When we returned to Fuga, one of the mysteries had been that the navigation computer no longer worked. Along with issues with the GPS receiver, we wondered if Fuga had been visited by an electrical storm during our absence over the winter. In consequence, I had spent many hours trying to install our charting software on our regular e-mail computer. First I had to obtain a download copy, courtesy of the wifi at Marmaris, then pay for the upgrade to get it serialised. However, it had been mysteriously unstable, and so refused to perform when we wanted to set off. Eventually it was made to work, but only as lunch time approached.
Sandy and Mo had been reading and swimming. There was irritating patriotic music being played repetitively from the public address system, it being a national holiday for youth. We decided to eat before we set off. We enjoyed a pleasant sail, just fetching our course, until we reached the far end of the island of Karada when the wind faded, and we motored into Pabuc. As we were expecting some weather, we went into the far corner, where the Sea Gardens hotel offers a comprehensive range of water sports. We watched them as they set up for the season.
It had rained a little overnight, but was pleasant again in the morning. Once again our departure was delayed by computer problems: the navigational software would not run again. We decided to set off without, and motored out of the bay making sail. We fetched along behind the island of Orak, and then tacked south towards our objective on the southern shore of the Gorkova Korfezi. Gradually the wind backed and strengthened, until we were making good speed. Having spent the entire trip trying to make the computer work, at the last minutes we switched to the chart plotter. After a little confusion identifying our landfall, we anchored close in behind the hill at Gokajac where we were sheltered from the now westerly wind. The two gulets anchored there left, although one apparently returned later for the night.
The use of the plotter proved to be useful: once the chart chip was removed from the card reader on the computer, the program ran flawlessly but, without charts, uselessly. At last the cause of the problem had been identified.
The gulet woke us as it noisily recovered its anchor at 0530 to leave. We supposed that they were returning to work for the day. Left alone in the sunshine, we were able to enjoy a long leisurely swim. I set about getting alternative chart software running with computer based charts. Our rogue chip crashed this too! We set off eastwards inside the islands, then north west out around Teke and Koyun Burun until we eventually were broad reaching under a force 4 towards the head of the gulf. However the skies by now looked ominous, and we saw occasional forks of lightning ahead with accompanying thunder. We decided to cut short the sail, and headed for Kargili Koyu, arriving as the first rain began to fall.
|
| The dog was very friendly, but would like to have come aboard |
As I paddled ashore to fix a line around the tree, I was met by a gorgeous, friendly, dog. As the rain got harder, he settled down under a bush to keep watch, and it was hard not to invite him on board. We guessed he came from Ali Bar's restaurant around the corner. It continued to rain quite hard for some while, and at one point we had to re-anchor as I had not dropped far enough away from shore to lay out sufficient chain.
The forecast was still for more rain, although at first it was pleasant and still. The mixture of pine and bright green deciduous trees were reflected in the still waters of the lake. Gradually a slight breeze came to play on the lake, the crew from the solitary gulet opposite tried to troll for fish, and a rowing boat emerged from around the corner. Our dog, absent at first, came to watch our every move. As it was going to be overcast, we decided to head for Camli from where I thought we could get to a dolmus to Marmaris, only 8 nm due south. As we raised our anchor, the dog swam across to make sure we were doing it right. A fisherman watched anxiously from the opposite bank, as we turned Fuga in the shallows around the corner, to see if we could see where he came from. We motored, so charging the batteries, although in time a good breeze sprang up from the north east (ahead).
 |  |
| The first breeze disturbs the lake | Our friend came to see us off |
The pilot warns of depths coming up rapidly, and an easily visible shelf. True and false respectively, particularly with the sun ahead. We took the rust and barnacles we had had to leave off the bottom of Fuga's keel as we turned for deeper water, and headed over to the east side to anchor in 8 metres. With some thunderclouds about, it was decided that the girls should mount the Marmaris expedition, while I looked after the boat. Accordingly I landed them at a rickety fishermans' landing at the mouth of the east creek: depths in the creek were insufficient for the outboard. My expectation was that they would get to a village in 'half a mile', and from there a dolmus. I returned to the boat, washed up lunch, indulged the computer, and had just emerged from a swim when a text came in requiring my presence at the quay on the opposite side of the bay. Here there are some fishing and tripper boats, with a small locally patronised cafe/bar. Mo and Sandy had walked (for four miles) through delightful pastoral surroundings, encountering a mixture of dwellings and ruins, gardens, signs to a naturist camp, a development of villas under construction, but no bus stop! Taking a right at a fork, instead of the left towards Marmaris, they had seen a dolmus pass in the opposite direction who would not stop, but instead held up 5 fingers. At the cafe, Mo was told that the dolmus would be two hours away, at 1730, so the expedition was abandoned. It threatened rain all evening, but this did not prevent some swimming and an unsuccessful fishing expedition. After supper, the facts about the abortive expedition were hotly debated.
The weather was looking distinctly more promising as we came too to the sound of fishing boats puttering past us. After breakfast, we set off across the bay and found our way into the anchorage off Castle island. We discovered the limitations of the widely available 'worldwide charts', which omit Tomb Island, but show a drying rock instead off Castle Island. The NT chart chip, running on the plotter, was a lot more helpful after the event! We chortled with self-satisfaction as we anchored off Castle Island, the only boat save a fishing boat and a small dinghy. However, our peace was soon shattered, first by a motor boat that anchored close by (how close can you get?), then by a succession of noisy tripper boats that berthed at the nearby jetty. The motor boat (paid crew) at least provided entertainment as the owner and his young lady slowly made their way into the water.
After a swim and lunch, we set off for Degirmen Buku, only about 5 miles distant. We could just about fetch the course with the fresh north westerly wind, dropping the main to slow our approach, but carrying the jib into English harbour. It is so called because it was used by the SBS in WWII. We anchored at the head of the unspoilt 'harbour' inlet, as boats came and went during the evening. Unusually, there was one beautiful British flagged gulet, apparently with German charteres aboard.
We had a leisurely start enjoying our surroundings. Another attempt to catch a fish met with abject failure: only the bottom was caught while fish jumped in mockery. When we set off, we crossed Degirmen Buku to have a look at the inlet opposite where there are several restaurants: well worth a visit on another occasion. We motored out of the bay and around the corner to Kesr. This is a relatively narrow inlet that opens into a shallow basin. The fish farm referred to in Heikel's notes has fallen into dilapidation, but the iron stakes are still in evidence. It provided us with a pleasant lunch stop, all to ourselves, and we enjoyed yet another swim.
 |  |
| Morning in English Harbour | A mermaid guards the entrance to an inlet full of restaurants in Degirmen Buku |
Sogut is only a couple of miles further east. We needed to go there to refill our water tanks, now getting quite low. A new Global Sailing club marinette (meaning small marina) now occupies part of the west bank, but we were able to anchor just outside the buoys marking their laid moorings. There were a handful of smart yachts apparently long term berthed there and possibly one visiting yacht. In the evening we decided to go ashore, partly to reconnoitre the water supply, and partly to see what was available. We started at the Marina bar restaurant. The marina was said to be the base for a charter business, but there was no evidence of this now. The place seemed a bit run down. They were open, but only barely so. We asked for wine, and they hastily went to the marina shop to buy some, but we had to settle for red as the white was warm. The bottle of wine and a beer was a very reasonable 20 lira, and (as the marina restaurant was not open) we were recommended to visit the restaurant 150metres along the lane inland. The Cardak turned out to be a great success. Four generations of the family were present, and we were warmly welcomed. We were asked to choose, so decided on all the mezze (starters) followed by fish, with chips and salad, this time with chilled white wine! We were asked to come back in the morning for 'free' tea. We learnt that the village pontoon was the place to get water, being cheaper, and income was returned to the community.
We investigated the village pontoon for water, and then the dhobie team got going with buckets of washing until our supplies ran out. We then left our anchorage and prepared to berth stern to the pontoon. A gulet had pinched our preferred spot, but there was plenty of room. The chap in charge of the pontoons was exceptionally helpful and pleasant. He charged us 20 lira (the price of an overnight stay) to berth, including taking water. A large motor cruiser came in, the wife trying berthing for the first time, and he was ready with his help. The mainsail had torn near the luff when I was trying to put the cover on: it was a bit frightening as the day when a new main will be needed is looming up. However, hopefully the large sail repair patches we put on will hold for a while. Later, tanks filled and washing rinsed, we returned to the restaurant to take up the offer of tea, and to buy fresh bread. In the event we came away with fresh tomatoes, lemons, onions, fruit juice and yoghourt, so the teas were far from free!
When we attempted to leave the berth, we found that our chain, which had earlier been picked up by the motor cruiser to port, had now collected the anchor of a yacht that had come in to starboard! The winch could not raise it beyond a certain point. Fortunately the young skipper swam over, and was able to dive down and put a rope on his anchor, and then in due course swam down and detached it from our chain. Once freed, we were able to recover our anchor (well bedded in with a ball of thick sandy mud), then the outboard and dinghy, before setting off. Outside, the wind was fresh, and we had to reef, but after enjoying sailing at 7 knots for a short while the wind dropped out suddenly, and became variable in direction, and light to gusty. In the end we gave up and motor sailed into the bay at Akbuk, which was indeed very beautiful. The two restaurant pontoons were both manned by waving hopefuls, but we decided to anchor to the north east of the bay.
We had decided on an early start, before breakfast, but Mo was not impressed by the lack of lie in with teas service that she normally expects. We had motored across the bay before she emerged. The idea was to motor up as far as we could while it was still quiet, but very soon we were in a good breeze which was gusting down off the nearby mountains. We put our sails up, and were comfortably able to fetch our course. Comfortable may not be the word, as the wind was changing constantly both in strength and direction. The only compensation was that it was quite calm, with only a mile or two's fetch across the water. Maybe we should have had two reefs in, but as the wind kept dropping out to almost nothing, we would have been very frustrated.
We planned to head for Gumbet, but when we got there about 1400 hours, we decided it was not nearly as pleasant a place as next door in Bitez. Accordingly, after lunch, we motored around to Bitez and anchored in our old spot.
 |
| Trying to be a tourist, and eyeing the flesh.. |
The next day Sandy needed to establish where she should catch her bus to the airport, having booked a transfer, but without any instructions. We visited the nearby Ambrosia Hotel which came up on the Thomson web site, but it was inconclusive as the rep was neither there nor available on the phone. We walked on into the village, and spent a while pretending to be real holidaymakers lying on bean bags and drinking at a beach bar, while eyeing holidaying flesh in all its glory. We had returned to the boat to find the breeze had freshened, and we got wet in the dinghy. After enjoying lunch down below to keep out of the sun, Mo went up in the cockpit and urgently called down that we were dragging. We had indeed, and on recovering our anchor found that we had picked up the anchor of one of the small gulets anchored off the quay behind us. It took three attempts until we were happy that our anchor was properly dug in. Mo noticed gusts to F7. We stayed on board (instead of going ashore for a meal) and watched the gulets attempts to berth on the quay behind us. Eventually the wind dropped, and veered northerly as forecast overnight.
We took the Dolmus into Bodrum the next day, and made our way to the bazaar area by the castle, then sat ourselves down at a waterside bar with a lovely outlook over the bay and the castle. It was refreshing to step out of the hassling at the bazaar shops and bars into a civilised oasis. Afterwards, we returned to a restaurant (.. Anna) that we had spotted on our way down from the Otopark. It advertised that it was mentioned in the Lonely Planet Guide and was full of locals. We enjoyed the good value Turkish dishes, chosen at a self service counter. Afterwards we briefly visited the market and Tansas supermarket, before taking the bus back to Bitez. Sandy was duly picked up by the Thomson's airport shuttle from the Ambrosia Hotel: they did not seem to know where she was boarding despite the text message, but it was highly convenient.
We decided it might be more convenient to take Fuga to Bodrum bay in order to complete the check out formalities. We anchored off the beach, and took the dinghy into the harbour. First of all, though, we needed to stock up on fruit and vegetables, and some other supplies from Tansas. On our return, I went to the Harbourmaster's office, where I found them to be smartly dressed in whites but not very friendly. I was told that I needed an agent, and I tried to suggest that as all I wanted was to check out, it wouldn't be necessary. I was getting extremely irritated, when a British couple intervened, and a Turkish gentleman who was not a member of staff attempted to interpret. I learnt that before anything could be processed, Fuga had to be registered on the new computer system. The couple explained that I could either use an agent to do this, or could go the the Chamber of Shipping, who would enter the information at no charge. I took Mo and the shopping back to the boat, and returned to try to find the Chamber of Shipping office. This was on the opposite side of the harbour, behind the marina in a side street. The guys there insisted I used an agent, and there happened to be one such there, but I was having none of it. Eventually the Chamber of Shipping guy made a half-hearted attempt to enter the necessary information, but gave up when I could not give him a Turkish residency identity number. Having let the tame agent go, who had offered to do the work for 50 YTL, I called at the marina office to ask them, and they referred me to an agent on site who quoted 110€. I was fuming as I returned to the boat, as it was now too late to try an alternative. We decided to return to Bitez for the night, and I sent off e-mails to various friends who might indicate a better solution.
Full Flight came back the next day suggesting Turgutries. I did not know where this was as it was not on my e-charts, nor in the pilot guide (now quite old). It was however only about 10 nm away, to the west and just around the corner. We decided to try our luck there. We refuelled, and were able to leave Fuga moored nearby on the same dock where there was some space. Unfortunately, the fuelling berth attendant had kicked one of our diesel carrier caps into the water, so I set off to get a replacement. It was a long walk around the marina until I eventually found the chandlers, and I had set off without hat or water. By the time I returned the harbour office had re-opened. The harbour master immediately insisted I use an agent, but there happened to be one standing by in the office. Mustafa dictated the necessary details down his mobile phone, and someone entered them into a computer remotely within a few minutes. He then facilitated the stamping and photocopying, sending me to the Passport Police office and Customs in turn, both in the same building. The harbour master then did whatever he had to on the computer, and we were free to leave, having paid the agent 50 YTL for his services. The field that caused the Chamber of Shipping guy to abort remained blank! It is clear from subsequent conversations that there is very little consistency in the way the new computer system is being applied. It appears to be additional hassle as the same manual processes are still being followed!
We were glad at last to get away. We wanted to go to Kos, which is south of Turqutries, in order to stock up on some supplies, particularly at Lidl, where we could top up with essentials like whisky. We motored over as there was little wind, and anchored off the castle outside the inner port.
The following day, I woke up feeling pretty ill. We wondered if it was to do with the exposure to sun and heat the day before when looking for the chandlers. I stayed in bed, got up for a while and lay in the saloon, then returned to bed. We did not get off the boat. Fortunately the next morning I felt better, but at some point realised that my leg was possibly showing signs of infection, similar to the onset in 2007 in Croatia, and in 2008 in Cagliari. We decided to use the antibiotics we carry for this if it did not improve.