The final leg.

Symi waterfront

The transit between Symi and Bozburum was windless and as a result we motored the whole way. To break the monotony we anchored for lunch and a swim in a bay just short of the Kizil Adasi passage, only two miles short of Bozburum. Ashore was somebodies folly, a potentially beautiful house on the waterfront, that had been allowed to go to ruin. Occupied only by goats. Oh for the cash to buy it and restore it!

The folly

After a short passage, again under engine, we ultimately arrived in port at 1700 just in time to catch the harbour master before he went home. Bozburun only became a port of entry in 2010. It is by far the most convenient that I have heard of, the harbour master is also the local health authority, customs authority and is next door to the immigration police for whom he deputises. The result is that all the required four stamps on the cruising log and visas can be obtained in the same office, at a price ... the official price of the cruising log plus two visas' should amount to ~€90; the Bozburum price, “service included”, is €140. Notwithstanding this bit of profiteering it is still a good deal. The same process in Canakkale took almost a whole day and including a €30 taxi ride to the immigration authorities outside town, ultimately it cost more!

Bozburun main street

Bozburum is a small town, well remote from other centres of population. Only recently was it connected to the rest of Turkey by metalled road. It has a good selection of waterfront restaurants and a fair selection of shops plus a well protected harbour, all the ingredients of a good place to visit. We dined ashore, managed a pre return home haircut (at 10pm, how's that for service) and then retired onboard for a late evening film.

En route Marmaris

Next morning we replenished our gas, purchased a few last minute victuals and motored out of the harbour. Ten minutes later the wind came up and we set full sail and headed for Gerbekse, a small inlet two thirds of the way to Marmaris. On our arrival the wind dropped to nothing half a mile short of the entrance but interestingly inside the anchorage the wind was again quite strong, falling down the face of the mountain to the NW of us. We anchored in 4m and settled down for the evening. An hour later a large catamaran entered the inlet and for half an hour tried to squeeze himself between us and the beach; eventually he took note of my frowns from the foredeck and decided that there was not room for him to swing to his anchor without hitting us, something that had been obvious from the start! He then moved further out in the inlet, anchored near the windward shore and very close to the rocks. Next morning he had already gone before daybreak, I suspect as a result of the wind change in the middle of the night and driving him ashore. Charter skippers!

Ready to lift out

Into storage along with 1300 others!

From here we set off late the next morning, just as the tourist gullets started to arrive. Our destination was only two miles away, Kadirga Limani, an anchorage where we planned to spend the last afternoon before going into the marina at Marmaris. On arrival there were several other yachts in the anchorage but it was pleasant enough and not crowded. A final Sunday brunch, afternoon relaxing and swimming and then it was time to sail off the anchor and head for Yacht Marine marina in Marmaris.

The gentle final sail ended at 1800 as we berthed as directed by the marina staff and started the sad process of putting Kurukulla to bed for the winter. The marina is excellent, swimming pool, restaurant, bar and all the chandlers and supermarket facilities that you could ask for in a complex like this. In addition there are engineering and electronics companies on site for repairs etc. As well as putting Kurukulla to bed for the season I also took the opportunity, whilst Steve was there to do the winching, to go aloft and install the new cabling in the mast for the replacement wind instruments; a job that had been awaiting a willing volunteer and sufficient time since the start of the season.

View from the mast-head

The final act was to book the taxi to Dalaman airport, €60, and survive the Thomas Cook Airlines flight to Stansted, departing at 0150 in the morning, that was more of a challenge than anything else in the past five days!

More in April next year............................

A wave goodbye from the mast-head