Reprieve from having to buy new outboard just yet

 Riza saved us!  Good thing because we learned that there are no more 2-stroke outboards available here.  Last one was sold in 2012.  And we do not want to have to buy a 4-stroke outboard engine until absolutely forced to do so. Our 10-year-old 2-stroke outboard engine had a broken part.  One of those plastic parts cracked and a piece broke off.  The choke and prime assembly bracket that connects to the carburetor, to be specific.  This part was not available locally and had to be sourced.  And was it ever sourced quickly!  We arrived at the marina dock on Monday morning at 09:00 and the outboard immediately was picked up and brought to the shop.  Problem was diagnosed within 1/2 hour and the search was on to locate the new part.  It arrived at Emek Marine early Wednesday morning and we were out of the marina before 10:00.  Off again to enjoy pleasure sailing.

Frank is to the far left and Barbara is to the far right

As mentioned in the previous blog posting, we met up with Frank and Barbara on S/V DESTINY.  Last saw them in New Zealand early May 2009.  DESTINY was recently transported from Phuket to Marmaris.  While awaiting arrival of the transport ship, Barbara traveled to Texas to visit with family and friends.  Luckily for us, she was still in Houston when we discovered the cable problem with the new spare Furuno heading sensor.  We were able to order a new cable and ship it to Barbara in Houston, and she brought it to Turkey.  Isn't it great how sailors help one another!  Bill installed the new cable and all works perfectly now. 

We enjoyed dinner with Frank and Barbara both nights we were in Gocek.  DESTINY was in the D-Marine boatyard for a routine haulout (same boatyard we used).  DESTINY splashed the same time we departed Gocek.  They needed to dock at the marina while a few more work items were completed.  Then they will provision and start their own summer pleasure sailing adventures that are called cruising.  But I'm sure we will connect with Frank and Barbara again, likely in Fethiye or one of the many nearby anchorages.

Concentrating on tacking the boat.

Winds were very light yesterday but we were determined to sail and run the watermaker.  The dock water at the Gocek marina was over 1,000 TDS!!!  No way we were putting that into our water tanks, not even just for cooking and washing.  Wind speed ranged 6 kts to 8 kts and we ever-so-slowly sailed back and forth across the outer big bay making water.  The Med has a higher salinity content than most other places, so the resulting product fresh water has slightly higher TDS.  Here in the Med our watermaker produces water at 350 TDS or lower and that is a far cry better quality than the 1,000 TDS of the Gocek city water supply.

Handling the helm 

Guess we have been wearing Elisabeth out because she has slept a lot more than usual for the past couple of days.  Bill said she must be turning into a teenager a little early.  While sailing yesterday she slept most of the day.  Did get her to sail the boat for a short time.  And she tacked the boat for the first time.  Once was enough for her for now.  Sort of been-there/done-that and don't need to do it again right now.  




Winds were so light that we even sailed through the narrow cut entrance to enormous Fethiye bay rather than take in the sails and turn on the engine as we normally do.  As did at least a dozen other boats around the same time.  Anchor was down by 16:00.

Like our fender holders?  Just slip the little wooden piece
through the hole on the bottom of each fender and let it
 fall into place on the side of the boat.  Makes docking much
faster and easier.  Easy to adjust length of line if needed.

To end a perfect day we enjoyed perfectly grilled steaks and a perfectly lovely bottle of wine -- Pamukkale Anfora Trio, a 2009 blend of Shiraz, Kalecik Karasi (a Turkish grape variety) and Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the best wine we have had in Turkey.  We have 2 more bottles; better look for some more.







Near sunset Bill turned on the 'special' fans to cool down our aft cabin.  That is our stateroom and it is the hottest room on this boat.  This model boat really needs more ventilation for that back room.  

Suck in air to cool far better than nature's breezes

To help alleviate the heat that builds up daily back there, Bill mounted two 24-volt 'truckers' fans on a piece of starboard that wedges in between the stern lazarette deck locker top and the aft hatch.  He added an electrical connection that plugs into the same outlets as our standard Hella ceiling-mounted fans.  These two fans suck the cooler evening/night air down into our sleeping cabin.  

To further help with ventilation, Bill mounted a 24-volt 5-inch X 5-inch 'muffin' fan to a sideport screen.  This is an over-sized fan similar to the smaller fans used inside computers.  He attached the same type electrical connection that allows it to be plugged into the same outlets as our standard Hella ceiling-mounted fans.  

Oversized computer fan sucks hot air to outside
(I am going to clean up the wiring, adding another fan
and a forward-reverse toggle switch...this is temp - Bill)

We place this in the sideport that opens from our rear cabin to the rear of the cockpit.  It can be situated in either direction -- blowing into the cabin or blowing into the cockpit.  We use it to suck hot air out of the rear cabin as the two other fans suck in cooler night air.  Amazing how much this arrangement cools down that rear cabin. Wish we had figured this out years ago.

Nice breeze today and sailing would probably be good.  But we are staying put so Elisabeth can study math and Spanish today.  

Last week when we were moored in Sarsala Koyu for several days, I mentioned the various service and supply boats that visit the anchorages of Skopea Limani.  The bread/bakery boats, the ice cream boats, the Gocek Market Boat and the trash collection boat.  Supposedly there also is a pump-out boat.  Friends have used the pump-out boat so I know it exists -- or at least it existed last year -- but we have never seen it.  When we were motoring up to Gocek on Monday morning we did see a small boat with a huge black tank on it.  Maybe that is the pump-out boat that visits the anchorages to empty sewage holding tanks of the anchored and moored boats. Great idea to keep the anchorages clean.  Our friends said the pump-out boat was free (although one does pay for pump-outs at the marinas).  

Another little boat that visits the anchorages daily is this one.  This is a small family enterprise.  Capitalism at its best.  Husband drives the boat; wife makes pancakes; daughter takes the money and hands up the freshly make hot pancake.  Note that Turkish pancakes are nothing like the pancakes you might be accustomed to eating.  A Turkish pancake is much like an enormous flour tortilla (maybe 22-inches diameter).  It is placed on a hot griddle and cooked for a few moments, then either chocolate or cooked fruit is spread over half, then the bare opposite half is folded over -- producing a filling.  The resulting half-circle filled pancake is then either folded up and handed to the person who ordered it or it is cut into strips and served on a plate.  These are sold all over the place.  A very common treat.  I love this family and what they are doing to earn a living.

Family selling freshly made hot pancakes.  Cooked right next to your anchored boat.

Living with constant stress and don't realize why?

Today I was lamenting on Facebook how very slow the internet connection is in the Skopea Marina in Gocek.  We had been spoiled recently with the ultra-fast internet connections while in Texas for 7 months, and are having difficulty adjusting back to the much-slower speeds of marina WiFi and our Turkcell 3G. A friend back in Texas commented that " You've got your beautiful scenery, history, islands, mountains, oceans, etc. You can't have it all." 

Later this morning I was reading the blog of a younger Canadian couple who just completed their first full year cruising in the Caribbean.  They returned home for a visit.  Her thoughts on the experience:

Coming back to land-lubbing life this past week, we've felt overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the Abundance that surrounds all of us, do you see it? 

It's made us feel a little bit lost and somewhat in limbo. This life of unfriendly stress-filled frowns, sterile pre-packaged life-in-a-box. Do you really NEED more so you can DO more so you can HAVE more so you can BE more? 

And so it goes.  Both these comments reflect our feelings.  

When in the USA we do feel the unsaid pressures of the stress-filled got-to-have-everything lifestyle.  Do the people realize how much self-imposed stress they allow to be put upon them by television ads and programming? I don't think they realize what is happening or how it is happening.  Bill and I each had to remind ourselves several times not to fall back into that habit --- we did not need (or need to want) things just to have more things.  Or eat at *THAT* restaurant because a television ad made it appear appealing. 

A society of consumption.  Please don't let us fall back into that trap.

It is so nice to be back out cruising again.  And that includes the occasional marina visit as we are enjoying for a few days.  Last evening we met up with friends Frank and Barbara Gladney on S/V DESTINY.  Also joining us for cocktails were Paul and Gloria on S/V SKALLAWAG.  We last saw both boats in Opua, New Zealand, early May 2009.  They are newly arrived in Turkey.  It was fun visiting with everyone.  And our pizza and salad dinner was wonderful.  Great restaurant choice, thanks to Frank!

Our outboard engine is in the shop and we plan to stay in this marina until it is repaired.   To go anchor would require swimming ashore to tie off a stern line.  Lots of people do that, but not us.  Bill wants a dinghy to take those stern lines ashore.  At a discounted cost of around $100 per day, we hope this marina stay isn't too long.   We would rather spend that money on other things.  Like renting a car and visiting Saklikent Gorge.    That is a day trip we are looking forward to enjoying.  

Love our new sails!!

The new mainsail

Leaving Gocek, first time raised new sails

The handle on the outboard was fixed within a couple of hours.  Thanks once again to Riza at Emek Marine in Gocek.  He sent someone over to pick up the outboard and a few hours later it was returned with a repaired and perfectly functioning handle.  That was fast!  The next morning we visited the Harbor Master’s office and had Elisabeth added to our crew list.  Off to the Sunday Market for a couple of rotisserie chickens and fresh fruit and veggies and we were off.

Enjoying time with each other

When we unfurled the mainsail for the first time at least a liter of insect carcasses spilled out onto the deck.  Guess this is what happens to boats that sit all winter!  And inside the boom was filled with caked up red sand and dirt.  A bit of a mess to clean up.

And look what we found on the new mainsail when we
first furled it out of the mast -- a next of insect cocoons.

Starboard tack

Port tack

Enjoyed a great afternoon of sailing back and forth across Skopea Limani and the large bay leading up to Fethiye.  Sailed about 22 NM just to exercise the boat and try out our new sails and to run the watermaker.  We love these sails!!

As mentioned before, last November we shopped several sail manufacturers and personally visited several sail lofts , finally deciding to have new sails built by Q-Sails in Izmir. Q-Sails is family operated and has been in business for over 25 years.  Q-Sails used to build sails for several world-name brands (like North) but recently severed ties with all the name brands except Hood.  They continue to build Hood sails for worldwide distribution and now they also build sails under the Q-Sails brand name.  Their price was competitive with the other lofts we shopped.   

Headed towards Fethiye

One of the other lofts was slightly less expensive but after visiting their loft we had doubts about their consistency of quality.  We paid a deposit to Q-Sails and agreed that the sails were to be delivered in January or February after we returned from our annual visit home to Texas.  Our return was delayed until this month because of Bill's heath issues but the sails were delivered on schedule.  The sails were installed on the boat and confirming photos emailed to us and we wired the remaining balance due; the mainsail and mizzen sail were furled into the masts and the genoa was removed, bagged and placed inside the boat to await our eventual return.  We put up the genoa on a calm morning while tied to the dock in Skopea Marina.  The quality of workmanship was excellent and we were anxious to see performance.

Happy to be out sailing again

Aft cockpit shade panels protect us
from scorching sun

The new tri-radial hydranet sails added a full knot boat speed over the original 10-year-old Dacron sails!  The original sails also were tri-radial cut; we had specified that the new sails be constructed exactly the same as the originals but in the newer hydranet material.   Dacron sails stretch within 6 months of use.  Hydranet has no stretch.  Reports have been that original hydranet sails did not perform well but that tri-radial hydranet is the best today for non-racing boats.  Our old Dacron sails were original to the boat and had about 28,000 NM on them over 10 years so they were definitely stretched.  They looked fine to me -- we had the stitching maintained regularly -- but the sails had developed a very slight belly.  We told Tasmin at Q-Sails that he could keep the old sails.  Hopefully, some gulet or local sailor will be happy to have them.  Those sails still have years of life left as long as speed is not of concern.  We have never been particularly concerned with speed -- we are cruisers after all, not racers -- but it did seem that S/V BeBe has been getting slower of late.  A full knot speed increase will be nice when we eventually cross the Atlantic.  Doesn't make much difference if only going 30-50 miles but does add up when going 3,000 miles.

Napping with her 'babies.'  Funny how the grandson
calls these pillows torpedoes and pretends to shoot
boats and pretend wars.  And she calls them babies
and gives them names.

After a perfect afternoon of sailing we anchored in the now-familiar anchorage between Yacht Classic Hotel and the coast guard dock.  Wow!  That anchorage has shrunk!!  Yacht Classic is building a new dock that should be completed in September (the city is holding up completion for some reason, although the building permit was issued last year).  For now, that floating dock has been completed and is placed lengthwise against the bulkhead in front of the hotel's new villas.  They are docking catamarans there temporarily.  And they have placed moorings in a line where the dock will soon be permanently placed.  Sunsail boats filled those moorings.  So that has reduced the size of the anchorage considerably.  This is an enormous bay and depth ranges 8 to 18 meters, so there is ample room to anchor just about anywhere........just not as close in to shore as before.

Nothing much on tiny island of Fethiye Adasi

We enjoyed the typical town things (meals and shopping) in Fethiye for several days.  And went out sailing several times, always returning to the same anchorage.  One day we anchored just inside the entrance to Fethiye bay beneath the small island of Fethiye Adasi.  That cuts arrival and departure time by at least 45 minutes each way rather than motoring all the way west to the usual anchorage near the coast guard dock, but there are no services or restaurants or anything out by Fethiye Adasi.  

Our neighbor one night.  Anchored next to us between
the moorings.  That makes for close quarters.

Twice during our sailing days we went by Sarila Koyu but could not find a place to stop.  This is the only bay in Skopea Limani that has moorings in place.  These are red balls that are spaced well apart along the shore line with a corresponding red bollard behind each ball.  There are no pennants on the moorings so you have to thread your own line through the eye on top.  Then you must take a long line ashore and tie to the bollard.  Honestly, I do not know why tying to that bollard is required.  The balls are placed far enough apart for a 60-foot boat to swing freely.  But sailor here are so accustomed to typing a stern line to shore that they just don't feel comfortable is they are not tied to something.  The anchorages are quite deep and the sea bottom slope dramatically.  Tying to shore is necessary to keep anchors from becoming unset when winds change direction -- as usually happens twice daily.  But a mooring is not an anchor so that should not be an issue.  Nevertheless, if a boat takes a mooring here then they still need to tie a stern line to a bollard on shore.

Missed picking up the ball on their first attempt and lost
their boat hook overboard.  She jumped in, saved the
boat hook, then threaded the line through the mooring
ring and handed it back up to the guy on deck.

Several days ago we finally arrived at an opportune moment and two of the moorings were available, side-by-side.   I steered for the one farthermost upwind as there was a 12-knot crosswind at that time.  I figured that way if the wind blew us we would be blown to the spot of the second mooring rather than into another boat.  Turned out it was a good thing we went to the mooring most up-wind.  It took us 3 1/2 hours to get tied to that ball and the stern line(s) tied to the correct bollard!  3 1/2 hours!!!  It was almost a comedy of errors except nothing we did was actually an error.  First, the line we used to attach to the mooring was too short.  Had to replace that with a much longer line.  Then the wind on the beam prevented us from maneuvering the stern into the wind at the right angle to allow Bill to attach a stern line to the right bollard.  And the outboard engine kept dying.  It would not operate more than a minute and then would not start again without taking it apart and messing with interior parts.  Bill was getting very frustrated with it.   Finally we gave up trying to get the stern of the boat that far upwind and just tied to the bollard for the mooring ball just downwind.  That mooring was still vacant anyway.  Maybe the wind would die down and/or we could get the outboard engine fixed before another boat arrived to take that mooring.

Nope, another boat did arrive.  A couple of young Turkish men.  They nicely tied to a rock on shore since we were tied to their bollard.  Bill continued to tinker with the outboard.  We brought it up on the life rail and he took it apart.  Got it to working but who knew for how long.  Put it back on the dinghy again and began again trying to get a stern line to the correct bollard.  We pulled out two 110-foot lines an one 130-foot line and tied those together.  I fed the line out as Bill dinghied toward the correct bollard.  And just then a Sunsail boat with an elderly British couple and their granddaughters arrived on our starboard side, dropped their anchor right between us and the next moored boat and back up to the bollard where we were supposed to tie off.  Bill continued on his mission.  The Brit was concerned that if we tied to that bollard then we would be too close.  Well, duh!  Why didn't you think about that before you anchored between two moored boats!  Bill told him we would put out fenders if he was too close.  The guy said he would only be there for one hour; Bill said that wouldn't be a problem and that he would tie our lines in such a way that the Sunsail boat could depart whenever they wished without disturbing our lines.  Whatever objections the Brit had, Bill had a calm and polite response -- but we were going to tie off on that bollard.  

Bill got one end of the 3-tandem lines attached to the bollard and I attached the other end to our electric winch.  We winched the boat to the correct orientation despite the crosswind, then moved the original stern line to that same bollard, freeing up the other bollard for the young Turkish men to use.  Next, we removed the extra lines from our 3-line string and cleated off the remaining 110-ft line to our stern.  This resulted in us having 2 stern lines to the correct bollard.  The 'one-hour' Sunsail boat remained there overnight.  The next morning he moved to anchor between 2 other moorings across from us.  The following morning he scraped along the side of one of the adjacent boats as he pulled his anchor to leave.  That is one charter boat that we will be looking out for during the next week or so because that man is not a prudent sailor.

This Turkish family makes their living going around the anchorages and
selling freshly made pancakes.  They come alongside anchored boats and
 the woman makes them as you watch from your boat deck.   Turkish
pancakes in no way resemble regular pancakes.  These are like enormous
flour tortillas and usually spread with chocolate or cooked fruit spreads
and then folded in half .  So a hot flour tortilla filled with chocolate or fruit.

We will stay in this beautiful bay until Monday morning.  Then we will return to Gocek and see about getting a real mechanic with real parts inventory to repair our 10+ year-old Mercury 15hp outboard engine.  As much trouble as we had getting secured to this mooring ball and bollard we want to stay put to enjoy the area.  Don't want to have to go through that stern line thing again just to be in another bay when this one is beautiful enough.  Each morning a small motor boat comes through selling fresh warm bread and cakes and other delights.  In the afternoon another boat comes through the anchorage selling ice cream.  The Gocek Market Boat also visits daily to supply boats with drinking water, frozen meats, fresh veggies and fruits, cokes and beer or whatever one might want.  Prices are reasonable.  There even is a small boat that comes through every so often to collect bags of garbage.  How could it be any better!

Haulout 2013; wonderful to be back on the boat!!

It has been a busy 2 weeks!

Our flights back to Turkey were uneventful and on schedule; can't ask for better than that.  Our granddaughter, Elisabeth, a/k/a BeBe, returned to Turkey with us for her summer holiday.   Riza with Emek Marine, the Amel rep for Turkey and the guy who has been taking care of S/V BeBe during our absence, kindly offered to pick us up at the airport upon our arrival in Dalaman the evening of 2 July.  Riza delivered us to the Dogan Apart in Gocek where we would stay while routine haulout maintenance was performed to the boat.

As always, click on any image for larger view.  

Entrance to Dogan Apart(ments)

Our little suite at the Dogan Apart consisted of a bedroom, bathroom and living room with sleeper-sofa, breakfast table and chairs, stove and small fridge.  They provided a clothes drying rack on our patio and a tub so I could wash sweaty clothes each afternoon after we worked on the boat in the heat.  The Dogan Apart also provided a complimentary traditional Turkish breakfast daily.  

Nice swimming pool at Dogan Apart

Their pool was delightful and everything was very clean.  Price during high season was 80TL per day; during winter season the rate is 50 TL daily.  A good place to stay if hauling out in Gocek and don't want to pay the resort hotel prices.

BeBe was in the D-Marin Boatyard.  It was about 3/4 mile walk to the boatyard from the hotel.  A pleasant walk in the mornings and a hot walk back in the afternoons along a wide stone-paved walkway by the sea.  

That hated orange boot stripe is going away!

I was delightedly surprised to see that Riza had had someone clean the interior of BeBe just prior to our arrival!!!  Only another boater can understand how happy that made me.  I was expecting to spend hours cleaning accumulated dust and sand from the months of Saharan sand blowing through this area.  My back ached just thinking about having to clean every nook and cranny of the interior of the boat.  We opened the companionway and were shocked at how clean it looked.  I looked closer and then asked Riza if someone had cleaned this boat.  We had not asked for this work to be done.  Riza said it was his gift to us.  Thank you, Riza!!

Finished Prop Speed

I won't bore readers with a day-by-day report of the work performed and the inevitable delays that happen with every haulout.   We did very little work ourselves; Riza's crews did most of the work.  Bill and I did remove the propeller and sent it to Riza's shop to have Prop Speed applied to delay marine growth on the prop.  We had Prop Speed applied during our haulout in New Zealand and it prevented growth for about 10 months in the equatorial waters of Indonesia and Malaysia.  Hopefully it will be effective longer in the much colder waters of the Med.

Removing bow thruster.

After removing the prop we removed the line cutter and replaced a part that had broken during the previous haulout in 2011.  Bill had repaired it with JB Weld and we were very surprised to see upon disassembly that the JB Weld had held beautifully.  But since we  had the new part we went ahead and replaced it.  Also replaced the zinc on the line cutter.  Then we drained the 9 liters of oil from the U-drive.  Replaced the wear bearing and re-filled the U-drive with those 9 liters of oil.  Removed the bow thruster and serviced it.  Those 4 things are very important and we prefer to do that work ourselves.  The manual labor of sanding and painting with toxic paints we leave to others.

Bow thruster removed and read to paint

We have hated the burnt orange boot stripe on S/V BeBe since the day we bought the boat.  That orange is the school color for University of Texas and Bill attended rival Texas A&M; maroon we could live with but not burnt orange.  Bill is an Aggie, not a Tea Sip.  We have wanted to change the orange color but never found the right color that we both could agree upon.  Amel unknowingly came to our rescue!  The newest models of Amels, the 55 and 64, are painted with a color known as Desert Sand by Awlgrip.   We thought this Desert Sand color would blend well with our dark brown rub rail and with the taupe-colored new winch covers and UV shield panels on our new sails.  Riza ordered the paint and it arrived from Istanbul in just a few days.

With painting crew manager beneath opening where
bow thruster goes into up into hull

While the painting crew was busy outside Elisabeth and I went through the food lockers and removed things with expired dates.  Only found 1 partial-bag of cake flour with bugs in it, and the weevils were contained within that bag.  Whew!!!  We have worried for months that our boat might be filled with insects since she sat vacant for over 7 months.  Thankfully, no vermin found!!

The princess enjoying her DS
while we worked

Ice cream on the hot walk back to the apartment (daily)

She hates heights

By the time we finished in the boatyard she could
climb that ladder and get on deck with no problem

Cracked oil bottle leaked 

While we worked inside, Bill went through the engine room, cockpit lockers, deck lockers and the big stern lazarette.  He found a large container of oil stored in the engine room had developed a hole and leaked empty.  But it was inside a solid plastic crate so the oil was contained and very easy to clean up.  The leaked oil was so clean that we so no reason it could not be used.   We strained it through cheesecloth and added that oil in the U-drive.  BTW, every container of liquid, whether in metal or plastic container, is stored inside a solid high-sided plastic crate.  It does not take long for holes to be worn through any container; this prevents messy clean-ups.

Installing new AIS

New AIS transponder

We had brought back a few electronic items for the boat.  Bill removed the AIS receiver (for sale if anyone is in the market for one) and installed the new AIS transponder.  That was a quick and easy job.  Now other boats can 'see' us instead of just us 'seeing' them on electronic charts.  

S/V BeBe with her new colors

Another new item to be installed was a spare Furuno heading sensor.  This is not required for navigation as we already have a working heading sensor.  But Bill wanted to install a spare -- have it wired and ready to go.  He wants to be able to just flip a switch should we need this spare heading sensor someday.  He ran the Furuno cable and installed the device -- and it did not work.  The device self-tests as okay, but it does not work.  Bill messed with this for days.  Riza sent out an electronics guy and he brought another Furuno heading sensor and it would not work either.  He suggested that the cable was either the wrong type or was defective.  Finally Furuno answered Bill's emails and confirmed that they had shipped us the wrong cable with the heading sensor.  Luckily, a friend is in the States now and will be flying to her boat in Turkey in a few weeks.  She can bring us the correct cable.

Preparing to splash

Our Turkcell phone and 3G data modem had been deactivated and the account closed since these had not been used for so many months.  We had to buy new sims for each and set up new accounts.  No special tax or special foreigner registration required since these a Turkish devices.  But this does mean that we now have a new Turkish cell phone number.  If you have last year's number, delete it.

And off down the way we go

We went to the Sunday Market in Gocek and bought several rotisserie chickens and fresh produce.  Love, love, love their heirloom tomatoes that are so inexpensive compared to the prices in Houston.  These rotisserie chickens are only available at the Sunday Market.  These are the tiniest chickens imaginable and they remove the wings which makes them appear even smaller.  But they taste very good.  I deboned 4 chickens and used the meat for various dishes.  Cuts cooking times drastically and saves heating up the boat so much.  I also bought some freshly prepared spinach gozleme for my lunch.  Bill and Elisabeth wouldn't touch that but I like it.  She did eat a gozleme with chocolate filling.  Anything chocolate is always good.

He is driving the travel lift just like a
remote controlled toy car

I started replacing the linings on the curtains we had made last summer in Marmaris.  The shop used a lining that is unacceptable.  I am replacing the linings with UV sunblock lining purchased from Sailrite.  A far superior fabric for lining curtains and protects the curtain fabric from fading so quickly.  This is a very time-consuming job because each curtain panel has 3 rows of stitching all the way around.   And yesterday my ripper broke so now I am reduced to ripping out stitches using a Swiss Army knife.  Four completed so far and 6 large panels and 3 small panels left to go.  This might take awhile because I hate digging out the sewing machine from beneath the forward berth.

About to splash

Ramadan started on 9 July.  The men in the boatyard who were laboring in the sun all day did not fast but those who had less strenuous jobs began their month of no water or food from sunrise to sunset.  It would be impossible for the men working hard in this heat to go all day without water.  They would become dehydrated and pass out within hours.  Bill, Elisabeth and I are all drinking as much water as possible because sweat pours all day in this humidity.  Even my arms and legs have a constant sheen.  The workers can go without food but they cannot go without water.

And down, down, down we go

The painters encountered a problem over which they had no control.  The local West Marine shop had a very limited supply of 3M brand blue painters' tape.  They bought all that West Marine had in stock, then had to buy an off-brand to finish taping the boat.  Everywhere they used the 3M tape the boot stripe had clean lines but where they used the off-brand tape the line was not sharp and clean.  They spent 3 days correcting problems caused by that off-brand tape.  Future painters beware:  If  you cannot find 3M tape then delay the job and wait until you do have 3M.

It wasn't all work and no play.  Each evening we
enjoyed dinner at one of the many restaurants
that line the shore at Gocek.

On 11 July we received a disconcerting email from the place where we planned to berth next winter.  The manager we know is off on medical leave for a few months.  She had emailed us 13 days prior that there was room for us and to just come in and sign the contract and pay the deposit when we got to Fethiye.  Now we get and email from her assistant stating that she could not commit to a contract with us at this time and that we should contact her again in September.  What!!!  September is way too late to be arranging for a winter berth.  We felt that something was lost in translation.  Riza very kindly loaned us his car and we drove to Fethiye.  Yes, something was definitely lost in translation.  Because we had berthed there last winter and because the manager had already confirmed to us via email that there would be a berth for us again this winter, we were able to sign the contract and pay the deposit.  Bill called a friend who also plans to berth at this location and explained that until he pays the deposit and signs the contract that he does not have a berth for certain.  Our friend had driven to Fethiye a few weeks ago and had a verbal commitment  from the same manager who is now on medical leave.  We paid the deposit for him and filled out the contract with our friend's information.  So now he is assured of a berth in Fethiye too.

Elisabeth's newest favorite Turkish food.
Pide (pee-DAY) is Turkish version of pizza.

The confusion arose because The Moorings has now moved their local base from a marina in Gocek to the Yacht Classic Hotel in Fethiye.  A great deal of construction was completed over the winter and the facility is beautiful.  It was great before; now it is just lovely.  Part of the new construction is to be another berthing dock.  But for whatever reason the city is holding up construction of this new dock.  Supposedly, the issues will be resolved and the construction completed in September.  The hotel does not know how many boats Moorings will want to leave in the water over the winter, so the hotel is reluctant to sign berthing contracts with other boats (like us and our friends) until the new dock is completed (hopefully in September).   But at least we and our friends got signed contracts so we are taken care of for this winter.

The last full day in the boatyard BeBe had to be moved to another location because they wanted to lay drain pipes across a section on the concrete that would have left us stranded from the slipway.  That was interesting.  We've never taken our boat for a stroll before.  A tractor backed a mobile cradle stand up beneath BeBe.  The cradle stand was positioned and the weight of the boat transitioned to it, and the jack stands were removed.  We walked behind the boat as she was moved to a location closer to the slipway, then jackstands put back in place and chained together properly.  We are impressed with the D-Marin boatyard.  They do everything first-class the way things should be done, none of those tree trunks pounded into place by hammers to support boats on the hard.   It costs a little more but not that much more because the less-expensive boatyards tack on charges for every little thing that are standard procedure at a D-Marin yard.

4 Amels docked at Skopea Mega Yacht Marina in Gocek
S/V BeBe is the one closest to the entrance and is the oldest boat here.
The other 3 are Amel 54s, the model that replaced ours.

Yesterday we splashed around noon.  Riza accompanied us on the boat as we motored over to 'his Amel dock' at the Skopea Mega Yacht Marina right at the center of Gocek.  We were going to go anchor somewhere and give the boat a shakedown but Riza wanted us to come to this dock so his guys could come measure for the stern arch he is building for us.  

Happily back in the water and without that awful
orange boot stripe.

This morning we put the new genoa on the forestay; the sail guys had already put on the new main and mizzen since those could be furled into the mast.  We had requested that they leave the genoa in its bag until we arrived; no point in giving it UV damage for months we weren't here.   Looking forward to try out these new sails.  These are tri-radial hydranet and were constructed by Q-Sails in Izmir.   We are pleased with the quality of workmanship.  I think Bill is thinking they will add 1/2 knot or more to our average sailing speed over the 10-yr-old old Dacron sails that had developed slight bellies.



We planned to leave this dock tomorrow but one of the handles that holds the outboard engine to the dingy just snapped off while Bill was testing the outboard.  Guess we are staying here until that gets replaced.   Who can complain!  This place is great!

Gocek as seen from the water.  We enjoyed this nice Turkish village.