First Sail to Alanya

Against all odds, we actually managed to depart Marmaris on May 20, on schedule, for the 200 mile trip to Alanya, where we will join the EMYR group. After a last-minute boat issue was resolved, we loaded up with groceries for the next several days, including some bottles of wine on sale at the marina grocery store. Then we dropped our lines at slip number 31, probably for the last time. The weather called for force 4-6 in the open sea, with ‘some rough patches’. Heading out of the Marmaris Bay we had some nice gusts. By late afternoon, it was blowing steadily at 20 knots on the beam, and with the genoa and mizzen up, Three Rivers was sailing at 7 to 8 knots. Under a beautiful blue sky, the Mediterranean Sea was a brilliant turquoise blue, sparkling with white caps. It was a great ride, until the waves began to build up and the wind shifted to a dead run, and it became extremely rolly. Things were flying around in the boat, and we weren’t able to hold down our food. The first night turned out to be a tough one.

The wind died at around 9:00PM so we had to turn on the engine. The smell of diesel certainly did not help our upset stomach! We took turns on three-hour watches, more or less. The sky was lit by a quarter moon, with plenty of stars, although not much more than what we see in Ontario when we go camping. The sea was empty, with no other ships in sight. It was a bit boring, until we came close to a fast-moving freighter and had to change course to avoid disaster. We were fully awake after that1

Day two was more of the same. The wind picked up in the afternoon and we had a great sail, and then evening was motoring time. In the afternoon we had two dolphins playing by our boat, and several swallows landed on our boat and refused to leave. One even flew into our cabin!

On Saturday May 22 7:00AM, right on schedule, we arrived at Alanya. The city fortress rises dramatically under the rising sun, with low-lying clouds and morning mists, it was a dramatic scene, heightened by our joy of arriving at our first port. After some waiting, we were directed to our slip, and then promptly met up with the EMYR group. The rally begins!

See pictres at:

EMYR