Advertisement
Published: January 16th 2023
Edit Blog Post
Walked Around the Waterfront in Marmaris
with the statute honoring a very revered man October 17 – 26, 2022
Now that our land travel was over for now in Turkey, we knew we had to buckle down and get ready to head back to the US for the winter and leave Tsamaya safely in the marina. With our flights booked for Oct 26
th and returning to the marina late on the 16
th, we had to start moving to get things sorted and determine what goes and what stays, clean out the refrigerator and freezer, and meet with the person that will be watching the boat while we are gone. Other things on our “to do list” were putting biocide in the diesel tank, doing an oil change, fill up the diesel tank, tie down the genoa and staysail and put sheets below (ropes for those that don’t know that term), be sure to secure sails, put a finish on the teak, cover winches, take up as many lines as possible from the deck, be sure all fenders are out due to boats close by (cleaned and at right height), clean the bilge, pump out the head, pull things away from the wall (pillows, etc.), make sure safety lines are tight, check canvas is tight
and a number of other “little things”.
We also want to fit in some kind of acknowledgement somehow that we are both turning 70! Last year we really did it up by taking a trip to Cappadocia and taking a hot air balloon ride on my birthday and have friends Darren and Sue at the boat as well as go out for dinner on Bob’s birthday. We knew that would be hard to compare to and just figured we would let it slip by or at least find a nice place to go out for dinner. We had been given a suggestion for a place to eat in Marmaris so started to research that and see about a reservation, when a friend, Jim, gave us a suggestion we never would have thought of. He said that he has taken a ride out on a gulet out of Marmaris and that it was an excellent way to spend the day enjoying being on the water, snorkeling, relaxing and having a lovely lunch. That sounded intriguing and figured that would be a little more memorable. With my birthday this year on a Saturday and Bob’s on a Tuesday, we thought we’d
aim for going on Saturday or Sunday. We wanted to check the gulet out as well as take a last trip into Marmaris to walk around, pick up a couple of things to take back to the US and of course have a breakfast out (Bob’s favorite meal to eat out!). We went into town on Thursday the 20
th and found the boat called “Amazon” that Jim had recommended. We were told that they were not going out on Saturday, but would be on Sunday so we booked with them so the plan was set.
This gulet is definitely not the most modern and sleek boat you’ve seen, but the people that run it were lovely and they pride themselves on not having music so people could just relax and enjoy themselves. Yes, we do love music, but if you have ever heard some of the music coming off of these gulets and the volume that it is played, you would also be happy to find one that didn’t have music so you could rest, read a book or just visit with your fellow passengers. It was also nice that the gulet was not a large one, so there
were only about 20 people on the trip.
Fortunately, the day was a beautiful one, sunny with very little wind. The gulet actually didn’t go that far away from the town of Marmaris, but that was fine as it gave more time to be at each stop to swim or snorkel. It really was nice to be able to enjoy the beautiful, blue water on October 23th! Not something we would be doing if we were back in the US in upstate NY. They also served a delicious lunch and you could purchase drinks and/or snacks if you wished. It really was what the doctor ordered in order to make a memorable 70
th for us both – thanks Jim for the suggestion!
We have been flying Turkish Airlines as they allow 2 pieces of luggage each included in your ticket price. It really is a nice extra when you want to take thing back to the US or when you need to bring parts back to the boat each year. This year, we really surprised ourselves however, by only taking 3 bags total between us! With October 25
th being Bob’s birthday as well as our last day before
flying out, we were doing the things that you can’t do until the last minute getting the boat ready to stay in the water while we are gone. Some years we pull the boat and put it on the land, but this year we decided to leave her in the water. During the day we were pleasantly surprised when we looked out the screened doorway to the cockpit and saw a lovely cat looking in! We still sure do miss our Sailor onboard! Not sure where the cat came from as haven’t seen it before, but during the day, she sure settled in and seemed to find plenty of places to make herself comfortable. We did have to be careful every time we opened the doorway as knew if she came down below there are just too many hiding places that she could find and we really didn’t want that as a problem when we go to leave for the winter! It just reminds us that we definitely do need to get another cat!
October 26
th we were ready to be picked up by the transfer company, Mares, at 9AM. Actually, we were glad we were ready by 8:45AM
We Were Surprised to See Signs for Halloween
but this was at the marina where there are foreigners! as they were already there. We were impressed that the driver even helped us off the boat (by walking our plank!) with the luggage in hand. This is a new company for us to use based on recommendations and we will definitely use them again. They were efficient, the driver was careful and prompt and even with that they were less expensive than other companies we have used in the past – a definite win-win.
The trip is definitely long between our home in the US and Marmaris, but fortunately everything went smoothly. Our first flight is from Dalaman to Istanbul where we had a 3 hour layover before our direct flight of 10 ¾ hours from there to NYC. We landed at 10pm, but it took 2 hours to get our luggage and rental car as the plane was packed so baggage claim was “crazy”. We drove up home and arrived at 5:15AM local time. The only thing was our watches and body were telling us it was really 12:15 PM on October 27
th. It was a tiring trip, but always good to get back safe and sound. Now to get over the jet lag and get some
rest.
Those that have followed the blog, know that this season in Turkey was clearly not the norm. Between not getting in any sailing (except for one lovely one), all the work being done on the boat and the variety of land trips we have taken, but overall it still turned out fine. We now know the boat is definitely in good shape and we are already looking forward to getting back on Tsamaya in the spring. Until then we will enjoy our time back in the US visiting with friends and family (and trying to get a few projects done on the house)
Advertisement
Tot: 0.113s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 14; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0393s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Nelson
non-member comment
Glad you made it home safe and sound. Truly enjoyed reading about your trips and all the interesting things you saw and did. A belated Happy Birthday to both of you! It was interesting to discover that Bob's b'day is the same as my mothers! Also have an aunt on the 24th and another aunt on the 25th as well. Cluster celebration! Amy asked me to tell you hello the next time I wrote, so..hello!