Ending the Season

Panormitis, Sym

We spent time anchoring in our favourite Turkish gulf, Hisaronu Korfezi and returned to Iskele pontoon when we needed to fill with water and jobs were overdue. We met with friends Pattie & Paul of Sarilla and spent many nights with them (mainly on their boat as their air con works better than ours!!) before it was time to head off. But the socialising didn't end there as we met with Vonasi again. Our six week wait for Jane & Mark went quickly and we were soon making our way back to the Gocek area where thankfully it seemed a bit cooler or were we just getting used to it?

Crazydream at anchor

Boat cleaned and jobs completed ready for Jane & Mark's arrival when we planned to take them out to cruise in the Gocek bay (Skopea Lamini). Idyllic as it has short distances between anchorages, flat seas and wind from the south most afternoons. In fact too much choice of idyllic places to go! Girls had a treat when we headed to Fethye and moored at Yacht Classic, a hotel with a pontoon where yachts moored there they can use the hotel facilities, including the swimming pool with the understanding that you eat in their restaurant and pay a small fee for the boat (which includes water and electric hook up). The treat for the girls was a Turkish "starter pack" Haman. This consisted of a sauna (the longer the better they said to get the dead skin off!) then laying on a marble slab to have water thrown over you with no warning - refreshing after the sauna! You were then scrubbed before a foam bath was put all over you followed by more throwing of water. Finally a nice relaxing massage for half an hour. Very nice and all for 100 Lira (approx £30.00). All this was to prepare us for the trip back west towards Bodrum - against the prevailing wind and current.

Heading out of "Shark Bay"

The weather has been checked and it was good to go, we managed a 45nm trip in relative comfort and sailing for three hours of it. It doesn't sound that great but we've had bad trips along this coast and a few years ago we'd have lost Jane below decks with a bucket for the whole trip, where this year sunbathing on the aft deck was taking place! Back into familiar waters for Jane& Mark which saw us anchoring once more in idyllic places in Hisaronu Korfezi, relaxing before the dreaded trip around Knidos, a notorious windy corner which we had to get round to get Jane & Mark to the Bodrum area for their flight home and us to Leros for our winter berth. There were reef's in and out of the main sail (mainly in - making the sail smaller) and we had a fairly comfortable, if wet passage only changing destination once as the waves increased and the wind went more on the nose. Again Jane remained on deck and participated in the reefing manoeuvres. On one occasion when P had a moment of forgetfulness and managed to trap her hand in the self tailing genoa winch, Jane rushed below decks to get an ice pack and administer first aid whilst the boat was under sail and heeled over. Going below decks when undersail, other than to lie down, was a thing Jane never used to do, even trips to the heads went on this year!Thankfully no serious damage to P's hand just a little blood and a lasting bruise!

Evros Marina, Leros

Jane & Mark's time on the boat ended too quickly and found them heading off to Bodrum airport and P&G back to Leros where Crazydream was to stay again for the winter but in the marina in Lakki this time. Too many changes of rules and regulations put a stop to staying on the hard in Partheni and so into Evros Marina we headed. The winter list of jobs came out and got slowly ticked off as we cleaned and got ready to be lifted out of the water and head back to the UK for the wedding of the year, G's niece, Maddie and Bill.

Gordon had been asked to give Maddie away in place of Grandpa who passed away three years ago. He was very honoured and did Maddie proud. Everyone looked lovely with the excuse to dress up. The whole day went smoothly considering the worry and stress that was happening when we arrived home.

The Bride & Groom