Cyprus beckons
Mystic of Holyhead (successor to Lynn Rival)
Rachel and Paul Chandler
Mon 15 Oct 2007 14:47
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36:47.40N 34:37.50E The harbour at Ovacik (actually Yesilovacik, "yesil" meaning green in Turkish) was home to quite a number of turtles who flopped around us and didn't seem to mind the occasional freighter that came and went in the harbour. Leaving Yesilovacik, we had a brief sail with the wind on the beam, before having to motor into the wind in order to reach the next anchorage before dark. We anchored off a ramshackle collection of houses and campsites in the bay of Agalimani and rowed ashore to have supper in the one and only restaurant (which turned out to be very good). That night was exceptionally warm and we were also visited by some persistent mosquitos. Such is cruising life. On Wednesday (10th October) we motored just a short distance to the ferry port of Tasucu. Many of the rally yachts had been there the night before and the local fishermen who manage the small pontoon there were surprisingly skilled at helping us moor up: they came aboard and dealt with our bow lines while we organised the mooring line at the stern. Despite being the port for ferries to Turkish northern Cyprus, Tasucu is a pleasant place with good shopping, cafes and restaurants so we enjoyed our day there, but again the night was muggy and the mean mosquitos were on the rampage! The next day we had a long passage to a soulless place called Kum Kuyu, whose only merit is to have a good harbour with plenty of room for all the rally yachts. On the way we had to divert around the Goksu river-mouth with extensive and shifting shallows out to sea. The area is a wildlife reserve and apparently very popular with bird-watchers as well as being home to rare green turtles and Mediterranean monk seal. East of there the coastline is one long sandy beach and extensive hotel development that takes all the pleasure out of looking at the view onshore from a passing yacht. The sea is also quite polluted around here, with endless plastic bags in the water. One of the rally yachts got a large piece of plastic stuck around its prop and the crew had to go diving to free it. Luckily they were well offshore so came to no harm. Thursday 11th was the last day of Ramadan and the day after all the rally yachts set off to arrive in Mersin by 2pm. As we approached the outer harbour we got all dressed up, decorating the yachts with flags and bunting and the crews wearing rally t-shirts. We then entered the inner harbour one-by-one and moored up, providing a spectacle for the passing crowds. There is a big funfair nearby and lots of floating restaurants in the harbour. Friday was a public holiday (Eid al Fitr) and the place has been buzzing almost continuously since we got here.   Mersin is a big city and seems very prosperous. The older part of the city has a bazaar with many small streets full of shops selling almost everything you could possibly want. The newer part of the city is full of smart shops of the type found in most European cities. There's a large Carrefour which is very similar to those we visit in France. Eating out is very cheap here and being a festive time, the patisseries are stocked with amazing sweet goodies made from pastry, dried fruits and nuts, chocolate, and even carrots. A favourite snack is Balik Ekmek (fish sandwich) which we also found in Istanbul. They fillet and grill mackerel, serving it in bread. We wondered where the delicious fish came from since we never seem able to catch any. The answer is that they import it frozen from Norway! Every morning the rally has a "net" on the VHF at 9am. It's a chance for Lo, the organiser, to pass on information and for all of us to raise questions. We have been having problems with a leak from our salt water cooling pump and hadn't got the right tool to fix it. We asked on yesterday morning's net whether anyone had one and soon enough one turned up. Such are the advantages of being on the rally. Despite the attractions of exploring a big city, the inner harbour is inevitably rather smelly and we're all now looking forward to moving on. Because of the festive season it's been difficult to make contact with the authorities but we've now got our passports and papers stamped appropriately so we shall leave Turkey for Cyprus tomorrow morning. |