Fethiye, Turkey - and politics

We are settling into our life here well. Tiare is sitting well at the Yes Marina and we are continuing to get her back into sailing trim. We have been told that it could be another 3 weeks before we are hauled out (approx. 25/04) so we have made the decision to take advantage of the fact that we are not living on board to undertake some varnishing - particularly around the galley and fridges. A golden opportunity. Then in 3 or 4 days we will move back on board and save some accommodation costs.

Fethiye is very busy and parking almost impossible. So, if we feel like lunch at a café anywhere it will be a matter of getting a Dolmus small bus instead of trying to drive the car.

Jim has had a sore lower back ever since one of our anchoring forays off Ao Po waiting to be loaded and so we contacted a massage therapist who had been recommended to us. He came to the Anna Hotel and gave Jim a deep tissue massage which was exceedingly painful but has eased the back and neck considerably. Next is to find a Turkish bath where we can soak in hot water. We also went to a chandlery (the only one in Fethiye) and bought 2 new 12v fans as the others had packed up. Good brand and way cheaper than anything in SE Asia - or NZ for that matter. We'll need those in the summer. Also the Imray Greek Waters Pilot by Rod and Lucinda Heikell. He is a New Zealander who has been sailing the Med for years and the guide is packed with information. Lots of reading, passage planning and studying to do.

In addition new horizons every day. We had a light lunch at a café (one of about 6) on the waterfront roughly halfway between the town and where we are staying at Callis Beach. Only TRY28 - that's NZD9.50) for both of us. Food here is so good and incredible value. There was a gentle breeze blowing in off the Aegean which made it all very pleasant.

We have been amazed to read (10/04) in the NZ Herald of news of the storm which has been pummeling Auckland - 70-80 knot winds by all accounts. This time not a tropical ex-cyclone, but a rip roaring southerly which has brought tornadoes and destructive winds. By comparison Fethiye seems quite benign and is very sheltered. Where Tiare is berthed it is virtually landlocked. The spring weather is wonderful - cloudless but brisk mornings which warm up during the day and then sometimes light showers in the evening. Still some snow on the higher peaks visible from the town.

We found  a Turkish Bath House near here and so we decided to go there as part of the back treatment. Jean has been using her healing skills to great effect as well and so off we went. First, they put you in a sauna for a minimum of 15 minutes and that is all we could stand. It was HOT! Next we went into a large room with marble slabs in the middle and marble arches all around. There were a series of scrubs and being doused with warm water. And a massage which in Jim's case was fairly painful, but it has helped no end. The back ailment is at least 75% better. Lying on the marble slab appealed to our sick sense of humour as possibly the next time that happens we might not be compos mentis!

More Fethiye experiences - a few days ago we drove for one and a half hours north to Mamaris where we had lunch at the Netsel Marina's Pineapple Restaurant. We met Adelina there whose acquaintance we had made back on Phuket when she was visiting at the same time as our stay there. We passed a very pleasant 3 hours or so. The road north is a monument to road building - 2 lanes and sometimes 3 in each direction and over quite mountainous terrain with steep grades. Turkey is NOT a 3rd. world country. And all on the WRONG side of the road! We came away however feeling pleased that we were in Fethiye as Mamaris which has been a yachting hub for very many years, is highly commercialized and not very interesting. Bit like comparing Gulf Harbour or Tutukaka or Marsden Marina with the Town Basin in Whangarei.

There's another similarity with NZ - and unfortunately that's pine tree pollen. Parts of southern Europe are covered in a Mediterranean-type pine which sheds pollen in the spring and that's playing havoc with Jean's allergic reaction. Anyway, she has some anti-histamines and a puffer and the pollen doesn't seem quite as potent as it is in NZ.

Yesterday (16/04) was a red letter day because we moved back onto the boat. We had taken pots and pans off the boat earlier so we packed everything up again and moved it all onto the old girl again. A great feeling to be "at home" again in foreign waters. The climate is great - cold mornings with almost no wind and then around midday the wind increases which counteracts the afternoon temperature increase. Cool nights and we now have a duvet on our bed courtesy of Lorraine and Graham of "Lorrigray" back on Langkawi. They've cruised the Med. before and understand the climate here!! 3 am here is quite cold at the moment.

We were working on the boat and then went into town to get a couple of things at the chandlery. You can't park for love or money so we took a local Dolmus (Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter, etc.) and after we got off we walked through a small craft market where a delightful couple from eastern Turkey were setting up a small shop selling Turkish carpets etc. His first comment on seeing us was "are you off a boat?". Must have been the slightly ragged clothes and the careworn look! He said we didn't look like tourists which we took as a compliment. They offered us cups of Turkish tea which we had had many times before and which are very refreshing. We're looking for a floor covering looking ahead to the 2018/19 winter so we'll be back. They have very hard wearing flat weave carpets which are cheap and which could be suitable.

On that note, we have discovered that the Turkish coffee myth is largely that. Turkey does not grow coffee so all is imported. The legend has grown around the very strong coffee, but it's all how it is served. By comparison tea is the national drink and is invariably served with and after meals. It is lovely and the Turks drink it all the time. It is grown around the Turkish coast of the Black Sea. 

We've been having the usual visits to markets with all the array of delicious food. And patronising the Mulberry Café which is an absolute Brit hangout in town - as are many cafes and restaurants up at Callis Beach and no doubt other places. Many of them have things like "bacon butties" on the menu - so boring and unhealthy!!

Then another red letter day - yesterday (25/04 - Anzac Day - don't mention Gallipoli!) when we hauled out at Levent's boatyard - only 0.2 of a mile from the Yes Marina. We spent the best part of an hour tootling around the bay while Levent observed our water leak in the stern. He took photos and has a good handle on what could be causing it. Then the haulout which can be best described as a bit hair raising. They operate a 4 wheel drive machine a bit like a travel lift with 2 straps but it doesn't have the high framework of a travel lift. It also goes down a very steep ramp right into the water and you float between the 2 steel beams each side and on top of the straps. Then they haul the straps in tight to hold the boat and drive it out of the water. But because the straps only come up to about deck level, they don't do a good job of holding the yacht upright! So we tied the base of the mast to each of the steel beams to stop her falling over. Still, she couldn't fall too far as she would be stopped by the beams, but it certainly would not be a good outcome. Anyway, she was successfully hauled and yours truly stopped biting his nails! She was water blasted and as part of that one source of the leak was immediately apparent. There is a bronze plate above the top rudder pintle and it does not fit to the hull tightly so that is definitely one. More on this to come.

However, the more we delve into immigration issues (mainly in the EU), the more we realise that we have a problem. We had originally intended to sail west through Greece during the summer - possibly starting towards the end of June, but after reading the Greek Waters Pilot it is becoming apparent that this may not be a good strategy. The Meltemi blows very strongly, often over 30 knots for prolonged periods, from the NW - W during these months and this is exactly the direction in which we would be sailing. So, as we won't be ready until June after the haulout etc., it makes more sense to stay in Fethiye. The ECE Marina which is much bigger than Yes, has excellent long term rates (under NZD20 per day and including power and water) and we could probably be staying for 11 months. Then we could sail in the spring (around March) of 2019. We would need to apply for temporary residence in Turkey and can get up to 2 years. So, it's becoming more and more of a no-brainer. The other issue for us is that as NZ has visa waiver arrangements with the EU for holders of NZ passports. This means that, although we can only stay for 90 days in any one EU country at a time, at least we can stay in the EU by keeping on moving but we can only return to a country after the expiry of 180 days (6 months). But when you have a boat to also deal with, this constant moving becomes quite difficult and tedious. So, we can only get 3 months each in Greece, Malta and Italy.  In our case, if we left Turkey before mid April 2019, we could make enough westing early enough to avoid the worst of the Meltemis but of course that's now 11 months away. Then when we get to Sicily we would have to leave again after 3 months and the only logical destination from there is Tunisia which may be OK but we would have to stay there for 6 months before returning to Sicily. At least going to Tunisia, resets the clock - not only for us but for the boat as well. So, it's all a bit fraught and so subsequent travelling needs to be balanced against seasonal weather patterns and pesky visa requirements.The yacht can stay in the EU for up to 18 months as a non EU registered vessel, but, unless we keep moving with a maximum of 90 days in any one place, we cannot. We did think that we could have sailed to Sicily this year, but as we've had to haul out which means a later departure from Turkey, and after reading the Greek Waters Pilot, it does not look like a viable strategy. So, it looks like over-wintering in Turkey with possibly a trip on the side to Medellin around October or November. Jean could possibly, as part of that, be in Miami (insurance notwithstanding!) for Carter's 5th. birthday in October. It was only 5 years ago when we received the news of his birth one night when we were in the Java Sea heading for southern Malaysia. So much has happened in such a short time.

Anyway, meantime the rudder has been taken off the old girl and there is wear with the top shaft where it passes through the hull. And the so-called re-packing of the top gland at Krabi was a joke - another example of the woeful lack of engineering expertise at that place back in 2014. So, once she is back in the water, we will concentrate on marketing the old girl for sale and enjoying life in Fethiye - which isn't difficult! The bronze fitting has been sent to Istanbul - either for re-manufacture or repair. We aren't sure which at this stage.

We've been going to the yard on a regular basis and were there at 0830 this morning to do some more sanding of the caprails and bulwarks. Still lots to do but we're making progress. We've already sanded and undercoated the boom. There are also the cabin coamings and coachroof to do so we will be busy. Some of it hasn't been done since NZ so a bit of deferred maintenance. WE bought some material used in building to cover the decks for protection against boatyard workers' dirty shoes which they won't remove and of course the sun. It's now getting up to close to 30C in the afternoons so summer is not far away. 

The Anna Hotel is comfortable but some frustrations. We have a 2 hotplate cooker but only 1 works. The solution as far as the guys who run this place is to swap with another room - never mind that there will just be other complaints in the future! We priced a new cooker the other day in a store similar to Mire 10 and it was 147 TRY (NZD51) so it wouldn't be difficult  to replace all of them but the Turks don't seem to think that way - at least not here at the Anna!! Anyway, we've now got one with 2 plates working - no doubt at some other unfortunate guest's experience in the future.

Well that's another fascinating tale of our latest doings for your delectation. There will be more to come....................

Cheers and lotsaluv from us at Fethiye, Turkey.......................................

Jim and Jean

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