En route we motored past a long sandy beach just out of Dalyan, which is well known as Turtle Beach, as the soft sand attracts heaps of sea turtles to produce their next generation. It was a shallow passage into the bay, and we had to cruise very slowly giving us a good view of the beach. The water was so clear we could see the bottom even though we were still a couple of hundred metres off shore. We also spotted a resort on shore that was pretty packed.
Soon as we steered away from turtle beach the wind built up so we raised the sails. One of the main enjoyment of sailing is the peace and quiet with no noisy engine and just the sound of the yacht gliding through the water.
We were passing through a reasonably narrow channel at the beginning of Fetyhie Bay and there was a bit of drama with another yacht. The wind was quite strong and changed direction suddenly, and the boat in front us lost control and spun wildly around and was heading straight for the rocks. We slowed down in readiness to offer assistance as it looked like there was no way out for them. Somehow with only a matter of centimeters to spare the yacht turned and disaster was avoided – how, God only knows.
We anchored in a small bay and Murray, being the wiz in the galley that he is, made two nice salami pizzas for lunch. Sitting onboard in an idyllic location with beautiful weather it was hard to think that just a matter of some weeks ago we were all coping with the boring work routine at home.
Fethyie Bay is absolutely fabulous and attracts hundreds of boats in this oceanic arena during the summer. It was like the scene when Harry Potter first entered into Hogwarts' hall, the reflection off moving hulls from different angles, and the shine from crystal clear water formed a sensational visual experience.
We sailed into Ortism Bay where our friends Irene & Chris on Cuttyhunk, Helen & Justin on Belle Helene and Brian & Carol on Endeavour were already moored and enjoying a few coldies on Brian’s boat. Shortly after we were anchored and had the stern line ashore we boarded our dingy and went across to join the crowd. Loads of laughs and fun as usual when people from different backgrounds with a common pastime of yachting gather together.
After a few beers we made our way back to Awatea for our next treat! Huge succulent steaks sponsored by Robert – another cut of meat he struggled from Australia with. The steak was beautifully prepared by Derek and Murray and was cooked to perfection on the electric BBQ. Shame that we did not have enough to share with our other yachtie friends, but could only tease them with the smells drifting across the bay. Lol. Needless to say the meal was well complemented with some bottles of nice red wine – Yum! Yum!
We all had an early night after another busy day and the long sail and look forward to meeting Murray’s cousin Sue tomorrow in Gocek, the busy marine town that has 6 marinas.
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