Cruising Turkey

The Annegret arrived in Fethiye on April 7 and Persephone was the first boat to be unloaded. We spent several days at the Ece Marina cleaning the boat and provisioning. The cargo ship had evidently experienced the African dust storm that turned the snow in Russia yellow. Everything needed to be cleaned, even the rigging. It was fun meeting up with friends that had also shipped their boats from Phuket.

Cruising in Turkey has been delightful. The people are friendly and the water is clear blue. We are still working on our mooring skills that include Med-tying stern-to a dock and anchoring with a long line ashore. We were proud of our first effort to tie a stern line to a tree, but then some locals told us it was illegal and we should use rocks or bollards that have been installed along the shore.

We had purchased a passerelle (gang plank) while in Phuket and were anxious to try it out. It attaches to our stern and allows us to walk onto the dock when Med-tied. When cruising it is hoisted to a vertical position. It works great and we look like a Mediterranean cruising boat.

We are way ahead of the cruising season which won’t really start until sometime in May. The upside is that we have found anchorages where we are the only boat. The downside is that it can get cold and many of the anchorages have restaurants that are still closed for the winter.

Turkey has ruins everywhere and a history that dates back thousands of years. In Ruin Bay we anchored 150 feet from ancient ruins along the shore. In Bozuk Buku we anchored at the base of a hill with an ancient citadel on top. There wasn’t another boat around and we climbed to the citadel and explored it without seeing another sole. In Knidos we explored the ruins of an ancient city while Persephone was tied to a rickety pier.

We have been doing more motoring than sailing since the winds have been light. A notable exception was two days of high winds along the Dorian Promontory. Fortunately, one of those days was downwind for a great sail.

We checked into the Milta Marina in Bodrum where we had to negotiate a narrow fairway before being tucked into a tight Med-tie. The marina tops our list of most expensive marinas at nearly $160 per day. Bodrum is a bustling city with great waterfront restaurants and reasonable yacht services.

While in Bodrum we rented a car for a couple of days and traveled to Denizli to see the beautiful Pamukkale travertine terraces of stark white calcium carbonate and two museums. Then we moved to Selcuk to see the Basilica of St. John, the citadel, the Ephesus museum, and the spectacular ruins of the city of Ephesus where major restoration projects are underway. On the drive back to Bodrum we stopped at the ruins of Priene which was once a sea port until the harbor silted in and became farmland.

We checked out of Turkey in Bodrum, traveled 10 miles and checked into Greece at the city of Kos on the island of Kos. Check-in went well until the harbor police informed us that our boat insurance didn’t quite meet the legal standards of Greece and we couldn’t leave Kos until the issue is resolved. So here we sit enjoying this quaint little town while we sort out our insurance.

Fethiye and the Arrival of Persephone

Persephone being unloaded from the Annegret

Sandie boarding the Annegret

Heavy cargo ship Annegret that transported Persephone

Brian goes aloft to clean the rigging

Fethiye, Turkey

 

Cruising

Statue at Marmaris

Drinks in Bozburbun with Persephone in the background

Illegally tied to a tree

Bozburbun

Ruin Bay

First use of our passerelle (gang plank) in Ekincik

Ekincik marina

The fort at Marmaris seen from our anchorage

Marmaris

The fort at Marmaris

Persephone as viewed from the fort at Marmaris

Marmaris

Citadel at Bozuk Buku

Citadel at Bozuk Buku

Persephone viewed from the Citadel at Bozuk Buku

Knidos by the ruins

Looking down from the ruins at Knidos

Windy day rounding the Dorian Promontory

 

Road Trip

Pamukkale travertine terraces

Pamukkale travertine terraces

Hierapolis Museum

Restoration of the housing district at Ephesus

Ephesus

Ephesus

Ephesus

Restored 6th century Byzantine citadel

Sandie enters the baptism well at Basilica of St. John, Selcuk

Restoration of the housing district at Ephesus

Ephesus

Ephesus

Ephesus

Ephesus

Temple to Athena in the ancient city of Priene

Aphrodisias Museum