Boz Burun. The bad news / good news place

Early start for a 46 mile hike to Boz Burun. 7:45 we cast off and left Ekincik to the geese and headed out into the dying wind of the past few days. Feeling feral having not had a decent wash for a few days, the boat was filthy, we had no gas to boil water for a cuppa but spirits were high, there was no way Boz Burun would be closed.... quiet, but not closed.

We made good time and med moored in what turned out to be a fairly tightly packed harbour at 1:45pm. Plugged in and showered!

This is a very cool little town. Very nice friendly vibe about the place. At dinner time we popped in on Ossman's the restaurant where Sal received the bad news about her Mum nearly 3 months ago and proceeded to drown it all in Tequila. He had not forgotten....

He was there, but his place was closed. "Hey, if you guys want to eat, I'll cook for you." he said.

That's a radish

We took a walk around town to see what was open and do some 'shopping'.....

There were some very local venues without a liquor licence which, as you'd appreciate, fell well short of that essential requirement so we returned to Osman's and took him up on his offer.

He and his Scottish wife Lyn got busy knocking up a veritable feast.

The next day was the big clean! All the sheets, towels, clothing, anything that could be considered even slightly soiled went to the local laundry. $40 to do the lot!

Mark, William, Summer and I got stuck into the deck scrubbing while Al and Sal transformed the interior.

We'd lost the use of a non-essential piece of equipment in the big winds which had Al up the mast again to effect repairs and by the end of the day, we were back to where we like to be. Clean, full water tanks, full gas cylinders, washing sorted and dinner pre-ordered at Ossman's.

Sal got some really good news about her Mum's treatment outcomes and the news of Paul, Sal's step Dad was also fantastic.... Tequila please!

Next stop.. Datca, another favourite of ours and sure to be open....

Ekincik take two

Probably the one place that was a must for Sal to experience was Ekincik for a number of good reasons. Feel free to go back to the relevant blog and refresh your memory, or update yourself on this magical place'

Firstly it is a beautifully appointed little Marina. It has first class facilities for showering, power and water. It has the best restaurant I have ever eaten in. (That's a BIG call.) The food was perfection, the service was world class, the wine was perfectly matched by the only Turkish Sommelier we have met.   .


It is a chartered boat ride passed huge caves to the mouth of the Dalyan River, through the bull rush fringed river maze to some amazing ruins.

Then onto Dalyan and the huge 3000 year old King and Queen tombs carved into the cliffs overlooking the river.

Lunch on the river and onto the mud baths and hot spring baths.

Well, on arrival after a fairly harrowing sail we found that it too was shut!

Unlike Tomb Bay, the facilities were totally unavailable. All the power and water boxes had been removed, the only evidence of them being a plastic bag taped over the power cables and water pipes.

The buildings sported sand bags at the base of all the doors and windows and the only sign of life were some inquisitive geese!


We were out of the wind, well provisioned and stayed put but really disappointed that Sal and Mark missed this enchanting piece of Turkey. Dinner ended our cooking gas supply plus a water shortage due to some unwitting overuse prompted a change of plan. Forget the quaint, head for somewhere that will be open, where we could get gas, water and power. Get all the laundry done and have a nice hot shower. Boz Burun, a long way, but it became the new plan.

Tomb Bay

There were a few places we felt Sal really should see given she was in Australia when we visited them. The Eco Zone was one of those and particularly Tomb Bay with it's camp like environment and rickety looking but sturdy jetty.

We needed to drop into Fetiye on the way so we could record another black water pump out for the authorities and get more wifi. Somehow we managed to burn through 5 gigs in 3 days!

The winter winds are here. They are not unlike the Meltimi except they come off the 2000 mtr plus snowy peaks of Turkey and are bitterly cold. But as me ol' mate Steve Rickwood would say.... "no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate dress"

Our man in  Fetiye was as helpful as always, pumped us out, exaggerated the amount which he said would help if we were inspected and allowed us to stay tied alongside the fuel wharf for 3 hours while we all did what we needed to do in town.

We then headed out into a powerful wind, angled such that we could set sail, but freezing and bumpy all the way across the Gocek bay and into the Eco Zone.

We arrived in Tomb Bay to find it nicely protected from the wind, but very shut.,,

Everything was still accessible like the bush toilets and the dining room with its raised fire pit we'd so looked forward to experiencing. Ah well, nobody around, we're out of the wind, we're moored alongside and we have plenty of provisions. We ain't moving was the consensus.

Sal and I did a recky of the place to ensure there really was nobody around. The kids and I collected fire wood while Al went off for an explore setting up a treasure hunt for the kids, complete with map and poem constituting the clues. The prize? A foot long dead baby python!

Sal knocked up an extensive mezze plate, popped the cork for a "Moet Moment" while the fire blazed into comforting, homely warmth.

Al returned with the wide eyed kids and we settled in for a beautiful evening perfectly 'situated' as our good buddy Marco Pol Bodetto would put it.

We had been disappointed to find the place deserted but by the time we left early the following morning we could not have been happier with the outcome.

Time to start the journey home

I will spare you the map, we missed Kalekoy when we left Ucagiz, as we needed to get to Finike to collect Mark, but there was no way we were going to miss it. Kalekoy has an imposing castle, it is only reachable by boat, our mate Ibrahim from Ucagiz had set us up with his mate Hassan at Kalekoy so we had free mooring, power and water as long as we ate at Hassan's restaurant.

At 10:20 on the 29th November we cast off and left Finike on the first leg of the journey back to Kos. Two and a half hours later we docked alongside at Hassan's, he and his wife were there to greet us and assist with the lines.

This time of year, any business is good business. It is rare that we see another boat and it is becoming rare that these places are still open.

A good lunch and a big climb to be up at the castle for the sunset and this is why.

A light dinner, a menemem breakfast the following morning and then discovered, once again, why the mooring, power and water are 'free'.

The weather was looking threatening by the time we cast off en route for Kas the following morning although the wind predictions had looked quite favourable.....


A problem had developed with the navigation screen at the helm which was a bit of a concern, but with an IPad app this can be mitigated.... if only IPads were waterproof.

This is a few seconds before we got hit by a 55 mile an hour wind, rain and spume squall. We had zero visibility once it hit, we were navigating through a short cut which involved small rocky outcrops and no navigation screen to show us where we were heading.... Things went from 'a bit of a concern' to a serious requirement for a change of underwear.



The only option was to steer the boat from the comfort of the saloon using the 'smart controller' for the first time.

Why had I not done that before? Imagine going from freezing, pounding, 50 miles per hour rain to the quiet comfort of the nav desk in the saloon. No need to see, it's all there on the screen, just use the 'Smart controller' to change direction when needed.... Simple....

"Now get the mop out, you've soaked the saloon floor."

So, that makes me the only one needing the clean underwear then?




Kas. A town that we could easily live in. Certainly Sal's favourite town if you discount the Hammam which got a little weird. To be recounted over a bottle of wine some time, Sal still trying to get over it...

Kas, because it would be another opportunity for Mark to bring the wing out and have a fly. An easy 1000mtr take off where Sal had a tandem flight from for a sled run over the town, breathtaking views and a landing just a few meters from the boat on the wharf.

What remained open in Kas was for the locals and that is just the way we like it. Good food at local prices, we had been there before so we were remembered, Turkish haircut, shave, nose and ear waxing, face massage and astringent. Full service as the 'Berber' puts it, for $20.

I'll have to tell my mate Chris Karikios that this is not available in Greece as I'd thought, but anywhere in Turkey and a must for anybody wanting to start a business in Sydney, particularly in Balmain. Not pretty, but so good when they are done. Repeat customers a default.

Finike, Demre and Pamukkale

We soon discovered that there is not much to do in Finike itself. The marina is a wintering ground for yachties who want to spend a mild winter aboard their boats. There is a strong sense of community with organised tours, gaming nights, volley ball etc. Only a few years ago, these communities were huge in the various wintering spots but it seems that the GFC has taken its tole and the numbers have thinned to an aging population of grey nomads.

The first item on the agenda was to hire a car big enough to take all of us to Antalya, surprise Mark at the airport and bring him back to the boat. 

That is when we learned there is not much to this town, no car big enough so Sal stayed at home while we surprised him. It is so good to see him, to catch up on his tales of travel and have him with us for the rest of this trip.


So what does happen around here? Click in....




Demre: Santa Claus was born and died here.
Santa is dead???!!, was the kid's reaction.... Ooops! 

"Demre is the Lycian town of  Myra, the home of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the historical man later developed into the figure of Santa Claus." 

Did you know that Santa was originally portrayed as wearing a hessian sack and he was known for the way he looked after kids. It was Coca Cola that hijacked the whole story and dressed him their corporate colours? No wonder Santa is sometimes referred to as the gateway drug to religion...

'Google meister Al' arranged to have an 8 seater van delivered to and collected from the boat for 50 Euro a day. There is no end to this man's talents. It arrived 3 minutes late, the driver having driven all the way from Kas and then had to bus it all the way back, and off we went.

Demre. Full of the history so ancient that we just don't seem to tire of it, kids included. Tombs, the city and the amphitheater. 

Apparently there is still so much more to excavate. The amphitheaters are also becoming more detailed and better preserved as we progress

We eventually had to abandon the site for the rain, the only shelter being the tourist shop....
It has been difficult to do the normal schooling schedule over the last few days as the times this would normally happen have been spent driving. We can however content ourselves with the fact that if these were school excursions, they'd trump anything they'd be doing back home.

The following day it was off to the top of Sal's Bucket List... Pamukkale. (Meaning 'Cotton Castle' in Turkish)

A four hour drive north west through the magnificent Turkish interior so different to the coast and a refreshing change. Pamukkale has 17 natural hot springs, in who's waters are dissolved particles of calcium carbonate.
This is the main hot spring, a wonderful place for a 37 degree dip among slabs of submerged antiquity 2500 years old.
From here the water pours down the hill depositing the calcium carbonate which eventually hardens and becomes travertine.

The results looks like snow and ice.

Remember this is mid November in the northern hemisphere. It feels weird to be warm in a 'winter wonderland'












Next, the ancient Greco-Roman and Byzantine city of Hierapolis which was built above the 'cotton castle'. The most striking item of many striking items here being the Amphitheater. It is as if on our journey here we have been introduced to these amphitheaters starting from the least well preserved where much imagination was required, each one an improvement on the last until you walk up the hill behind the Hierapolis Theatre and you are gifted with this...

I could have sat and imagined here for days.

The following evening we wanted to view it all from above. How better to do that than in a hot air balloon? We were all surprised about the size of these things and the amount of people they could cram into them. Sal, Summer and I were releaved that the German chap who was meant to get into our section of the basket was way too fat and decided he didn't want to go...

It was a short trip lasting 45 minutes, not going very high or far. At best an introduction to ballooning. Our advice would be to wait until you are in the Serengeti or the Alps if it's value for money you are looking for. 

We thought it was going to be cold up there... Well at least our clothing protected us from the searing heat generated by the gas burners! Will did get to have a go at firing those.

We extended our stay for one more day. Mark had with him his paragliding wing, there was a 400 meter take off behind all of this and you could fly above it then land at the bottom near town.

He had a couple of flights. Al and I grabbed a tandem flight while we were at it, we weren't going to let Mark have all the fun.

Sunset was a nice time for it too.

The next day we made an earlyish start, a navigation error sent us through some breathtaking scenery back to the boat, a bucket list item having been well and truly ticked off.

To Finike. The end of the line and the Rookie errors continue

We had decided to move from Ucagiz to Kalekoy just around the corner where there is a magnificent castle and free parking at Ibrahim's mates place, but realising Mark would be with us in two days, we made for Finike instead.

We would be back on our way west after Finike which was the end of the line for this year.

Sal wanted a little dress for Summer, but got 'convinced' into having it made for her, it would only take half an hour and so we readied the boat for departure...

The half hour dragged on, and on until eventually we simply had to leave with the promise we'd be back to collect the dress, which had of course been paid for... $10

By the time Sal got back to the boat, all that was needed was to bring in the passerelle (gang plank), untie and leave... well, almost all!

Sal alighted, passerelle came in, lines to the dock were cast off and off we went... about 10 meters and no further. It took a little too long to realize we had not dropped the fixed mooring line and were still attached in front. A little too long because by the time we realized, the thinner slime line used to pick up the mooring line was now firmly wound around the port propeller! I now had only one engine and we were coming on sideways to the quay with a large audience of veteran Gullet sailors watching on, one of them actually videoing the scene.... not embarrassing at all!

It's called the intermediate syndrome. You start something like this with no idea and then you experience the commensurate nerves that go with that. As you progress, the nerves slowly abate until you think you have this thing down and the nerves are no longer there to keep you on your toes.... Then a wake up call tells you you're not such a natch and you were lucky to get away with it....Again!

However, on this occasion, time was tight. We had an 18 mile sail and wanted to do it in daylight. It was already 1:30 pm. We got the boat tied alongside. This was good because for a change I didn't have to send Al into the unclean harbour waters while I maneuvered the boat, I could do it for a change so I donned goggles and dropped in.

The line was wound so tight it was like a guitar string to the wharf and back to the mooring line. I eventually had to cut it from the prop and rejoin it for them. I then started to cut the line wound tightly and internally around the prop.

Deep breath, down I went, cut, cut, cut and up for air. I did this until it was becoming pointless when the guys on the boat behind us offered oxygen. Well I have no experience, but Al has his Padi licence, so as much as I tried to keep him out of the water.... Sorry AL! It took him a good 25 minutes of constant hacking to free enough line for the prop to turn under motor.


We finally left Ucagiz at 3:15 pm and at full speed headed in nil wind for Finike at least two hours away and it is now dark by 5:30 pm.

The darkness came quickly, but Finike is a winter destination for yachties, the marina is well organised and well lit so arriving in the dark wouldn't be a problem for such 'seasoned' sailors such as ourselves.

We were treated to a sunset that turned the entire sea purple. This shot does little justice to it, but it was an awesome sight.


We docked safely in Setur Marina, Finike at 5:30 pm. I felt absolutely gutted at the simplicity of the errors of the past few days. A wake up call indeed and a very cheep lesson....

Forced to move for a rough ride and a BIG mistake.

8:30am on the Sunday the 9th, we heard a weird noise that sounded like the anchor chain turning in the guide. A few minutes later we noticed one of the lines ashore had disappeared and thought it had severed like the last.

On closer inspection, the boat had moved further out of the inlet... the anchor had lost its grip and the second line had just sunk at the new angle.

Emergency mode! We tried bringing the anchor up in the hopes that it would bite on the way in, no luck. We dived overboard to see where it was only to find it was dangling in mid water 6-8 meters below the boat. The boat was now moving toward the rocks where the lines were tied. Nothing to do but to disconnect altogether, pull the lines in and assess our options when we got out into open water.... and the wind!

We had planned to spend another day here as we waited for the wind to abate. We had even booked lunch at the Purple House after some more planned exploring.

There was literally nowhere else to anchor in that inlet. Too steep and too rocky so we tucked ourselves behind the hill in a tiny crevice at waypoint 2. We were out of the wind but in the pouring rain while we built up the courage to head out into open sea. Straight into the teeth of the wind and the swell that it had generated over the past few days.

Sal made breakfast, we ate, the rain stopped, the wind backed off a little and we decided to go for it. No other choice really, we couldn't spend all day holding the boat in one position in this tight little spot using the engines, so off we went.

Through the gap at waypoint 3 and into the bucking open seas. In no time the entire crew were whooping and hollering as the boat just took the lot in its stride. A very enjoyable five mile ride to the protection of the Kekova Roads and the most amazing entrance into history.

In the shot below there are so many of those 3,000 year old sarcophagi all robbed long ago, but still standing as if on day one.

Üçağız afforded the most protection in the dying wind so we headed there first. According to 'the Book' we were supposed to be met on the quay and directed to a berth, but as we approached, nobody to be seen. We could see that there was no space, but we entered the tiny inner marina as a means of attracting attention and sure enough, along the wharf came our man indicating that we should exit and moor on the outside pontoon.

We pirouetted as you do in a cat and heard a scraping sound coming from the anchor chain.... Al and I looked at each other, a nano second of confusion and then it hit us!

I had not pulled anchor in after we'd dived in to see it dangling 6 meters below the boat! In our hurry to stay off the rocks in the teaming rain, disconnect two lines off razor sharp volcanic rock and not catch those lines or chop Al up in the propellers, we'd forgotten all about the dangling anchor.

So, just to recap, we'd come through 5 miles of the roughest water, entered several very narrow rocky gaps to get to the marina, gone right into the harbour and at the slowest speed on the entire trip, the anchor touched ground to alert us to the potential problem..... How lucky was that? If that anchor had jagged on anything while we were sailing, it would probably have sunk us. We are still reeling....

Ibrahim's
was where we found solace. Walking by on our way to the recommended Hammam's we were gently hustled,
decided to stop and this became our home away from the boat.

They fed us large, loved the kids, did our washing, served us chai free of charge when we had a moment, arranged a glass bottom boat to see the sunken ruins at a great price and had our mooring fees cut in half.

I'd love to show you the fascinating views of this ancient sunken city with archway entrances and tiny fishing harbours, but as you see, the glass bottom part of the boat was not that effective.... unless you wanted a shot of Al looking back at you!

Although swimming around the ruins is now prohibited, just looking over the side of the boat was sufficient to make it all out.

We entered a small bay where swimming is permitted even though there are ruins surrounding it and sunken into the bay.

I thought I was never one for ruins and history of this length, but you just cannot be anything but fascinated.

Lots of sea creatures in this bay. A group of colourful squid, an eel, loads of needle fish who were kind enough to point out an octopus for us. In fact each time we lost track of the octopus, they'd find him and point him out for us. In this shot you can see five needle fish pointing straight at it? The octopus is not very clear but it is that lump to the left of the brick.

Al decided to video the octopus close up. He set the Olympus Tough underwater camera to 'video' dived down and left it sitting right next to the creature. The camera fell onto it's face and the octopus immediately sidled over it looking as if it was about to consume it. All we could see of the camera was the wrist strap and when that started to disappear, I dived down and grabbed it. This link in YouTube is what the camera filmed...Octopus Eats Camera

Kas to The Kekova Roads

A late start, not too far to go, we got the schooling out of the way, provisioned and scrubbed the boat, topped up the water and at 2:00 pm on Friday the 7th November, we cast off in a growing easterly wind and headed around to the new Kas Marina to test the Blue card, our poo tanks now full after 5 days in Kas.

Turns out that there is no need for a technician, the blue card works like a bank card, the pump out station like an ATM only instead of receiving cash, your donating poo. 279 Liters of it to be precise.

In wintering skies, the easterly grew to an uncomfortable 20 knot head wind and even though we were fairly protected, beating directly into the wind is never much fun, everybody having to dress appropriately...


The first stop was Asar Buku an inlet in which lies the ruins of the ancient city and port of Aperlaie now partially underwater.

The days shortening dramatically now and even though we anchored in the inlet at 5:30pm it was already getting dark. We were however treated to the most amazing sunset, smartly followed by a full moon on a crystal clear night turning the white volcanic rocks along the shoreline silver and electric blue.

Although the anchor bit, we needed to tie a long line from the starboard cleat to keep the boat off the rocks on the other side of this tiny inlet we had chosen in an attempt to get out of the wind. There was no other choice of anchorage and it was too late to move.

Al, Summer and I dived on the anchor the next morning. It had wedged itself into the only place it could have, so we checked the line ashore before heading off on an excursion in the dingy. The wind was still howling so leaving this place and moving out into the open sea was not a smart option.

We got the dingy right into the inlet, tied it off and started exploring. We met a man who runs this ramshackle, hippy like accommodation/restaurant called the Purple House, after the purple dye that comes from the earth in the area. He suggested we take a walk east to the far inlet where we would be sailing to when the weather improved.
A moonscape. Walking past 3000 year old ruins, the ground strewn with rocks, discarded olives fallen from neglected trees, acorns, porcupine quills and 12 bore shotgun cartridges it really did feel like we were on another planet where the civilisation had long since perished.

We arrived at the other inlet, the wind coming straight in off the sea. The restaurant and all facilities looking decidedly shut for the winter, we took a walk out along a very long jetty to see if we could see any signs of life. Nothing. Just about to head back and Sally smelled food. We walked around to the only likely source and totally surprised three locals who were indeed preparing lunch for themselves.
We asked if there was any food to be had, they looked at each other, chatted a bit and "sure, why not?"

After producing two bottles of white wine, they got busy and knocked up a quick Menemem, a delicious Turkish dish mopped up with bread. While we ate they sat with us as we all played charades in an effort to understand what everybody was saying. By the time lunch was done, we felt like family. On leaving and with what little they had, they produced a bag of apples and pomegranates for us to take home.

The walk home included a meander through the ruins. Whilst there are so many of them, we had to wonder at the number of sarcophagi that have been standing there for over 3000 years and will be standing there for another 3000 by which time, this civilisation may well have long since perished.

That's Al doing his Ninja thing on a sarcophagus standing as part of the submerged ruins of the city of Aperlai.

On returning to the boat, we were horrified to see the boat, not in the position we'd left it.

The volcanic rock had cut right through the line ashore and the boat was gently bumping against the very sharp rock on the other side. The wind still howling, we went into emergency mode, restoring the situation with Al having to do a lot of heroic swimming with propellers churning in the chill of the evening. We used chain around the rocks and put out two lines for the night, something Al had suggested and I had ignored on the previous day! Luckily the damage was minimal, we must have arrived soon after it had happened, but it made for another fairly sleepless night.