Did you know that just like cars, new boats have a new boat smell?
I know this because our friend Jim has his brand new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 DS moored in Kaş marina and he asked if we'd like to join him for a day sail. Of course we would.
On the Monday morning of the sail we woke to blue skies and just a hint of a breeze which gave us some concern that the sails might not be getting unfurled and all we'd hear is the sound of the engine. However by the time we got to Jim's boat at 11.00am the breeze had turned into a nice 10 to 15 knots of wind. Perfect.
Jim had also invited Kim and Giel a couple of Dutch 'overlanders' who were spending a short time in Kaş before they headed off to explore Georgia (the country not the state) and Armenia in their 48 year old refurbished Mercedes truck nicknamed Dolly.
With everyone on board Aannsha slipped the lazy line from the bow, I slipped the stern lines and with Jim at the helm we gently motored away from the pontoon for a brief stop at the marina refuelling station. Here two things had to happen. Firstly the diesel tank was topped off with fuel and secondly the poo holding tank had to be pumped out. Oh yes it's a glamorous life living on a yacht.
Catch the wind
Jim's yacht has been set up for single handed sailing and all but one of his winches are electric so it took a little while for Aannsha and I to get our heads around them. Once we understood the two different speeds and the option of going forwards as well as backwards we did enjoy the ease at which the head and main sail could be furled away and at least one (maybe two) electric winches have been placed on our wish list. I've promised Santa that I'll be very good this year.
As we exited the protection of the elongated bay where Kaş marina is located Jim announced that we had enough wind and the main sail was unfurled followed by the head sail. Then with the point of sail set the engine was turned off and all we could hear was the wind in the sails and the gentle rush of water slipping along the hull. It's a great sound.
With a couple of tacks and direction changes, an hour later we rounded the headland into the bay Jim had chosen for our lunch stop and furled away the sails. The water was calm and a beautiful shade of blue as we dropped anchor in 8 metres of water to enjoy spicy chicken wraps that Aannsha had put together followed by some chocolate cake porn that Kim had made. You'll understand the cake porn reference when you watch this week's YouTube video episode #059.
Brave souls
After lunch Kim and Giel announced that the water looked inviting enough to swim in and even though the water temperature was only 19C (66F) they stripped down to their swimmers and bravely jumped in off the back of the boat. With my aversion to anything even remotely resembling cold I volunteered to stay in the cockpit and make sure no pirates came on board to steal their drinks while they were both splashing around.
Jim decided to get his drone out and make his inaugural flight from the forward deck to get some overhead footage of his yacht. Flying a drone is easy until it goes wrong as you can see in this 60 second video on our YouTube channel. But Jim did a great job of taking off, circling the bay and the boat and bringing the drone back gently and close enough that Giel was able to grab the landing struts and hold on until Jim had turned off the rotors. It's definitely something that Aannsha will have to practice on land before we attempt it on board A B Sea.
Mid afternoon we pulled up the anchor, unfurled the sails and with a bit more tacking sailed back into Kaş marina where an ever helpful marinero was on hand to attach the slime line to the bow and secure the stern lines to the pontoon. Everyone on board agreed that it was a great day of sailing in good company with super tasty food thrown in for good measure.
As a thank you, captain Jim invited us all out to Smiley's restaurant for dinner. Jim, Aannsha and Giel shared a perfectly cooked grouper, Kim had a vegetarian dish and although I usually love fish of any kind, I opted for one of Smiley's full English breakfasts, I needed my bacon fix. What a way to end a perfect day.
The James Bond table
People, all people, love having a sticky beak (Australianism for being nosey). TV shows like Big Brother prove this to be the case and in the world of YouTube, boat tours are the #1 sticky beak attraction.
Jim's Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 DS is unique because it is one of the last few of this model that Jeanneau has made. For some reason, known only to Jeanneau, they are discontinuing the 41 and 44 DS (Deck Saloon) line. I asked Jim if it would be okay for me to feature his yacht in our YouTube video and he graciously agreed.
You can see what it looks like, inside and out, in this week's YouTube video #059. But here are some nice little teasers to whet your appetite. Inside at the pointy end there is a very comfortable double V-berth. Behind that to the port is a twin bunk berth and to the starboard is a head with toilet, hand basin and shower. The saloon seating is along both sides with a table positioned closer to the starboard side. Jeanneau call it the James Bond table because it rotates 90 degrees, folds out to twice the size and can then be lowered via an electric motor to form another double bed or a great area for lounging on while watching your favourite movies on the 50 inch LCD TV.
Aft of the seating on the port side is the nav station and electronics panel with a computer monitor connected to the hidden PC. To the starboard side is the galley with everything handy for creating breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The piece de resistance however is the huge master berth which spans the complete width of the yacht furthest aft which is complimented by the generously equipped ensuite head with toilet, hand basin and shower.
Another great gadget is the watermaker which converts seawater into drinking water at the rate of 45 litres per hour. That's something else that's on our wish list. Bloody hell Santa I am going to be sooooo good this year and the next and the next and the…