October 2007 - Greece, Turkey

ppriby9
Oct 31, 2007
16 min read

October 31, 2007

Turkey | Kemer | Kemer Marina | Artemis Winter berth

Turkey | Kemer | Park looking back at Kemer Marina

Turkey | Kemer| Happy Halloween

Turkey | Kemer | Kemer Marina | Navigator Restaurant terrace | Val and Bob Ouellette and Al

I apologize for not writing sooner but I truly thought I had. Evidently the last log I wrote did not go through. I checked the website and found we had not even arrived here yet. We have been in Kemer, Turkey since Oct. 23 and our friends Val and Bob left us on Oct. 25. This is a beautiful, comfortable marina. The marina is backed by mountains. The people are interesting and quite social. Mostly English speaking people wintering here. We listen to the Cruiser's Net each morning to hear the scheduled events, weather, birthdays,etc. Last Friday we had a fun dinner complete with music, singing and dancing. On Sunday Al and I went with a group to an English breakfast while others went on a three hour hike. The weather is still wonderful with temperatures between 78-85 during the day and dropping to comfortable sleeping weather of 65-70. Monday is market day and Kemer has an excellent one. The fruits and vegetables are fantastic. We've been trying to get the boat back in shape after neglecting her while cruising. We hope to have some work done on her but haven't been to enthused with the quotes we've been given so far. Or friends Steve and Pam are still in Greece heading this way for the winter. We plan to join them next Monday in Marmaris, Turkey by land and sail back with them to Kemer. We have talked to many of you by Skype and we have wireless internet onboard. Emails from momdad@artemis-pribyl.com go to the same address as apribyl@artemis-pribyl.com. We use these addresses and rarely look at the kc0rmx email now that we are in the marina. Happy Halloween.

Love Sally and Al

October 22 & 23, 2007

What a peaceful night Kas Bucak Marina. We went to bed early after our no rest the night before. No one moved a muscle until 8:00 this morning. It started to rain about 5 AM and continued through the morning. Finally about 10:00 we decided to move on. We sailed about a half hour then the wind switched on the nose. Rain and some thunderstorms 3 miles away. But we decided to continue on to Setur Finike Marina in Finike. It's more pleasant in a harbor where we can step off to shore in the rain than sitting at anchor somewhere. We'll have another 35 nm to go to Kemer tomorrow. We noted on the charts today that we are only 130nm from Cyprus and 310nm from the entrance to the Suez Canal:-> We arrived in Finike around 4:15. We plan to go out to dinner if it doesn't start raining again.

Turkey | Finike | Val Bob And Al

Turkey | Finike | Finike Harbor

Tues. Oct. 23 We had a lovely dinner out with Bob and Val in a restaurant just outside of Finike harbor. Val had lamb meatballs which were very good and Al, Bob and I had a lamb casserole. The casserole was like a stir fry of lamb, onions, peppers, and mushrooms in a light sauce. It was quite delicious. We had a salad, wonderful bread and a plate of appetizers which consisted of 4 or 5 different pate for dipping the bread. During the night we had another wild storm. Lots of rain, hail and lightning. The wind was blowing us away from the dock so that was good. We woke to sunshine and no wind. So we are rocking and rolling our way to Kemer under motor. Val and I made omelets and toast for breakfast under weigh. We expect to be in Kemer around 2:00.

Love Sally and Al

Turkey | sailing toward Kalkan| Val Ouellette and Al

October 21 and 22 2007

We arrived at Yesilkoy Limani anchorage 2 nm west of Kalkan just before dark. We enjoyed a lovely evening making grilled shrimp kebobs and rice for dinner. YUM! After dinner we played Scrabble. Sally was the winner :-> About 11:30 the wind began to pick up. Al and I were on anchor watch for about an hour before we decided to start the engine to help hold the boat. We were taking waves over the bow onto the deck at anchorage! Val and Bob took a wave in their forward portlight drenching poor Val. Bob and Al manned the cockpit. What horrendous winds. We finally decided around 2:30 AM to try the bay next to Kalkan town about 2 nm away. But SE winds were just as bad there. We motored slowly around this bay along with two other boats until daylight. Even then it was gusting over 50 knots and it started to rain. A thunderstorm and squall gave us a thrill. One lightning bolt hit very near by. We thought the Turkish gullet anchored in the bay was hit but it wasn't. Pretty scary, wet and tiresome night. We finally put the anchor down around 8:00. But we continued to dance circles around the bay. Al, Val and Bob tried to rest for an hour or so while I was on anchor watch. Unfortunately by 9:30 they were up again with another squall.

Turkey | Kas | Kas Bukak Marina

Turkey | Kas | Kas Town Harbor

By 10:30 the sun came out and the skies cleared. We decided to head to an unfinished marina Kas Bucak Marina about 18 nm away. We had to pound into the SE seas and swells (over 4 meters)the whole way but we were rewarded with a quite protected harbor at the end:-> We had a late lunch around 2:00 then walked into Kas town to have a look around. We had naps and showers before grilling our steaks and baked potatoes. We are hoping for a quiet night tonight.

Love Sally and Al

Turkey | Fethiye | Telmessos - Greek Theater

Turkey | Fethiye | Lycean Rock Tombs

Turkey | Fethiye

Turkey | Aegean Sea |Fethiye | anchorage

October 20, 2007

We arrived in Fethiye, Turkey around 6:00 last night and enjoyed a lovely spacious anchorage. Turkey so far is not at all what we expected. The marinas are full of beautiful yachts and the towns offer everything you may find in a US or European town. Both Marmaris and Fethiye were rebuilt after 1958 earthquakes. So most of the buildings are quite modern with the old intermixed. We happened upon a shoe repairman who was finally able to replace the clasps on Al's favorite walking sandals. He's been looking for months :-> We visited the ruins of a Greek theater, medieval fort and in the cliffs above the town several Lycian rock tombs. A little boy found us wandering around trying to find our way. He said in perfect English. "Do you want the fort or the tombs?" Then he proceeded to show us the way. Asking Al his name and how old he is and then he told his name and that he was eleven. Once there he said, "You have Turkish money?" He's well on the road to being a Turkish business man. We visited the bazaar area after and shopped for fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and bread. The sky looked very threatening but we got a favorable weather report for heading toward Antalya. Not much wind possible rain but no storms. The other direction had gale force winds and high seas. We plan to either anchor or moor in Kalkan tonight about 38 nm. Happy Birthday to my sister Katie!

Love Sally and Al

October 19, 2007

We had a lovely dinner in Marmaris, Turkey last night thanks to Bev. She recommended a place that cruisers and locals go to. It was excellent and inexpensive. The Turkish lira is equal to 1.16 American (1.65 Euro)So now we have an easier time figuring what we are really spending. After dinner we walked around downtown Marmaris. It's not anything like we expected. It's a major Tourist town with 10 kilometers of waterfront and huge shopping malls. The shop keepers and restaurant owners are milling about trying to draw you into their establishment. They spoke excellent English and knew just how to joke and play with the customer to get them to stop for at least a few moments even if we didn't want too. We learned quick that you could distract them by asking directions to some place. They quickly became helpful, explaining how to find what we wanted and didn't continue trying to sell us anything. Friendly happy people. I noticed three different people humming as they completed our paper work yesterday. We've been told this overly friendliness will wear on us after a while. But for now we find it a pleasant change. Port Marmaris is Turkey's largest and most luxurious marina. The bathrooms/shower complexes were clean, decorative and spacious. It has a swimming pool, shopping mall, and entertainment center ajoined to the complex. The old town of Marmaris is a short stroll over a canal bridge. We wished we had more time to explore but we only have 5-6 days to cruise the coast before Val and Bob need to fly out to Istanbul. Today we are motoring again about 44 nm to Fethye.

Love Sally

Turkey | Port Marmaris | Netzel Marina

Thurs Oct. 18

Al and I cleared Artemis and us out of Greece early. (charged 5.80 Euro exit fees) We left the dock by 9:00 and arrived at Port Marmaris, Turkey around 1:30. Beautiful day, but wind was on the nose (what little we had) so we motored the 25nm to Marmaris. We hired a taxi driver and 2 hours later after back tracking offices several times. We were the proud owners of our Turkish Transit log (40 Euro), Visas (30 Euro for two), health certificate, and properly stamped into the country. Most places except Euro's or the Turkish Lira. We visited Half Moon in the harbor. Bev and Tom left our marina, Port Superior 17 years ago and have sailed nearly around the world. They came up the Red Sea last year and now are in Turkey. What a fun visit. We're on our way our to dinner so I'll write to more people later.Love Sally and Al

Greece | Aegean Sea | Dodecanese Islands | Rhodes Island | Rhodes

Wed. Oct. 17 We dragged poor jet lagged Val and Bob off the boat by 10:00 to see the beautiful city of Rhodes. We went to the museums first starting with the Kastello-The Palace of the Grand Master of Rhodes. Fascinating...We wandered the city and had a marvelous lunch in Ovriaki district and ice cream in Ippokratous Square. It's amazing how quickly the day flies by with beautiful sights to see and fun friends to share it with. We took showers and fueled up the boat as we plan to head for Turkey in the morning We grilled steaks and enjoyed the evening aboard Artemis

Greece | Aegean Sea | Dodecanese Islands | Rhodes Island | Apollo's Temple

October 16, 2007

Al and I spent the day finishing provisioning the boat in Rhodes, Greece. We visited the Roman ruins and Apollo's temple before returning the rental car. Bob and Val arrived safely without luggage but only for a few hours. By the time we got back from dinner their luggage had arrived. It's sure great having visitors from home! Great conversation, memories, laughs and fun gifts from home.

Mon. Oct. 15, 2007 The boat yanked and pulled all night in Rhodes as the wind and seas picked up.(20-30 kts) The catamaran that had pulled in on our port side hauled anchor and left early this morning. Our anchor dragged a little after that but reset eventually so after lunch we decided to rent a car to buy provisions. We visited four large grocery stores. We only need to decide on a beer to buy. Al picked up 3 different samples to try and then we'll go back tomorrow and buy some cases. It was quite fun trying to unload the car and put things on board with the stern jumping all around. But we succeeded without losing anything to the harbor :-> Wind is still blowing 15-20 and we're moving around a bit. Hopefully it'll be all gone by the time Val and Bob arrive from Duluth, MN tomorrow.

Greece | Aegean Sea | Dodecanese Islands | Rhodes Island | Mandraki Harbor

Greece | Aegean Sea | Dpdecamese Os;amds | Rhodes |

Sun. Oct. 14, 2007

During the night and early morning we had more rain. We took an umbrella and rain jackets when we left for church but ended up carrying them. Had an English breakfast after church then walked around Old Town. We're saving the museums for when Val and Bob are here. We went back to the boat to change into cooler clothes then went to New Town to find a car rental and take pictures of the mansions and government buildings. Back at the marina we visited The Tower of St. Nicholas, The Tower of St. Paul and The Tower of Naillac. The wind piped up and it started to sprinkle so we headed back to the boat. Force 7 expected through tomorrow so we pulled further off the quay and stayed aboard for the evening. We added bigger lines and a spring line. Love Sally and Al

Sat. Oct. 13, 2007 Today is organize the boat and defrost the freezer day. Al took the laundry up to the cleaners (10 loads). The freezer/refrig is always a big job to tackle but now it's ready for provisioning for Turkey. The v berth is emptied of junk, cleaned and ready for company. Unfortunately by the time we had the boat back in order huge black clouds moved in so we stayed close to the boat. We took showers and bought a few things for dinner at the marina mini market. Some rain but most of the thunder/lightning storm stayed east of us toward Turkey.

Greece | Aegean Sea | Dodecanese islands | Rhodes | Mandraki Harbor

Greece | Aegean Sea | Dodecanese islands | Rhodes Island | Mandraki Harbor

October 12 , 2007 We had to move the boat over onto a different quay as the charter boats were due back in Rhodes Mandraki port today. We wandered around old town some more. It's by far one of the more interesting places we've visited since Athens. The part of town occupied by the Knights (the collachium) has been restored almost completely to its medieval form. The Burgo or residences of the town-dwellers have been restored also. Entrance to the old city is by way of three old gates and four that have been created in modern times. The castle has 2.5 kilometers of walls. We found a laundry for 3 Euro's a load wash, dry and fold. We plan to take all our bedding, afghans, towels, cushion covers,jeans and current dirty clothes there tomorrow. We also found a Catholic Church for Sunday. We walked for miles along the shore thinking the new harbor they have started was closer. It wasn't and we finally took a taxi back to the boat for 4 Euro. What a zoo. The charter boats started coming in around 5:00 and they just sandwiched them in. We were on the end of the quay but to our starboard they had one so close we could hear the people breathing next door. After dinner we took a walk around the new town of Rhodes along the water front.

Greece | Aegean Sea | Rhodes Island | City of Rhodes

October 10 & 11, 2007

We had a lovely dinner on the water front with Eva and Johann last night and saw them off this morning. We went out for breakfast and then decided to move to Pethi Bay on Simi Island about 6nm away. Very picturesque, quiet anchorage. We didn't go ashore, simply enjoyed the anchorage. October 11 We pulled anchor around 8 AM and motored to Rhodes. No wind but some good size rollers from the west. We expect someone was getting some wind. We arrived around 11:30 and moored in the charter boat area of Mandraki Harbor. We have to move tomorrow as the boats will start coming back from their charters. We met an American couple we had met last summer in Carthegena Spain on a catamaran. They will be leaving in the morning so we can move over into their spot. We took a walk around the old town. What a fascinating place. We are so glad we came early. The castle around the harbor and the old town has to cover at least twelve city blocks. Lots to see here in town as well as on the island.

Love Sally and Al

October 8 & 9, 2007

Simi Harbor on Island of Simi, Greece is a great harbor. The town is so picturesque surrounding the harbor on all three sides, climbing high up the mountainside. I feel like a mountain goat. We've spent the last two days exploring. The blue, amber, cream and rose colored houses have been built one on upon the other up the steep sides. Stairways and narrow alleys lead up from the harbor but it's like a maze trying to find your way. At times we would circle around and be where we had been 15 minutes earlier. Neat old building some are being restored but many are major fixer uppers for sale. One of the biggest obstacles would be getting supplies to the building sites. There are very few roads. We met one man with a string of donkeys hauling supplies on their backs. There is actually another little town center halfway up the mountainside that we missed yesterday. We walked out on the peninsula with remains of a castle and 20 windmills. We could see both Simi harbor and Pethi harbor on the other side. We plan to go out to dinner with Eva and Johan tonight as they are leaving for Marmaris tomorrow to meet a friend. We haven't decided if we will move on yet or not. There are a couple of nice anchorages on Simi which are an option before heading for Rhodes.

Love Sally and Al

October 7, 2007

We found a little Catholic Church (a memorial to Italian WWI officers who were killed by the Germans)and went to mass last night. The priest said mass in English and German. We left Kos early this morning about 7:45. The boat next to us was over our anchor but we got it out without too much trouble. Very little wind so we motor sailed the 40nm to Limon Simi Harbor on Simi Island. We are only 25 nm from Rhodes Harbor where we plan to meet Our friends Val and Bob from Duluth MN next week. Johan and Eva will leave from here for Marmaris Turkey. We probably won't go to Rhodes until next Sunday or Monday. So we'll have plenty of time to explore Simi and get the boat ready for company. Sadly we are missing Al's Mom and Dad's 60th Wedding Anniversary mass and party today. But we are with them in spirit.

Love Sally and Al

Kos town street

October 6, 2007 Today we finally walked around the Old Town of Kos beginning with the fort in the harbor. We were quite surprised to find a smaller fort inside of the bigger one. Our boats are tied to the quay right below the outer wall. The town of Kos is quite beautiful with streets lined with palm trees and colorful flowers. First built in 336 BC then rebuilt by the Romans after and earthquake in 142 BC Later another earthquake and it was rebuilt in Byzantine style. Then the Frankish rule came the castles and then the Turks made their print on Kos. The Italian occupation began in 1912 and finally Kos joined Greece again in 1948. Lots to see in town. Extensive ruins, ancient walls, temples, sanctuaries, agoras, theater, mosaic floors, Byzantine churches, hot baths, houses and castles. We enjoyed walking by the shops in Old Town, visiting the large shady plane tree Hippocrates supposedly taught beneath and the apostle Paul later preached Christianity. We had lunch before heading back to use the internet and get our transit log stamped as we plan to move on tomorrow to the Island of Symi.

Love Sally and Al

Fri. Oct. 5, 2007

We were up early to shower before meeting Eva and Johan to continue our adventure exploring the Island of Kos. We headed for Asklepieion to the remains of Asclepeia (the sacred hospitals). The doctors were priests who passed the secrets revealed to them by the gods from father to son. Hippocrates eventually came here to study and was considered the most brilliant medical intellect of ancient Greece. He introduced the idea of burning the corpses, separating the healthy from the sick and boiling all drinking water which ended a terrible epidemic in Athens. He wrote that "healing of the body can not be separated from the health of the mind". Health may be gained by obedience to spiritual laws which improve thought and improve wits. People must know how to live and think. He also introduced diet and exercise as treatment for patients. Even the approach to Asklepieion was spectacular. The road is lined with Cypress trees and the ruins are on a hill surrounded by woods. There are three levels or terraces. Next we visited the little village of Zia, high up a winding trail. We had lunch overlooking the valley and sea below. We drove the coastal road back to Kos and beyond to Empros Thermes where mineral hot springs run into the sea. People come to bath and cure their ailments. Since it was our last day with the car we drove to a large supermarket for supplies and to find diesel oil for our boats.

Greece |Aegean Sea | Dodecanese Islands | Kos Island | Fortress Antimostria

Greece | Aegean Sea | Dodecanese Islands | Kos Island | beach Agios Ioannis Theologos

Thurs. Oct. 4, 2007

We rented a car for two days with Johan and Eva to explore Kos Island. We had great fun exploring the western end of the island today. We started in Kephalos driving the scenic road above the village overlooking a beautiful anchorage. We followed a mountain track to the beach of Agios Ioannis Theologos and then found our way back to Kephalos for lunch. Then we explored the ruins the Basilica of St. Stephens. We drove to Antimacheia and visited the remains of a Venetian castle. Our final destination for the day was the ruins of the Byzantine town of Palaio Pyhli perched on a crag above the village of Pyli. We met a young couple who had found the village ruins but said it was impossible to climb and very dangerous trail to the castle. I think we looked to old for such a thing as we enjoyed the village and easily found a trail leading to the castle. It was crumbly and steep but by no means dangerous. Great views everywhere we went today. The sun began to set so we headed back to Kos. It was a fun, full day.

Greece | Aegean Sea | Dodecanese Islands | Kos Island | Eva and Johann s/y Northern Lights

Wed. Oct. 3, 2007 We still couldn't use our SSB/Ham radio. Too much static. Others are having difficulty too so we expect it's because of the Navel Base in the bay. We left Lakki, Leros Island for Vathi on Nisos Kalimnos (15 nm)at about 9:00. We had a good sail with 15-20 kts off the stern until we reached Vathi. Then it was gusting off the shore 25-35. Fortunately Northern Lights was about half hour ahead of us and they checked out Vathi. It was gusting 35 and they watched another boat go aground trying to back into the quay so they left. We decided to head for Kos Marina about 12 nm away. Unfortunately they had no room at the new marina but we were able to get into the Old Port of Kos. It's a very protected harbor but we had to drop an anchor and back in. The wind kept taking the boat around. So it took us a while to get moored. Johan and Eva had us over for a beer and we plan to go out to dinner together tonight.

Love Sally and Al

Tues. Oct. 2

We decided to stay another day and go visit the Tunnel War Museum on Leros Island. It was quite interesting set up in hillside tunnels used during the war for ammunition bunkers and bomb shelters for the citizens. The Germans won the war in 1943 taking possession of the Island from the Italians and the English. Later after the war the English took possession again until Leros was given back to the Greeks during the Peace Treaty. We met our Canadian friends Johan and Eva (Northern Lights) there. So we walked for a while and went for a beer. We decided to walk around town to look at the Deco architecture and mansions. We plan to leave Leros tomorrow.

October 1, 2007

Monday We walked to the large supermarket out of town and to the fresh fruit and vegetable market. The supermarket was expensive but the produce market was excellent. We met some people on a charter boat. The one man's daughter is married to the Fire Chief of Burnsville. Small world. We took an hour walk to the Tunnel War Museum but it was closed for the day. So we walked the shore toward the harbor entrance. What a lovely island. It's fun to smell the pine trees again after such barren islands in the Cyclades.

#Greece #2007 #Turkey #Kemer