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| Anemurium at dawn |
A short spell on starboard tack saw us
clear of the Anamur Burnu headland and then it was on the wind on Port
tack all the way back to Alanya. It was quite a bumpy ride; although
the wind never rose above 22 kts the seas were large and irregular, a
feature that lasted for most of the next five days.
We arrived back in Alanya at 1630 after
a 10 hour passage on the wind. A 60 mile sail at an average of just
over 6 kts. Our first stop was the anchorage by the dockyard again to
have some late lunch and a swim to clean off all the dried salt from
the spray of the last 10 hours. That achieved, and feeling rather
more human again, we headed into the port and, after a bit of juggling
of boats, managed to take the same berth as before. From here it was
the local supermarket to re-victual, a Kebeb restaurant for a light
supper and then drinks onboard with some local friends we had met on
the previous visit; followed by a not so early night!
Another early morning start saw us on
our way to Manavgat where we wanted to go up river to a restaurant
for a birthday celebration lunch for Christoph, my present crew.
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| Restaurant at Manavgat, on the river |
His
birthday is actually a day after he is due to leave so we decided to
celebrate the occasion early! There is only one proper restaurant on
the river, about 5 miles up, just before the low bridge which makes
the higher reaches of the river and the town of Manavgat
inaccessible. The entrance to the river is shallow (3.5m and we draw
2!) and when the wind is in the south, as it was today, there are
standing waves where the river flow meets the incoming waves. We
managed the entrance OK but such places leave no room for the
unexpected, engine failure or the like! An hour later we were berthed
alongside the restaurant and tucking into our meze starter. At 1700
it was time to leave and head for Side, the ancient town of
Selimiye, where the Roman harbour has been adapted to accommodate
tourist boats and the odd yacht.
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| Approaching Side |
The entrance to Side is also very
exposed and shallow, hence we entered at speed, for control, but
watching the echo sounder carefully. It was 3.4m minimum, just enough
in such lumpy seas. Once inside we were hailed by a boat boy who, we
later discovered, looks after two boats here and one in Alanya; he
very kindly took our lines. The swell running into the harbour was
causing the stern lines to snatch horribly; hence, after a rather
torrid hour, we decided to release ourselves from the wall and swing
round the anchor further out. The harbour is small so swinging room
was very limited but a much quieter and a more pleasant night was
achieved.
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| Some of the ruins at Side (Selimiye) |
Next morning the seas had settled somewhat and we chose a
better berth in which to make a second, more successful attempt, to
go stern to the jetty. 30M of cable out, two lines from bow to jetty
at an obtuse angle and steel springs in the stern lines and it was
comfortable enough.
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| Departing Side in the early light |
As I had already toured Side twice before I
stayed to look after the boat and dispatched Chrisoph ashore to do
the tourist bit! By the evening the seas had calmed and we were both
able to enjoy a quick sojourn ashore, not that the modern part of
Side is much to write home about, full to bursting with all manner of
shops selling fake (and occasionally real) designer gear.
Next morning we set off early, 0630,
for a 50 mile transit to Olympus.
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| Olympus by night |
The intention was to arrive there
in time to tour the ruins before moving on to a nearby protected
anchorage for the night. In the event we arrived about 1600, after a
passage under motor and then sail, to find that the bay at Olympus
was calm and hence we were able to pass the night at anchor there.
Next morning we swam ashore to view the ancient city; foolishly we
did not take any money with us and hence we failed at the first
barrier, the 10YTL (£3.30) entry fee at the guard-post that we could
not see from the boat.
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| The Hammam in Olympus |
Fortunately a local on the beach offered not
only to look after our flippers etc, but also showed us the
alternative entrance from the beach, as used by the locals. They, of
course, don't pay! Olympus is fascinating, if very overgrown, and was
well worth the two hours we spent wandering round.
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| View down river in Olympus |
From Olympus it was time to head east
again to Finike, about 20 miles away. We sailed off the anchor in
very favourable winds and settled down for a pleasant passage. The
gods' thought otherwise. As soon as we were clear of the land we were
headed forcing us to tack out to sea.
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| Olympus from the beach |
No sooner were we 3 miles
offshore than the wind veered steadily through 90 deg. such that when
we tacked back towards the land we had made 5 miles progress in the
desired direction for eighteen miles sailed! Enough!! We sailed
straight into Cavus Limani, an anchorage we had used on the outward
voyage, and poured ourselves a large G&T. The evening was spent
there at anchor swimming and relaxing.
So it was that the next morning was
another early start, in order to catch up some lost time. Again we
sailed off the anchor, only for the wind to die as we exited the bay.
This time we wasted no time before starting the engine and we motored
the seven miles to the headland, from where we were able to turn west
towards Finike and sail to the marina entrance on a beam reach in a
brisk breeze. The reason for stopping at Finike was to refuel and I
also wanted some bits from the marina chandlery. Fuelling completed
we prepared to head across and put Kurukulla alongside for 10
minutes, near the chandlery, so that I could dash in. The marina
staff in their RIB were having none of it! They decreed that we could not go
alongside anywhere other than the fuelling jetty, despite our
protestations that we only wanted to visit the chandlery. The
fuelling jetty was now occupied by another boat and so we ignored
them and much to their annoyance went alongside near the chandlery
anyway. It was closed, Sunday! You might have thought they would have
known that.... I would have been even more grumpy if I had walked the
half mile from the fuelling jetty to find out!
From here we headed back into Kekova
Roads again and anchored off Ugaciz, in the north-western arm of the
inner sea. An ideal anchorage in 3m of water and good holding on mud.
Supper onboard, a relatively early night and next morning we moved
alongside to have lunch at Hassan's restaurant. Hassan was the most
helpful person I met when having to leave the boat there, at no
notice, a month back and it only seemed right to repay him with our
custom. The sign, in German, above his restaurant says “Best cook
in the Mediterranean” which might be a slight exaggeration but his
food is very good. After lunch it was time to do some re-victualling
before getting under-way to Kas. I headed for the shops whilst
Christoph headed for the barber to get a haircut. Having purchased a
pile of vegetables from a market stall I went to pay in cash. The
only minor problem was that there was no cash in my wallet!
Fortunately I had enough in loose coinage to pay. As a consequence I
then went back to the boat to check my other wallet to see if I had
mistakenly put the money I had drawn from a cash dispenser in Side in
the wrong wallet. No, and no sign of the money. I had been robbed in
the night by someone coming onboard! I went back to warn Christoph
who checked his wallet, he too had had all the notes taken. Not a bad
haul for somebody; 900YTL (~£300) from my wallet and €200 (~£165)
from Christoph; and neither of us heard a thing!
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| Actually at Side but rather how we felt at Ucagiz, "The Glums" |
Fortunately they
took only cash, nothing else was touched, not even credit cards and
mobile phones, but a slightly un-nerving and costly experience all
the same. My suspicion is that it was local youths who realised that
credit cards and mobiles were too easily identifiable in such a small
place. How much are those stand alone, small, burglar alarms? There
was little point in reporting it to the authorities but we did tell
Hassan before departing, his reaction led us to believe we were not
the first victims.
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| Hassan's restaurant |
From here it was a sail upwind to Kas.
A three hour beat which left us arriving at dusk. Night fell just as
we anchored in the bay at Bayindir Limani, one and a half miles south
of Kas. Sadly my favourite part of this anchorage, the westerly
corner, was full of gullets, hence we had to accept second best. It
was quiet and tranquil though and good for one night.
To acquire the chandlery missed at
Finike we decided to motor the five miles to Kas marina whilst at the
same time giving the batteries a charge. An hour later we were
alongside in Kas, (none of the problems of Finike), where we visited
marina office, chandlery, Bankomat and supermarket in that order. An
hour later we were on our way again heading for Kalkan 12 miles west.
As we were leaving the “marinaio” (marina staff) warned us that
the forecast had been updated and that force 7 westerlies were
imminent. Just our luck; and he was right! By the time we exited the
deep bay where the marina is sited it was blowing force 7 directly
from our destination. Four hours later we anchored in Yesilkoy
Limani, a bay one mile west of Kalkan harbour, wet and ready for a
late lunch.
Just before sunset we wanted to move
into the harbour ready for Christoph's departure, he had an airport
transfer booked for 0030 from the harbour car park. Today was to be a
day when nothing was going to be simple! On entering the harbour,
just as the sun set, it was obvious that the harbour was full to
bursting and short of Med-mooring in the second row out from the
jetty there were no other options if we wanted to stay. We decided we
didn't! We headed back to the anchorage, had supper and then came
back into the harbour, to drop Christoph off on the bows of another
boat, at midnight. He caught his taxi and I headed back to the
anchorage single handed for the first time since returning from UK.
Two days later I am still here,
anchored in the bay, and enjoying catching up on maintenance. The
next guests arrive late on Saturday; hence I will have another
attempt at getting into the harbour on Friday; and we will be away
Sunday morning.
The next blog article will be after we
depart.
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