We arrived back in Kemer during February and since then had a very busy time getting Stratagem ready for another season, as well as getting involved in the numerous activities which go on at Kemer marina. In fact we are totally "partied out" and need to get out and do some sailing! The boat looks great, following a great deal of elbow grease polishing the much faded hull, and the long list of maintenance items more or less complete (we have never achieved completing a maintenance schedule in all our years of sailing ).
So, together with the yachts Artemis, Lady B, Cool Blue and Eirene we left Kemer bound for Kekova Roads as a first stop in our 2009 cruise. The passage was good, with some excellent sailing (and a little competitive spirit urging the best out of the boats) and we all anchored together off Ucagiz. No sooner with anchors down, everyone came aboard Stratagem for drinks to celebrate the end of the first passage with some depletion of the gin stocks! With an ongoing poor wind forecast we knew we would be holed up for a few days and so it was - with up to 35 knots of wind through the anchorage. Some boats dragged their anchors, including Lady B and Artemis, but thankfully we remained firmly stuck to the sea bed!
4 days later, we decided to make the next passage to Fethye through the night to "dodge" the continuing strong headwinds which were still forecast, so at 1700 hours, our little convoy of ourselves, Lady B and Cool Blue (Atemis and Eirene had left earlier) put out into the swell and started the long motor to Fethye with winds of 10 to 15 knots on the nose all through the night. We were glad to get our anchor down in Fethye at 0530 and get a couple of hours sleep. All the other boats arrived safely over the next couple of hours and later in the day Ticketeeboo joined us in the anchorage and to join us all for a dinner ashore in the evening. Before dining however we all joined Alan and Sue on Ticketeeboo and depleted his gin stocks!
The next day we motorsailed across the bay to Gocek to have our liferaft serviced by Blues Yachting. They had agreed that we could witness the service and it was interesting and helpful to see the liferaft inflated and what was where, although we hope never to have to use it!! Thankfully the raft is still in "as new" condition (it is 6 years old), testament to the previous (vacuum) packing and the protection from the canister. At nearly 350 Euros it wasn't cheap but confidence building in seeing the work done.
An unexciting passage to Marmaris for the last in our early season maintenance items; this time a small repair to our sun awning. With this done we are then free to start our 2009 cruise properly, and in any case, we have to get out of Turkey by the end of the week as both our Visas and Yacht Cruising Permit expire by then. What we need now is for the weather to improve, because, as it is now, we had better weather a couple of months ago! Considering it is early May, we have not had (poor) weather like this since we entered Turkey 3 years ago. Wind, rain and temperatures sub 20 C is well below what you expect in this part of Turkey. Watch this space.............
