Post by chuckr on Aug 19, 2018 12:01:43 GMT
We sailed into Setur marina in Antalya and glad we had the 30 days that came with the year contract. It is the only marina in Antalya and way out of town. There is a bus service but it is a long walk to it. Cabs work and not to expensive. We were lucky that we had friends there that helped and showed us around.
There is a lot to see there including a really old theater that has been refurbished a bit and in the late summer have plays and concerts. Along with that is an old town - really old - that a lot of work is being done on to dig up the past. The aquarium has the largest water tunnel in the world and the museum was really well done.
From there it is a short sail to Side. We were not sure of the harbor as it looked empty but all the day tripper boats were out so we anchored off the mainland and when it looked like most of the daytrippers were in we went in and a couple of guys waved us in a we tied to the wall on a med mooring. There is room just be patient and wait for the day boats to get back. The town itself really surprised us as it is full blown tourist but really different as they dug up the old city and in parts you walk on glass above the old streets. At one point we sat in a bar and having a glass of wine and looked below us and imagined that 2,000 years ago a couple of folks sat there and were doing the same.
Sailing down to Ananya we arrived at the marina there and it was a bit busy. A lot of day trippers come into the harbor entrance and back into the wall or beach and tie up to let their customers swim or go ashore for a meal. As we came around the breakwater a huge day tripper was in front of us and we thought great we will follow him in until the he did a 180 deg turn and stopped and backed up. Glad we were not to close or our mast would have hit his bow sprint. -- Anaya is a nice town and you winter over here. There is great bus service to downtown and back and very inexpensive. The folks running the marina are incredibly nice and very helpful. And it is not very expensive.
We sailed on down to Gazipasa and found a new harbor with new breakwalls and it appears to have been dredged. But it stops at that. There were no tie downs on the new walls so we tied to a tree and piece of rebar hanging out the back of the wall. getting to town was a bit of an issue as we walked to a nearby hotel and they called a cab for us. it is a safe and secure harbor but ----
We left Gazipasa for a 33nm run around a cape and had very confused seas with e-w current on the nose with 6-9k winds, swell of 2-5' 1-2m from the ssw, and a nw swell - we rolled 20deg side to side and after an hour went back in. You really need to watch the winds from the Greek isl as if a meltimi is blowing it can force the seas into the bay that leads to Antalya and around. We waited a couple of days and let things calm down. One thing you want to do is round the cape before noon as the afternoon winds really pick up there.
Once around the cape we sailed into Bozyazi. The port was designed to handle ferries to Cyprus that never occurred. It is a great place to leave the boat to visit the best castle in the Med the Mamur Castle and then on to the old city of Amura which is at the cape and now empty. Very interesting as the new city is just down the road.
more later.