36.33N 28.43E

Kastelrizo-Kas-Kapi Creek, Gocek-Passage to Rhodes

We arrived in the small Greek Island of Kastelrizo just after 14.00 the island lies just two miles off the Turkish town of Kas and is called Mies in Turkish.

We had a smooth journey, sunshine all the day we anchored off the town key the only boat in the harbour. Although adjacent Turkey it is most definitely Greek both in architecture and culture. It has only a resident population of 200 but is boosted in the summer by a lively tourist trade from both mainland Turkey and returning past residents who in the main emigrated to Australia. Many of the houses are now being renovated but most are still derelict. It was bombed very heavily in the Second World War and never recovered.
It is hard to imagine that this was the centre of trade with the Levant and old photographs in many of the restaurants and bars show the harbour full of sailing ships waiting for favourable winds for onward passage.

Our favourite restaurant owner was waiting to take our lines and we were soon tucking in to Calamari and Retsina.

The next day we planned to go to Rhodes but the morning dawned to heavy skies and the threat of thunderstorms.
We managed to jam the anchor swivel and despite attacking it with the Irish screwdriver (Hammer) it wouldn’t move unable to use the anchor we had no option than to go across to Kas were we knew we could go alongside the quay and sort it out there.
The proposed new marina to the west of the town is still under development and little seams to have been done since our last visit two years ago.
With the help of two local fishermen and a lot of banging with a piece of 4x4 we soon solved the problem. By that time the wind had freshened and the rain started Kas in the summer is a pleasant place with good shopping and restaurants on an April day with the rain falling and mud everywhere I can assure you it is not.

Making an executive decision we decided to make passage to either Olu Deniz or  Gocek bay as soon as we cleared Kas the wind freshened more but in the right direction and we were soon making over 7 knots and at one time 8 ,oh how I love downwind sailing much better than slamming into a head wind ,,the rain continued and the sea state increased to 2 metre waves we could see lightning in the distance but luckily it never got near us.

We had to pass the infamous 7 capes on the way which is notorious for bad weather and confused seas they on this occasion caused us no problem but with a strong following wind and an increasing sea state Olu Deniz would have been untenable.

We rolled across the entrance to Gocek bay and made a beeline for Kapi Creek at the western end of the archipelago. As soon as we went through the narrow gap between the islands and into the bay proper we were in calm water.
Kapi Creek was just around the corner and we anchored stern to, near the restaurant.
Again we were the only boat in there so different from the later months when getting a place here in the evening is virtually impossible.

We were soon in the bar next to a roaring fire drying our wet weather gear and sampling the prohibitively expensive wine and Raki.

We have GPRS on board using Turk cell as an internet provider and the weather looked!! Slightly improved for today.

We are now on passage to Mandraki (Rhodes Town) with a promise of cheap shopping in Liddell and pork chops on the menu tonight.
The weather does not look to promising ahead and the radar shows thunderstorms and squalls and of course what little wind we have is on the nose. There is a fair swell running but nothing like yesterday.
We have been reliably assured that this is sword fish season so we are running two fishing lines with calamari lures no bites up to now, so what changes.
Last time we did this trip we were with our friends Jim and Trish on Dragon song and they caught a very large tuna so who knows.
The ships cat Tilly who is signed on as Navigator has at last got over her sea sickness but still remains sulky.

The fishing line has just raced out but only a plastic bag ’the cat goes hungry again’

At last we have seen another yacht the first since we left Cyprus the sailing has been more akin to the North Sea than the balmy Mediterranean it can only get better.

Dave and Kath
S/Y Mashona