Woke early excited for our sail with Cygnus 111 The sun glinting through our cabin hatch startled us awake, kettle on, suitable clothing adorned and out to see what the day has planned for us. At 07.00 hours, nothing exciting is happening yet, the restaurant staff can be seen cleaning and tidying from the previous night's meal. A delicious smell of fresh bread wafts our way, there is no aroma like it. Birds glide overhead singing loudly and slowly the bay comes alive. We have arranged to leave around 10.00 for our sail to Fethiye, Cygnus 111 is moored in the bay nearby, as they pull up their anchor we will untie and leave with them. First however, we need breakfast, so I wander along following that gorgeous smell of crispy soft centred bread. As I step from the pontoon onto land, the brown energetic bouncy dog from yesterday's entertainment, bounds past. His poor owner is stumbling along behind in his flip flops, clearly not wishing to be dragged so unceremoniously for his bread! We smile hello as he is dragged out of sight into the shrubbery to wherever his pup wishes to go. I on the other hand, saunter towards the bread oven where I am met by a lady dressed in trousers and long sleeved blouse. She is working hard beside this huge stone, flame filled cooker, in this baking heat. She must be exhausted, loaves stand in piles, fresh and crispy alongside large wooden spatulas with well kneaded dough placed in floury rows ready for baking. Obviously they sell a lot, a stream of buyers wander to her workshop throughout the morning, many purchase two or three loaves at a time. This bread is baked, free from preservatives therefore must really be consumed on the day of purchase, tomorrow any leftovers are fed to the birds and fish. The cost of bread here is very cheap 1 tl or 25 pence, therefore it is eaten with virtually every meal, and it is amazing when freshly cooked. We eat our morning meal, catching the sights and sounds of other boatees waking and unfolding themselves from slumber. Gradually the day is starting, belongings are packed ready for another journey, boats are swilled down, ropes are re wound and placed ready for travelling. We wash up and store all mobile items, although the bay is calm and the predicted weather is light winds, we take no chances. Cupboards are closed, hatches shut and sea cocks turned off. At around 10.00 we see Cygnus 111 pull up anchor, we unhitch the lazy line and undo the stern lines, we are off. We motor out from our pontoon until free from obstruction then as soon as some wind tickles the flag, we pull out the main sail. With only 5 knots of wind, we won't be turning our engine off just yet! Cygnus 111 follows slowly, they have been showing their guests the ropes ( literally), therefore they are lagging behind. Soon their speed increases and we are sailing together on this gentle breeze. The Genoa is unfurled as the wind accelerates to 10 knots, we are trying to stay ahead of our sailing buddies! They zip past, pulling closer to the island on their starboard side, they gain speed as the wind changes direction when blowing over the land. Dam, I wish we had thought of that! Then Cygnus veers across our bow, a strange manoeuvre as our direction is straight towards Fethiye. A glance through the binoculars explains their sudden movement, Paul, their guest was steering, he has never been in charge of one of these fickle beasts before. For the next few miles we stay behind the zig zagging Cygnus, watching them gradually gain control and eventually follow course. We on the other hand were trying our best to increase speed, tweaking here, fiddling there with little impact. We did sail alongside them on a few occasions, Mark and Angelina have been sailing for many more years than ourselves and obviously have fathomed out their own boat and techniques to compensate for low wind speed! It was a lovely smooth, calm sail 13.4 n.m taking 2.5 hours. Fethiye is a large town, the main open bay is filled with trip boats ferrying tourists to picturesque bays and coves for swimming and diving. Jet skis zip past spraying a plume of white froth behind them, and leaving a wake which bounces our little 'Kejstral' all over the place. Larger gulets linger on anchor closer to shore, their crew busily cleaning ready for future guests. The anchorage we head for is tucked into the southern curve of the bay, a good sheltered spot next to a Marina. The anchorage is not the prettiest area of town but, we had a plan! Mark and Angelina had been here before, had an internet password for the marina and, we all plan to moor in this marina the following day. Our anchor sat firmly in 11 meters of thick mud, really great holding. A huge boatyard could be seen a few hundred yards away, a wooden gulet perched on tall stilts, in the construction stages of building, what a fabulous looking vessel built in a very traditional way. Around us swaying in the slight swell were small yacht's, a large quite old cruiser and a few gulets, pretty quiet for mid summer really. The afternoon was spent snoozing having eaten lunch, as in the evening we had arranged to head over to the marina, leave the tenders and walk into Fethiye town. At 6pm we all boarded our tenders, then took off into the marina. Yacht Classic Marina and Hotel, is on the south side of Fethiye and it looked amazing. We found a spot inside where the staff very kindly allowed us to leave our little boats, having explained that we would like to reserve two spaces for our boats the following day. Our friends had visited this great place before and recognised a good deal which is why we ended up here. Our tenders were secured and we stayed in the marina for drinks before heading into town. Jude, Paul, Mark, Angelina, Kevin and I, parked ourselves around a very lovely round pool bar, high stools on which we perched gave us a fabulous view of the turquoise pool, white washed buildings and beautiful marina in front of us, what a stunning well kept resort. Rooms resembling haciendas rested on a raised platform above the pool, overlooking the ocean and marina, they would have a fabulous view from their balcony. We took our time over drinks absorbing this lovey place and looked forward to our overnight stay in the marina tomorrow. The road into town took only 10 minutes to amble, we sauntered past mini markets, noting the larger supermarket for provisions in a few days. Soon bars and small restaurants came into view, bringing us onto the promenade. The sun still pounded our skin, despite the hour, the heat held within each concrete building and pavement acted like a night storage heater. The sun dipping further into the huge sea, still persisted in making us perspire, we persevered on through towards a more densely populated area. Market stalls filled our path, beautifully handmade carpets and rugs pegged up high on old stone walls, gold coloured bongs with bright liquids inside lined the outside of bars and stores. High piles of linen in vibrant tones filled wooden trestle tables, vendors called out to our intrigued faces, if only we could buy these glorious gifts and wares. We sneak past the most vocal, turn away from the gaze of the expectant sellers and sidestep the pavements assault course. Huge flags in Patriotic red, flutter and dance in this evening breeze we gaze up in awe at this wonderful sight, while locals look back at us from their chairs in high balconies above. They must watch this same spectacle every evening as shoppers seep out from their hotels, having tanned and dipped all day long. Tourists eager to spend their hard earned cash whilst enjoying this amazing holiday atmosphere. We find a local Turkish restaurant, not too expensive and not too shabby, as we approach seats are pulled our for us to rest our weary, thirsty selves onto. Within minutes, jugs of fresh water are poured and we drink, ready now to be fed. These restaurants are brilliant, they serve a buffet style menu, you chose from the counter and they bring your chosen food to the table. Huge silver dishes with shiny round lids fill the counter, as the lids are lifted the most sumptuous smells erupt from them, chicken cooked tenderly in a tasty tomato, garlic and vegetable casserole. Green beans soaked until they slightly snap at your bite, then cooked in a gorgeous tomato sauce. This is served with bulgur wheat mixed with vegetables and coated with a delicious gravy. An amazing array of dishes to sample traditional cooking, and all at brilliant prices, what an experience for any visitors. We steer away from fancy expensive eateries and aim for the busy local clean restaurants, for a real flavour of Turkey. Our meal with a beer each, for six people came to around 170 tl or £43 for 6 people! Once our taste buds had been tantalised and tummies filled, we wandered through the throngs of holidaymakers attempting to bartar with the prices, some had a good technique, others had a vague try but most walked away with a purchase none the less.
As the evening drew to a close, we took the road back to where our little tenders had been abandoned, another perfect day in this journey of a lifetime.
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Sailing Kejstral AdventuresRetired and following our dream of sailing around the world Archives
April 2019
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