Fethiye Refit Week 2 2 Mar - 8 Mar 2010
Spellbinder
Tue 9 Mar 2010 12:42
Spellbinder was floated again. A busy programme of work was completed
including the removal and replacement of the loo pipes by Levent's team.
These pipes were almost completely blocked after 3.5 years of heavy use and
their clearing is a great relief to all! A prize is offered to a designer
who can make removal and replacement of these pipes straightforward because
it is inevitable that they will require regular removal. In Spellbinder it
was actually impossible to get at the manifold block without cutting a large
hole in the bulkhead and fitting an access hatch. Nil point to HR.
On a calm, sunny afternoon Spellbinder motored smoothly across to the ECE
marina happy that she was back in her element, the water. Work then
continued on the non docking-dependent items including a complete fit of LED
lights to replace the power-hungry and hot halogen lights. George took the
lead in this and did great work in finding the power tools to cut holes in
deckheads and reconnect wires. Engine maintenance was undertaken taking
great care to remove the oil and disposing of it correctly in shore side
facilities. Turkey is quite rightly concerned about protecting the marine
environment on this beautiful coast and there are large penalties for
infringing the rules including use of detergents etc hostile to wildlife. It
is reported that they use helicopters to shadow suspect boats and take
photographs of miscreants.
We had now moved out of the hotel Daffodil and were living onboard, but
before moving had met Colin and June Doone who had sold their house in
Plymouth, travelled out to Fethiye and were planning to buy a gullet and
sail it back to Plymouth via the French canals. George became an adviser to
them and we went for a trial trip round the bay in a boat that they
decided to buy. Made of solid teak throughout it should make a happy home
afloat in Millbrook creek, Plymouth. They came with us in Spellbinder for a
trial outing from Fethiye harbour and round a neighbouring group of
islands. Warm enough for shorts and sunhats and application of suncream at
first, it clouded over in front of an approaching weather system that was to
bring hot and muggy weather with a hint of sand from the sahara in the
showers of rain. As this is written the temperature is 23degC at 0800, a
foretaste of the hot weather to come in the middle of summer.