Yacht Fiona Blog Update 

Whilst our family and friends are struggling with the exceptionally cold “unseasonable” weather back in the UK we have opted to spend Christmas on the boat in Finike Marina in southern Turkey. Although we aren’t basking in continual sunshine here– we have had some nasty winter storms- we are enjoying a mild and often sunny time.

If we thought we were getting away from that Christmas pressure though, we were wrong, as we seem to have a constant stream of social commitments with organised Christmas parties, concerts, dinners and BBQs so we have had to abandon our winter boat jobs for the duration of the festive season!

Christmas lunch has been planned at the local Hotel Finike 2000 and nearly 50 livaboards will tuck into 5 large turkeys with all the trimmings.  Luckily we have twin seven year old boys living on a boat here who will keep all us yachties very focussed on the coming days and also remind us of our children and grandchildren back home that we are sorely missing.

People constantly ask us about our sailing plans for next season but so far we haven’t made any decisions. Our trip this spring and summer to the Greek islands of the Dodecanese proved to us that there are so many, interesting, beautiful and as yet unvisited, places for us to explore in this part of the Aegean that we could sail here for many years and only scrape the surface.

We particularly enjoyed our time in Nisos Marathos and this photo captures the essence of these special islands.

We would like to wish all our family and friends a very Happy Christmas and our best wishes for 2011.

We will be back in UK in March and hope to catch up with as many of you as possible!

 Before that, however, we are flying to Istanbul and Budapest -so watch out for more travel news from us!

Yacht Fiona Blog Update

Leaving Finike the day after our granddaughter, Ruby was born, we were excited to be off on our travels again.

We spent the first two and a half weeks in Kekova Roads, sailing our Tinker Tramp, walking bits of the Lycian Way, playing guitars and singing and generally being “on the kangalanga” with John and Clare. We had a great time!

Moving west and north along the Turkish coast we visited other old haunts and found some new special places too. We particularly enjoyed Bozburun with its colourful Tuesday market, where we bought fresh veg and spices.

In a secluded anchorage, Akbuk Limani, near Altinkum we were able to have our first skinny dip of the year in crystal clear waters before crossing to the Greek island of Samos.

Lying north of the Dodecanese Islands, Samos is green and beautiful and we explored it by hiring a small motorbike. Pithagorion in the south east of the island, overlooking the Turkish mountains, is a safe anchorage beneath pine covered hills and is the birth place of Pythagoras.

From Samos we decided not to venture any further north this year but to make our way slowly south down through the Dodecanese, visiting Patmos, Nisos Marathos, and Leros so far.

Marathos near Arki lies in the North Dodecanese Wildlife Refuge and we were impressed with the variety and abundance of small fish around the island when we snorkelled in this magical place.

Leros is another island that we have been able to explore on two wheels – this time a tiny 50cc scooter much to Dave’s embarrassment!

We were climbing to the top of a steep hill to view the Knights’ Castle (Kastro) when the scooter went bang and we had to leg-assist it up the last few metres! As we got to the top it reminded us of one of those clown cars where all the doors fall off!

We have treated ourselves to a couple of nights in Lakki Marina to do some internetting, essential repairs and washing. Clean sheets tonight – yippee!!

At last we’re ready to set off on our travels again. We will leave Finike tomorrow bound for Kekova Roads –an anchorage only 3 hours or so sail from here. We will meet up with our friends Clare and John on their boat Caryanda for a few days rest and relaxation!

We had a fantastic few days inland visiting Pamukkale and Afrodisias. Here are a few photos.

It may look like I'm walking on ice but its really calcium carbonate.

The city of Hierapolis where we swam in an ancient healing pool of hot spring water.

The temple of Aphrodite.

The children here are very friendly!

Yacht Fiona Blog Update

Finike Marina

We had a fantastic time in uk over Christmas and New Year staying with family and friends. The trip was extended due to the extreme winter weather over there. We were home for 7 weeks in total and only three days of that was without snow! Our flight on 7th Jan was cancelled and we eventually flew back to Turkey on 14th after an expensive extra week in London. It was awful weather but we managed to get to London Boat Show and only buy 6 hinges for the cockpit table.

Sue, Dave and Rob. One of the 3 days it didn’t snow in uk!

We were so pleased to be in milder temperatures and get settled-in back at the marina in Finike. When we got back to the boat we dived straight in doing boaty jobs - Dave had the toilet in bits within days of being back onboard! Dave has also fixed a major problem we had with the fuel tanks, so that is two smelly jobs out of the way. We seem to have had loads of work to do on Fiona this winter and have worked on her most days to get her ready for the sailing season but we have taken days off too.

We have had some bad weather in Turkey a couple of times over the winter. Finike’s had rain and wind and on one occasion huge hailstones and on another, a big swell from the south which broke over the harbour wall. On our boat it was just like being at sea, making it hard to cook or sleep! The bad weather was short lived, though.

We have really enjoyed life in the marina here over winter. The internet connection here has been upgraded and is probably the best we have ever had on our travels so we have been able to skype and download podcasts too.

There has been so much going on, if you have wanted to take part. Dave has practised his guitar and gone to guitar class - he's really improving and I went to the art class and have persevered with trying to paint in the cockpit on many afternoons. Quite bohemian aren’t we?!
We also went to several concerts in Antalya - We got a lot of culture for very little cost! The days out including transport and the concert cost only 30 TL each -about £12! We enjoyed the trips as they included a visit to a big DIY hypermarket, Koscas and a nice cheap restaurant for dinner!
 
At the beginning of February we went to see some camel wrestling - yes, camel wrestling. Good fun and no camels were hurt in the process! 

Camel Wrestling!

Later in February we hired a car with some friends and went into the mountains to see two local historical sites on the Lycian Way, the ancient city of Olympos at sea level and Yanartas at 300m where, according to mythology the fire breathing monster, Chimaera, was slain by the Lycian hero Bellerophon who was mounted on his winged horse, Pegasus. Basically, burning methane gas issues from the surrounding rocks as it has done for centuries. Olympos was a famous pirate stronghold and a religious centre in the Roman and Byzantine period. We had a lovely day out walking in beautiful scenery and enjoying the lovely spring weather and early spring flowers.

The Chimaera

In March we went on another organised trek on the Lycian Way, to a lighthouse, some ancient ruins, some pirate bays and a lunch out at a trout farm - it was great!

We had to do a visa run at the beginning of April as our three month Turkish visa needed renewing. We used the tried and tested way from here, which is to go on a bus to Kas in Turkey and ferry from Kas to Kastellorizon in Greece which is very close and not expensive. We had a great day out, got our passports stamped, our duty free alcohol and most importantly loads of pork products to last us until we go to Greece again. On the weekly Sunday BBQ we had pork sausages and all our fellow yachties were envious!

Beautiful Kastellorizon in Greece

We cancelled our week on the hard this week as Dave dived under Fiona and found out that the antifoul really didn’t need renewing. We had done it last year in El Kantaoui. This has saved us a lot of money, so we have decided to go on a 4 day trip to Pamukkale and see the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis located in south western Turkey near Denizili. Hierapolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the hot springs there have been used as a spa since the 2^nd century BC.
Then we’ll be almost ready for sailing again. The warmer weather reminds us that there are places out there that we have to sail to and explore. We have no definite itinery yet but we will explore the Greek islands of the eastern Aegean and the Turkish coast north of Bodrum.

There is so much to see around here that we have decided to stay in Finike next winter too.
 

Yacht Fiona Blog Update.

We've flown back to the uk for Christmas leaving Fiona safely moored in Finike marina in Turkey.

Wow -  we're snowed in here in North Yorkshire and the weather is said to be getting worse! We feel like aliens from outer space! What are we doing here in all this cold? It is lovely to see all our family and friends here though, especially our grandson Louis who is so excited about Father Christmas coming!
We've done most of our shopping for going back to the boat and just hope our flight will still be ok - we're flying British Airways but not till 7th Jan. We can't wait to get back to Fiona and the warm weather!

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Love and best wishes, Dave and Sue xx

Yacht Fiona Blog Update

"Foating" rock tomb in Kekova Roads

We checked into Turkey in the charming small town of Datca on the Carian Coast. Surprisingly, the entry formalities were completed much more easily than we had been led to believe. It was also cheaper in Datca than fellow yachties had experienced in other Turkish ports. We were lucky to re-meet here some friends travelling the same route as us, from yachts Caryanda and Mermaid.

From Datca we made our way south and east via the spectacular, steep –to, mountainous coastline, indented with beautiful bays where pine trees grow right down to the water’s edge and ancient ruins lie dotted about.

At Marmaris, cousin Col joined us for a 10 day holiday and we were able to sail along the Lycian Coast to Fethiye, enjoying a different pace of life and relaxing in the calmer seas with less windy days now that the Meltemi was gradually fading. The Lycian Coast is so-called from the remains of ancient Lycian cities found along its length, the most dominating features being impressive rock tombs. Sarcophagi seem to be everywhere; on the hillsides; even “floating” in the shallows. Kekova Roads is possibly our favourite place visited so far, complete with castle and sunken city.

View from the castle at Kale Koy.

We have been delighted with the impressive scenery here in Turkey – green, pine clad mountains and fjord-like bays where yachts can safely anchor or tie up against restaurant jetties to sample great Turkish cuisine. We have been welcomed by the locals and are looking forward to spending the winter in Finike.

Yacht Fiona Blog Update

Ducking and diving from the Meltemi seems to have been all we’ve been doing for the last month!

We crossed to Nisos Serifos, our first chosen Cycladian island, in a force 5 north easterly wind when north westerly force 4 had been forecast! In a very confused sea, Dave felt sea-sick for the first time onboard Fiona! However we eventually dropped anchor safely in a bay with very typically Greek sugar cube style houses and blue domed churches.

Our route from Serifos took us to the islands of Paros, Dhenousa, and Levitha, all with their own special character, before arriving in the the Dodecanese at Nisis Pserimos.

Highlights from this part of our cruise were definitely the night we spent on Levitha (€7 for the night on a buoy) and the half hour trip to the only taverna across a rocky track and back in the moonlight. The eco friendly farmhouse without electricity or running water managed to provide all the cruisers in the anchorage that night a delicious meal of goat burger and barracuda - exotic surf and turf!

Also memorable was the night spent in a little anchorage in Dehenousa, kept awake by nudists chanting to the full moon on the adjacent beach!

We’ve since spent a few nights in the luxury of Kos marina and against the quay in Kardhamena on Nisos Kos, catching up with friends there. In Kardhamena we had our first southerly storm, reminding us that before long we must set sail for our winter destination of Turkey.

Yacht Fiona Blog Update

After a fraught overnight stop in the tiny bay of Ay Nicholas on Zachinthos, we arrived at Katakolon in the Peloponnese. We were charged only €10 per night here on the town quay, including electricity and rather murky water. Katakolon is a charming place and it was from here that we had a very cheap and interesting day out to the spectacular ruins of ancient Olympia with our friends John and Clare from Yacht Caryanda. We also found a small holding in Katakolon where we were able to buy fruit, vegetables, wine and olive oil straight from the local producer. The climb to their place at the very top of the hill overlooking the bay, meeting the family and tasting the wine, was a memorable occasion.

Next stop was Pilos where the town quay was hot and airless but free and without any facilities. We were however able to take on fuel from a mobile diesel tanker. The huge anchorage here was much more pleasant as we could escape the heat of the day by frequent dips in the clear, blue sea.

The anchorage at Methoni

Other fascinating ports along this coast were Methoni and Koroni, with spectacular twin forts, the “eyes” of the Peoponnese. Yithion, the ancient port of Sparta was our safe harbour for visiting the town of Sparti and the glorious ruins of the Byzantine town of Mystra – another interesting and cheap day out with John and Clare, this time travelling by bus through the dramatic Greek mountains.

Mystra - yes we did climb to the top and the views were fantastic!

We spent a few nights in the beautiful anchorages of Nisos Elafonisos, swimming in the turquoise seas with turtles and barracuda whilst waiting for favourable wind to round Cape Maleas.

The fortified town of Monemvasia ( ancient Minoa), is an amazing sight from seaward, perched on a shear rock face and connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.

We has intended to sail due east from Monemvasia to Milos in the Southern Cyclades but with an impending Meltemi forecast, we decided to head for the safety of Porto Kheli.

 Leaving Monemvasia

Yacht Fiona Update

The east coast of Levkas proved to be an area of beautiful green, pine and olive clad islands dotted in a perfect blue sea with the impressive mountains of mainland Greece in the distance. We anchored in ‘not so Tranquil Bay’ off the resort of Nidri and then in Ormos Vlikho a large sheltered anchorage where we could get more peace from other yachties. One night we had an unforecast force 8 gale with strong gusts off the mountains. Totally unprepared, we thought a one point we were going to lose our new outboard. In the light of the next day, however things were not so bad as we had only lost one oar! We stayed in the area for ten days enjoying the fabulous scenery and sampling the delicious cuisine in the local tavernas before moving on to Cephalonia.

Sailing past the beautiful islands of Skorpios, Meganisi and Ithaca we entered the harbour of Fiskardho on Cephalonia. Here we had to anchor Fiona and tie long lines to the rocky shore to secure us– a common manoeuvre in Greece but a first for us! It proved quite stressful but we eventually got moored-up with the help of John and Clare from Caryanda (some friends we have been meeting up with since Malta).

Fiskardho is a picturesque port, popular with tourists and yachties and is the only place undamaged by the 1953 earthquake so it has some quaint buildings. We really enjoyed the small, free museum there but thought the anchorage was a bit busy and the town a bit expensive for us, so we have moved on to Ay Eufimia about 10 miles further south.

This small town has a nice feel about it and we have anchored for two nights in the bay where we have enjoyed the peace and lovely clean water for swimming. Now we have med-moored to the town quay to charge up our batteries, take on water and use the free wi-fi. Dave is very happy as he’s moored outside a pie shop!!

Yacht Fiona Blog Update

We've finally reached Greece and made landfall at Preveza in the Northern Ionian after 2 days and 2 nights at sea. We didn't have as much wind as we would have liked - it seems everyone we have met says the same thing about the crossing!

We're on the town quay to do our checking -in, and to get some more suppies before heading to Levkas, probably tomorrow. We love it here so far and have a resident turtle under the boat!

The Awakening by Seward Johnson

After the bustle of Valetta, it was lovely to be at anchor in a small bay on the island of Comino. We had our first swim and snorkel of the year in crystal clear waters.

The passage from Malta to Sicily was peaceful and uneventful but although we set off with a favourable wind, it soon faded and we ended up motoring into a wind on the nose as we approached land. We decided to anchor in Porto Palo in the south east corner of Sicily instead of motoring on to Siracusa. But, oh how we wish we hadn’t ventured ashore there!

We had been told to watch out for the Mafia in southern Sicily and to take care of our dinghy so we carefully locked it to the quayside whilst we checked out the opening times of the fish restaurant opposite. As it wasn’t due to open for another half hour we went in search of a phone-box to report in to the family. We left the boat for no longer than 5 minutes but when we returned, the outboard had been smashed off, leaving the wire and padlock in tact.

Dave was devastated to lose his trusty engine which had always started first time even after a winter lay-up!

The owner of the fish restaurant was very helpful and took me for a hair-raising ride on the back of his scooter to the local police station a few miles away. Unfortunately the very nice policeman on duty was unable to help, telling me to come back the next day. We decided to cut our losses and left early the next morning bound for the safety of Siracusa Grand Harbour.

Siracusa and particularly the old town of Ortigia is beautiful and interesting. The fresh produce available is ‘to die for’ and consequently Fiona is full to the gunwales with food and wine!

We managed to source a new outboard at the knock-down price of €800 – rip-off!! That has now blown our budget entirely for this year! We tried to report our theft again at Siracusa police station but they also didn’t want to know.

We have been here at anchor for a week now and for 3 days we have had strong winds from the west. When they peaked at between 30 and 40 knots at one point, nearly all the boats around us dragged their anchors. Luckily we managed to stay put. Now the forecast promises lighter winds and possibly favourable weather for our crossing to Greece in a few days.

dawn watch on a pink sea

Finally we've set off from El Kantaoui in Tunisia, which has been our winter home for the last 8 months. We delayed our departure until Wednesday 3rd June because we have been back to the uk for the fantastic wedding of our son, Rob, and beautiful Nadine who is our new favourite daughter-in-law!

We are sitting on Fiona in Msida marina, overlooking Valletta City and it's quite a spectacular sight. We arrived ok after about 46 hours but the trip was really too long for the first sail of the season. The first day and night was choppy and rolly which wasn't good when you haven’t got your sea legs! However we saw several turtles making the crossing which cheered us up. The next day and night were better and we're gradually getting over it after a week in harbour.

As expected there were problems on the shake-down sail. A leaky cockpit floor, coupled with sea water being sucked up the cockpit drains due to the beam rolling, resulted in seawater pouring onto the electrical fuse box in the engine room. Not such a good idea!

Needless to say, Dave has now re-sealed the cockpit floor and had a good clean up in the engine room.

Malta has a facinating history and rich heritage. We have walked round and round the city of Valletta and Dave keeps tripping over as he is always looking up at the wonderful buildings and views.  

We've been like kids in a sweet shop with all the food available in restaurants and items available in chandlers! We've stocked up at a supermarket with all the things we haven’t been able to get in Tunisia.

Hopefully we’re off to Gozo tomorrow to anchor and do a bit of diving or snorkelling.

view from our Msida Marina berth

Hello everyone,

We’re still here in sunny Tunisia. Our two winter friends and neighbours on our pontoon, Quilcene and Spirit of Life, have set off now for Greece and Turkey via Malta and Scilly. Most of the other boaties still here are French but quite a lot of British people come out here on holiday packages so there is always someone to talk to in the café bars.

Dave and I have managed to get a lot of work done on the boat in the fine weather. We've had some time on the hard-standing to do the antifouling and now Fiona is looking good!

Daughter Jenny, husband Steve and our grandson Louis, who’s 2 and a half now, came out in March so that was a diversion. We're also coming back to the uk briefly in May for my son, Robin’s wedding. We’ll be in Whitby from 13^th – 19^th May.

We're hoping to sail to Pantaleria in early June, to stock up on Italian wine, cheese and pesto! Then we hope to visit Malta, and Scilly before cruising the southern Greek islands. We've already booked and paid for half our next winter mooring in Finikie in southern Turkey. That's not a bad achievement in today's economic crisis, is it ?– and all because it’s been so cheap here in Tunisia!

This is just a little message to let you know where and how we are this Christmas.

We are currently wintering in Port El Kantaoui in the Bay of Hammamet, northeast Tunisia. We are enjoying ourselves, have made friends, and most importantly, this is a safe and cheap place for Fiona. Next year we hope to cruise to Malta, Sicily, and Greece and hopefully reach Turkey for next winter, but as ever, our plans are very dependent on wind and waves.

We would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from sunny Tunisia.

We hope that 2009 will bring you all that you wish for.

Please keep in touch as we love to hear all your news.

Lots of love from Dave and Sue xx

Spectacular Carthage

Sunrise over the Salt Desert

Camel riding in the desert!

Huge Dorada caught for tea

Beautiful desrted Sardinian beach

Port El Kantaoui

Sorry about the delay in updating this blog but we have had computer troubles since our summer in the Balearics and have just managed to get the lap-top sorted out during our visit to uk.

After leaving Menorca we sailed to western  and then southern Sardinia before crossing to Tunisia. We are currently moored for winter in Port El Kantaoui in the Bay of Hammermet. 

We have been in uk for 5 weeks visiting family and friends and return to sunny Tunisia on 1st December.

Above are some of the highlights of our recent travels.