Sunday, 24th January 2021

2 days where spend in winter yachting style. Pottering about. I did a lot of crochet on my blanket, the kids caught up on their schooling, Tim did some video editing, Luca made us crepes for Lunch. Crepes are usually Tim’s domain, but Luca is starting to think of his flatting days and what he might cook, so he is showing an interest in learning to cook. He’s really good and the crepes came out so good. He can even do the pan flip!

Tim asked Hassan if he would be able to cook us a grilled fish & chips meal, that he is famous for and he agreed. They messaged us on Monday, that they have caught some sea bream, so we where on for take away dinner that night. It was so kind of them, to crank up the open fire just for us. Tim did some filming of the food prep, so feel free to tune into the videos to see more. Tim dinghied our meal back to boat just as it got dark.

Not only did we receive a delicious, mouthwatering meal, but also a big bag of produce, apples from their dads orchard, tomatoes, peppers, fresh herbs, Lemons. Such a special treat. We all really enjoyed the meal. Our friends Sandra and Stefan had sent us some money for Christmas to have a special meal out somewhere and we saved it until we found that special place.

The next day I decided to bake a German apple cake from the apples they gifted us and we popped over in the early afternoon to share some cake and tea with the family. Unfortunately Hassan was still out trying to get some wood for building in the next town. He said he wanted to tell me more about the history of the region and turkey, but he speaks better German than English. So that will have to wait for another time. We also got some more groceries and a gas bottle in town and moved our boat to the back end of the bay as strong winds where forecast and was already starting to get blowy.

We had a very windy, noisy and unsettled night. Tim and I always “sleep” with one eye and ear open when the weather is unsettled. Wednesday was the day that the strong winds and thunderstorms and rain where forecast, so I was on edge already, hoping we would be safe. I don’t like to be out in the open in this weather being the only mast that sticks up in a wide open space.

Tim braved the elements twice to take Lucy for a quick toilet run at the shore. I was so worried about him in the tiny dinghy. We snuggled up for most of the day, catching up on messages, doing schooling.

The anchor dragged about 20 meters in one of the gusts but then stopped. Lucy is really scared in thunderstorms and seeks refuge under a blanket shaking like anything. Poor little thing. In the late afternoon more strong gusts arrived and our anchor dragged again, but this time it didn’t stop. Tim and I quickly went up to lift the anchor and try to reset it. While Tim was at the helm managing the steering and motor I tried to lift the anchor up front. It was one of those really scary times, where I wished I could beam us all to safety in a house far away. Luckily the strong gusts got less strong and we managed to reset the anchor successfully. I was shaking once we where back down again, joining Lucy in the shaky club. I wasn’t feeling safe at all and another unsettled night with wind and noise lay ahead of us.

The next morning I pleaded with Tim to go to Finike Marina. I needed a break for a few days. We had dodged too many weather bullets for my worried nerves. I was totally on edge and needed a safe space for a week, especially since there was another storm forecast for Saturday. After a bit of back and forth and checking the weather and distance for sailing to Finike he agreed and called them if they had a space for us. I was so relieved and grateful.

We lifted the anchor and set off for Finike. It was 22 nm and we left 11 am. There where strong winds from the back and it was a rolly passage. Me and the kids took some travel meds, as Tim reckoned it wouldn’t be a smooth ride. The kids where fine, but I was once again struck by sea sickness. I guess being so on edge with fear didn’t help, but we made is safely to the Marina at 3 pm in the afternoon. A Marina dinghy helped us in and showed us our spot. Donna and Ross from another Australian boat greeted us at the Pier and helped to secure the ropes. Donna gave me and the kids a tour of the cute little Marina and then Donna showed the kids a set of kittens that live in Marina that she has been taking care of. There are quiet a few boats from Australia and New Zealand here and it seems a nice little community.

Once we had the boat sorted I went for a REALLY LOOOONG well deserved shower and felt like a human being again. Once we had dinner sorted I snuggled up with my hot water bottle, crochet and audio book and was so grateful and relieved to have a few days and nights without having to worry about weather and storms and anchors.

After a deep, restful sleep we woke up to a sunny Friday. Tim went up the hill in Finike to take some drone shots of the Marina and town. Me and the kids went to see the Kittens and met Chuck on his boat, which he intents to single handedly sail back to New Zealand and also Catie and Michael who where on the hardstand beside Chuck doing boat work. Catie offered to give me a tour of the town and good shops later. Its always to heartwarming to receive the kind gestures of other cruisers, helping us to make the most of the few days we have here. The kids and I went to Migros first to stock up on food and once everything was stored away I went for a stroll through town with Catie, where she pointed out all the good shops to me. The kids and Tim where at their computers and phones making the most of the “free” internet (lets be honest for a $80 per day parking space its not really free….) , down and uploading and updating.

We were also told the laundry service was really good and since it was a sunny day and the forecast for tomorrow was stormy again I decided to make the most of it and get 2 loads of washing done for $10 NZD. It all came back folded and smelling beautiful and absolutely stain free later in the day. While our little washing machine on the boat copes with most of the dirt, its not really very effective in removing stains. It made such a difference to have the washing done by a proper washing machine and dedicated staff that is proud of their work, without having to sit around for hours to wait for the cycles to finish and then having to manage the drying process for several days on those unpredictable winter weather days.

In the evening we were invited over to our friends Martin, Yvette and Jason on Pices 11 for a dumpling night. Since they taught us how to do them it was interesting to have a compare of the skills and pick their brains further on how to perfect our dumpling making . It was so nice to catch up with them again. We met them first in Athens in the marina while we where still locked down, so have been one of our first boat friends. It turned out that Martins dough is way better than ours and that we probably didn’t knead it long enough and didn’t let it rest for a whole day. After the yummiest dumpling feed and exchange of travel stories we had some strawberries and Salup for dessert. They hadn’t discovered Salup yet and enjoyed it.

We all went to bed very happy that night with full dumpling bellies and safely tucked up in our marina berth.

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