Captains Log Star date 5th April 2010
Alanya Marina 36.33N     31.56E
 
It didn’t seam a year since we were packing up Mashona for our departure from Cyprus bound again for Istanbul and the East Mediterranean Yacht Rally.
 
The transition from land to sea is always a traumatic time in our household the living room floor looks more like a laundry and chandlery than the calm living space it normally is.
The cat (Tilly) has to have her annual injections and I swear she knows she is being torn from her garden and has to suffer that instrument of torture ‘The Boat our one continuing fear is that she will do a disappearing act on the day of departure to those ends she is confined to the house.
 
Bills to pay, arrangements for looking after the garden, television contracts downgraded for our absence, why do these always seam to be have to done in the last two days.
 
We have had an unseasonably wet winter in Cyprus but none of us are complaining we needed the water, but what it has meant that the planned relaxed annual maintenance  had to be compressed into the last few weeks.
Then of course comes the constant watching of the weather reports. Looking for a perfect window for our first leg across to Turkey.
April can be a difficult month, it is still quite cold at night and rain can still be around as are strong winds.
What we wanted was a North or South Easter at about 15knts.
Some chance?
We left on the Saturday Afternoon with a forecast of SW to West but no more than 5 to 10knts what we got was a Westerly at 20knts with a quartering sea, one hour out we were making no more than 2knts rolling and pitching.
The cat was certainly not impressed and proceeded to do Technicolor yawns both over the cabin sole and the Captains Chart table.
Whilst I have every sympathy for people who are sea sick the thought of regurgitated cat food over the log didn’t impress me one little bit.
 
We decided to bear off eastward for Anamur and although it was taking us away from were we wanted to go we made 6 and half knts I thought the wind would come round or at least decrease in the night and I was proved right for once and we managed to round Anamur point virtually on course.
Although the wind had dropped the sea continued to be unkind and the role was still there.
As dawn approached things got better and we soon had the precincts of Alanya in sight.
We were bound for Alanya Marina as our first port of call, I have always loved Alanya since my first visit here now over 40 years ago, of course apart from the castle in bears absolutely no resemblance to the town of 1972.
Turkey had a fine system of building marinas upto a certain stage of construction and then seeking investors to complete and run them for a certain time.
 
Alanya was just one of these marinas, Hasan Kacmaz was appointed to be the overall consultant and co-ordinator a better person could not have been chosen. With his wide experience of marinas management from the grass roots upwards he was certainly the individual to see the dream realised.
 
Work had begun well over a year ago and despite some temporary  setbacks is now virtually completed.
It has extremely good repair facilities, a swimming pool, fitness centre, tennis courts, a wonderful bar and is only a short Dolmens ride into town (although it is very easily walkable)
I feel that Alanya marina will provide a much needed facility on this part of the Turkish coast , will increase the cruising potentialformany yachts and will  encourage more yachts tovisitNorth Cyprus.
I applaud the forsight and the confidence that the investors have in this much needed facility here in Alanya.

As it was Easter Sunday the live aboard community had organised an Easter Bonnet competition and a Karaoke, now a singer I am not, but despite the plea for me to stop I did manage a song or three.
 
We had to complete our visa and transit log facilities which the marina arranged and although it can be a little long winded, as the different offices are not altogether it was fairly relaxed.
 
We had planned to depart the next day for our journey North Wards but the threat of again winds in the wrong direction has meant a not unwelcome extra day here.