We decided to head next door to Hassan’s, where we were looking forward to meeting the owner. Oh boy, did we meet the owner. I’m not sure if he had got out of bed the wrong side, if he’d just had some terrible news, or if he’d taken an instant dislike to us but he was the most unpleasant man we have met in Turkey. The exchange went something like this…
A Tale of Two Has(s)ans Read Post »
We were aiming to have a day off in Bodrum before heading off on the Monday, but the weather forecast was suggesting very little wind and no sun for the next five days. The only wind we’d have was today so I made the decision to get the **** out of Dodge to make the most of the little wind. Chris and Ethan, therefore, beat Tim’s record of setting off sailing in less than 12 hours of landing!
Catch That Wind Before We Lose It Read Post »
To make today even more active we climbed a mountain! (Well it was more like a hill – But it felt like a mountain) At the top it was just the five of us peering down at Gümüslük in the hazy afternoon sun, we could see Rabbit Island, Esper and more importantly the place where we were going to eat tonight.
After a claustrophobic night in the bow Cabin, I woke up tired and grumpy, but glad to see we were already sailing onto our next destination. Perfect sailing weather, the sun beamed and the wind blew as the waves grew. We moored up at Catal Ada for lunch, a beautiful idyllic spot where everyone had a dip in the sea.
Suntan Lotion Is There For A Reason Read Post »
After lunch at a little restaurant by the shore we headed up to the hill on the other side of the bay, where we sat at the top and admired the beautiful views around the bay and across to Kos. We could see Esper anchored up with the other boats looking splendid. It was here that we each developed our “I like it up here” song with accompanying dance.
Billions Of Blue Blistering Barnacles! Read Post »
Awoke fresh and lively after being gently rocked to sleep all night in the cosy cabin (thanks Jamie for giving up your bed for us!) waves lapping at the side. We swam before breakfast and even ventured on to land to explore the hobbit hole – the pirate flag was no longer flying so we felt safe.
Thrash The Skipper At Scrabble? Double Pah! Read Post »
We had some good strong winds which took us on a great beam reach back. On the way we tried anchoring off catal ada but the anchor dragged and it was not particularly sheltered so we went on our way. We wanted to take advantage of the terrific winds, anyway, so it didn’t matter that we headed back
We sailed into heavy wind and seas and as we rounded the headland spotted a turtle swimming along our starboard side. It was about 2ft and seemed to be happily swimming along next to us for a while. It put a smile on my face to see one of these gorgeous creatures in its natural habitat.
Gümüslük Here We Come Again! Read Post »
We picked up more wind as Jamie poled out the genoa and we ran goosewing. Wow, it was great! The sense of speed was tremendous. We seldom dropped below 7 knots and I was at the helm when we clocked our first 10 knots! With the wind behind us practically the whole way we gave chase and over took quite a few other yachts. Esper seemed to love it as much as us.
Goosewinging It All The Way! Read Post »
This time when we arrived at Gümüslük we again anchored twice, but not because the anchor dragged but because someone left and we took advantage of a better position. Hoorah! Jamie’s fears of anchoring and drifting seemed to have disappeared (although mine hadn’t).
Backgammon: Who’s The Daddy? Read Post »
Taç was so taken with sailing that she decided she’d join me on a gentle cruise up the coast to Gümüslük, where we stayed at anchor for four days, so in terms of log entry there is little to say
Fresh Lemon Vodka…..mmmmmmmmmmm! Read Post »
I mean black because it was pitch black when we began sailing: at 3am, after a restless and fitful sleep worrying about the anchor, Jamie’s worst nightmare came true as he realized we were drifting towards the rocks…
What Do You Mean It’s 3am & The Anchor’s Dragging? Read Post »
Ahhh… back on Esper in lovely Bodrum. Boy was I looking forward to this break. I had already been counting down the days till I would be on board permanently and this would be a nice little taster.
So Good To Be Back! Read Post »
After a great night’s sleep Jon’s off in the dinghy, rowing to each boat in the flotilla giving them the low-down on what to do and what to expect for today’s sail. It was interesting watching Jon at work and it quickly made me realise I never want to be running flotilla holidays!
What Dost Thou Think Of This Then? Read Post »
The complete lack of wind today was made up for by being introduced to a very nice couple, Peter and Gilly. Turns out my Day Skipper course would include a motor over to Catal Ada with Peter and Gilly on board to check it out as a possible wedding location!
