Starting the Journey

Early Saturday morning we left Yacht Marine in Marmaris.  We are not sure we will ever be back so it was a bit sad saying goodbye.  But we are keeping our options open and who knows where we will be in a year or two.  We had a great farewell dinner on Friday night and plans were made to meet up with a few other boats on our travels should our paths cross.  So as is the usual case in this cruising life, goodbyes frequently mean see you in another anchorage.  With mixed emotions we cast the mooring lines just after sunrise.  Now the start of our journey across the Aegean begins.

Leaving Yacht Marine as the sun rises

Just outside Marmaris Bay

There was no wind so we motored out of Marmaris Bay and down the peninsula.  We had some excitement on the high seas when a NATO warship and a Turkish Coast Guard vessel passed us.  They were communicating on the radio and it was fun to listen in.  Both vessels spoke very good English so their conversation was easy to understand but consisted of only routine inquiries - boring.

NATO warship and Turkish Coast Guard vessel

 Near late morning a bit of wind started picking up and we unfurled the Genoa.  Songster scooted along on a broad reach at 5 to 7 knots with just the single sail; a lovely sail.  The winds were with us the whole way so as we rounded the bottom of the peninsula and approached the entrance to Bozburun we didn’t have to tack at all.  This is our fourth time at this delightful little village.  It caters for cruisers with the restaurants offering free shower facilities and lending libraries.  The village is very low key and retains its Turkishness.

The approach to Bozburun where gulets are repaired

The village nestled at the foot of the hills

We took a quick trip in the dinghy to the village, stopping on the way to chat with some cruisers we met at Marmaris.  Then back to the boat for a quiet dinner in the cockpit watching the twilight glow and the fishermen setting their nets.

The view from our cockpit at twilight

Fishermen casting their nets

We will be here for a few days to wait out some predicted bad weather and prepare for our entrance into Greece.

Our route - Marmaris to Bosburun - 40.6 nm in under 7 hours