Sailing season is over for this year. At least for us. We don't do cold.

We are enjoying doing nothing.  Weather is gorgeous.  Just absolutely gorgeous.  Very cool at night and warm during the day.  Occasionally some wind but mostly very calm.  It is to the point that we are running the generator mostly to run the water heater because the days of wanting cold showers are over for this year.

The Big Boys are in town!
In Gocek recently; 83 meters length.
That is 270 feet long!

After our last update we returned to Gocek and again docked at Skopea Marina.   Thought we would be there one or two nights but ended up staying there five days.  Bill wanted Emek Marine to check our our generator because he thought there was a coolant leak.  Nope, no coolant leak; it was just some spilled coolant that had collected beneath the generator and then rolled out onto the engine room floor when we sailed down to Kas.  Heeling over has a way of making fluids move about on a boat.  Once that coolant was thoroughly cleaned up there was no further drips to be found.  But the diesel mechanic did find that the heat exchanger on the generator either needed to be cleaned or replaced.  Bill opted to have them clean it first and then decide if it really needed replacement.  The cleaning worked, thank goodness!  We have paid for enough boat maintenance already this year.

One night while docked in Gocek a bit of wild weather passed through for a few hours.  Boats were dancing all over the place!  There were some drunk Russians on a large catamaran docked on our port side that caused us some worry, but they got sorted out and then proceeded to party for hours.  The drunk chunky young Russian blonde woman with over-done enhancements pole dancing on the rear patio of the catamaran was entertainment for our end of the dock.  Mostly, people were afraid she was going to fall overboard.  Drunks on boats in bad weather = a bad combination.  We tired of listening to their loud Russian rap music and were glad they departed early the following morning.

Charter catamaran not properly attended to by charter "captain" during
rough weather.  Chewed up the stern against concrete dock.

According to a captain on one of the mega-yachts the wind was 45-50 knots that evening.  Worst part was not the wind but the surging seas against the concrete dock.  A chartered catamaran just down the dock from us ground into the concrete dock and was badly damaged.  The charter "captain" was inside the boat and never bothered to attend to fenders and bow lines or anything.  He never even started the engines to keep away from the dock.  In fact, he was not even aware that his boat stern was being chewed to pieces until another guy jumped onto the cat and banged on the door to get the "captain" to come outside and tend to the boat. Just another person who had no business being turned loose with a yacht when he obviously did not know how to take care of it.  The stern of the port hull was chewed up by the concrete dock and the surging sea filled the gaping hole.  A representative for the charter company arrived the next morning and Bill overheard his phone call stating that the steering was also damaged.  Guess something to do with steering was located down in that port hull and got damaged by the sea water ingress.  We know from our experience with a Sunsail charter boat last year that the insurance does not pay in this situation.  It is considered negligence and therefore not covered by insurance.  That "captain" is personally liable for repair costs to that catamaran.  And it is not going to be an inexpensive repair.

We hung around another night at the dock because high winds were forecast.  I do not want to be anchored somewhere with a stern line tied ashore and chance getting cross-beam high winds.  I just hate that!  So we stayed docked until wind forecast improved.  Glad we did.

On the fifth day, with generator heat exchanger nicely cleaned and reinstalled and no coolant leak, we departed Gocek and motored over to Fethiye to meet up with Tom and Fran on S/V Hamamas.  They had just returned from sailing the Greek isles over the summer and stopped in Fethiye en route to their winter berth in Finicke.  We enjoyed drinks with them a couple of times and lunched one day in town.  It was nice to catch up with them again.  They also will be on the group land tour with us in a few weeks.  Turns out we know 5 of the 15 people in that group tour.

We also caught up with Peter and Sue aboard S/V Rockhopper of Lune here in the anchorage in Fethiye.  Very nice people and we enjoy their company.  They had hoped to dock for the winter at Yacht Classic but could not get in.  Eventually they got a contract at Yat Marin in Marmaris for a very shortened winter period.  Glad they found a spot for this winter.  For some reason the docks here in Turkey are very full this season and several boats have been turned away from multiple marinas.

We call this boat Kon Tiki.

Yesterday we saw a boat we call Kon Tiki.  I have no idea of the real name of this boat because I cannot find a name painted on it anywhere.  We saw this boat back in the South Pacific in 2008 and have seen it several times here in Turkey this summer.  It flies a German flag and there are two older men aboard.  I admire these guys.  They are enjoying life.  This is the most bare-boat imaginable.  It is a hodge-podge of parts and most things on the boat look like they are barely holding together.  With a threadbare shredded tarp used as a shade awning.  And pieces of chain holding rigging together.  And two old men who are enjoying sailing around in this crappy thing that I hesitate to call a yacht.  Good for them!

Bubble-butt boat for sale in Gocek.  Very nice!

Another boat I have noticed several times is a British flagged bubble-butt boat.  It has a sign stating that it is for sale.  This is a beautiful boat.  Don't know anything about it but I do like it.

Four more days until we are supposed to dock for the winter.  We are still at anchor in Fethiye, but at a different location in the bay than usual for us.  Rather than anchoring between Yacht Classic Hotel and the coast guard dock, we are anchored way across the bay near a small beach.  And six people were actually swimming at that beach yesterday.  Must be from very northern climes.  There is nothing that could entice me into that cold water!

We thought about sailing to Wall Bay and then over to Gemelier to see the ruins on that tiny island.  But instead we are both perfectly content to sit right here at anchor.  The thought of moving just to go see more ruins simply does not appeal at the moment.  Rather, enjoying lunch ashore sounds more fun.  IMO, sailing is done for this season.

The ugliest boat ever built.  The scale on this monstrosity in totally wrong in every way.  Docked nearby.