Sharing our Freedom with Jill/Mum

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Our last guest this summer was Andy's mum, Jill. But before that we should go back a few weeks.

Before Helen and Chris came onboard, we had delivered our 2-year-old netbook to an engineer in a hopeful attempt to fix it. So our first task after they left was to return to Fethiye to discover the result. With no reply on the phone we went to the shop to find it closed. After enquiries we discovered it was Ramadan – just our luck. 3 days later the news was bad, the netbook was dead. We left with the hard drive re-packaged so at least we had all our documents and photos. Within 2 days we had ordered a replacement netbook to be delivered to Leeds – Jill would bring it with her.

Other incidents in the inter-guest period included the outboard motor failing us and then getting fixed, and our ferry trip to Rhodes being aborted (“just come in the day before” said the travel agent, so we did, “the ferry is full tomorrow” said the travel agent, “but...”, ah well).

So then we had a wonderful week with a crew of 3. Jill was back on the helm on day one (after a lapse of 4 years) and we had quite a few lovely sailing days around the gulf. She even handled the lines when we were tacking so we'll make a sailor of her yet. We anchored or took mooring buoys off several pretty bays and islands, enjoying the sunsets and then the stary nights. We all took to the water as well with Jill bobbing around with her noodle. We swam around our anchorages and around the ruins in Cleopatra's bay.

One morning off Yassica Island, after tea, breakfast and then coffee, we spotted a kingfisher and ended up mesmorised for a couple of hours. There were 2 or maybe 3 kingfishers coming and going but they chose just behind our boat to go fishing. One caught a fish which was almost as long as the bird and we watched as it bashed the fish on it's tree branch over and over again. Eventually it went for the swallow and unbelievably the fish disappeared – we thought it would get stuck with the tail still sticking out of its beak!

There were 3 stops on piers; in Gocek, Wall bay and Fethiye. We went ashore for shopping and meals – but none compared to the Greek salads onboard.

The incident of the week involved a short walk on Tersanne Island, a 3 inch rusty nail and Andy's foot. We were anchored in Winter Harbour, took the dinghy over to the shore and walked the short distance across to Summer Harbour where Kate went for an impromptu swim. On the way back I had spotted a good location for a group photo, with Winter Harbour in the background and the camera balanced on a wall on timer. Mum and Kate were positioned, the camera balanced and I walked around the wall to press the shutter and run to my position. As I walked around my right foot paused just off the ground as if there was a resistance, then skchumph the foot hit the floor. I new something was in my foot so I lifted it, sat down and said “ow” (Mum and Kate's version has me screaming and writhing around on the floor holding my foot, but you can't believe that). We all looked at the nail and had trouble thinking about where it had just been (then Kate hammered it down with a rock). There was very little blood but it was tricky to walk so Kate and Mum dashed off to get the dinghy while I waited at the end of Winter Harbour. They picked me up, we all went back onboard and we left the harbour for Gocek and a tetanus jab (as instructed in the Ship Captain's Medical Guide - Puncture Wounds section). The local clinic was fabulous and efficient but the language barrier made the process quite amusing. Within 2 hours of the “incident” the tetanus injection had been administered and a couple of hours after that we were 8 miles away, mooring up in Wall bay looking forward to cocktails onboard and a then meal ashore in the restaurant.

At this point we should emphasise that Andy wasn't the only one with an injury this week. Our pump-operated toilet (described as “wierd” by Tom) proved too much for Jill who developed a pumping blister. It's a dangerous world we live in!

So Jill returned to Leeds and was already aclimatised for the heatwave that followed. Meanwhile we planned our last 3 weeks sailing. First we had the foresail bearing fixed in Fethiye, then experienced serious thunderstorms (3 in one day and with spectacular lightning) and the first proper rain in 3 months, before we set off on the 150 mile trip to Antalya where Freedom would spend the winter. We have had a couple of long day sails already (starting at dawn) and the second - sailing due east as the sun rose over the islands in front of us - was the most spectacular start to one more wonderful day sailing our Freedom.

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Comments

[Helen Raemers]

Fond memories
It was lovely to catch up on your news & it brought back memories our of weeks sailing - which we loved just incase I hadn't said! Enjoy the end of your trip. xx