XIII - Altanya Körfezi II

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XII - Antalya Körfezi.

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XIV - Visitors on the Lycian Coast.

Log Entry Monday 2nd September - Back into Kas Marina.

It is back to the marina today to get ready for Peter arriving, there are also some issues on board that need sorting before he arrives and we set off again. We wake early as normal, well perhaps a little earlier than the norm, a little too much over indulgence in the restaurant last night - plenty of coffee and fluids!

We get ready and wait until mid-morning for wind, the forecast is for light winds, we leave eventually with non at all and motor out of the Roads.

The waters are quiet, we are soon out into open water.

We head out a little to try and find wind, still non, eventually we settle down to the fact that we are very likely to motor all twenty miles back to Kas!

That is basically what we did, the wind never materialised, eventually we reach the Greek island of Kastellórizon and the associated islands offshore and make our way through them.

The most exciting point of the trip was running the gauntlet of day tripper boats coming down from Kas Harbour.

The ferry from Rhodes, making for Kastellórizon approaches as we turn up into Buçak Deniz towards Kas Marina - boring trip!

Log Entry Sunday 1st September - An afternoon in Üçagiz.

We love the dawn, seems almost the best part of the day some how, certainly cooler, we are surprised how few vessels there are here, three at anchor in total, we put ourselves in the westerly section this time, we normally choose the easterly as this is too full?

We head ashore, following me replacing our failed domestic water pump, for a little shopping and to secure accommodation for our friend, assisted by Mehmet. As we sit and chat we notice work going on on a small Turkish boat along side the quay, the bowsprit and mast had broken yesterday, it is a form of income so it needs repairing. They have secured a second hand replacement mast from somewhere, it is already on deck, we watch them take a chainsaw to the damaged mast, they fell it like a tree! We will pop back over this evening, in true Turkish style it will probably be repaired and ready for it's customers in the morning?

Log Entry Saturday 31st August - We leave Cauvas Limani, time to make our way back towards Kas, visitors coming!

We wake fairly early as normal, one of the sailboats that arrived last night had already left an hour or so ahead of us - he turned south as we would, so the race could be on! We lifted our anchor and left the Limani, passing our favour house on the southern peninsula!

As we turned south our racing partner, not that he knew it, was already rounding the headland some five miles ahead of us but that means nothing to us, sorry I mean me! Ann just looks at me in a dismissive way as I talk about the race?

We motored on, it was to be a cloudy day with 25% probability of thunderstorms, the cloud and conditions did not dispute that. We traveled for a while before we saw any traffic at all, then the first early morning gullet came from the south.

Our journey down the coastline is very pleasant, a very dramatic, mountainous, quite over powering, the island of Suluada to the east soon came out of the low cloud and mist.

We are always surprised by the volume and the distances these small open dinghy's travel, sometimes difficult to under stand where or why they are there, but I suppose as the only form of transport for many?

We now have our racing colleges in our sights ahead of us motoring towards Taslik Burnu and Besadalar (Five Islands) we will both take the channel between and turn west, the race is still on in my mind!

As we round Taslik Burnu the wind whips up from the east, our colleges ahead with canvas flying, the wind is now dead astern, perfect for Sailaway. Our friends (well the boat in front) struggles to keep the canvas full as the wind varies, we go on headsail alone, easier to manage and start churning up the distance at five knots or more at times - we are gaining, Ann seems un interested?

Leaving Besadalar behind, but not the swim gear from our early morning dip, our friends head further north towards Finike and continue to gibe to the north of us, we continue on a direct coarse for Kekova Roads, the wind now moving onto our starboard rear quarter, it will probably go south/southwest as normal?

As the wind moves through the south, we raise more sail, our friends disappeared from sight into the mist, to our disappointment the wind carried on the south west and began to fall off slightly - more canvas up to suit! Ann keeps telling me to sit still as she reads her kindle below deck - she, as a female does not understand the pressure!

As the wind drops further, we are now close to the wind and making best possible speed, I sit disappointed as our ex-friends appear out of the mist, they too are making for Kekova, but as a much lighter, 36 foot vessel have a significant advantage, that is my excuse!

Ann asks how the race is going on from below decks, breaking momentarily form her Kindle. "They have just entered Kekova Roads" I replied. "So they won after all then?" Ann said. "No, I replied, they left an hour ahead of us and we are 45 minutes away - we have won by 15 minutes!" We had a little debate over a coffee as to the accuracy of my statement but who cares, in a total a nine hour trip, seven of them under sail - a great trip, great day!

Log Entry Thursday 29th August - After a terrible night we leave Olympus and return back to Cauvas Limani.

The anchorage in which we sat last night was described as "uncomfortable" in our pilotage, that was more of an under statement! We rolled until the very early hours of this morning, I sat up top for a number of those hours. We had decided to risk it as there were six other boats, five of them were Turkish gullets. Our thoughts were, well, they must know this anchorage, and if it is OK for them - it's Ok for us, still one lives and learns!

As the sun came up the anchorage looked very angelic, nothing would tie the night and morning view together. You could imagine the old, at that time navigable river running into the sea, fortifications either side, trading vessels moving too and fro?

The rest of the large bay looked just as attractive, the other vessels with us had just as an uncomfortable night as we had, I had seen then bouncing around in the darkness, every thing this morning looked so pleasant.

Still, we were to begin our trip back towards Kas to pick up our friend Peter, arriving from the USA. We were first to make the short trip back to Cauvas Limani, catch up on our sleep then slowly make our way back the sixty mile or so west, we soon left our uncomfortable night behind us.

We left with no wind at all, just happy to leave, the wind when it did come would all be local and light, we soon passed Çineviz Limani, one of our favourite spots and continued down the coastline.

It was only as we rounded the northern point of Cauvas Limani did we have any wind at all, with the island of Suluada to the south of us we turned into Cauvas Limani.

The Limani was a lot quieter than our last visit, only one sailboat at anchor and he was leaving as we arrived, still a much better night ahead after a little shopping trip ashore and a coffee of coarse!

Log Entry Wednesday 28th August - We explore the ancient city of Olympus.

We make the short trip from Çineviz Limani across over to Olympus less than three miles in distance very quickly.

The ruins of Olympus are centred around the old river bed, at one time navigated for trading etc.

On the south shore of the river bed is said to be ruins of an old Medieval Fortress, inaccessible now due to growth over the centuries.

On the north shore, more fortifications visible, all of these ports were in their time at the mercy of pirates, and Arab invaders, some instrumental to the ports downfall?

With anchor down we prepare to go ashore then we notice "no anchoring signs" on the beech "due to archeological reasons" the sigh declare. We lift anchor and move further north up the coastline towards a number of commercial trip boats at anchor and one sailboat. We reset our anchor and make our way ashore, the signs are recent as our information only infers that anchoring may be banned at some time, but an understandable action.

We head ashore and pop into one of the beech cafes for refreshments and additional drinking water to take on our adventure, we head towards the old river bank along the beech. The beech has been declared an no entry zone, no picnics etc, it is a declared "Loggerhead Turtle breeding zone". No one appears to be taking notice of the signs, sun worshipers already lining the beech ahead, we continue on.

Olympus is divided into two areas by Akçay (Olympus) Creek, Olympus in Anatolian means "Great Mountain", coins have been found dating the area back to 168 - 78 B.C. Christianity is believed to have arrived early, the first Bishop recorded as Methodist was executed by Emperor Diocletion around 312 A.D.

The main route into the ruins is a road, of a fashion, following the river inland, ruins of walls and what used to be the old city bridge are clearly visible. The road also doubles as a route to a car park so it is quite busy, people walking into the area with us just walk straight past the kiosk with a 5tl entry sign without paying, we do the same and are not questioned? We have seen many times in Turkey that payments such as these seem almost voluntary, we have watched many Turks just do not pay, to westerners we are culturally different - we naturally pay?

The entrance is decorated with a couple of monumental tombs, there origin a little unclear from the information supplied, we continue past down the track, photographing the notice board as a map and information source.

We are directed off the track through a thick overgrown pathway that resembles a form of drain channel of aqueduct.

The visit then becomes very strange, every thing is densely overgrown, relicts of architecture lie everywhere but no information supplied, we begin to feel better about not paying like everyone else?

As you look around you there is clearly a derelict town/city, a relatively good pathway leads you on with only occasional areas of boulders to clamber over.

There are examples of further monumental tombs, you feel like one of those explorers you see in the movies having found a lost city?

It is up to yourselves and try and create your interpretation of what you see, and there is plenty to see through the occasional natural clearing.

We are then pointed along a path towards what was described as "A building with mosaics" on the map at the entrance.

We came to it eventually, the mosaics unfortunately were difficult to make out without a camera zoom, they were bleached from the sun.

We decide enough is enough in this area, we had seen all that was signposted so we return the only way possible, the way we came.

We walked a little further down the main track and then follow another signpost to a Church and a Roman Temple, having looked at them and read what little information that was available we returned back to the main track. Most of the exhibits have clearly been rebuilt?

Further on ahead we could make out the car park, the area is somewhat disappointing perhaps if more information was available it would help, we had read through a couple of regional books but information is very sparse - we decide to return towards Sailaway without even visiting the other side of the river. The going through the under growth and rock paths was hard and now very hot!

The beech was now very busy, we return along the beech to try and find a shop for bread etc?

We end up in one of the beech side cafes and have dinner there, the prices clearly at Turkish tourist rates, we sat and chatted keeping an eye on Sailaway from the cafe.

The forbidden anchorage now had about ten vessels anchored in it, both commercial and pleasure, we have peace and quiet where we are, that is a bonus?