The Pre-Cruise Cruise

Bob and I had signed up for the Cruising Association (CA) Lycian Coast Cruise in Company Rally.  This was to be a rally of about 40 people on 15 boats going from Göcke to Finike along the Lycian Coast of Turkey.  Bob and I were definitely the newbies of the crowd.  As we finally seemed to have all the systems on Songster in working order (fingers crossed), we figured we better get a bit more familiar with sailing the old girl before we embarrass ourselves too badly on the Rally.  So we left the marina (we were seriously in danger of becoming Pontoon Rats) on a two week pre-cruise cruise.

Eileen on deck

The dry hills of Turkey

Misty Mountains

Bob adjusting the sails

We had some great sailing around the Bozburun Pennisula and up and down the Hisarönü Gulf. We covered about 157 nm.  Days were spent sailing, motoring when no wind, learning how Songster handled, anchoring in some scenic bay, going for a swim and snorkel off the boat, exploring the shore in the dinghy, and finishing the day with sundowners watching the sun set over the mountains of Turkey.

Our track over the two week pre-cruise cruise

We met up again with our friend, Tazeena, who was still anchored off the quaint town of Bozburun.

Bozburun Harbour

We had a pre-cruise dinner with some CA members in Turgut.

First of many CA dinners

Turgut

Islet Castle Orhaniye

We returned to Bozukkale to explore the Greek castle of Lymara on the headlands.

Castle walls

Bozukkkale

We broke the curse of Ekinçek where our windlass had failed on our two previous viThis visit fortunately was totally uneventful.

Finally we motored (not a puff of wind) to beautiful Wall Bay in Göcek Gulf for the start of the rally.

Sailing on Bathsheba

Our friend, Tazeena, who we visited in Key Haven, was back at Yat Marine and after getting a new motor in her beautiful yacht, Bathsheba, she was back on the water.  Bathsheba is a Freedom 33 Cat-ketch, quite an unusual boat with unstayed rigs, masts made of carbon fiber and wrap around sails with wishbones instead of booms, like a windsurf board.  

Tazeena bought the yacht new in 1982 and still at 79 can sail her single-handed but much prefers crew.  So she invited Bob and I to join her in a two day shake-down cruise before she headed out to Greece.  We jumped at the chance to see how this pretty and uniquely rigged boat sailed.  She sailed beautifully and was so easy to tack – no rolling in of genoas – just steer where you want to go and the wishbone does everything for you.

Bathsheba under sail

Bob enjoying the ride

Tazeena at the helm

Our first night we stopped at the lovely bay of Serçe.  It was a quiet, tiny fishing village with nothing but a small pontoon, some moorings and a single over-priced restaurant.

Serçe harbour

The next day we rounded the Bozburun peninsula along with about 50 other boats heading to Simi, Bozburun, Datça and beyond.  We headed up to Bozburun harbour having a lovely downwind sail.

Bob in manly pose

The fleet behind us

Gull wing going up to Bozburun with the wind behind

 After an early dinner and a great few days of sailing we caught a bus back to Marmaris – two days sailing but only 1 hour and 20 minutes by road!

Road Trip 7: End of the road – Scarborough, York and Cambridge

A long dreary drive from Edinburgh saw us making a late arrival at a caravan park outside of Scarborough with a pub nearby where we had a delicious and inexpensive dinner at their carvery, one of the very few meals we ate out in England.  

We woke up to another rare day of sunshine, just a perfect day for exploring Scarborough Castle and the beach.  Once again the serendipity of travel shone upon us.  Scarborough castle was having a re-enactment of the siege of 1645.  The Sealed Knot group were dressed in wonderful period costumes, demonstrating working weaponry, medical techniques and cooking authentic meals of the 17^th Century.  There were sword lessons for the kids and battle re-enactments.  Unfortunately we could not stay to see the battle but it was a fantastic opportunity to see a glimpse of the English Civil War period.

Civil War troops marching

Cooking for the troops

The ladies having a modern cuppa

The ruins of Scarborough Castle

Camp followers

Beautiful view on a beautiful day

We walked along the Scarborough beach soaking up the atmosphere but not braving the cold waters.

Scarborough Harbour

Scarborough beach with the castle on the bluff

We continued our drive south stopping for a few hours at the ancient and historic walled city of York.  The architecture was stunning

Medieval wall

York

York Minster

Just one more day left before we must return our little campervan that has been home for 3 weeks.  Our last day on the road trip was spent in Cambridge.  I liked Cambridge much better than Oxford.  Oxford seemed a bit grubby and down and out but Cambridge had a real vitality to it.  We had dinner at the historic Eagle Pub, the site where Watson and Crick announced the discovery of DNA.  Quite thrilling.

The blue plaque commemorating the discovery of DNA

The Eagle where the announcement was made

Norman church - oldest building in Cambridge built in 1033

The door of Cavendish Laboratory where Watson and Crick and Franklin worked

Cambridge

 Bob made a beeline pilgrimage to Pembroke College and was in heaven to be walking in the footsteps of Clive James.  The porter kindly let us explore all around this beautiful college and Bob had a long chat with him about ‘the old days’.

Pembroke courtyard

Pembroke Library where supposedly Clive James spent very little time

Pembroke dining hall

Bob walking in the footsteps of James

On our way out of Cambridge we stumbled upon Coningston RAF base and joined the plane spotters as the ground crew got the planes out of the hanger for an air show.

DC3 Dakota

Spitfire

So ended our road trip of England, Wales and Scotland.  It only served to wet my appetite to travel more of through this amazing land, but then I haven’t been to France or Spain or Eastern Europe or........

Road Trip 6: Scotland

We did a lightning fast trip through Scotland.  This is a place we will definitely explore more thoroughly in the future.  We left Hadrian’s Wall and drove into Scotland to find a place for the night ending up in the quaint seaside town of Troon where the local ‘municipal sanitation operative’ chatted with us in what we think was English.  Anyway we could understand about three quarters of what he said and he let us know that it was alright to spend the night in the carpark by the sea.

Troon at sunset

The next day we drove along the lochs of the highlands with a quick stop at Fort William which was swarming with young fit ramblers who had just emerged from the mountain moors. Even with gray skies the area was inspiring.

We spent the night at a campsite in Dingwall just outside Inverness to wake up the next morning to sunshine!  The first time we saw real sunshine in about a week.  What a difference it made in our mood for the pilgrimage to John o’Groats so we could cast an eye on the Orkney Islands from where my ancestor, Robert Traill, immigrated to the Pennsylvania area in 1766.

The ferry to the Orkneys - We will definitely take this on our next visit

Northern most part of the mainland

Hotel at John o'Groats

That is Orkney, 6 miles away

On our return trip south we stumbled upon some Highland Games in Tain and had to stop for a look.  They were fantastic!  Kilts everywhere, caber throwing, highland dancing, races, bagpipes and birds of prey.  Perfect.

An owl that could be out of Harry Potter 

Highland dancing sponsored by a wee dram of whiskey

Throwing the caber

Foxglove was everywhere

What trip to Scotland would be complete without the heather.  We carried a sprig in the van for our whole trip

We found a spot at Hunting Tower outside Perth for the night so we could continue on to Edinburgh the next day.  We woke up to foul weather and made our way through the rain into Edinburgh which being Festival time was packed.  It was impossible to find reasonable parking.   We found some short term parking and spent an hour or two walking the streets to get a small taste of the city.  I sought out Dundas Street and imagined Alexander McCall Smith’s characters walking along living their quietly understated Edinburgh lives.  We didn’t do this amazing city justice but I was glad I could at least have a brief look.  This is another place that we will have to do more thoroughly in the future.

City scenes through the rain

 

So we said goodbye to Scotland with a firm resolve to return.