Spellbinder Cruise Bodrum 28 May - Iassus 6 June 2010

Spellbinder
Wed 9 Jun 2010 07:33
At Bodrum we were delighted to meet Ruth of the good yacht Bizum who, with Iain, Spellbinder had met in Bermuda in 2008 from where we had both crossed to the Azores. We had enjoyed their company in Horta and had a merry time. At 1300 on 28 May we slippped from Bodrum marina, chased out for regatta boats that weekend. In a good afternoon blow F4/5 on the nose the new crew of Charles and Ros soon got to know the boat again as we beat the 9 miles upwind to a bay at Baglar Koyu. Here jetty facilities for gullets had taken over but we managed to find good holding in sand/weed patches at the northeast of the bay. We settled down for a night at anchor and planned to cross to the Greek island of Pserimos the next  day.Using the motor in the shelter of the Bodrum peninsular we soon picked up a breeze from the NW and sailed serenely into the bay of Vathi on the east coast. At the head of the bay we anchored in 7.5m in sand with weed patches, lowered the dinghyand later walked over the col to the delightful harbour of Pserimos. Here we enjoyed a local Pserimos wine served by an elderly lady who was clearly glad of our custom. Strong NW winds blew the next day so we sailed close hauled under reefed mainsail to the popular harbour at Gumusluk. Unlike most of the Bodrum peninsular scarred by ugly developments, Gumusluk has retained its character where fish restaurants abound on the waterfront. We waded across the causeway to view the islet of Tavsan Ada where parts of ancient Myndos were being excavated. The smallish harbour was crowded and holding suspect so at the height of a busy summer in a blow one would feel uncomfortable in this place, but it is well worth a visit for its attractiveness and the quality of the food. So we continued to move back and forth to the Greek islands, this time Kalimnos.The wind was light easterly as we motored to the bay of Ormos Sikati that promised good protection from a forecast southerly blow. The weather was unusually unsettled for spring following a very wet winter in Anatolia. Ormos Sikati was a disappointment, however, as we had to dodge a fishing net stretched right across the bay buoyed either side but giving clearance in the middle. Once up to the potential anchorage at the head of the bay it proved impossible to get the anchor to bite, so after 5 attempts we retreated. We motored and sailed around the north of Kalimnos and found shelter and good holding, once over the sand in 5m, in the bay of Ormos Argano. Here the rising wind whistled down the valley, swirling off the mountainsides in great gustsand preventing us from getting ashore safely until it quietened down the next evening. In a beautiful location it was disappointing to find tar on the beach. There was a canteena and two tavernas nearby. The small community looked rather run down and we felt sorry for the locals struggling to make ends meet in a difficult economic climate. The next day, 2 June, we enjoyed a glorious days sailing in a moderate northwesterly that involved beating through the narrowish gap between Leros and Kalimnos then reaching across to the marina at Yalikavak. We were getting short of provisions and needed to stock up. The marina is expensive but well appointed and we were to enjoy a magnificent meal of fish baked in salt at a restaurant nearby known by Charles and Ros who had once taken a Sunsail holiday here across the bay. The next day we sailed around the north of the Bodrum peninsular in a most convenient moderate southwesterly to enter the bay at Guvercinlik. The gulf of Korfezi is studded with fish farms and associated bits of buoyant rope in the water need to be avoided if motoring. Guvercinlik was refreshingly non-touristy with no modern developments. Again it was a bit run down with dogs roaming the waterfront, but the holding was good off the harbour and the locals as friendly as ever ashore. So, another night was spent at anchor where we played a round of Upwords before enjoying a peaceful night. The next crew change was in the Asin Limani at Iassus, the most magnificent ancient site being excavated by an Italian archaeological team. The Myceaneans, Minoans through to the Byzantines had been here reusing each others building materials. The top of the islet had the ruins of a castle built by the Knights of St John, its walls studded with sections of stone columns from a previous age. Sadly, near the end of the nineteen century, the marble from the great Roman amphitheatre had been carted off to Constantinople to build the ship quays there. We secured stern-to the quay in the harbour and rested a few days for a crew change. Ruth and Iain were wonderfully kind to us, collecting Eric off a late flight at Bodrum, putting him up for the night at their home and then driving out along a badly pot-holed road to spend the day with us at Iassus.It was really good to spend time with them, swop stories and catch up with their news. We bid a sad farewell to Charles and Ros who had a bone shaking ride in a battered cortina with no seat belts to the airport at Bodrum.