Life is a puzzle. From the moment of birth to our last dying breath, we collect pieces of that puzzle in a vain attempt to see the large picture of life. We are not artists who paint the scenes of our daily existence from a landscape we imagine. Neither are we gods, already knowledgeable in the grand workings of the universe although searching for a grand scheme is endemic to humans. No, we collect pieces of a puzzle, never knowing what the final outcome will be. Even that, however, is incomplete as it reveals only one person’s unique picture.
I began writing this as the engine of the Turkish gullet Ya Salem, translated as “Hello!”, announced its presence at 6am while at anchor south of Gocek, Turkey. We boarded the private charter the previous afternoon in Gocek along with 5 other couples for a week cruise around the southern coast of Turkey.
Ten of us were invited by our cruiser friends Mike and Robin, s/v MERMAID, as they knew everyone would enjoy a “luxury” sailing experience with them. The twelve of us would have no need to raise the sail, cook meals, drop anchors, fix engines, watch for weather windows…. Just enjoy what non-cruising sailors think us cruisers do all the time!
The timing for this adventure was late September. This meant that we would have to fly from Trinidad, which was not a problem. We decided to visit our friends Doug and Katy in the UK on the way to Turkey and spent about a week with them. We stayed in their home in the Surrey area near Guildford, about an hour train ride from London.
Doug and Katy were very gracious hosts as they shepherded us around including going to London and Portsmouth. It was the first time either of us were in the UK. It is the ancestral home of my grandfather. He was born in 1880 in Mile End which is in the East End of London. We didn’t get to that area but we did do a Big Bus tour of the city. This all-day tour covered the city well and gave a great overview of London, its main historical buildings, neighborhoods, and traffic. The tour crossed over the Thames many times! There is no way to delve into any city in a day, but this served our purpose well. Visiting the WC’s at Harrods was the only time we “hopped off” the bus but we totally enjoyed the day. A targeted list to do for future visits could now be made.
We did plan to return to London on Sunday, but the weather turned and didn’t cooperate. It was cool and rainy, so we decided not to go. Apparently, the weather is different than in the Caribbean. Fortunately, we did bring along a sweater. Our hosts took us to other points of interest, pubs and restaurants around Guildford and also to Portsmouth. At the Portsmouth Historic area we climbed aboard the Victory, the ship on which Admiral Nelson was killed in action during the Battle of Trafalgar. We saw the remains of the Mary Rose, a British war ship sunk in 1545 and raised in 1982! Also the Warrior, the first iron steam and sail warship of the British Navy.
Our short stopover in the UK was very enjoyable, thanks to Doug and Katy. And yes, it was all so British. We didn’t go to nearby Windsor as the American President was due to arrive and didn’t want to overwhelm the British with too many American visitors.
Off we flew to Istanbul, for a two-night stay. We have been there before on a cruise ship but decided a short visit before heading to Gocek would be good. We also met up with most of the other guests that we would be sailing with. We all stayed in the Seven Hills Hotel right in the middle of historic Istanbul. It was only a few minutes’ walk to Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern and all the Turkish rug merchants you ever want to see. We did the walk to and into those places with a guide and, as in London, there is no way to cover any city in a day. The people are extremely friendly, especially if you need a rug.
We then flew to Dalaman on the southern coast of Turkey and then a transport van to Gocek. Gocek itself is a Meca for recreational sailing and power boats, water tours, day and longer term charters, private or public. The waterfront is a maze of restaurants, marine stores, tourist specialty shops and cute ice cream vendor stands. What more can you ask for? And all very Turkish!
Aboard Ya Salem we all became good friends as we all had either sailing experience or world travel. Robin, Mike, Andy, Liz, Steve, Pam, Joe, Janice, Jessamine, Courtney and us were ready to go. The private charter provided a Captain, a Chef, and two crewmen. All but 2 meals were served aboard. With Captain Salim, we decided where to sail. The Ya Salem is a sailing gulet with extensive varnished wood and classic design. The cabins and individual heads were superb. Chef Muhsin provided bountiful and tasty Turkish dishes. But don’t expect to do much sailing. The reality is to motor between anchorages. It was decided to head west along the coast from Gocek past Marmaris. Each jump may be 3- 4 hours in the morning then anchor, explore the surroundings and then do the same the next day. Due to very light winds, pure sailing is not to be expected.
However, Robin did insist to see the sails raised and Captain Selem did agree to raise the main and jib one day and we sailed along in very light wind… for about an hour. Then we agreed to motor at 8 knots to the next anchorage. Not at all that different than what we do on Kalunamoo sometimes.
From my daily log aboard Ya Selam
After leaving the marina, Ya Selam anchored south of Gocek in one of the many coves on the west side of the large bay of Fethiye. Geo Uhrich, a cruiser friend of Andy’s happened to be at the same anchorage and gave a violin concert that night. He is a real professional and a wonderful musician. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbB-dVpAX1E
The next day, Sunday, at 6am we headed west and by 10am anchored near the Dalyan River. The Captain arranged for a local tour boat to take us up the river to Kaunos Antik Tiyatrosu, the Temple du theatre and the Lycian tombs. The entrance to the Dalyan River is very shoaly and leads to Turtle Beach. One of the few sandy beaches in the area and breeding grounds of Loggerhead turtles. The river is busy with tour boats with tourists and locals. The river was very busy with these boats all the way to Dalyan. Continuing up the winding delta of the river, we eventually reached the ruins. They are high on a hill and date from about 500 BC to about 1300 AD. Occupied by the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Muslims, and Turks through its long history, it was abandoned after a malaria epidemic until being “rediscovered” in 1840. Excavations to uncover the site didn’t start until 1966. It is a time capsule of antiquity in an environmentally protected area.
Monday we continued to sail west and anchored for a swim call and a steering issue repair! While anchoring a loud bang was heard and it turned out to be a broken link in the steering gear. The crewmen, Vilet took the broken part to Marmaris, about an hour dinghy ride away, to be fixed. A few hours later he returned and the repair solved the issue. Nothing like fixing boats in exotic places! It happens to all of us. Meanwhile we had a good swim in the warm Mediterranean waters. After the repair Ya Salem sailed to Bozukkale where we explored additional ancient ruins.
Tuesday the sails were raised but in very light winds and then anchored by Kameriye Adasi for a swim call then moved the boat to Selimlye for dinner ashore. Had a great octopus casserole.
Wednesday we anchored at Tavsanbuku Adasi for breakfast and moved to Bozburun for lunch. The southern coast of Turkey is an ancient dry rocky coastline and populated with many gulets, sailboats and powerboats. They all anchor “Mediterranean style”. The steep mountain doesn’t provide much of a shelf to set an anchor. What is done is to drop the anchor in deep (100 foot) water and back down to shore and run stern lines to tie to boulders ashore. It’s a secure method that relieves you of the problem of swinging or dragging an anchor. It becomes a very secure anchorage.
Thursday swim call anchored at Kadirga Limani
Friday anchored near Cleopatra’s Baths in Haman Bay. Cleopatra didn’t show up and the place could use some sprucing up. At 8pm we all went ashore for dinner and gave Chef Muhsin the night off. We ate at the very fancy Adaia Gocek restaurant, right on the water. Food was excellent.
Saturday, last breakfast aboard, a tour of the galley and engine room. Med moored at the Gocek Marina and disembarked the Ya Salem thanking Captain Salim, Chef Muhsin, Velit and Mert farewell. They did an excellent job of pampering us for a very pleasurable time aboard Ya Selam.
For the last three weeks we added some more pieces to the puzzle of life. Some say that the one who dies with the most toys wins. I look at it differently. The one who collects and is able to assemble the pieces of life’s jigsaw puzzle into something approaching knowledge is the true winner. In this way, we construct a mosaic and maybe understand life a little bit better while living on this very chaotic planet. We are now back in Trinidad to continue our East Caribbean life and voyage #16.
Kalunamoo 