12th May - Finnike to Kemer
Posted at 7:41 AM, Saturday, May 13, 2006
Finally arrived yesterday
Next spring we plan to head back west, exploring
Anyway, knowing we needed to pick a winter berth where they had good service facilities to help us get ready, Kemer came out top of the list. It has yard and services we need, is good value (2,900 euro for 9 months stay), and as stated, close to an international airport.
Kemer Park Marina looked even nicer than we expected as it came into voiew, tucked into the corner of a wooded bay with high craggy mountains as a backdrop. The marina itself is not huge but it is clean and a charm about it. Some great beaches are 50 metres away, the staff have so far been really helpful, and even the small town looks interesting. I think we struck lucky in booking this sight unseen.
Getting 80 yachts into this marina yesterday could have been tricky, but there was fortunately little wind and the marineros demonstrated skill in using their rubber ducks to push and pull people into some pretty tight spots. We were amoung the first yachts in, and even of us the room to move was tight. Barely enough to swing the boat about between the pontoons.
All the early arrivals moored as normal with their sterns onto the jetties, then the next wave of arrivals parked bows in between those, then some others later stacked in behind them – eventually in places the fleet was parked 3 deep. Quite a jumble of masts and lines but all snug and secure.
Our departure from here to Alanya (60 miles away across the gulf) on Monday will have to be a well organised affair to ensure all get away without too many bumps and tangles. They’ve staggered departure times to get the smaller boats away first, some at 0400. We are part of the bigger boat grouping so do not leave until 0530 – but we'll enjoy getting up early to watch how it goes. We’ll be hoping the wind does arrive on Monday as it would allow us to try and catch up and view the whole fleet on that one leg. Today it is very hot - and hardly any breeze at all.
EMYR laid on yet another cocktail party last night in this marina, and we ate after at the marinas main ‘Navigator’ restaurant. The day before at Finnike we had also partied hard. They thoughtfully laid on a BBQ and dance music right on the jetty almost opposite Swagman. That proximity gave us a chance to dispose of 1 gallon of the Greek wine we secured from Lesbos - once its opened - it all has to go!
Everyone seemed to enjoy the dancing. But here is John O’Connor of Windsong over-viewing the party perched on his high bowsprit opposite the dance area. And that’s not a lurking Father Christmas you can see over his shoulder – it's his visiting
EMYR parties aside, as we move further east one can see the gradual decline in commercial tourist locations to a more local set up. The towns are more definitely ‘local’ with few speaking English, and the sailing coastline is often empty of any buildings and roads for hours as we sail along. I keep repeating this but it is a stunning part of the world with high craggy mountains soaring into the sky - we even saw a ski resort complete with cable car lifts through the binos - only apparently ten miles back from the shore.
The Med also appears less congested the further east we go, with hardly any big boat traffic seen over the past week. It may all change as we get off the Levant coast, but at last the event is beginning to feel like a real adventure into the unknown. Its a nice feeling to get.
We’ve been told there are no local facilities at Alanya which is our next port of call after Kemer. The marina is newly constructed with no infrastucture at all. No tailing lines, no water, no power - and no marinaros there to help everyone park up.
So it maybe that mobile telephone / interent access is also limited - meaning I may need to wait until the next port at Girne in N. Cyprus is reached, before I update the blog further.
In the meantime - take care.
JOHN