with a glass of wine. Now relaxed, we can enjoy a calm sea with very little wind, together with our new watery neighbours. There is a very pretty beach club within the bay, which played a lovely compilation of soothing tracks, lulling us into a gentle slumber.
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Sailing Kejstral AdventuresRetired and following our dream of sailing around the world Archives
April 2019
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