The end of 2016 sojourn, Sailing Turkey and flying out of Istanbul
A quick final rant, life has been hectic doing not very much, time to return to NZ to get more active.
After we left the lovely Marti Marine and area around it, we retraced a few of our favourites for possibly the last time. Margie's Bay where we settled for 2 or 3 nights, and onto Palamut. This is a lovely harbour and beachside village, the harbour of which is usually pretty full up, and if you didn't get in early in the day you could miss out on a spot to park, but this year the evidence of empty sea void of fellow boaters was more than ever, and this photo shows how it was at about 4 in the afternoon
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One place we discovered that was run off its feet was Sojut. We haven't been here for many years, but we discovered most of the sea must have been coming here. Though on the 30 mile trip from Palamut to Sogut, we counted the craft out on the water on two hands
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Actually this year we haven't seen nearly as many coastguard as we saw last year. Of course we were not in Greece this year, and up North where we saw so many last year. And ironically the one we saw was down in Gocek, where there isn't any incidence of refugees in our experience. And also, now that we get down to Gocek, we are discovering where some of the seafarers and charter people are coming to, though we think still a whole lot less. |
Turkey is no different to anywhere else in the world, there is a wedding season, and this day we saw no less than 3 lovely couples photographing their lovely wedding gowns and togetherness at the headland of DMarine in Gocek, and then later after our evening stroll to town, we enjoyed another wedding as the whole town seemed to be out doing. They certainly make these events something for all to enjoy
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We had a visit from Joe's old school friend Bob Penny recently, so after taking him to our favourite place, Sarsala, we had a nice sale out to Turtle Bay. Not so many turtles here this year, but we did see lots in other places we haven't seen them before.
On our return into Gocek harbour we noted a navy frigate hovering around, and a little further on another, and a little further on another, who seemed to be going around in circles and looking entirely confused. It soon became clear as to why this was happening. Joe suggested we listen to the VHF, which technically we should have on all the time, we heard a frantic Turkish rant, (Rants in Turkish always sound frantic) which was followed by the English translation that there was going to be a firing exercise to take place at x hours at x co ordinates, of which went so fast I couldn't catch them. But we gathered we were far enough away from them now not to worry. However Mango 2 passed us heading in the very direction of the said exercise, so we called him on VHF, but not reply. Later it was quite entertaining when he clearly came to the conclusion we did, and turned on his VHF to hear the frigate calling him up, to command he turned North and not to turn South until 1500 o'clock. There were many more such communications like that, which kept us all most entertained until we got into the bay and could not witness the big event, of which I am sure we couldn't anyway
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After our brush with the Navy and our failed rescue mission of Mango 2 who continued into the jaws of the Navy, we had a beautiful little genniker run to what we have renamed Old Lady's Bay, because this is the bay that an old lady called Trish lived on her yacht that she and her husband actually bought in NZ that many years ago and sailed it back to Europe. She was English and such an hilarious lady. By now she must be nearly 90. Anyway when we came into the bay my heart sank when we didn't see her yacht parked up the top of the bay, (top left) and then when we got into Yacht Classic in Fethiye where we first met her, here we saw her yacht on a buoy. I had been sad thinking she had died, but at 90 that would have been a blessing, but we were so so sad when Mehmet the pontoon manager told us she had had a stroke 2 months before, and in hospital back in England. I would have hoped she may have just popped her clogs out in Boynuz Buku, her bay and home, a stroke is terrible for anyone, but for her it would be even more of being like caging a wild animal
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One thing we will not be so sad to leave in the beautiful sailing waters of Turkey are the huge super yachts/motor launches and the Gullets, the latter being slightly more arrogant and noisy. Here we were, pulling into a gorgeous and picturesque bay, we even had a choice of 3 buoys to take up, so we chose the middle one. Firstly the big white launch came and put his anchor our pulling back right beside the first buoy, when I see this it really causes blood pressure rise as they have killed the chance of anything smaller to make use of it, and there are not so many buoys about anyway. But getting over that, then all of a sudden the green boat on the right looking back at shore came in, with a whole bay to use, they chose to get close to us. So we thought this was about as bad as it could get, when the two toned brown boat headed backwards straight towards us, I even had visions of its gang plank at the back going right through our cockpit. Well it narrowly missed us and nestled very close by. A little part of us hoped the two Gullets were just stopping for an hour or two, but soon they had their engines going to charge the batteries for all their lights and power wasting pastimes, so at 7.30 before it got dark we dropped our buoy and returned to the peace and tranquility of Old Lady's Bay, (without the Old Lady)
We had dropped Bob off at Fethiye a couple of days before, and had planned to only have 2 nights out again. We were heading in, with the prospect of a beautiful sale in 15 knots of breeze, when we suddenly changed tack as we passed Tersane, a bay where we came to 15 years ago when we chartered a yacht over here, and there was no pontoon, and we didn't think there was a restaurant, but apparently there was, it must have been tiny. It was a quaint and rustic restaurant, and we went for a walk around the farm yard, but it was terribly overstocked, too many goats, sheep, calves and cattle. I can't imagine what this beast was extracting from the ground to nourish itself
So then back to Fethiye and Yacht Classic where we would be leaving Wrighteau waiting for the ship (a big long Dutch name starting with M) to pick here up and weld her (well the cradle she is to sit in) to the deck. There was much to organise, but when we leave her for 9 months there is more really, as we would be seeing her in 2.5 months. There are of course many issues when we will not be there, closing the transit log for instance, none of that comes so very cheaply either when they know you have no other choice. But all of that is heavily softened with the lovely family like environment of the staff and owners of the hotel/pontoon. The complex, if I might call it that, started in about 1030 as just a house on the shores of Fethiye Bay. The original cottage is still there tucked behind the restaurant. 5 years ago when we first came here it was one pool, one bar and restaurant. And of course hotel. Now it is two pools, one for adults and one for all, two bars and seats in the pool to take refreshments without even getting out. Well I suppose it can sound a bit garish, but it is all a bit of fun, refreshing, and as I said before, they are like friends. Meeting and conversing with other people is all very easy and natural. So when we left there for possibly the last time yesterday, the enormity of what we have been doing and our enjoyment and love of Turkey coming to an end suddenly hit home, and we felt very sad in our taxi to Dalaman airport
So to Istanbul..... This was a whole different experience from the time we were here in June following the Ataturk airport bombing. On that occasion there was barely a sole, my photos showed the odd person dotted here and there, no buses and few vehicles. Admittedly this time we are visiting in the midst of a big religious holiday, so I am guessing most of them were Turkish. We stay at Armagrandi Sina when we go to Istanbul, and they gave us the warmest sunniest welcome when we arrived, and we got a beautiful room on the top floor, (only 5 floors) overlooking the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sohia Mosque. The first thing I noticed looking out the window was that the carpark was taken over by police and one of them stood at the entrance to the carpark with a very very big gun. So I felt very safe there. We ventured down town and enjoyed our dinner at our favourite restaurant Khirosani, we are such creatures of habit, but again it was nice to be welcomed, and three tables around us became quite chatty and quite a night ensued.
But today after a last little wander around Sultanahment for the last time it was time to return to the hotel to catch the taxi to the airport. I almost got quite emotional, I'm sure this isn't a common practice. As we sat for a 5 minute spell, the run about boy, (well how do I describe him, he works on reception/ porters/ water, does it all really) headed toward us with a plastic bag, and low and behold, inside was a wrapped present from the hotel manager, yes, a present for US. I have yet to open it but I am reliably informed it is Turkish Delight. I went and thanked him (the manager) I told him I could almost cry, so he replied thus: "We always cry when good people leave us"
So there is the last heart jerker for us, but we are at the airport now and there is not turning back now. We are going to miss Turkey and the Turkish people so much, the ever ending sunshine, (in 5 years of coming to Turkey of 2 to 3 months each year, we have experienced only 1/2 hour of rain, that was just an enormous explosion of clouds and sound waves, and all gone) and the food. We dream of a Turkey growing as it has in the 5 years in the time we have been coming here, and really hope the airport bombing, coup and other squirmishes are just road bumps. There are a such a lot of people we have met who rely on tourism and need the people to be bold and just come here We have not feeling a tiny bit unsafe, and pray for all good to come to the good ones here. But time to move on, unless next year we miss it too much and return. ....................
............watch this space
Gorosurus
(see you later)
That is Wrighteau over and out
But today after a last little wander around Sultanahment for the last time it was time to return to the hotel to catch the taxi to the airport. I almost got quite emotional, I'm sure this isn't a common practice. As we sat for a 5 minute spell, the run about boy, (well how do I describe him, he works on reception/ porters/ water, does it all really) headed toward us with a plastic bag, and low and behold, inside was a wrapped present from the hotel manager, yes, a present for US. I have yet to open it but I am reliably informed it is Turkish Delight. I went and thanked him (the manager) I told him I could almost cry, so he replied thus: "We always cry when good people leave us"
So there is the last heart jerker for us, but we are at the airport now and there is not turning back now. We are going to miss Turkey and the Turkish people so much, the ever ending sunshine, (in 5 years of coming to Turkey of 2 to 3 months each year, we have experienced only 1/2 hour of rain, that was just an enormous explosion of clouds and sound waves, and all gone) and the food. We dream of a Turkey growing as it has in the 5 years in the time we have been coming here, and really hope the airport bombing, coup and other squirmishes are just road bumps. There are a such a lot of people we have met who rely on tourism and need the people to be bold and just come here We have not feeling a tiny bit unsafe, and pray for all good to come to the good ones here. But time to move on, unless next year we miss it too much and return. ....................
............watch this space
Gorosurus
(see you later)
That is Wrighteau over and out
