Finally Cruising the Lycian Coast, Heads and Turkish carpets East Creek, Yedi Adalari, Turkey 36 52.1 N, 028 03.4 E May 2, 2002 As I sit down to write up this log, we are anchored up a creek inside Yedi Adalari (the Seven Islands), across the peninsula from Marmaris. We rounded this peninsula, the Datca Yarimadasi (Dorian Promontory), this morning after leaving the ancient ruins of Knidos. This peninsula is the southwest corner of Turkey. South and east of the peninsula is the Mediterranean coast, and north of it, we are now on the Aegean coast. We had our best sail in Turkey this afternoon, finally going in the right direction with the Meltemi, a three hour sail downwind with 15 knots of breeze, wing on wing, going along at hull speed. Lovely! At 1600 on April 17, we finally left Kemer, for a short 16 mile motor down to Cineviz Limani (“limani” means harbour), a cove between two mountains separated by a valley with a few ruins and fishing huts. En route we saw the flames of the Chimaera, as mentioned in my last log. The holding was marginal, but as there was not much wind, just the weight of our anchor and chain was sufficient. It was nice to spend a quiet night in a secluded anchorage, with the stars flickering overhead, and seeing the phosphorescence shimmering in the water. It is good to be at sea again! We left at 0745 next day, as we wanted to cover about 50 miles to our next anchorage. However we forgot about the Meltemi, the prevailing wind which comes up mid to late morning and increases throughout the afternoon. It sometimes dies at night or it can blow for several days. It generally comes from the west, blowing southwest or northwest depending upon the contours of the coastline. Shortly after leaving, after using the heads, I realized the pump was seized up, and we’d have to repair it, but after we anchored for the night. When we rounded Taslik Burnu (“burnu” means cape, point, or headland), we started across Finike Bay and right into an increasing Meltemi. By noon hour we were heading into a force 7 to 8 wind with two metre seas, pounding into them. Bashing into one big wave, Veleda shuddered her way through it with water streaming down the side decks, but two things happened as a result of that pounding. A crash up forward indicated our 35 pound CQR port bow anchor had been lifted out of its roller and thrown across the starboard anchor. At the same time our engine stopped pumping water. We had no choice but to shut it down, and so altered cross wind, unfurled the genoa and headed for Finike Marina, 7 miles to starboard. The genoa was overpowered, and had to be reefed. We called ahead to the marina, but got no response on VHF, so used our mobile phone to advise them we might becoming in under sail without power available. As we swung into the entrance, I flashed up the engine for whatever power I could get before it overheated, and furled the genoa. The Marina had a duty boat standing by, but before they approached, I realized our engine was pumping water again and was OK. We went alongside their “B” dock. After taking the heads pump apart we realized the problem was not in the pump, and thus had to be a blockage in one of the lines. It is a plumber’s nightmare! Let me tell you about our heads (toilet to you landlubbers). We replaced the pump unit before we left Fort Lauderdale in the spring of 1999 before crossing the Atlantic. We replaced most of the hoses before leaving Toronto in May of 1998. We hooked up our three way valve (illegal in the Great Lakes) while in Florida for overboard discharge or holding tank use, and installed a holding tank pump so that we could pump out our holding tank overboard when at sea. Thus we can discharge our heads black water into our holding tank when in fresh water, or confined bays, anchorages or marinas. However we needed to go to marinas that had pump out facilities. Down the Mississippi and many areas of Florida such facilities were simply not available. Virtually none exist in Europe! So, we had to be able to discharge overboard, much as we Canadians dislike polluting the waters. However we also wanted to be able to use the holding tank when in confined areas and then pump it out ourselves when out at sea; thus the holding tank pump, allowing us to discharge our waste overboard ourselves without having to depend upon nonexistent shore pumpout facilities. Thus when we pump our heads, the waste can go directly overboard, which it does most of the time in tidal waters. This was probably the line which was blocked. However, it was in three stages. Stage one went from the heads up to the breather. From there another line went down to the three way valve (one in, and two out). This one was blocked. It was removed and taken onto the dock, and pounded on the concrete to break up the calcium deposits blocking it. While it was off we tried to “clean” the three way valve (ugh!). Back together, there was still a blockage. We were unable to remove the next hose from the three way valve to the overboard T-valve. It was blocked, and we had to ream it out with a straightened wire coat hanger. Still a blockage! Off came the three way valve, cleaned, and lubricated, replaced - and - it worked!! However we didn’t finish all this work until 1000 next day. We then left, but it was too late and the Meltemi had already started blowing, so we turned around and came back into Finike Marina for a second day. And I wanted to go cruising, not spend time in marinas! Oh well, it gave us a chance to wander around Finike, a pleasant Turkish town, not as touristy as Kemer. Judy’s favourite definition of cruising is that it gives you an opportunity to do maintenance in exotic locations! The other main problem we hit when we ploughed through that big wave was that our port anchor dangled over the starboard and put several scratches on my starboard bow DAMAGING MY NEW PAINT JOB!!! Aaarrgghhh! I’ll have to see if Oktay has any suggestions for treating it when we get back to Kemer in mid May. Next day we left at 0550 before sunrise to make as much distance as possible before the Meltemi came up, as we are heading into it for several days, until we get to Bodrum. It was a quiet morning and we motored across Finike Bay, and into Kekova Roads, arriving at anchor in Ucagiz Limani (excellent holding) by 0900. We had a pleasant chat with Jill and Jonathan on Supertramp who were anchored 100 metres away. That afternoon, Blue Highway with Russ and Lynne anchored in the same area, and we had an enjoyable meal with them and a good get-together, as it was the first we had seen them since Malta last July. We first met them in Bermuda and completed our Atlantic crossing with them, meeting them again in Horta, Chichester, Brighton, the Medway, London, Tobermory, and Barcelona. Next day we explored the ruins of Tersane on Kekova Adasi (“adasi” means island), and the sunken city in our dinghies with Russ and Lynne. The ruins were undisturbed for centuries, never having been excavated or archeologically explored. There were ruins dating back to the Bronze Age, the ancient Lycians, the Greeks, Romans and up to the Byzantine era. The island was a religious community and at one end was a quarry, with warehouses, residences, and docks lining the shore with many ruins extending into the waters of the roads, as the Mediterranean levels have risen since. That is why it is referred to as the sunken city. There are signs not permitting swimming to preserve the underwater relics. Across the channel we went to Kale Koy, climbing up to up to the crenellated castle with a fantastic panorama of the island, including the necropolis, and a sarcophagus sitting in the middle of a shallow bay off the town. We could also see Kekova Adasi sheltering the channel called Kekova Roads and the anchorage, Ucagiz Limani, where Veleda lay peacefully at anchor. The climb up was accompanied by a couple of women intent on showing some of the castle’s features, and at the top attempting to get us to buy their beaded scarves and headbands. They were not overly pushy, but it still makes us feel a bit uncomfortable having to repeatedly say “No thank you.” However, these small isolated communities rely on tourists for their existence, with a few buses negotiating the rock strewn roads, and the gulets dropping off day trippers. The fishing industry is barely subsistence, enough for local needs and to supply the local restaurants partially. After the castle we wandered through the necropolis of 4th century BC Lycian sarcophagi, then headed back to Veleda where we had Russ and Lynne over for supper. They left next morning, heading towards Kemer, planning a tour to Cappadocia from there. We spent the morning exploring the necropolis in the village of Ucagiz, getting a few supplies and having a pleasant seaside lunch. The necropolis stretched from the ruins and undergrowth of the adjacent hill right into the town. As we entered town from the necropolis we saw one of the 2500 year old sarcophagi being used as a storage shed for the local farmer. Why not? What other use is he to make of it? Many of the ruins have been dismantled by the local population over the centuries for building materials. While having lunch, some local fishermen were trying to launch a boat behind us. It became quite a community effort to which we also lent our brawn to finally get it in the water. There were two other boats in town that we met during the winter in Kemer, and we had a friendly chat with them. After two nights in that pleasant secure anchorage, we left the third morning at 0545, again to beat the Meltemi, and after 30 miles motoring we arrived at the town docks of Kalkan (36 15.7 N, 029 24.8 E) where we enjoyed a local cultural festival at the town elementary school as it was Children’s Day and a celebration of the new constitutional legislature started in 1923 under Ataturk. We also got a laundry done, and had a chance to send some E-mail from a friendly carpet dealer who allowed us to plug into his phone line with our laptop, free of charge. There was no pressure from him to see his wares as a result of his assistance, and I later in the day took him a gift of a few Canadian pins and a small container of maple syrup. Incidentally, we bought, or rather I bought, our first Turkish carpet while in Kemer. We were invited into a store and given the treatment of rugs spread out for our inspection and a cup of tea. We only had space for a small rug and looked at two silk designs we liked. “Take them back to the boat and live with them for a day or two, then decide”, he said. “Only $500 US each.” I said we would, and then would bargain. He said the price was as low as he could go and not much room to bargain. Judy is no good at this bargaining game. She felt that the price quoted was a reasonable one from what she had read in our Lonely Planet tour book for a silk carpet of that dense a weave and that size. Her saying such while I am trying to negotiate a price is not helpful! We took them back to the boat and of course liked them, especially the one with peacocks and ornate designs in each corner, with a wine red base, dark and light blue floral patterned border, and a silk weave that changed the tone of the carpet depending on the direction the nap was brushed. Anyways, I was to return both of them back next day, “Thanks but no thanks.” Of course when I tried to say “no”, that anywhere near $500 was out of our range, he still wanted to bargain. “Which one do you like best?” he asked. “Well, the one with the peacocks”, I reluctantly replied, being drawn in to a bargaining situation which I did not want. After a few more assurances from him as to the quality of the carpet, its stain resistant qualities and his willingness to clean it free of charge if ever it did take on any dirt, he wanted me to make an offer. “No thanks, it is out of our range and budget”, I timidly replied. “Well, what is your budget?” I was trapped. Nowhere near $500. So I said, “We thought about $200”, thinking he would laugh or be offended, and it might end the bargaining and let me out. No way. It was the end of the month and he needed to clear up some payments; “How would I pay?” “By Visa” I shrugged. “Well, because it is the end of the month and I have these debts, I can let you have it for … $220.” I was waiting for other expenses to then be added, but, no, not even any taxes. So I accepted, as I knew that Lonely Planet said that type was supposedly worth more than double that price. I didn’t tell Judy though, and let her think I returned them both. I hid it on Laudance, another Canadian boat at Kemer, until our 22nd anniversary on April 10, then gave it to her as a surprise. It looks good, and at some time I might think of another for the boat. And that’s how we got our first Turkish carpet.
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