Fethiye and the luxurious Yacht Classic Marina

Thursday the 16th and it was time to get ourselves to Fethiye. Lily Dambelli was to meet us there on the 17th and although the outside of the boat had been beautifully cleaned by the previous night's storm, the internals needed a freshen up and it was time for a big washing day. We try get the sheets and towels done in a commercial laundry in the bigger centers rather than use the small machine on the boat.

A 13 mile pootle across the bay and surprised on arrival as to the size of the place. The town spreads right around the bay you see at the end of the journey, but once again it is beautiful.

We had several recommendations to moor at the Yacht Classic Marina and so we took that advice. The marina itself is intimate, just one short, jutting, very well built jetty with new power and water stations per mooring.

We were met by the port captain in a rib who led us to our assigned spot, they hopped on board as we closed with the quay and helped with the slime lines and mooring lines and in not time we were set.

A short walk up the quay and you're in 5 star luxury. Immaculate waterside restaurant, secluded adults only swimming pool, much larger swimming pool with swim up bar, a spa pool and very comfortable daybeds to lounge around the pool on. A little further is the boutique hotel itself with Hamam (Turkish bath) and day spa.

The deal? You pay 80TL ($40) if you eat at the restaurant or 217TL (catamaran price) if you don't. The food is sensational. So in effect either the mooring or the meal is free.

The only downside it that it does rather restrict you to that one restaurants when in town there are some really interesting looking eateries.


We were joined by Lily who had been swanning about in Europe. Great to have her aboard firstly because now we didn't look so much like a gay couple and she is a natural when it comes to helping with the kids and the boat. Although everybody now thinks the kids are hers!

So what to do in Fethiye other than swim, spa, drink and eat...

I have shown you a few tombs which till now have been well out of the way. Here, the Amynthas tombs are in the cliffs right behind the city.

To get around, we hired scooters, Al took Lily and I took the two little ones who whooped and hollered the whole way...

Since Mum's departure they have both been to the top of the mast and had their first joy ride on the front of a scooter... just watch this space for the next blog!

Not far from Fethiye is the abandoned town of Kayakoy.

This is a large town with nobody living in it. Most of the houses roofs are gone, so we just assumed it was hit by an earthquake and was abandoned rather than restored.... but no. It turns out that when Turkey was forced to leave Greece after the 1st World War and after 400 years of brutal occupation, there were Greeks living in Turkey and visa versa. In 1923 it was agreed that 800,000 Greeks could be repatriated to Greece and 1.2 million Turks from Greece to Turkey.

Those 2000 Greeks that inhabited Kayakoy were 'arts and craft' types and the town was ideal for that, however the returning Turks were all farmers and so the town was of no use to them.

The houses all had dirt roofs which needed to be rolled every year to remain water proof and intact. The Turks, believing the Greeks would be back, maintained these roofs for a few years until it became clear that the Greeks were not for returning. Maintenance ended and the town fell into disrepair. It is now a fascinating, very spooky ghost town.

Gullets, those beautifully built, exceedingly comfortable looking, all timber Turkish boats are everywhere here and I had wondered where and how they were built. On our way home from a scoot, we came across just such a place. The workshop was a primitive place with very robust, Eastern European looking equipment and tons of high quality hard woods from Africa in milled chunks so much bigger than I've ever seen before. It was a Sunday so we thought... nobody around, lets have a sticky beak....

We were not there long when a very knowledgeable man with no English indicated that he'd be pleased to show us around this enormous Gullet that was some way from completion, but far enough a long to get a really good idea of just how well these boats are built.

This boat had 18 large cabins with balconies and bathrooms and there was another floor to go on yet.




The interior walls were all bulkheads, meaning they are part of the structural integrity of the boat stopping it from buckling in rolling seas. Imagine how well built and out of what hard timbers they are formed. It was clear that this is how the Turks have been doing it for centuries.

We had planned to meet Sal in Fethiye on her return from Aus so we decided to head off after a couple of days, do some more exploring in the boat and then head back. Al and Lily would take care of the kids, I would fly to London for a reunion of all the staff who had worked at Astor Hostels in London and Portugal over the past 40 years and Sal would return whilst I was still in London.

The kids just rode with the punches missing neither Sally or myself in any apparent way.

Deep Bay to Sarsala Koyu

At 12:30 after a swim, breakfast and two hours of school we devised a neat way of disconnecting from the mooring buoy. It entailed Al suspending Will in a Bosun's chair off the front of he boat. I then maneuvered the boat until he was directly above the buoy. He then unclipped the bridle and away we went.

When we reached Sarsala Bay it was Summer's turn to clip us on using the same method.


On arrival in Sarsala Bay, after a mammoth 1.3 mile motor we were back in the water before dropping the dingy and going off to explore more ravines and canyons.

Now I realise this looks very similar to the previous blog, but if you were here you'd know that is just not the case. I just cannot get over the views from the head of these ravines and I feel duty bound to bring them to you.













There is of course another reason for these energetic jaunts and that is they provide ample justification for that Turkish feast quaffed down with a fresh Turkish white, pink or red, doesn't matter, all delicious and always in a well improvised shack of a restaurant, only there to take advantage of the season's yachting trade and doing their best for a recommendation in Trip Adviser. To my mind they pretty well all qualify remembering that their menus are not trivial, everything has to be boated in and they always seem to have fresh ingredience and ice cold wine and beer?

That evening we were treated to the loudest, wettist storm we've experienced since leaving Australia. Fortunately it was not accompanied by big winds so all we needed to do was to shut the hatches and sit back and enjoy the pyrotechnics.

Tomb Bay to Deep Bay with an anchorage in between.

We moved off the rickety jetty at Tomb Bay to avoid having to eat there two nights in a row. This area is so beautiful, every bay or inlet so inviting, that after anchoring overnight at waypoint 3 less than half a mile away, we motored for just over one mile to our next anchorage in Deep Bay.

Here, the Turks have conveniently laid swing mooring buoys to attach our bridle to and then run a long line ashore where we find yet another convenience of a pole cleat to which to tie the long line.

This bay had a number of interesting looking ravines to explore by dingy and of course the water was sparkling clear and the perfect temperature for swimming, all so very monotonous really....

We dingied up to these revines, anchored the dingy off a little to avoid puncturing it on the very sharp volcanic rocks at the waters edge, and then we climbed.

The climbing was interesting, the kids now adept at identifying the different species there by their droppings. These included wild goats, donkeys, lizards, squirrels and I can't recall what else.

The flora being a mix of olive trees, acorn trees, vanilla bean trees and who knows what else.

Whilst the climbing was interesting, the rewards were breathtaking. This is a really beautiful part of the world.... not sure if I've said that already....

Disappointing however was the amount of garbage in these ravines, left by 'people' who just don't seem to get it?? Such a pristine environment where the authorities have gone to ridiculous lengths to ensure that this zone remains pristine. Who would come all this way to enjoy such a place and then do that? It beggars belief and I guess you can tell, it really pisses me off!

Kadir Kir - Otherwise known as Tomb Bay

As I mentioned in the previous blog, this beautiful space we were in was also known as Tomb Bay and for those of you paying attention, you will have asked yourself why?

Wilkinson Family Crypts 

 As with the Tombs on the Dalyan River, it seems that back in the 4th century BC this was the way important or wealthy people were dealt with in death.

Find an inaccessible cliff with an amazing view. Climb up there somehow with primitive chiseling tools and carve out a cubic space large enough to walk around in and lay four or more bodies out on separate plinths.

Now calve an elaborate, perfectly symmetrical entrance and wait for a family member to die.

Ransacking British Archaeologist

Embalm their body, carry it all the way up there.... these places are not easy and in some cases seemingly impossible to get to, and after two millennia, have the tomb ransacked by British colonial archaeologists.....

These mummies are available for viewing in the British Museum, London, England....

That's because these people were British right? Well only if their relatives had no intention of immigrating.

.

Important or Wealthy Person

View from a tomb

Tomb with a view

How clear is this water?

Immersing ourselves in the Zone

You will have noticed by now... hopefully, that the maps at the start of each blog are not to the same scale each time. At the bottom in the white box is the distance traveled, in this case only 7.5 nautical miles. To illustrate the point, this box has indicated over 50 miles in past blogs.

It was a latish start, 2:30 on the 10th October for a couple of reasons... The kids were not done with the water tramp and we didn't have far to go The move motivator in the end was the storm brewing on the mountains behind Gocek which started to encroach on the bay.


We pulled into the first substantial and interesting looking bay of Boynuz Buku (love these Turkish names), the wind was blowing directly into the bay and building due to the storm. There was a neat looking taverna at the head with a rickety jetty at an oblique angle to the oncoming wind. We were invited to Med moor in a vacant spot between two parked yachts, so we positioned, dropped the anchor and reversed. The angle of the wind is usually not a problem if the anchor bites but as we approached the slot, the anchor dragged, the bow slued and the owners of the parked yachts started paying close attention....

With the wind becoming more troublesome we went back out for another shot with a much longer chain but same story. With the wind now kicking up quite a swell heralding an uncomfortable night we up anchored and to the disappointment of the taverna owner and the relief of the parked yachts we headed out of the bay and around to Kadir Kir.

Another rickety but surprisingly sturdy jetty and beautiful peaceful spot.

The kitchen - Fresh baked bread just out of the oven

A much better angle to the wind which was now dying as the storm passed, Kadir Kir, otherwise know as Tomb Bay was just what the crew was looking for...

Nothing more than a bush camp with separate toilet block, kitchen, bar, tented dining room and, if you were inclined a separate shack where you could have yourself a Turkish haircut, shave and/or massage.

The Bar - and guess who's first stop?

Tented Dining Room

The sign reads: Massage - Shave - Haircut

It was nice change to smell the rain after five months absence. The place had that clean bush smell about it, fresh bread just out of the oven and our appetites soared.

For dinner, the mains of fresh fish or meat included the chef's choice of mezzes and we just pigged out. Yummmm!

As always, if you park on somebody's jetty, you are obliged to eat at their restaurant. As we had done such a good job of provisioning the boat in Gocek and really did need to start eating some of it, staying on this delightful jetty and eating on the boat would not be cool. So the next day we decided to move to a spot less than a mile around the corner, anchor off, take a long line ashore and continue enjoying this beautiful space we were in.....


Oh, and have ice cream delivered to the boat!

Just a tad out of place, but who could refuse the bleating children?

Gocek appropriately pronounced - Go Cheque

Sitting at the head of another beautiful bay in the northern extremity of the Environmental Area. En route we meandered our way past and between attractive islands and anchorages worth checking out on our way back into the zone.

Gocek is a schmick town rivaling Noosa Heads (for those non Australians not familiar with Noosa, 'up market' covers it, and no, Noosa Heads is not a breed of weed)


The Skopia 'Mega Yacht' Marina was where we headed for... Just a tad out of place, but hey, we're as wide as some of these  these big swinging dicks!


Polished concrete wharf's no less, power, water, laundry service, showers, pool and pool bar and really not as expensive as Boderum or the like but not cheap.

We spent some time in the 'Gourmet Garage' for example, and came out AU$250 lighter.. Are we appropriately provisioned for a catamaran cruising the Med? ..... Oh yeah!

Gocek town is a short walk, paved throughout with well stocked chandler's, fishing shops, supermarkets delivering to the boat, waterfront restaurants and bars.

We topped up the wifi, got the large laundry done, provisioned the boat for a few days of anchoring, played pool at a bar three quarters surrounded in water until the wee hours.

We'll be back.

Oh, and a huge water tramp a few meters from the boat, the water clean enough to swim in and the kids entertained for hours. Not to mention some much needed aerobic exercise for the captain and his mate...

When I went to pay the mooring fees I asked if I could buy a Blue Card.... "Sorry, we've run out". Google tells us the the whole Blue Card deal is a croc so we'll just stick to the rules and hope  talk our way around it if the police do come alongside.

Into the Blue Car Zone

We left Ekincik at 09:50 with no fixed objective. There are just so many options it seemed the best choice was checking some of them and stopping where ever we liked.

The first option was Baba Adasi (at waypoint 3) a small island just off the coast but as we approached we found the water was swarming with canoes, hobie cats, power boats pulling rubber things filled with screaming people and the land bristling with large Miami style hotels... we sailed on.

Let's take a look at the new marina at Dalaman.... Adjacent to the main airport in this area..(Waypoint 4)  due for completion in 2014... and here's a picture

Well, they still have two and a half months to go..... Nothing but two parallel piles of rock less than 50mtr long... we sailed on.

As we rounded the tip at waypoint 6 we entered the Gocek Environmental Area, or Blue Card Zone. The Blue Card is issued at any port or harbour for 70TL and as previously blogged, it is designed to stop any craft from dumping their poo. We had no Blue Card and decided we'd pick one up in Gocek, but it did mean spending an indeterminate amount of time in the Zone minus the card.

The way it works is a police boat comes alongside and asks for your Blue Card. It should be signed and stamped at the last place you had your black water tanks pumped out. If there is not a commensurate amount of poo in your tanks for the amount of time passed since the last stamping, you get fined...Now imagine administering that system? We were unconcerned.

We rounded the tip, took a narrow gap into Skopia Limani, hung a sharp left into Kapi Creek and moored where directed with our butt hanging off the end of the quay in water that looked like we were very close to the bottom, the depth alarm chirping as we went in.

We were warned that they were waiting for a group of 110 people, that it would be noisy and he would not be offended if we decided not to stay... 110 people sounded like 'part time' to us, it was such a neat little spot and we were going nowhere.

It should be pointed out that First Mate Al has contributed a brand new Olympus Tough camera to the Summer Amy and so this blog will be sporting copious underwater photography in thanks for his kind gesture.

You can see that the keel is well off the deck, but the clarity of the waters here make it impossible to accurately judge the depth... Having damaged the keel before, it is quite unnerving but we're getting used to it.

After a great lunnch, we dropped the dingy given we had the space behind the boat to do so and took a long ride around the southern bays in the Limani in an effort to scope our where to next.

So many anchorages, jetties, tiny tasty restaurants, so hard to choose... hell, why not do them all!

We headed home into a full moon on a balmy Turkish autumn evening to a little too much wine and a fitful sleep

On our dingy trip we did choose a spot, but by morning the plan had changed. We had run out of wifi and the Blue Card was a minor thorn so we decided to head up to Gocek, get wifi, provisions and a Blue Card then head back into Skopia Limani.

We have nothing but time on our hands and in this place, that is all you need.