Marmaris Marina

We were up early on the morning of Saturday 11 October so that we could move into the marina. The marina office answered our radio call requesting a berth very promptly but the support team on the water were less efficient at getting going. We were under strict instructions to wait at the marina entrance so that we could be shown to our berth by the water team, however, the delay from their slow start was compounded by the outboard motor on their RiB failing to start. More and more yachts arrived and circled by the entrance, making the place look like the start line for a regatta.

Despite cunning attempts by some yachts to jostle for a better position, the mariñeros, once they had got their RiB going, were very good and dealt with us in strict order of arrival. As BV was going to be craned out a couple of days later we were put in one of the outer berths. The only downside to this we discovered when going to the marina office to complete the arrivals paperwork; it was a 10-minute walk around the pontoons to get ashore to any of the facilities. We resolved to get out our folding bikes to make things a little more efficient because we had a lot to do and couldn’t afford to waste time just getting around the large marina. However, we did have a nice surprise when we got to the marina office because we discovered that we had arrived in the marina just in time for the ‘End of Summer Party’ later that evening. But before we could relax and enjoy the party we had to start some serious research to see about getting a few issues on BV resolved over the winter months.

Our teak cockpit has been need of some love for a little while. A few of the planks have cracks in them and the black caulking between the planks has defintely seen better days. Over the summer, the harsh Mediterranean sun has dried out the teak making it shrink slightly and highlighting that the caulking has lost its stick in a few places. This rather defeats the purpose of the caulking, which is to stop water getting under the planks and causing trouble. We had decided that we needed to get all of the old caulking stripped out and replaced.

Also, hidden under the galley sink is a stainless steel piece of plumbing which had a small leak by the weld which had got progressively worse over the last few months and which definitely needed replacing. We had a similar problem with a smaller stainless steel T-piece in the engine compartment. Whist we had been at anchor in Pup Hotel Anchorage I had made up some technical drawings for these two parts which we hoped to be able to leave with a stainless steel fabricator to get some new components made. How long that would take we had no idea but ideally we wanted them made now before we lift BV for the winter.

As well as that, we need to seal the join between the teak caprail and the hull. Nicky had spotted a small leak which we think has come from this seam so it will need to have the old sealant raked out and replaced. It’s the sort of job we can do but it will take quite a long time and if there is a team already working on the cockpit caulking it makes sense for them to do this job at the same time.

Possible leaky teak caprail and deck join

So, having arrived, completed the paperwork with the marina office and, most importantly, got our tickets for the party later in the evening, we set to in earnest getting the lie of the land. We checked out the relevant workshops, carpenters and technicians on site as well as taking a good look at what is available in the large chandlery. We would need to take a trip to Marmaris town to see the chandleries there too because, we have been told, they are also well supplied and we would be able to get parts not really available over most of the Mediterranean.

With all of that activity it was soon time to grab a shower, put on some glad rags and go to the ‘End of Summer Party’. If nothing else it would provide an opportunity to ask some other yacht owners for recommendations on who does good technical work in the area.

Whirling Dervish dance

The party turned out to be a real hoot. We met up with some other Cruising Association members and discovered that there was also an End of Season Cruising Association dinner planned for a couple of days’ time. It was clear that we would be mixing social events with the end of season chores associated with getting BV ready for the winter. As well as finding out about the social events we got some good tips on chandleries and places to visit in Marmaris for technical services. For example, we wanted to find out about the sail lofts in the area so that we could arrange for BV’s sails to get a winter service and also to get a new staysail made ready for next season. One of the people we sat with at dinner had been keeping his yacht in Marmaris for several years and told us that he had compared prices and tried several of the sail lofts in the area but now just used one and had consistently had a good service from them. The advice on technical services and sail lofts were useful recommendations that could potentially save us considerable legwork doing our own research.

However, it wasn’t all just chat about boaty stuff. There was also some entertainment put on by a small team performing traditional Turkish dances. We hadn’t expected that at all and I very much regretted not having taken my camera to get a couple of pictures of the colourful outfits. We watched a Whirling Dervish dance (the photos above I got from the internet) and marvelled at how the dancers managed to stay upright and not bump into each other as they rapidly spun around, eyes closed in a trance-like state.

It was a fun evening and during the dinner we sat next to a German couple, Hans-Dietricht and Maike, who sail a catarmaran called Anuta. They were in the Pup Hotel anchorage and invited us over to take a look at their new yacht. So, in the morning, we inflated our dinghy and took a short trip out to see them on board their 45 foot Lagoon catamaran. Neither Nicky nor I have sailed on a cruising catamaran and whilst the length and sail area is comparable to BV the space inside the hull is vastly different. Hans-Dietricht and Maike explained that they spend a lot of time at anchor and so wanted a yacht with lots of space. They certainly have that. For us it was eye-opening to see the difference in living space alone between a conventional yacht and a catamaran and we joked (probably accurately) that their yacht has more space in it than the flat we had lived in last winter whilst we were arranging our house buy.

We were grateful that Hans-Dietricht and Maike had given us an excuse for a short break from some of the chores on BV but we needed to get back to work. For a start the engine and generator needed to be serviced and the sails taken off before BV was to be craned out on Wednesday. As we worked our way through the list of jobs BV’s saloon and chart table started to get more and more cluttered.

With the sails removed and temporarily  stowed down below there was even less space to move in the saloon, but the decks were starting to look clear ready for winter.

Over the next 3 days we arranged for a succession of sail makers and craftsmen to visit us to measure up and quote for the work we wanted doing. In between those visits we ran mousing lines and removed all of the running rigging so that it could be rinsed to get rid of the salt. There were still late afternoon rains showers so the bimini served us well as a drying area for the lines which we wanted dry so that they could be stored below.

It was hard work cleaning and organising but we were also very impressed with the services available at Marmaris. For example, we found a stainless steel fabricator on site which we liked the look of, completed the necessary negotioation and, after a little haggling over the price, left him with the design drawings for the galley sink and engine pieces of plumbing we wanted made. We left them at lunchtime on the Monday and the parts were ready for us first thing on Tuesday morning; a pretty speedy service!

Between arriving in the marina on Saturday lunchtime and being ready for haul out first thing on Wednesay morning it was practically non-stop activity. We confirmed which sail loft we wanted to make our new staysail and service the other sails and so got space back in the saloon when the sails were picked up and taken away to the loft for the winter. Importantly, we also confirmed who will going to do the work on the teak cockpit. In the end we arranged for the same craftsmen to work on the cockpit, the  seal along the teak cap rail, and also scraping off and reworking the copper anti-fouling along the waterline where it had been scratched and damaged by a buoy we had been moored to. We needed to confirm all of this before the lift out on Wednesday because it affected where we would be put in the boat yard over winter. ‘Dirty work’ like scraping off anti fouling and large carpentry jobs are only allowed in certain parts of the laying up area on the hard. If we hadn’t been so organised the crane staff might have chocked up BV in one part of the yard and then had to move her again for the ‘dirty work’ to be done. That would have been an extra craning bill we definitely didn’t want.

All in all the hard work cleaning and preparing was worth it. We could start to relax a little knowing that we had got everything organised and were in good order ready for lifting out BV on Wednesday morning. Getting your yacht craned out is always a concern in case she is dropped or damaged so we will only be able to relax properly when that is successfully completed. Reassuringly, the lift team came over and dived under BV as well as the other yachts they planned to lift on Wednesday so that they knew what the keel configurations were for positioning the lift strops.

Marmaris, Turkey