Boat Improvements and Preparing to Depart Turkey : June 2015

June 1-6, 2015

Sailors' gotta eat!  Dinner on the rooftop in Bozburun.( Thanks, Unc!)

You can enlarge any photo by clicking on it.

In the days since I joined Ron aboard Celador in Marmaris, he has been busy coordinating improvements to the boat which necessary to join the ARC+ (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) rally from the Canary Islands via the Cabo Verdes Islands to St Lucia in November. Here's a list of improvements to the vessel which must be done in preparation for the crossing.  

Rigging:

Full inspection and maintenance of rigging, report required.

Replace all halyards and topping lift

Install spare halyard

Mainsail slot guide and furling system cleaning and maintenance.

Install radar reflectors with effective area of 10 nautical miles

Install an LED tricolor navigation light at the masthead

Repair or replace steaming light

General:

Service the four cockpit winches

Replace the manual bilge pump

Install jacklines and deck ring attachments

Replace seals on lazarettes

Install various antenna cables

Electrical:

Replace three house batteries (since the new ones were gel batteries, other system changes were necessary was well).

Check generator charging capability

Install a switch for masthead tricolor (the one that came with the light was Cheap and promptly broke).

Install and test Iridium satellite phone, and antenna

Install and test RedBox wifi trouter and antenna

Install and test the VHF radio receiver

Purchases:

EPIRB (Emergency International Rescue Beacon)

AIS (Ship tracking system)

New Autopilot  (the most popular member of the crew!)

PFD (Life jackets) and harnesses in compliance with ARC requirements

New flares

Electronic flare

Ditch bag

First aid kit

Offshore Life raft

Spare parts, filters , belts for engine, toilets

New fire extinguishers

Much of the list is completed, but several items will be completed later.

I already own a very good PFD, a Mustang harness/PFD combination, but it is not in compliance with new ARC requirements because it lacks a spray hood and crotch strap. The new ones are very 

high tech!
Boat projects in Marmaris had been completed, and we were ready to go on to Greece. Something I had read long ago was nagging half-formed in the back of my mind, so I got online to check how long Americans can stay in Europe. The hazy memory was on-point. Most of Europe (UK and Switzerland being exceptions) has signed onto the Schengen Agreement, which stipulates that Americans and some other nationalities may only stay in the Schengen Area for 90 days out of any 180 day period.

Blue-gray color designates the Schengen Area

 This caused some moments of dismay and frustration. Ron created a spread sheet and we worked through the deadlines and projected the days needed for various legs of the voyage. We think it likely that I'll be able to complete much of the trip as planned, with 4-6 weeks spent outside the Schengen Area sometime in late summer.

The village of Bozburun, Turkey.

Full moon rising over Bozburun

The village of Bozburun

Departing Marmaris, we motored up the coast toward Bozburun, a pretty and friendly village where we can clear customs out of Turkey and sail on to nearby Symi, Greece, to officially enter the EU. On the way, Ron noticed a bit of water on the sole of the salon. A look under the floorboard showed that the bilges were overflowing; water was coming in somewhere at a significant rate. He turned on the electric bilge pump and began hunting down the leak while I took the helm. Ron opened the lazarette in the cockpit, and quickly saw water flowing in through a major split in the engine exhaust water hose. Luckily, the flow stopped when the engine was stopped, and more luckily, the thru-hull for this hose was located above the boat's waterline. He patched the cracked pipe with layers of duct tape, then firmed the patch by taping a stiff leather glove over it and binding it tightly with zip ties. 

The patch worked well; only a few drips of water escaped.

The mend was successful and we made it to Bozburun without further incident. There, Mehmet at Osman's Place cafe telephoned a marine engineer for us. He came and made some measurements, and arrived the next morning with new hose. It was five meters x 75 mil of plastic hose with steel wire reinforcement; a veritable python. With me feeding topside, the engineer in the lazarette, and Ron pulling from the engine compartment, we wrestled the stiff hose into place. Problem solved. The old hose was original to the boat, and turned out to be ready for replacement anyway, though we couldn't tell from looking at it.

Captain Ron had been working pretty steadily for two weeks while I goofed off and stayed out of the way of workmen. We enjoyed a day off in Bozburun, then stocked up the boat with fresh fruits and veggies and a couple of meat items, and pulled out of Bozburn. We motored a couple of miles out and found a delightful deserted cove on Kizil Adasi to anchor in. Here we whiled away a day and a half just reading, swimming and goat-watching.

At anchor at Kizil Adasi

Goats along the water's edge in the early morning

Crystal clear water with 100 foot visibility

From here we motored for 1 1/2 hours around to the cove at Dirsek Bay (Silmiye on the second map from the top), where the tie-up was free but the food was priced to compensate richly for the free dockage. We enjoyed conversation with Brits Hillary and Jeff, who were berthed next to us, delightful people still voyaging in their late 70's.

The  marina and restaurant at Semiliye.

Early each morning she fires up the stove with dried brush...

.... then bakes the most delicious bread the REALLY old fashioned way.

Next day we motored another hour to Söğüt Köyü  where we moored at the Octopus Yacht Club and caught up on the news with a great Wifi connection and an adult beverage.

At the Octopus.

Ron catching up on the Daily Mail after a long spell without wifi!

Next we'll return to Bozburun, to clear out of Turkey and begin our westward cruise, toward the Greek islands of Astipalia and lovely Thera, also known as Santorini. We must be in Athens to pick up Ron's friends Ruth, Penny and Lewis on June 25.

Aloha  !