Keçi Bükü

Nicky's master plan worked again and we found ourselves sailing downwind to get to Keçi Bükü. We were making 5.5 knots so it was not as speedy as our passage the previous day, however, with the genoa poled out we were sailing whilst others around us were motoring. Julia 2 motored past us which prompted some mad waving as we recognised the name from the list of yachts on the imminent cruise in company.

The scenery in this part of Turkey is just fabulous. The coastline is craggy and covered in pine forests. The rock colour is either brown, grey or rusty so as the sun sets and the light turns orange the whole place glows in the warm light with the crags picked out beautifully. We're not alone in thinking it is nice because we could also see lots of yachts both sailing and moored in the bays.   

Turning into the high-sided Keçi Bükü we lost way because of the wind shadow and so we stowed the sails and switched to motor power. We expected to anchor and run a line ashore so we got all of the clobber out in preparation so that we could enjoy the scenery. We made our way past the island catching our first glimpse of the ruined Byzantine fort high up on the rocky peak.   

To our left was a long sand spit sitting just below the surface and we had wondered if this would be marked with stakes. It wasn't but we had no worries about piloting our way past it because the full length of the spit was clear to see with about 60 people taking a stroll along it. 

With the water little more than ankle deep it looked like these holiday makers were walking on water.   

We slotted ourselves into a line of anchored yachts between the island and the western pine covered shore and dropped our anchor in 12 metres. This gave us a great view of the island and the castle. The other yachts were all free anchored and so our first task was to put away all of the lines-to-the-shore clobber.   

With the sun already getting lower in the sky, the second task was to inflate the dinghy so that we could all go ashore. 

There were several rickety wooden jetties with yachts moored to them next to the restaurants and we tied up to one of these. Alex and Lucy ordered the beers whilst Nicky and I bought some fruit and cans of pop from the small store. Thereafter the priority was to relax and enjoy the scenery whist sipping ice-cool beer   

Eventually we made our way back to BV; we should have switched on the anchor light when we left her because the sun had well and truly set when we returned to her. However, no one seemed to have bumped into her in our absence and so we turned our hands to cooking dinner and afterwards had a boys vs girls backgammon game which the boys won.

The following morning was absolutely still when Nicky and I went for a quick swim before breakfast. Sadly the water wasn't very clear but it was refreshing nonetheless. The main task for the day was to move one bay west, less than 3 miles, to meet up with several other yachts and crews for the Cruising Association Mediterranean Section dinner. Before that, however, we briefly went onto the refuelling pontoon at Marti Marina in Keçi Bükü so that we could have the holding tanks pumped out. This they did very efficiently and, with a record of the pump-out recorded electronically on our 'Blue Card', we were free to head into the next bay, Turgut.

Keçi Bükü, Turkey