Day started with an enjoyable brekkie of bacon & eggs and we were joined by Irene & Chris from Cuttyhunk. A real treat in this Muslim country and not sure if the aroma of bacon cooking wafting across the bay would have gone down with the locals. After brekkie we motored to Gocek to drop off Robert & Muzza as they were leaving us for 4 days to stay with Murray’s cousin. (Finally some peace and quiet!!!). We met up with Sue, a lovely lady who has been living in Turkey for 9 years and had lunch with her ashore.
We then headed back to Awatea via the supermarket for a few supplies, and motored back to Ortism Bay. It was a lazy afternoon just passing the hours relaxing and enjoying the peace of our beautiful surrounds.
Desmond & John later decided to take the dingy for a spin around the bay. The water at the upper reaches of the bay were very shallow some metres out from shore making it quite difficult to get in. There was no walking path up the hill so being the intrepid explorers created their own with the help of branches and rocks.
It was ‘pot luck’ and held on board Belle Helene. Derek made a very delicious baked chicken thigh with tomatoes and olives, that blended well with the other yummy food brought by the others. It was an absolute feast and all very enjoyable.
May 3rd
Not a good day. We tried starting the generator but it kept cutting out after a few seconds. There was no water in the system and found out the impellor had perished. John contacted the supplier as it had only been installed the week before. Not much else we could do so had a lazy day at anchor with the occasional swim in the crystal clear water.
May 4th
We motored back into Gocek to meet Mustafa from Typhoon Yachting, the company that installed the generator. He replaced the impellor and thankfully all worked well. Then as luck would have it another problem! The onboard 24v alternator didn’t appear to be charging the batteries when the engine was running. Turned out to be the regulator
Brow beaten by rotten luck, we motored back to Ortism Bay and had a very quiet afternoon, hoping the next day’s destination would bring better luck.
May 5th
And it couldn’t have been better. A perfect Thursday morning and after untying the stern line we slipped out of the bay and headed down to Tomb Bay in a 15 knot breeze. Surprisingly we were the only yacht in the bay. We anchored with a stern line ashore, directly under some 3000 year old Tombs of the old Kings.
Couldn’t wait to explore the sacred tombs, so we went ashore straight away and slowly climbed up the steep hill.
The upper hill path seemed like a ready track and we discovered blue paint marked on some plants and stones, which we realized were marking the way from tomb to tomb. From the tombs there were amazing views across the bay.
A beautiful sunny day in a perfect setting, it helps you understand why these old kings choose this place to be buried.
The upper hill path seemed like a ready track and we discovered blue paint marked on some plants and stones, which we realized were marking the way from tomb to tomb. From the tombs there were amazing views across the bay.
A beautiful sunny day in a perfect setting, it helps you understand why these old kings choose this place to be buried.
After taking heaps of photos we returned to Awatea, and then later motored across the bay to have a drink in the little restaurant located at the center of the bay. Before that we did a bit of a Tiki Tour around the bay which has two types of landscape = one side is the steep hill with the tombs that we just visited, and the other is a rolling terrain that you can walk around easily with access to the local restaurant by foot. Some other yachts sailed in later and anchored here, but we were happy to be alone just under the tombs.
Robert and Murray are scheduled to return tomorrow = more laughs to be expected and no doubt some wild tales to tell.
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