It's great to have visitors!

After Jan and Colin left I had a week on my own at Yes Marina. It was hard at first, getting used to being alone again and really not knowing anyone in Fethiye. A friend in Marmaris had introduced me to some of her friends here in Fethiye and I decided now was a good time to contact them. Everyone was very kind and gave me lots of helpful information, even helped me sort out my application for residency. This would solve the problems caused by the new visa regulations which only allow tourists to stay 90 days within any 180 days. I did more boat jobs and kept myself busy during the day and began to explore the area. I met some of the folk at the marina, including Harry on a very large power boat, who later took Mike and me out for a short 'spin' around the bay!


Mike arrived on 14th May and we dined at the fish market restaurant and planned our week.










As Mike had not been to Turkey before it seemed a good opportunity to show him a little of the area. Tuesday is market day so we biked down to town, had a look around the thousands of clothes and  food stalls, stopped for Turkish pancakes for lunch, and then in the afternoon, took the little ferry from Fethiye to Chalis, which is the more toursisty, beach area.

The weather at this point was, unfortunately, still a bit unsettled so on more cloudy or wet days we did visits. We took the dolmus to the deserted village of Koya Kuyu, which had been inhabited by Greek Orthodox Christians until 1923 when, following the war of Independence, the  compulsory population exchange took place and entire villages, like this one, were exiled and forced to go to Greece, where many had in fact never lived.



We took a day trip to the ancient site of Tlos which has examples of Lycian, Roman and Ottoman buildings, including several rock tombs!









We also visited the river gorge at Saklikent which was still running too high for us to walk through and looking  at the very muddy, fast flowing water I was quite glad not to have to get wet!

We managed to get ourselves a ride on  Harry's boat - Seaburn Princess, a  large motor boat berthed near Matapan at 'Yes Marina!  This was certainly my first 'motor boat' experience - well,apart from those Geoff and I used to look at the the Boat Show!!!









As Mike is not a sailor and I did not feel confident enough to take him out on my own, two other 'yotties' from Yes Marina, kindly offered to come out with us for a couple of day sails. We had two great sails and enjoyed lunch in two of the many anchorages in the bays around Fethiye.

We had 10 great days together and I really enjoyed introducing Mike to Fethiye, one of my favourite parts of Turkey, and to Turkish breakfast ...in the sunshine!

Thank you Mike for coming out to visit me and for being great company.

It is always a sad day when visitors leave and I go back to the boat on my own. However, I only had a few days now to get ready for my next visitors...Paul and Sandra! We had  arranged to have an RYA instructor on board with us for 3 days so Paul and Sandra had just a day to get used to being on board before we set off with Peter Jackson, our instructor, to begin their  ICC course, (International Certificate of Competence).



 We set off across Fethiye Bay and spent our first night in Sarsala Bay, after a good day's sail with lots of navigation practice, helming and sail trimming.

At the end of  3 days intensive training and continual assessment we celebrated back at Yes Marina where Paul and Sandra duly receieved their ICC!! After a day's rest from sailing we then headed back out, by ourselves this time, to enjoy the peace and beauty of the bays!


It was really lovely having Paul and Sandra on board,and Peter was a great instructor, whose company we all enjoyed, and who finally persuaded me that I should take a berth in the larger, official marina in Fethiye - Ece Saray.

It was a good decision, and before Paul and Sandra left to go home we had sorted out an annual berth at Ece Saray, and Matapan was safely tucked up on E pontoon!

My last visitor this Spring was Peter, work colleague and very good friend of Geoff's, who, despite having helped with much of the original fitting out - all those years ago, had never actually sailed on Matapan. Peter has, himself, sailed for many, many years and I hoped that he would enjoy a little trip out to the bays and maybe a night or two at anchor. This would be yet another first, for me. Whilst I had berthed on pontoons overnight in the bays I had not actually spent a night at anchor yet. This seemed an ideal opportunity! After quite a long day's sail and much searching for for a good spot to anchor we eventually anchored in a little bay I had visited with Jan and Colin several weeks ago. It was idyllic!  Just one other boat - we had the place almost to ourselves.It was so peaceful we stayed 2 nights and just relaxed in the warm sunshine. We had another day sail with my dear friends, Chris and Claire  ( from s/v Vonasi)  who had just arrived in Fethiye. We sailed to Boynuz Buku Bay where we attempted to anchor AND tie back to the shore 

 In Matapan this is not an easy manoeuvre - mainly due to her reluctance to go backwards in a straight line... but after much effort I did finally manage it, with a great deal of help from my friends!!








Shortly after Peter left I packed up the boat and flew home...the temperature having now reached 40+ it was definitely time to get back to the cooler climate of UK!!!

With all her summer covers on Matapan is now quite well protected from the harmful rays of the Turkish summer sun! I look forward to getting back on board in September!

Back on board Matapan

As many of you know, I have decided to keep Matapan and to sail her in Turkey this summer. I felt that Matapan was so special and such an important part of Geoff's life that I could not bear to part with her.  She had not been painted since Spring 2009 and her topsides had deteriorated quite badly in the last year or so.  I arrived in Marmaris on 26th March and organised for the boat to be hauled out  of the water and re-painted. It all seemed very daunting and at times I felt truly overwhelmed by the task of trying to restore this boat to the very high standards Geoff has always set.

With help from my dear friends, Liz and Laurie who came from Greece, for 10 days we managed to get most of the work done in two weeks. Looking all smart and gleaming again Matapan was  re-launched on 14th April.

Once afloat again Laurie helped me to get all the running rigging and sails back on before he and Liz caught the ferry  back to Greece. I waved my dear friends a sad farewell - I owed them so much, I could never have achieved the re-fit without them.

I then continued the many little 'jobs' there were to do on Matapan but began to give serious thought to how to maintain her and prevent more sun damage. I had a sun awning made to cover the middle part of the boat and give more shade - for me and Matapan! The clear plastic panels allow sun light to reach the solar panels on the roof of the wheel house.

I had two pvc 'skirts' made that would cover Matapan's topsides from stem to stern, when she is not being sailed, to keep off the harmful summer sun.

And finally, I ordered a stainless steel ladder to hook over the bowsprit, as an alternative to the passerelle that I always found too steep to climb safely!

My next aim was to learn some boat handling skills. Dealing with the boat at sea has never been a problem - there is plenty of space there, but I always left the close quarters work to Geoff. So just getting in and out of the berth at Netsel marina was going to be quite a challenge in itself. Through friends, I found Foxy! I had three sessions with this ever patient, very supportive instructor and with his help I have slowly begun the long journey to becoming a more confident sailor. Thank you Foxy!

My dear and very experienced sailing friends, Jan and Colin arrived on 27th April and they
took over from Foxy, helping me each day, to practise controlling the boat, anchoring and getting in and out of the berth!

Marmaris to Fethiye

Early on Tuesday morning, 2nd May,we left the berth at Netsel and motored out of Marmaris Bay heading for Fethiye. We had hoped that the wind would kick in around lunch time, but no such luck!  Still motoring after 4 hours we found ourselves rolling about in a swelly sea with little wind. A couple of hours of motor sailing with just a headsail up was all we managed under sail that day! We arrived at Kapi Creek, just inside Fethiye Bay, and were all tied up at the restaurant pontoon by 4.00 pm. We enjoyed one or two celebratory drinks on board and then a very good evening meal at Kapi Creek restaurant!!

Kapi Creek

After a late, large Turkish breakfast and a walk over the hill to the hamlet of Kapi Creek we set off across the bay to Fethiye town and 'Yes' Marina where Matapan will be berthed for the next few weeks. We had to motor yet again in light winds under a grey and cloudy sky. We looked in to several of the 'bays' which were all still very peaceful and quiet - too early yet for gullets and charter boats! Some bays now have buoys to tie up to rather than having to anchor in deep water and tie back to the shore. Whether this is to replace all anchoring in these bays is not yet clear..... we shall have to wait and see what happens this summer!

We arrived at 'Yes' Marina by 4.00 pm and,as Jan and Colin had spent several summers here with their boat, we were warmly welcomed by the owner and staff.

Matapan at 'Yes Marina' Fethiye

A very big thank you to Jan and Colin for helping me achieve so much in the 10 days they spent here with me. With their support I am now learning to manoeuvre Matapan in small spaces, anchor and park her safely. I have a very long way to go yet but I feel I have taken the initial steps towards keeping the dream alive, and taking Matapan on the next stage of her adventures.I hope Geoff is watching over us and keeping us safe.

Ski-ing trip in French Alpes

Had a great trip to La Rosiere in the French Alpes at the end of February. I went, not to ski, but to be the resident child minder for the lovely Beatrice, and to enjoy the company of my family and friends. The weather was great all week, and the scenery stunning. Bea and I had an excellent time and on the last afternoon we all took her out for her first sledging experience! Great fun!

Birth of Beatrice Nicole Davidson

On 24th April 2011, which was Easter Sunday, the newest member of our family was born to Lucy and Steve Davidson. We welcomed Beatrice Nicole into the world at 11.05 pm, weighing 7lb.13oz











She is now making her presence well known to everyone and her proud mum and dad are currently trying to teach her the the value of prolonged periods of sleep!

Delightful Beatrice is now 6 weeks old growing by the minute! Her lungs seem to be developing well too!

Visit to Bristol 7th to 9th March

We spent a great couple of days, with our friend Peter, in Bristol and enjoyed glorious Spring sunshine throughout our stay.
On Sunday afternoon we walked around the harbour area and looked at all the boats moored alongside. On Monday Peter drove us out to Caerllion (South Wales) to an ancient Roman Fort site complete with amphi-theatre, baths and barracks. It was a lovely day out. We left Bristol on Tuesday morning and after a detour to the Somerset Levels to see George, an old friend of Geoff's, we made our way back home to Suffolk!

Egypt

Escaping the grey skies of UK we went, with our friend Mary, on a 10 day adventure to Egypt, from 7th to 17th January. We were lucky enough to escape the 'people's revolution' that started just days after our return...... still on going as I post this blog!



We had 3 busy days in Cairo, visiting the Pyramids and the Egyptian museum and then flew to Luxor to join The Ra.II for a Nile Cruise to Aswan and back. It was an amazing experience and every day was packed with wonderful sights from the world of Ancient Egypt.

Istanbul

During 5 glorious weeks in Marmaris Geoff managed to get all the exterior varnish work rubbed down and got two coats of varnish on, to protect the wood work throughout the coming winter. He still had plenty of time for afternoon siestas in the sun which I know did him more good than anything else, and aided his excellent recovery.

We had a couple more sails on Bella Sogni, with Lulu,and spent a lovely week-end visiting friends, Bill and Jo (from s/yArctic Blue) in Fethiye.

Finally, we had a wonderful 4 day break with our niece, Lucy, and her husband Steve, in Istanbul. It was our first visit to this beautiful city and it certainly did not disappoint. Our little boutique hotel had a roof terrace which over looked the Blue Mosque, and the weather was good enough on two occasions to have drinks up there and enjoy the splendour and majesty of the domes and minarets of this stunning building.


















Inside, the Blue Mosque was equally grand - the tiled decoration of the pillars, walls and domes was magnificent.
The blue light effect through the stained glass windows added to the spendour.





















Next we visited the Basilica Cistern. This amazing chamber, built in the 6th century, with over 300 marble columns to hold up the vast ceiling,had a capacity of 100,000 tonnes of water!











Topkapi Palace was worthy of a whole day's visit really, but the cold temperatures (a real shock to our systems) kept us in the main buildings and in particular the Harem, which we all found quite fascinating.










Hagia Sofia was grand and imposing. This massive Byzantine church, later Ottoman Mosque has now been turned into a museum and houses some very beautiful mosaics, pillars and coverings.













On Monday,while Steve and Geoff went off to the Turkish Baths (Hamam),Lucy and I took a stroll around the local area and we all met up at the Grand Bazaar!














After delicious fish in bread (the local street food, sold from boats in the harbour) we took a boat trip on the Bosphorus. Sadly the day had,by then, deteriorated and become cold and cloudy,so we spent a lot of time inside the boat!!










On our last morning in Istanbul we took the tram and crossed the bridge, over the Bosphorus, to the Galatea Tower. On this warm and sunny morning the views over Istanbul were quite splendid.

Back in Turkey

There were times this year when we wondered if we would ever get back to Matapan but, finally, here we are in Turkey!!

After a few grey,rainy days the sun has at last made an appearance and we have beautiful blue skies, temperatures in the mid 20s and it feels good to be back.

Most of our first week has been spent socialising with friends who are either leaving Netsel marina for alternative winter venues in the Med, or flying back to UK.
We were very pleased to have got back in time to see them all but realise now that once they have gone there will be no distractions or excuses for not getting on with all the boat jobs we came back to do!


From 3rd to 5th November we went on one of the now famous 'Gwen' trips to Antalya. This was essentially to see the amazing dance performance by Fire of Anatolia (similar to River Dance in UK) at Aspendos but also included visits to some lovely ancient sites like Perge,Phisalis and Myra. A long journey, but well worth it.














On Sunday our friend Lulu invited us out for a sail on the 50 foot Beneteau she is currently caretaking over the winter. This was our first sail since last October and it was lovely to be out on open water again. We even managed to get the sails up for a short while and made the most of the gentle breeze in Marmaris bay.


















Now it is time to get on with the boat jobs - we can put this off no longer!! The weather forecast for the next week is good so we really have no excuse now but to get the external wood work rubbed down and varnished.