On the very first tack I had Benn sheeting the jib and after getting the sheet round the winch something went ‘crack’, flew down the deck and had Benn mincing around the cockpit looking very pale. Turns out the traveller for the jib sheet had just sheared off and this lump of metal hit him square in the shin, creating a very deep cut that wouldn’t stop bleeding
A Quick Hack Around Marmaris Read Post »
We passed the the Hospital of the Knights, the ancient Temple of Aphrodite and numerous other treasures in our search for the perfect bar. We found a very nice one and sat at a table facing a girl in a yellow mini dress wearing white knickers (so I was told later). This had the boys enthralled. So began the rest of the trip.
Rhodes Island, Greece Read Post »
A UK flagged boat called MaryLou had lost its steering and it turned out we were only 200m away from it. I attempted to call them on Ch16 but they didn’t reply as the couple were too busy running around the deck panicking. The poor guy was so distressed he couldn’t remember the phoenetic alphabet for his boat name so we motored over to give them some assistance.
Marmaris Yacht Marine Read Post »
ventually we set sail and made the most of the strong winds blowing from behind and set some more records on Esper, this time over 7 knots with just a reefed jib and no other sail. Still, with true wind speeds of up to 30 knots this is hardly surprising! Unfortunately the winds meant that we struggled to anchor in two locations, Gerbekse and Ciftlik, so we continued on round the corner towards Marmaris and found a great little spot called Kadirga Limani.
Problems Anchoring Read Post »
We stumbled round the rocky path and into an open plain, decorated with scrub, fig trees, old engines and goats, until we were presented with an oasis of vegetables within the confines of an ancient wall. In this compound stood a tiny brick shack and to get to it one had to walk across a wooden plank that spanned a huge, deep well. We were introduced to a grandmother and her daughter, both of whom lived in the shack and maintained the garden, and the daughters and son of the local goat herder.
Goats, Donkeys And Raki Read Post »
Since the wind was up our bum I thought I’d expose mine and stripped off. I’d heard a lot of good things about naked sailing and I was keen to give it a go. It was all fine for about 2 minutes until I realised that the tanker behind us was not the one that had passed us 10 minutes ago going the other way, but another one following us behind pretty fast!
The anchor is well dug in and my transit line still hasn’t changed, but now it’s dark I can’t see it and the anchor chain is making funny noises every now and then. The wind is blowing hard enough that the boat is tipping over and I have to lean over the laptop to readjust myself to an upright position. I can hear the water slopping all around poor Esper. I’m not sure how well I’m going to sleep tonight and I’m exhausted after the six hours of sailing we’ve done today.
We anchored in the lee of the hill and tied to a rock, cracked open a beer and had a snack. All very innocent and quite pleasant. Notice how I make all that sound easy? This was Liz’s first line ashore and she executed this task perfectly. For those not aware, in Turkey it is quite common to take a line ashore and tie to a rock or tree to stop the boat swinging around on its anchor.
Germans, Germans Everywhere Read Post »
Right now we are anchored in over 20 knots of wind and Esper is yawing about the bay and I really don’t know what the next entry will be – we’ll either have successfully hooned it down towards the Greek island of Simi, or we’ll report back on how we had to get Esper dragged off the reef, which is about 20m from us as I type!
Two Twats In A Boat Read Post »
Within the first month of launching Esper we’ve managed to clock up 350nm, just cruising around the Bodrum peninsular. We’ve had a lot of good sailing lately. There are some uncharacteristic southerlies in the area, but consistent and strong, so Liz and I have been putting Esper through her paces, which she enjoys very much. More importantly, however, is that Liz is growing in confidence every sail we do.
Big Celebrations And Lots Of Visitors! Read Post »
I don’t remember anything! I do know we stayed up to watch the sun rise six nights in a row, and there was a dawn dip involved somewhere along the line. Also we were joined by Tac and her friend Idil, and they added to the merryment.
Kelly Hoxton Hits Bodrum Read Post »
It was a worrying time, waiting in Yat Lift for 24 hours whilst the Man brothers set to and worked on the gear box. With Emma arriving in a few days we desperately needed to get back out into the water with a fully functioning boat. Fortunately it was a small problem that required no spare parts and before we knew it we were off again and back to Bitez.
As the boat tipped over and Liz ran around the galley trying to catch cups and plates, Orla nonchalantly picked up her cup as it slid down the table and readjusted herself in her seat, never tearing her eyes away from her book. Meanwhile up on deck I’m shouting at Jay to let out the mainsheet, which was a problem since I hadn’t explained to him what a mainsheet was!
A Few Lessons Learned Read Post »
Time wasn’t on our side so instead we sat the wind out which eventually died down, allowing us a wonderful evening in the Coketme Restaurant. This place is family run and the hospitality and food are second to none. Rod Heikell, who’s pilot book we use daily, had made some disparaging remarks about all the restaurants except the Rose Mary.
A Storm Is Brewing Read Post »
The anchorage was fairly busy and there was a fair old wind blowing through too. We went for a swim and eventually Jay and I managed to swim to the jetty to go check out this famous beach. As soon as we hoisted ourselves up the ladder we were shouted out by a couple of very unfriendly locals, along with a ferocious looking dog with white eyes.
From Amazon To Cleopatra Read Post »
