After all of our recent months’ hard work, Baz and I were ready to set sail on our 2021 Sailing Season. A B Sea was ready too. She was practically chomping at the bit. Well, slime line.
Friday 26th March 2021 turned out to be a sunny windless day in Kaş marina and I think we both felt a frisson of excitement, knowing that we’d be travelling away from our home marina for several months. We were heading for Marmaris and beyond, and our first stop was Gemiler Island.
As we turned out of the fairway, we waved goodbye to Silke and Tim and their teenagers Luca and Nina (and Lucy their dog) on SV Polykandros.
“Hope to see you soon!” we all shouted.
Tim’s an award winning photographer and very kindly took some fantastic video and drone footage of A B Sea leaving the marina and we’ve included it in this week’s video. You can see more of Tim’s beautiful camera work on his YouTube channel, Freedom Family Sailing.
It took around 35 minutes to leave the marina and exit the long channel bay. Out in the sea the wind was only blowing 10 knots true (T) but it blew from behind us in the south so we unfurled the headsail and motor sailed, achieving a very respectable 6.8 knots speed over ground (SOG). As we unfurled the headsail, it got stuck around the first reef mark. This was due to the line twisting around on itself in the furling drum.
We’d bought this line in the Greek island of Ios after the original furling line had frayed and got stuck in the jammer. The little chandlers on the island only had a limited supply and we’d bought the best we could to do the job. It’s always had a tendency to twist badly, so Cap’n Baz stated that we’d get a new one in Marmaris.
We had about an hour where we had enough wind to fill the sail. Then it dropped to 3.4 knots (T) and the sail started flogging, so we put it away. We still achieved 6.2 knots SOG under engine, so we were happy about that.
Missing Isolated Danger Marker
There is an Isolated Danger Marker on the chart situated along the coast before two islands and as you head right after exiting Kaş marina channel. Please be aware that the marker is missing so we advise care is taken when navigating this area, to avoid the rocks. When the light is right, you can actually see a lighter blue patch in the sea. However when we passed the area on this passage, the angle of the sun in the sky was not high enough to differentiate sea depths.
By 14:30 hours our SOG had dropped to 5.1 knots, perhaps there was some current against us. At around 16:45 hrs we passed the little island that marks the entrance to the bay of Karacaören, where we’ve stayed several times, hooked up to one of the restaurant’s buoys.
Gemiler Island: Home to monastery ruins
As we approached Gemiler Bay which was our chosen anchorage, we passed Gemiler Island and got a good glimpse of evidence of several Byzantine monastery ruins dotted about in the trees and rocks. We had every intention of visiting by dinghy and exploring the island.
By 17:30 we had arrived at our destination and anchored in 9m of rock and sand. The anchor took a little while to dig in, but once in, held firmly as Baz reversed on it to 3,000 rpm. We put out 40m of chain and with no wind expected overnight, we put the boat to bed and relaxed. What a great first trip!
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
I remember that saying from childhood. I don’t know if it’s still used. A lot of things from the sixties and seventies (of the 20th Century) have been ditched as 21st Century technical jargon sweeps over us.
But as I’m beginning to sound like some old crone, I’ll leave that subject to the more Grumpy Old Men and Women among us.
Anyhoo, after working all of Saturday editing and replying to comments on last week’s video, we awoke on Sunday feeling rather tired. And as Baz said, lazy.
We put it down to cramming many large and small boat jobs into the final few days before leaving Kaş marina. Both of us just wanted to rest. We realised the island would take a good few hours to explore (we’d heard there’s even a tunnel that connects a couple of monasteries, and our old mate St. Nicholas lived there).
In order to get there, we’d have to get the dinghy off the foredeck, attach the painters and anchor, then the hard part of getting the outboard engine mounted on the transom. Looking at the whole task, it seemed overwhelming. So we decided to go with what our bodies and mentally flogged minds needed, and rest for the day.
We do intend to return to Gemiler on the way back to Kaş though. We’ll actually anchor and take a line ashore to the island itself, so we can just hop off the boat and scramble onto the island. And then we’ll get heaps of great footage for you.
Looking back as I type this, I reckon we made the best decision. We definitely needed a rest. We took our computers into our cockpit where we were surrounded by exceptionally gorgeous 360 degree scenery and spent the morning editing.
After that I played with my new watercolour paints. These two (line and wash) are painted with museum archive quality watercolours, on 300gsm A5 size paper. I'm making these available as a reward by joining our Patreon family at the "Cocktails On Deck" tier.
As we chilled in the cockpit with sundowners that evening, Baz and I agreed that we were definitely not ‘dull’ any more and were ready to leave for Marmaris the following day.
To watch our YouTube episode that dovetails with this blog, just click here.
Until next week, I wish you health, wealth and courage, as you take the actions to bring your dreams to life.
