July 2008 - Israel, Southern Cyprus, Turkey
July 28, 2008
Hi All We left Wall Bay at 6 AM this morning and we motor sailed about 50 nm to Serce Liman about 16 nm SW of Marmaris. We're in a fjord type bay anchored near Captain Nemo's Restaurant. The wind is howling down the bay. It really piped up just as we were coming in gusting 35 but hopefully it'll calm down when the sun sets. I guess we need to get an earlier start to keep ahead of the afternoon meltemi winds. We plan to dingy into the restaurant for something to eat later. We went in for a swim and the water is much colder than we've experienced so far. More than refreshing. Not sure yet if we'll make another big jump toward Bodrum tomorrow or go to one of the many nice spots in the area. Hope all is well. Love and God Bless Sally and A
July 24, 2008
Hi All We had a nice couple of days in Fethiye. We were able to make the weekly open market which was quite marvelous. They not only have a huge produce market but clothing, shoes, household goods, linens etc. The weather continues to be very hot but at anchorage there's a nice breeze and the sun cover keeps it lots cooler. We wait until after dark and take a swim each night followed by a fresh water shower which cools us for a nice sleep. The fans run until early morning when it finally really cools off just before the sun comes up to make it hot all over again.
Today we moved to Boynuz Buku, a fjord-like bay with pine forests on two sides and deciduous trees and oleander on the other. There are two creeks emptying into the bay which cools the water temperature. Fethiye bay was between 85-90 degrees like bath water. Strong winds are predicted from the west for the next few days so we plan to stay in the Gocek area until Sunday or Monday. There are lots of all weather bays in the area to choose from so we'll move around or stay put until then. It's fun seeing people from the EMYR again and catching up on what everyone has been doing. Hope everyone is well and enjoying nice summer weather. Love and God bless Sally and Al
July 18, 2008
Hi All We finally left the comfort of our air conditioning and started cruising again. It's not bad at anchorage as a breeze flows and we have our fans. We had some winds for sailing the first day then yesterday we sailed for a few hours in the morning then the wind switched right on the nose. We are in Kekova Roads today enjoying this beautiful bay and getting some odd jobs done. Al scraping varnish and me polishing stainless. The sun covers Al made for the boat this spring sure help a lot toward keeping it cool down below. We plan to move west tomorrow about 25 nm to Kalkan. We want to get as far west as we can early (meltemi winds come from the west and NW) and then work our way back toward Kemer. Mary and Chris are coming to Turkey and we'll be meeting them in Istanbul Sept. 10. Sunshine and lazy days aboard the Artemis. Love and God Bless Sally and Al
July 4, 2008
Hi All We will arrive in Kemer Turkey today about 11 AM. We made a detour and spent a night in Ormos Pissori anchorage on Southern Cyprus. Our friends Steve and Pam came sailing up to us flying their spinnaker from the west. They had some engine problems and knew they needed tp get in somewhere before the evening winds died down. We followed them in in case they needed assistance. But all went well and they safely anchored without our help. We had dinner with them and had nice nights sleep (although a bit rolly).
We left the next morning for the other half of our journey to Kemer about another 30 hours. We had great west winds for sailing most of the afternoon dying down around 8 PM. Then the winds picked up again early morning about 6 from the NE. Mount Olympus looks spectacular from this angle on the sea. We always knew it was the highest peak near Kemer but now we can see it. Hope everyone has a Happy Fourth of July. Love and God Bless Sally and Al
We arrived about 1130 and cleared customs, transit log. Very hot but have the air conditioning on. It's much cooler when at anchor. We have free internet and SKYPE on board :-) We napped and then went to bed early
Love Sally and Al
July 1, 2008
Hi All We left Herzliya, Israel at 9 AM after buying 160 liters of diesel. We were happy to discover we had free electricity for the two weeks we were there especially running the air conditioner. We had great west winds until 4:00 then unfortunately we had to turn the engine on about 4:30. Along about 5:00 we caught a tuna! Not quite as big as the one Sikorra caught but between 15-20 pounds. We cut 6 two inch steaks out of it so we're not complaining. Tuna for dinner tonight. Looks like a quiet night passage maybe the wind will pick up later. We're undecided if we'll stop in Cyprus or continue on to Turkey. It all depends on how we feel and what time of day we arrive.
Love and God Bless Sally and Al
