Travel to Kerkova Rhodes

Persevere
Pat and Bruce
Tue 5 Apr 2011 17:43

36:11.70N 29:51.48E

 

Around 08:30 we dropped the mooring in Göcek and headed southeast.  The ideal plan was for us to sail the coast but of course the winds were not to be an assistant to this trip.  Less than 5 knots of wind but rolly seas from the stronger wind well offshore.  So we headed out for the 65 nautical mile trip that would take about 9 hours.  Along the way several things caused us to take notice.  First was the surprising amount of floating trash.  The volume was much higher than we ever saw before and even had a fluorescent light tube in the mix.  My uneducated guess was that the Turks take garbage out to the sea and sink it like was common in the USA a few decades ago.  However this was not well done so it floated on the surface right into the national park preserve which is littered with plastic based garbage on the shores.

 

On the good side the coast in great to see from the water.  A mix of pine covered hills (with tons of yellow pollen on the water) and sandy beaches (rare in the Med).  About 2/3 of the way near Kaş (pronounced cash, the little mark under the s means pronounce as sh) there are several islands that break up the coastline and a few Greek islands just next to Turkey.  During the independence of Greece from the Ottoman Empire most of the islands were deemed Greek so it is not unusual to have a Greek island remotely located from Greece right next to Turkey.  While transiting these parts care has to be made on the route.  Many barely submerged reefs and small islands are present, just ready to grab the wayward sailor.

 

We made it to Kerkova Rhodes just as the winds decided to come up in force.  The entrance to the protected bays is through a narrow pass that has a few reefs.  The 20 knots winds were not helpful but no issue.  We chose to head into the inner bay that again is a narrow pass.  Once inside we headed to the eastern end to be away from the town and the other few sailboats that anchored in the western half.

 

This bay is very well protected from waves but will get the strong winds as they funnel up the valleys.  The bottom of the bay is nice thick mud, great for anchoring.  We anchored around 18:00 in 6 meters of water with 45 meters of chain let out.  Time for a drink and dinner.

 

Pataras beach.JPG

 

Pataras beach on the way down.  Perfect picture to show that we did some rolling on the way.  The water was a little greenish from the river discharging all the water from the prior day’s storms.  This is one of the largest sand beaches in the Med and is a place that sea turtles nest and lay eggs prior to the tourist season.

 

Persevere all alone at anchor.JPG

 

Persevere quietly at anchor with no neighbors.  The water here is not clear because it is effectively a closed off bay with freshwater streams carrying nutrients to assist in algae growth.