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Date: 04 Jun 2009 20:14:10
Title: Alacati Bay
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38:15.3N 26:23.4E

Wednesday 3rd June
Wind blew hard for most of the night, but both boats stayed rock solid and
did not move an inch.

Mid morning we had a visit from the French couple who were after some
information about Sigacik, which we were able to supply second hand. They
were very pleasant and not withstanding her English being better than my
French we muddled through the conversation. We had seen them buying some
fish off a small fishing boat that had come into the bay the night before to
shelter from the wind, but they told us that far from buying it, the
fishermen had insisted that they have it for free. Mind you the French did
confess that although it tasted fine they had never seen anything like it
before!

The wind kept up all day and with no other bays being safe with the wind
from the south, we chose to stay another night knowing that we had a well
dug in anchor. Two German yachts joined us during the course of the day and
although we all had a secure location, the big seas outside began to roll
around the headland and reflect back across the bay from the far side
setting up a very uncomfortable roll across the wind direction which had us
all pitching and rolling through the night.

Thursday 4th June
Wind still blowing quite strongly, but forecast to go west and ease later,
so we opted to move on and check out some other bays and ultimately head for
Alacati bay, where if the weather did not let up, we could probably get into
the (expensive) marina for the night.

Sailed out of the bay into the biggest seas we have seen since arriving at
this end of the Med and a force 6 wind right on our nose. After half an hour
of this, we decided to bear away and head straight for Alacati Bay and see
what things were like in there. Had a pretty fast sail in glorious sunshine
all the way there and blasted up the bay as far as a large hotel on the west
side of the inlet where we dropped the main and continued sailing up the bay
under the jib to the head of the bay where we dropped our anchor opposite
the entrance to the marina in calm and sheltered waters.

Wind eased off so we agreed to stay the night at anchor again rather than
pay the high marina fee. Launched the dinghy and Sarah went ashore to check
out the village and the large empty harbour that we could see but which the
pilot book showed as a 'development'! She was met by a security guard who
had some difficulty working out how she had got into the middle of this
sealed private area not realising that she had just stepped up out of a
dinghy. The village is no such thing at all, but a major development
inspired by the architect Francois Spoerry, creator of Port Grimaud on the
Cote d'Azur. It certainly makes a very refreshing change from the usual
concrete barracks that such developers usually throw up, but it does not
open for another few weeks and so there is nobody living there yet. More
importantly for us there are no shops and only one taverna, close to the
existing marina. Sarah also came across a Najad 440 and a van bearing the
livery of 'Najad Turkey' and assumed that she had found Najad's Turkish
agent but no one was around to confirm this.

Entertainment was provided for us by the windsurfers all operating from the
very large hotel that we had passed on the way in, but there are clear signs
that this summer has not started too well for the local tourist industry as
everywhere is still very quiet and barely no tourists are in evidence
anywhere.

Wonderful sunny evening with very little wind now although there was a bit
of chop, mostly from a lone wakeboarding speedboat!


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