We unfurled the sails and then took them in again, we unfurled them, then took them in again, so in the end we did motor sail the 42 miles to Kalkan. It would have been perfect conditions to try the new Parasailor, but with Chris’s hand we decided that the first outing of such a large sail would not be a good idea with only 1.5 pairs of hands. When we got near to Kalkan we decided not to go into the marina straight away but to anchor in one of the anchorages near by so we could swim and relax as we had had such a busy few days. Yesilkoy Limini looked just the perfect anchorage, so in we went and anchored at the head of the bay in turquoise sea that was so clear we could see the anchor as it went down and how it set, without having to dive on it. The passage took us 7 hours so we were glad of a swim and time to relax. The anchorage only had one other yacht in and a few Gulets but most left by about 1730 leaving only one Gulet and one other yacht in a quite a large anchorage. The other yacht left just before the sun went down.

The night was peaceful and we woke to yet another day of bright sunshine and no wind. We decided to stay in the anchorage for two nights before going into Kalkan marina. Just as we were having breakfast admiring our surroundings the Gulet left. He hadn’t gone very far and was still in the anchorage area when a very large slick of brown sludge started coming our way, we couldn’t believe it. As we have said before, Turkey has very strict rules that we have to follow about discharging grey water (washing up water, shower water) and Black water (sewage) none of these can be pumped into the sea, they have to be pumped out at a pump out station in marinas or town quays, that carries a small cost. We have to get the Blue card stamped as well, to prove we have complied. We have also been warned about washing down the decks, as this too might entail a large fine. We can only think that these rules only apply to visiting yachts and not the commercial Gulets, because during the morning more discharge came our way into the head of the bay as the Gulets left other anchorages. Soon after that, the daily flow of Gulets coming to anchor in this very pretty bay started, and people were swimming and water skiing totally oblivious of what had just been pumped into the sea. We have not seen this sort of pollution in Greece, so we think the rules are actually making the problem worse. We were both very glad that we are up to date with all our Hepatitis jabs.

During the day we decided to rig the lines for the Parasailor and hoist it in its sock so we had some idea of what to do when we do get round to setting it. We had made up two sheets so we had to find some spare rope that could be used for guys. Having changed some of our halyards recently we had enough rope that would do the job for now so set about rigging the Parasailor. We had detailed instructions to follow and our knowledge of spinnakers so it wasn’t long before we had all the sheets and guys rigged and the Parasailor up the mast in its sock. So it is ready to launch on the next perfect day and longish passage.

Chris with the Parasailor ready to launch at the next opportune moment on passage

The sludge that we suspect came from a Gulet that left the anchorage.