Tracking along in Turkish Waters

Had a great night last night after settling in to Ekicek and swimming through out the afternoon just to stay relatively cool and not melt completely we set off the short but steep walk up the hill above the anchorage for dinner at the restaurant. here the boat boys of the afternoon have transformed themselves into the waiters and its a full on beautiful restaurant ion the middle of no where.
The meal was chosen from the trolleys of food presented and a lot of us chose groper fillet as the main. it was beautifully cooked moist flaky and really well done and Rosco and Fletch have the Turk wines sussed and we enjoyed a few bottles of chard one of savvy and the ever present rose.
We returned to the boat and Rosco and I got involved with a boat load of Yarpies that were having a family melt down over who should be skipper. we had witnessed much crying and gnashing of teeth earlier in the afternoon and now we discovered the reason. it was a difficult encounter Ross was keen to stay and talk Am Cup funding but the eldest son just wanted me to drink it up so he could see me " fall on my arse"
Got to bed sobre at midnight after finally extricating ourselves.
early start with breakfast underway. The plan was to sail up the coast about 30 miles into the sheltered bays around the entrance to Gocek harbour specifically heading for 22 fathom bay or seagull as it is marked by a huge white seagull formed by painted white stones on the hillside. You definitely wouldn't get away with that down at Te Kouma.
Anchoring stern to is a mission that you get used to very rapidly. we slide in astern up the wall between two boats who are tied off onto the shore to bollards set into the rock ashore. Fletch drops the pick out in about 40-50 metres out as Paul and I got ready to swim the stern lines ashore. the swimmers take off with floating hawsers to their respective bollards ashore and once secured, Fletch will pull in on the anchor to tension the whole system up tight. It went really well for our first real combined effort at the technique.
Lunch was a lazy lovely spread of beers and tuna with salad in the cockpit while we all sweated profusely in the stifling still air. It just hits you , you can be quite comfortable then just pour fluid out. Gend says its just comfortable while I suffer meltdown.
Really enjoyable lunch many beers and the pancake boat turns up. A young couple moving from boat to boat with primitive gas ring turning out dessert Gozleme a very thin tortilla like pancake and we ordered the lemon and sugar the old favorite and a banana, deftly sliced and filled from a banana that had seen better times but in this heat was probably doing quite well.
Pauline has started a blog "Cruising on Ocean Free" so feverishly typing away alongside. I'm not sure about this cyber age.
We expect to spend a few days just lounging around this large bay and the swimming is sensational.

At the end of the day we took the inflatable over to the end of the bay where a primitive dwelling and cafe has been set up. the owner had just arrived back with supplies so in the oppressive dusty heat of the day we helped transport his stash of water, sack of flour and large sack of potatoes back up to his house. that done we sat and were served a bottle of cold local wine under the tree. As we sat there the cattle casually moved around us followed by the sprightly mother of Mamat the owner who is a remarkable 75 and capable of a good burst of speed to catch the cow as she runs with cigarette stuck to her lower lip.

we are in a Bay with about 10 other yachts but all well spread out around the shoreline. At the far end is a boat converted to restaurant after the shore line establishment was demolished by authorities but not to be outdone he has converted an old gulet for dining and has built his oven on the hull of a runabout near by as they have no jurisdiction over boats even if they are little more than a hulk up on skids.

In this temperature we really just have brief periods of activity then swim, as it is the only way to cope with the constant sweating and dripping.

seemed like a good idea at the time but one thing lead to another and with the Olympics so vivid in our minds this evenings 's swim was also the inaugural training swim of the southern turkey synchronised swimming team