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01/05/09 (Change of dolmuş timetable) Still unable to figure out a way to get into the mast conduit without damaging the other cables....unless I very slowly drill progressively larger holes up to the maximum 13mm bit size that my drill chuck will accommodate. In reality, the only way to do it safely, is to remove the mast and totally rewire the whole thing - an expensive and time consuming operation. Or maybe drill a second hole around the side of the mast to allow the cable to drop down inside the mast but behind, and on the outside of the conduit, then rivet a stainless steel plate over the original hole?
03/05/09 A good evening out at The Missing Link in Aktaş, (BBQ and Karaoke) following a day of nothing going right with the splicing of braided rope for halyards - and the continuing headache of the radar cable!
06/05/09 Happy Birthday Tracey! A bright sunny start to the day, following two days of rain. Another very enjoyable evening in the bar last night. Went into town with Astrid and walked up to the sanayi area to get a stainless steel plate fabricated for the curve of the mast front. Also did a bit of shopping at Tansaş and had some lunch before returning to the marina. Opted to give the karaoke in the marina bar a miss this evening and have an early night for a change.
09/05/09 The last two days up the mast fitting radar bracket, scanner and cable! Administration by marina management has always been less than perfect but it has reached new heights of under achievement now with the sacking of numerous staff, which has left boat owners queuing for hours in the office. If you want to leave the marina, you need to check out days before your actual departure!! I've heard of several boats who will not return to this marina because of the problems, and of others who have changed their plans to visit in the future.
12/05/09 Yeah - radar installation is complete! Bitchiness is thriving in the marina with some boat crews stirring it up for other boat crews......why can't people let others live their lives as they wish? An impromptu private karaoke party onboard Storm Dodger last night with Paul and Toni from Zachariah was very entertaining and a new arrival in the marina came along just before midnight and requested the volume to be increased (at least that's what we thought he said?) ...... we obliged and continued until around 5am!
15/05/09 Completed the cable run for the water-maker and hooked it up to the main bus bar yesterday. Also repaired a faulty connection with my Aldis socket before replacing the nav berth deckhead and side panels. Went into town today with Astrid, Leah, Jordon (Zachariah), got my hair cut again, bought some more boxes for storage use and priced up external hard drives for film storage. Also booked my ticket for Rhodes - it's visa renewal time again and I need another 90 days in order to remain in Turkish waters......that's if I ever escape from the black hole of Marmaris!!
19/05/09 Somewhat hacked off today, there is still no sign of my cruising chute being delivered and the company involved are not answering my e-mails despite earlier promises of delivery well before I leave Marmaris. My target of Monday next for leaving the marina is now in doubt. The much needed filter for my water-maker arrived today from England, described clearly as a 50 micron filter on the website, but is in actual fact, a 50 mesh filter - totally useless to me! I have mailed them with my thoughts on their website and suggested they change the wording so as not to mislead their customers!
20/05/09 A gloriously sunny day in Greece! Roger drove Astrid and myself to the ferry terminal this morning and we caught the 9am fast catamaran for the short passage over to Rhodes. After shopping for a few things, we went to 'The Walk In' and I treated myself to a steak and kidney pie with chips - a luxury when you haven't had any plain English type food in a long while! Then went to the supermarket to stock up on a few items which are not available in Turkey, as well as the inevitable chandlery for the same reason, before returning on the 4.30pm ferry and renewing our visa's.
21/05/09 Following several e-mails to the chandlery who supplied the 50 mesh filter, and more to the water-maker supplier, I decided to go ahead and fit it to the pump raw water suction pipe. A really frustrating day ensued because of incompatibility of pipework and fittings, the inflexible old heads piping and general inaccessibility of the job. Unable to buy the parts needed in the marina, I was forced to abandon work until I could get into town and search for the required t-pieces and hose reducers.
22/05/09 After two early morning trips to town, I now had all the parts needed to replace the complete supply pipe to the heads and connect the supply pipe to the water-maker. Not the best, or easiest of jobs to undertake on a hot afternoon, but it had to be done! A welcome beer or two with Roger and Astrid during the evening.
23/05/09 Spent the majority of the day with Roger helping Don on his boat Northern Shadow to take off all the rigging and lift off the main and mizzen masts for refurbishment. An interesting exercise, especially when the main mast refused to budge from it's keel seating as the crane commenced the lift. A sudden bang - and the mast jumped up two feet, dropping the boat back into the water!
24/05/09 More clearing up of my boat, dumping more unwanted gear (but there is still far too much onboard). Fortunately, Astrid came over to give me a hand - as she had done yesterday whilst I was helping with Don's mast, and as a result of her help I am now a little closer to being ready to leave, though I still have loads to do!
25/05/09 Much the same as yesterday, more stowing of gear and clearing up. Stitching that has given way on the bimini was repaired by Gabby of Ganova but really the whole 'house' needs re-stitching after this long in the sun. A different and unique twist to the normal sundowner drink ........Astrid, Roger and myself were invited onboard a French boat! Later in the evening we had a couple of drinks in the bar where the 'Welcome to Summer' party was being held.
27/05/09
So.......you all know who this is, don't you? Yep, this dipstick is the guy who has insulted the Queen, the Royal Family and the memories of 17,556 British and 5,316 Canadian troops (not counting the airmen and sailors who were never found), who in 1944 gave their lives on the Normandy beaches to make France a 'free' country. He is of course, Nicholas Sarkozy - the President of France and he will be marking the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings next week by grovelling to Barack Obama on Utah Beach - one of the American Army's landing points. Sarkozy and his ministers have refused to invite any member of the Royal Family to the remembrance, and claim they never had any intention of doing so. He dismissed the idea as a 'non-issue'. Perhaps the next time that jack boots are marching up the Champs-Élysées, we should just leave them to it?
Storm Dodger left the marina this afternoon - I went with Roger and family to motor across the bay, returning under cruising chute to the anchorage off Magic Life/Pupa Yacht Hotel. Joined by Paul and Toni from Zachariah, we had a couple of drinks and a curry before using Roger's RIB to come 'home' to the marina.
28/05/09 According to the Daily Mail, Sarko has today capitulated and said the Queen would be welcome at the service on Normandy beaches (maybe he reads my website?), but why didn't our useless PM secure an invite six months ago? I did my 'boat boy' bit and delivered fresh bread to Storm Dodger in the anchorage before returning to my boat and replacing main and spinnaker halliards, clearing blocked anchor locker drains and sorting out the cockpit locker (dumping old unwanted ropes, containers and assorted odds and ends).
29/05/09 Much the same as yesterday, delivered bread and eggs to Roger and Astrid, then packed away as much gear as I could. I hope to leave the marina on Monday 1st June and go out to anchor, then sort out all the other little jobs, test the watermaker and calibrate the radar.
30/05/09 Bread to Storm Dodger again, then into town with Astrid for shopping, some chandlery bits and pieces and 100 metres of floating rope (where the hell am I going to stow that?) A lovely surprise phone call from Angie, who sailed with me a couple of years ago and is here on holiday with her friend Karen - a quick meet up was arranged and they duly arrived at Yacht Marine around 9.30pm. I came ashore from Roger and Astrid's boat and ferried them by RIB back to the anchorage for a couple of drinks onboard Storm Dodger before bringing them back for the midnight dolmuş into town. It was great to see Angie again and another meeting is planned for a day sail in the bay later this week.
31/05/09 A myriad of last minute jobs throughout the day in preparation for leaving the marina tomorrow - but I still have many little things left to do before I will be able to go, and all will have to be done in the morning. I wonder if I will still be able to access the internet from Marmaris Bay anchorage, others have needed wi-fi booster equipment, so I will just have to wait and see.
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