Ayvalik
We know from our time travelling through Sicily that
Aeolus was god of the winds. He finally
caught up with us in Kusadasi as we slogged north-west for 9 hours, finally
resting at the head of an isolated bay, surrounded, of course, by wind
generators.
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Mersin anchorage - more sheltered than it looks |
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Eski Foca |
From there, we crept northwards past Cesme on Turkey’s
most western point into a guaranteed wind funnel between it and nearby Chios
Island (Greece) before finally setting sail across to Eski Foca. Eski means “old”, and like just about every
nook and cranny along this coast, it is the site of an ancient settlement or
harbour. The bones of the old settlement
however have long been buried under new resorts, formal-fronted military
academies and buildings that will probably not last the centuries. The town appeared to be a nice
low-key resort but barking dogs, pounding disco music and loud voices carrying
over the still night did not entice us to stay long. A colony of monk seals, said to inhabit
nearby islands, must have been of the same opinion.
|
Badlemi Limani, remote and peaceful |
Happily we discovered Bademli, a lovely setting with
sparkling turquoise water over white sand that made us think fondly of the
Caribbean - except for the surrounding acres of ancient olive groves! Here, on anchor, we safely hid for a few days
from strong winds exploring surrounding islands and greasy hot springs in
Bruce. For the first time in ages we
managed a snorkel in relatively clear waters, finding a few jittery fish and
lots of spikey sea urchins. We were
joined in our quiet reverie firstly by Aussies “Rafaela” and then “Common
Sense” with whom we’ve been playing tag along the coast.
|
Bathing Beauties |
In favourable breezes, we made for Ayvalik. The area contrasts sharply with Turkey’s
rugged south coast; an interesting collection of pine-clad islands offers a
narrow channel, the Fairway, into Ayvalik Lake, an almost totally landlocked
bay. Deep within, we have on offer a
range of sheltered, if not shallow anchorages from which to plan our assault on
Greece. We caught up again with Carol
& Terry (Common Sense) in Camlik Koyu.
We shared stories, had a few laughs and discovered that we’d been
playing tag since our time in the US.
“Ah, remember squeezing into Jackson Creek?” It was like “old home” week. Great fun!
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Unusual waterfront mansion from the times of Sultans & Harems perhaps? |
From:
Kusadasi, Turkey Lat/Long: 37:52.255N
27:15.760E Date/Time: 20/06/14: 0925
To:
Ayverlik, Turkey Lat/Long: 39:17.434N
26:39.884E Date/Time: 25/06/14: 1230
Time
Taken: 154.5nm (27hrs) Distance
(this year): 339nm (60hrs)
Distance
Total (since 2008): 13672nm Weather: WNW-NW-NE 10-20kts;
Fastest
Speed: 5.9kts; under motor with an occasional sail just to remember how to do it
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