Pabuç

We left Parmak Bükü at 0730 because we had about a 40-mile passage to get us west and then north towards Bodrum. With a westerly wind likely to build, we expected to do a lot of tacking to get past the end of the Datça peninsula, and so we again decided just to go out and see how far we could comfortably get. If the wind made progress too slow we’d aim to anchor in the ancient harbour at Knidos on the end of the peninsula. As it was, by leaving so early, there was not enough wind to sail and so we ticked off 10 miles motoring directly west. It’s a well-worn route and we were one of about 20 yachts and gulets working their way along the peninsula in both directions.

The large red yacht leaving    

After a couple of hours of motoring we were still just short of Knidos but the wind was strong enough to allow us to sail so we started tacking. It took a bit but eventually we got past the headland at Knidos with the wind getting lighter and lighter and, unhelpfully, starting to come from the north. Fortunately after dying away completely for a short time, it came back in earnest from the west. In the light wind period I had started to clean our rather grubby looking stainless steel stanchions but quickly found that was far too much like hard work. Nicky was on the helm, the wind was on the beam and BV was racing along at 8 knots. We quickly covered the remaining 20 miles to get north into the Bodrum area with big grins on our faces; it really is very civilised sailing here!

We headed for the sheltered bay at Pabuç which had been recommended to us by a Turkish/French couple we had chatted to whilst we were at Nísos Kálimnos. They keep their yacht in Bodrum and this is one of their favourite anchorages. It certainly was busy when we arrived, so they clearly aren't the only ones who like the location, but we managed to squeeze BV in between a large red yacht and a gulet with a couple of English families holidaying on board. This seemed to provide much entertainment for the professional crews as I held BV in position and juggled the lines whilst Nicky swam ashore and tied them to the rocks. However, we were pretty slick and fairly quickly BV was secure. Even better, the red yacht and the gulet both left in the early evening giving us much more space....

... and a nice view further up the anchorage which previously had been blocked... and a nice view further up the anchorage which previously had been blocked.

We were also able to see our next neighbour along. After using their lowering swimming platform to launch their dinghy, they had decided to leave it just below the surface and set up their table and chairs on it. A heated card game was taking place with much exultation when anyone won but at least they had cool feet. They just needed to make sure that they didn’t push their chairs back to far!

Moored in Pabuç   

We had a relaxing evening with a dinner of barbecued kebabs and then spent the next day getting some admin out of the way. BV needed a good clean before Alex and Lucy join us Bodrum, plus we needed to make some preparations for a Cruising Association get-together we had signed up for. We will be one of 15 yachts cruising in company along the Lycian coast later in September and we have volunteered to help out with one of the social events, which still needs a little organising on our part to make sure that we can host the event properly. With Alex and Lucy arriving on Monday we also rang ahead to book a mooring in Bodrum marina for Monday night. The plan for Sunday is to try out a different anchorage, one much closer to Bodrum harbour, that we hope to visit with Alex and Lucy.

Pabuç, Turkey