Onto Marmaris

April 5 From Kemer to Marmaris

As April approaches, the spring weather in this part of the Med has been getting milder, close to 20C in the day. Last Saturday we had a wonderful barbecue party, followed by music and dancing. That was our last party at Kemer Marina. On a fine, sunny morning, we bid farewell to our cruiser friends at Kemer, and casted off for an early season of sailing. We've made a lot of wonderful friends here, and leaving this place was very hard, but it’s time to move on and continue our journey.

Another wonderful party at the Navigator




As usual the wind was against us. The prevailing wind is northerly, and along the coast the wind curves around the coast line and presents a head wind no matter where you are, if you are heading north-west as we are. We tried to sail for a couple of hours, and then gave up and cranked up the iron horse. With building sea and head wind, we were barely making 4 knots as the boat pounded into heavy seas. Not only we were not sailing, we were wasting precious fuel. What a way to start the first sail of the season! Fortunately by daybreak the wind had died down, and we entered into the large Fethiye Bay under a cool morning sun and a calm sea. We dropped anchor in a nice sheltered bay and finally had some rest.


Entering the Bay of Fethiye


In the afternoon we went out and explored the town of Fethiye. With a natural harbour that’s very well sheltered and surrounded by distant misty mountains, Fethiye is good size city with a well-developed water front. The mass of tourists had not arrived yet, but waterfront restaurants and parks were very vibrant and filled with locals who were sipping tea or playing broad games. We met up with Paul, a cruising friend who was working on his boat here, while his wife and new-born son lived in Istanbul. We went to a fish market and outdoor restaurant area where one can pick the fish, and then take it to a restaurant and have it cooked. The evening air was chill, but with our glasses of wine and dishes of delicious pan-fried sea bass, we had a wonderful time musing about the cruising life and cursing about the boat working life.




Sailing into Marmaris


The next day we raised anchor bright and early, and continued our journey to Marmaris, about 40 miles away. It was another motoring day, with no wind and the sea flat as glass. The consolation was that Ben saw a dolphin – a single juvenile that played with the bow wave for a short while and then disappeared. By late afternoon the wind picked up a bit, and we enjoyed an hour of fine sailing with the boat doing 5 knots under 8-10 knots of wind on a close reach. By 4:00pm, we’re anchored just outside the Marmaris Yacht Marina, next to the Pupa Yat Hotel, a very scenic and peaceful place (for now, without the tourists, and therefore, without the blasting disco backbeat). Ben finally had a chance to test out his brand new bbq grill and it was a success!

Winter to Spring

December at Kemer - snow-capped mountains in the back, water is still swimming-temperature

We had wonderful weather until mid-December, when the temperature dropped to low ten’s in the day with a few days of near freezing at night. It rained a lot more often, although typically it would rain half a day with a bit of sunny break. Most of the hotels are also closed, and the town has a deserted feel. We also had our first serious winter storm. A full gale blew through the Med causing widespread shore erosions along the entire Eastern Med; some beaches in Israel lost all their sand. But in the Kemer Marina here we are well protected and completely safe, although wave surges still reached into the inner marina and for an entire evening all the boats were rocking in wild swings as if we were at sea. Another interesting experience!

Very 'refreshing' water!

Tennis tournament

The dozen live-aboard ‘yachties’ are all very active and keep life very interesting. Every day is packed with activities. Our three daughters (name-sake of our boat Three Rivers) visited us and for seven weeks we were together again, like the old days. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, and then a large New Year Party joined by many local Turkish party-goers.

New Year Party

In January we did the tourist thing and visited UK and Rome. The weather was not the best but we knew what to expect for this time of the year; we even had a few days of sun shine in London! Best of all is the lack of long lines in tourist attractions. We also splurged on the type of food that we couldn’t get in Turkey – Chinese food in London China Town, and cheese and pork in Rome.


The Vatican

Rome - the Collesium

They still have the red phone booths!

London - Trafalgar Sqaure

Cambridge University

By late February, spring is definitely in the air. The days are longer, the temperature warmer, and there were more sunny days than rainy ones. The birds are back, and people are swimming in the sea. We are busy playing tennis and hiking in the nearby hills. But it’s not all fun – the boat involves a lot of work – maintenance, upgrades, cleaning….it’s at least a half-time job. The sailing community is a wonderful resource as there’s plenty of experienced sailors around who can provide knowledge or help.

Sailing season is now only a month away, and we are busy planning for our trip this year. There’s a weekly session held here on sailing destinations, with sailors sharing their experiences at the Med and beyond. We are looking forward to cruising through the Ionian and up the Adriatic this year, to Croatia and Italy, and keep going….

Three daughters re-united on Three Rivers

Hi, Vanessa here, the second of the Three Rivers. For the past few months the family has been scattered across the globe; with me studying in Brisbane, Australia, Hazel in the south of France, Victoria at Ottawa U and my parents in Turkey. It hasn't always been easy communicating in four different time zones, but somehow we managed to get ourselves organized for a long-awaited family reunion over the Christmas holidays aboard our new floating home, better known as Three Rivers.

Three sisters wearing matching shirts given to us by our parents

I must admit, the thought of cramming all five of us together in fairly confined conditions for several weeks had me a bit...worried. Although it has been five years since we've all lived under the same roof, it was a quick adjustment for our family to become accustomed to life on the boat.

So what it is like living with three sisters and their parents on a 43 foot sailboat? It means that when one person gets up in the morning, everyone gets up. I used to wake up to the sounds of my father making coffee and feeding our cat in the morning. Now I wake up to the sound of my father hosing down the boat, directly overhead of my cabin. It means that from 3pm to 4pm, we all have to be very, very quiet, because that is prime napping time for my father. At any given time, you know exactly where every member of your household is, and what they are doing. It also means that the only alone time you will get during the course of a day is when you visit the bathroom, and when you're asleep. And you know what?I'm having a great time.

Ho family at Christmas dinner (we're not really this orange, my camera is just inferior)

Kemer has a lot to offer and I can see why my parents love it here. The Mediterranean coastline is breathtaking, especially against the backdrop of the recently snow-capped Taurus mountains. We’ve hiked some great trails leading to stunning vistas, visited historic sites dating from the Lycian era, and sampled some of the most exquisite oranges I’ve ever tasted.

Another beautiful day at the Kemer Marina

Intense outdoor ping-pong tournament

Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice at the market

Even though we probably won't have the opportunity to sail while we're here, we don't mind because there are plenty of new friends to make, tennis tournaments, bike trails to explore and even a ski trip in Antalya to keep us occupied for the remaining few weeks we have left. Looking forward to blogging about new adventures!

-Vanessa

Wintering in Turkey

Kemer Cruisers Hiking Trip

View of the Lycian Way

Lunch at a trout farm restaurant

Top of the World! (at Termessos)

Beautiful Pine Forest

Halloween Party

Wintering in Turkey Dec. 2010

This is now early December. Back home in Canada, the temperature is around the freezing mark, and parts of Europe are getting covered in snow from an early winter storm. But in this part of southern Turkey, we are still enjoying day-time temperatures of 20-plus Celsius, mostly clear blue sky, and mild evenings. On this refreshing Sunday morning of Nov 28, we are among a group of Kemer live-aboard yachties on a hiking trip up to the Chimera, which is known for its eternal burning rocks. Legend has it that Chimera was the offspring of two underground ceatures called Typhon and Echidna, a strange beast that breathed flames from its month, with a front of a lion, rear of a snake and a middle section of a goat. It eventually was killed by Bellerophontes, who rode the flying horse Pegasus. However, Chimera was breathing fire even as it was taking its last breath.

In reality, the Lycian Way (Likya Yolu) is a 500-kilometer marked trail that meanders through ancient Lycia, Mediterranean Turkey's mountainous Tekke region. Parts of the trail goes through lush pine forests, crosses clear mountain springs, and ascends into high peaks that provide breath-taking vistas of the Mediterranean. Some of the trails can be reached from Kemer within 30 minutes of car ride. Most Sundays we have such hiking trips that take us through several hours of moderately strenuous hiking, and sometimes at the end of the hike we reward ourselves with a lunch at a one of the fish restaurants which are nestled in the mountain.

Hiking is just one of the many activities available to us live-aboards here at Kemer Marina. The active yachties here organize events such as Turkish lessons, tennis training and tournaments, workout sessions, dances, concerts, dinners, movie nights, special celebrations … we’ve been so busy that we are pressed for time on boat work. It feels like being on a holiday that doesn’t end. Such is the life of living-aboard at Kemer Marina, which is well-known among cruisers as one of the best marinas in the Med. Surrounded by tall mountains and shielded from the worst prevailing southern winter winds, Kemer has a micro-climate that is warmer and milder than most other parts of the Med. When we were planning our destinations this year, we had two choices: keep sailing and leave the Med and perhaps cross the Atlantic; or hang around here for winter, for another year of sailing in the Med next year. After a summer of fairly active sailing and having visited all the Eastern Med, we decided to take it easy for the winter and to experience the live-aboard life style at a nice marina. So far we have not been disappointed.

The majority of the yachties here are retired couples, from UK, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, France, U.S., plus the odd Canadians. They typically come to their boat during the moderate months – spring and fall, and avoid the hot months of July and August. During the cruising season they cruise the Med and stay at anchorages or marinas. Most have been living this lifestyles for many years, and they have not run out of places to visit yet. We have also come across some young ‘retirees’, successful professionals who sold their business and started cruising in their large modern yachts. There are also the long-distance cruisers who are sailing on smaller budgets, but enjoying it just the same. You go to the marina’s pub, the Navigator, at happy hours, and you get to meet all types. It’s fascinating.

The yachties also host special events at the Navigator. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasion such as Halloween and more recently, the US Thanksgiving party there. We, the line dancing group, "performed" a few dances at the party and here's the video: http://www.sonovela.net/video/IFqSKWpS_dE/Kemer-Marina-Thanksgiving-2010.html

Comes December 6, we will be celebrating the St. Nicholas Day with the Swiss, (interestingly, St. Nicholas was born in Patara, an important Lycian city along Turkey's Mediterranean coast), and there will be parade and treats. For sure, there will be cookies. For days, air in the marina has been filled with aroma of freshly baked goods ..... hmm, yum!!!

East Med Sailing

At anchor in Kekova

The colorful village of Kastellorizon

With friends from Red Shoes

The anchorage at Kastellorizon, on a calm day

Eliza trying to enjoy steering with a 25 knot following wind & sea


East Med Sailing

In mid-September sailing condition is wonderful around this part of the Med. The temperature drops to a comfortable 25C in the day, and is nice and cool at night. The Meltimi is still blowing and it extends further south-east to this side of the Mediterranean coast, and could provide for some exciting sailing. We headed north-west for another sailing trip for a couple of weeks, sailing by day and anchoring by night. This stretch of the Turkish coast is called the Lycian coast, and is known for its rugged mountains and majestic scenery. In ancient times this coast was feared by mariners as it’s exposed to the open sea with little protection, but now there are anchorages or marinas that are within a day’s sail. The first stop was one of our favorite cove, Cineviz Bay. Then we went to a small city, Finike, where we stayed at the marina for a few days for some sightseeing, and to get our batteries replaced. Compared to Kemer, Finike is a more traditional Turkish city, with little tourism, and has a rustic charm. The price of restaurants is also much better.

Then we continued onto Kekova Road, a stretch of protected water that is known as one of the best cruising grounds in Turkey. The four-mile-long island Kekova Adasi provides shelter to the prevailing winds, and there are numerous well-protected anchorages. We went into a little bay called Gokkaya Limani, and were attracted by its scenic bays and fjord-like channels. The water was wonderful to swim in. A freshwater spring bubbles into the sea, and it was refreshingly cool on the top layer. There were ruins all around, adding another dimension of interesting sights to this anchorage. The largest concentration of ruins is around the middle of Kekova, with a large castle atop a hill with commanding view of the channel. We stayed for two nights here, relaxing in the clear waters under the clear blue sky of the late-summer. Around us there were many yachts and gullets, including some true mega-yacht, but overall it was quiet and serene in the little bay. At night a full moon peeked into the opening of the bay, as if seeking entrance into the channel, and then rose up and cast a cool blue light onto the bay, silhouetting all the boats slowly swinging at anchor.

North-west of Kekova by another half-day’s sail is a charming small Greek island, Kastellorizon. At one point it used to be a bustling town of 20,000, but today there are less than 200 inhabitants. The island itself is a bare rock rising up from the sea, but the town and the colorfully painted houses dotting the island have a certain harmony and charm, and it’s great for walking around after having been on the boat for a few days. We pulled into a small bay called Mandraki and met up with our friends, a Canadian couple whom we met on the EMYR. We dropped anchor in front of a reef and took the dinghy to get into town. We had a light lunch in a little restaurant near the waterfront and then strolled through the narrow streets to look at the delightfully painted and well-maintained houses. It felt wonderful. We stayed at this anchorage for 2 days. On the second night, a strong wind sprang from the sea, blowing at over 25 knots and whipping the water in the small bay into white caps. Two neighboring boats dragged anchors and had to leave. We held an anchor watch until well after mid night when the wind finally died down.

The next morning we decided to raise anchor and to head back towards Kemer before the wind picks up. Pick up it did, and once beyond the lee of the islands, we were in the full force of over 20 knot wind and large seas. Fortunately the wind was behind us, so we ran with our small head sail in case the wind further strengthened. It was an exhilarating ride, but keeping the boat on a dead down-wind course with a choppy following sea took a bit of effort, so after a few hours we had enough and we hopped back into Kekova Road and took shelter in our familiar bay. Throughout the day more boats and gullets piled into the bay, seeking shelter from the near-gale warning issued by the Turkish weather office. Such was the moods of the sea.

Gunkholing in the Med

Gunkholing in the Med

In early September the temperature was finally comfortable enough for us to venture out and did some gunkholing around this coast. This stretch of the Turkish coast is known as one of the best cruising grounds in the Med, with numerous coves and beaches that are very scenic and well sheltered. We started with those that are within a few days sail. Around this time of the year, wind is mostly from the north, and mostly on the nose for going up that way. We went to Cineviz Limani, a beautiful cove just a few hours from Kemer. The Turkish Pilot guide describes this cove: “The deserted bay is magnificent, with awe-inspiring cliffs dropping sheer into the sea….there is no other anchorage on this coast as grand as Cineviz”. We dropped anchor in 5 meters of water, took another stern line to shore to limit the swing, and stayed in this comfortable cove for a few days. At noon the gullets (large wooden charter boats) crowds into the bay with their hoards of tourists, but by evening the secluded bay only has a few cruisers and some small fishing boats. The water is clear and perfect for swimming, and the view wonderful. Fishing is apparently good too, but we have no fishing gears on board.

Another bay we visited was Tekirova. The bay is very picturesque, with a large sandy beach, pine forests, backed by a tall cliff and distant mountains. What makes this location unique is the historical ruins: The ancient Phaselis is just steps away off the beach. Dating back before Roman times, the ruins are fascinating and well preserved, including an ancient harbor, a paved boulevard, theater, Roman aqueduct, and sarcophagi lying around as they fell. We anchored here, and on daybreak we went on shore and walked around the ancient grounds in the morning twilight, sat on top of the theatre watching the morning sun gradually brighten up Mount Solymnus in the distance, probably exactly the way it was seen in 600BC.

Cappadocia Tour

In September our daughter Hazel visited us, and we decided to do some land travel as well as some sailing. We joined a 3-day tour to visit Cappadocia, an area with fascinating rock formations and underground cave cities. Located in the eastern region of Anatolia, it is more than 12-hours drive away from Kemer, so most of the tour is spent on the bus, but the drive goes through the high Taurus Mountains and is very scenic. Having spent the last five months mostly at coastal areas, it’s also refreshing to be in the mountains and to drive through alpine forests.
We arrived the town of Gerome at about 6:00PM, and the arrival was timed such that we could see the sun setting over the high plateau where the ‘chimney rocks’ are located. The view was stunning. Formed from volcanic lava eroded over the millenniums, the forest of tall, cone-shaped rocks are in many interesting shapes. In the distance a high canyon glowed from the setting sun. In Gerome, some naturally-formed caves are carved and expanded into dwellings, including many cave hotels that are claimed to be 4-star hotels. Our tour package is only an economic package and our hotel was quite modest. But it’s clean and tidy, and the package included a traditional Turkey supper. The evening temperature drops to a very comfortable level, in contrast to the stifling heat in Kemer.
The next day we started early to get on a hot air balloon ride. The ride is quite expensive, but it’s another one of those ‘once in a life time’ events, and everyone who’s been to Cappadocia all highly recommended it. The idea is to see Cappadocia at dawn, from high up. It was a very interesting experience, to see the giant balloons inflated by huge propane torches, became bigger and bigger and gradually took off from the ground. And then in the open space just outside of Gerome, dozens of colorful balloons all took off one by one into the sky. The balloons were captained by certified balloon pilots, who skillfully drove the balloons at the right heights to get the best views for the scenery, riding the light winds and using burst of flame to control the height.
We then spent the day visiting different areas around Cappadocia and saw more interesting rock formation and rock caves, including some caves that were carved into churches dating back in Roman times.