Fun with Friends and Tearful Goodbye

August 5th to 18th

On the return journey towards Bodrum we were faced with more wind than the trip out. Unfortunately, the wind was mainly on our bow so we did not get to enjoy very much sailing, but did cross paths with the Turkish navy out on drills. Our goal after leaving Fethiye and the beautiful Yacht Classic Hotel  was to arrive in Bodrum on August 11 so that Julia could meet up with a couple of friends from Kingston who would also be there. This gave us five days to make our passage. Our stops included four different bays, with the last stop being two nights back in Knidos where we have been before. It is a good stopping off point leaving only a short journey back to Bodrum.

The first bay called Serce Limani was well worth the stop. What a beautiful little treasure completely sheltered with the most stunning turquoise water yet. It was a quiet bay that hosted about 10 boats at the most, some gulets and some personal yachts. At one end we found a little restaurant/tavern, but we just took a look around and spoke with the owner. We ended up opting to eat on the boat. Near the other end of the bay where we anchored was another restaurant that was derelict. We did take advantage of the beach to walk Finnegan and look for sea glass, something that has become a bit of an obsession for me. We swam in the day, ate a lovely dinner on the boat and enjoyed the evening with Julia as we were not going to have many more together.

Serce Limani

The next day we headed back to Kochini, an anchorage that is next to a campground and a complex of villas. We quite like this little spot. Again, very sheltered and beautiful water. The bonus here is the market that takes place three days a week and the proximity to a Migros grocery store. Since we arrived on a Thursday, we went to market on Friday morning before leaving and purchased fruit and vegetables at cheaper prices than in Bodrum. Thursday being our 26th wedding anniversary, we walked over to a lovely restaurant overlooking the adjoining bay for delicious mezze followed by a fish dinner. It was a such a calm evening as the sun set over the patio. We had a laugh at the waiter who volunteered to take a photo of the three of us. It was like we were participating in our own personal photo shoot, complete with instructions on how each of us should sit. Not sure it made much of a difference though. I do not really love myself in any of the photos! I think this is partly due to not having had a haircut or colour since I left Toronto at the end of March. Help Colleen!!!

(I have recently made an appointment for the end of September when we return to Kos, Greece - I cannot wait!)

Anniversary Dinner in Kochini

With our supplies restocked, our last stop before Bodrum would be back in the anchorage at Knidos. This place always seems to be good for some entertainment of a different sort. This involves watching other boats enter, try to anchor (using a variety of techniques - some not so effective) and then try to anchor again. Other boat owners keep a close eye should boats end up too close to them. Sometimes this results in some yelling, but typically people are fairly helpful to one another. This was the case when a small sailboat entered and was experiencing difficulty attempting to anchor. As they were drifting back towards another boat in the wind, a kind man jumped into his dinghy and motored over to help. He tied his dinghy to their boat and jumped on to assist. All was good for a short time until the boat began to drift again. They were really having trouble, so I suggested to Neil that he dinghy over to see if he could help out. Another guy had the same idea as he raced over in his dinghy to help out as well. He was from a 65 foot Canadian flagged boat that we had watched pull into the anchorage earlier. The boat was called Brown Sugar 2 and the name seemed to sound familiar to me, but the boat did not. Anyway, turns out that the boat is owned by a guy named Geoff who was from our old club, National Yacht Club. He and Neil got to chatting and Geoff and his partner, Elise, joined us onboard for 4-hours of socializing over beer, wine and some good dark Martinique rum. They are also cruising Turkey for a while before heading to the EU. It was a great visit, sharing experiences and stories thus far. Elise and I greatly enjoyed socializing and discussing strategies for living aboard a sailboat for extended periods of time, including how to provision, keeping the meals interesting, managing the demands of the boat, how to manage our own personal care, etc. The next day, we were headed back towards Bodrum and Geoff and Elise would be making their way towards Marmaris where they would meet friends for a stay on their boat.

Me, Neil, Geoff and Elise

Knidos Anchorage

Once back in Bodrum, Julia was excited to welcome her friends, Logan and Bora, on board. We anchored in front of Bodrum castle, which is always a beautiful sight. Bora’s family is originally from Turkey and he has many relatives living here still, so they were spending a couple of weeks visiting them and touring the area. They joined us on the boat for cocktails and appies and a swim. Afterwards, we took them ashore in the dinghy and the three of them had a great evening at a club, eating a Turkish dinner and dancing the night away! In the early morning hours, Neil performed his fatherly duties, picking Julia up in the dinghy to return her to the boat. 

Julia’s last two days in Bodrum were set aside for touring Bodrum Castle and shopping for gifts for friends and for herself. Bodrum Castle was well worth the visit, despite the searing heat. It is also home to the region’s maritime museum, showcasing some of the discoveries from shipwrecks in the area. The site has been beautifully restored. We were fortunate to also have a quick visit from a little tortoise! 

Former church and mosque in Bodrum Castle

People who visit Turkey are often known to buy Turkish carpets and Julia was no exception! After she was able to find a birthday gift for a friend and a few souvenirs for others, I took her to a shop to meet Mustafa. He is a gentleman who owns a beautiful carpet shop in Bodrum and who assisted Neil and I one day when we looked very confused as we were trying to figure out where the butcher and the grocery store were located. Mustafa enthusiastically assisted us outside his shop, giving us detailed directions to the meat shop, the cheese shop, the vegetable market and the grocery store. He gave us his card and we promised we would drop in to see him again. What a lovely man! His daughter is a student at Simon Frazer University in B.C. and he has been to Canada many times. Julia and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with him, participating in the Turkish custom of sitting down to tea with him in the shop. She left with a gorgeous small carpet for her apartment and an embroidered pillow sham. Such beautifully crated items! We said our farewells to Mustafa and he made me promise to bring my husband back for tea in the near future. Is he hoping he can secure another carpet sale? Most likely, but “no pressure”!

Julia’s flight was to leave the Bodrum airport at 6:50 a.m., so on our last evening we had lunch out in Bodrum and then spent the evening getting our last visit in before she had to leave us. 

At 3:00 a.m. we climbed into the dinghy, along with Finnegan and Julia’s luggage to make the trip back into the marina and the taxi stand. Needless to say, it was a very difficult and tearful goodbye. We will miss her so much! Although I know Julia was more than ready to get back to her own life after having been away for a good part of the summer, she enjoyed her sailing adventure in Turkey!

Julia's carpet in her kitchen