"Stay Strong Dirty Pirates"

We woke up to bad moods and grey skies this Monday morning. Actually, the skies were a nice change from the sun, the clouds were low with the mountains rising above them. As we were walking the docks looking at solar panels and roll bars for ideas, it made us reminiscent of Seattle and looking forward to the day we might step off Independence and walk the docks at Shilshole.
Once we got back to the boat I decided I had enough of no floors. So we brought our newly varnished floors inside and boy, they are shiny and new looking! After we admired them for a few moments, I immediately scavenged some card board and covered them up! Fortunately our moods improved and after more deck prepping and rigging work, we headed into town to meet John and Aysel for a farewell dinner at a local hangout, Escape. We were also joined by, of all people, their adorable dentist, AJ, and her boyfriend, the bar owner. We probably could have sat there all night but Aysel and I helped make the decision to call it a night. Late nights don’t mix too well with working the next day…
And thanks Jenny, we are trying our hardest to stay strong...and dirty!

Another Sunday Gone

Our Sunday morning started off with a bit of work since we didn’t have the fun stuff planned until the afternoon. After a little more painting and varnishing, we picked up John and Aysel in town and headed to the little town of Bozborun. On the way we spotted a sign for ‘waterfalls’ in Turgut and realized this is the place we always see pictured on post cards. It wasn’t the most magnificent waterfall but it was beautiful, green and lush and the air was cool. Mike walked up the riverbed and took a chilly swim in the pool while we followed on the trail.























After we all cooled off a bit, we got back in the hot car and continued our drive. The last part was along some beautiful coast line and past some familiar bays and towns such as Orhaniye where we spent time on the boat a few years ago. It’s amazing how you can drive to these places in 30 minutes but it can take 24 hours of sailing to reach them because of the large peninsula. We arrived in Bozborun, a very laid back sleepy little harbor town. We ignored the touts of the waterfront cafes, and instead found a little restaurant a couple blocks back from the sea that served up some delicious homemade meals. Afterwards, John and Aysel wanted to visit with some friends they met sailing in Grenada. Mike and I were desperate for a swim so took a little detour and found a nice little pensiyon that had some lounge chairs and a swim ladder. We bought our obligatory beer, took a swim, sat in the sun and tried to relax for a few minutes.

Our swim spot


But we started feeling anti-social so headed back to join John and Aysel and their friends. They are a really laid back and friendly Turkish couple who were from the area and used to own a bar. They hadn’t ever done any sailing, but one day decided that they would buy an old abandoned steel boat and over the course of six years they rebuilt it almost completely. They then set out on a two year circumnavigation. Impressive and inspiring. Their boat had a really good used and lived in feeling. I think something that we are striving towards with Independence.


After a little more beer, some more visitors and boat talk, it started to grow dark and we decided to make our way back towards Marmaris. The drive wasn’t quite as scenic in the dark, but as we were almost back to the marina we saw a wild boar walk across the road in front of us! It was a big, ugly, mean looking pig with a mohawk. I am just glad we were in the car and not walking along the road!

Hot and Dirty

The morning started off with John and Aysel arriving, pulling up chairs in the shade, and announcing that they were our ‘fan club’ here to bask in our presence! It was hard not to pull up a chair with them but we managed not to delay too much. I finished with the outside floor boards(!) and forced myself to get a coat on the inside. I am so done with this job. And today was hot. I ended up taking a cold shower in my underwear just to cool off, but then just dripped water from my wet hair and still sweat all over my varnishing. I have no room to complain, however. Mike had the worst job of them all. He crawled down into the chain locker to grind and prep the metal for paint. All I could see was a plume of metal dust flying up out of the hole. And he was covered, covered in black dust. After that job was done, it was definitely time for a shower…then a beer. At that point I was done. I was having a hard time holding up my head while sitting in the cockpit, so made my way into the hot, varnish fume-y cabin and passed out for a couple of hours. I managed to rouse myself around 6:30pm and went for another shower. When I came back, Mike had the decks clean so he could get a coat of epoxy paint on in the morning. Oh my god, there is actually a boat underneath the chaos! As for dinner, it was pumpernickel bread and cheddar cheese. And so not satisfying. You know how you feel when you have been on a really long hike or backpacking for a week, and all you want to do is stop at the local tavern and eat a really big cheeseburger? Well, that is how I felt with absolutely no chance of satisfying that craving. And with the galley and BBQ out of commission there was no chance of grilling up our own. Oh well. We’ll see what tomorrow brings when take a drive with John and Aysel, a chicken doner may have to do the trick.

Our fan club

So close and yet so far

"Boating is fun"

"Drinking beer is better!"

"It's Gonna Be a Better Day"

So I thought I was doing a good job with my varnishing. Until our neighbor came over to ask if he could give me some suggestions…but keep in mind that he is a perfectionist (and I mean perfectionist, he considers it ‘heartbreaking’ when he sees dust on his floors). And I gave up perfection on this boat a long time ago (we find it ‘heartbreaking’ when we find a big hole in our boat). I was informed that I need to sand even more (I would have no finger tips left if I did) and I need to varnish quicker and with a bigger brush if I want that really smooth, glossy finish. But my reasoning is that a smooth, glossy finish will make our floors like an ice rink which isn’t so good. So brush strokes are better, more grippy, right? After he left, a worker across the way then told me I need a bigger brush. What’s up with all this advice coming on Day 5 of varnishing and one coat away from being done? After my shoddy varnishing was finished, I started to help out with prepping the decks. Wow, it is overwhelming and I can see why Mike gets a bit frustrated. I am going to have to break it into sections to be able to deal. After a little sanding, I pulled off a couple of windows in the aft cabin that were pulling away from the deck and leaking. By this point I felt like I was forcing myself to continue working because by now I am feeling a little spent after this week. Mike spent his day putting more putty down around the dodger and other places to even out the decks before paint. He also spent more time figuring out how the new rigging will be attached to the decks. Every so often I realize how much we are actually doing to this boat and I think we will be pretty proud of ourselves at the end of this haul out. At 7pm, I was just winding down and Mike was still down below working when John and Aysel showed up with ice cream! So I brought down some bowls and spoons (and a little Raki) to enjoy our desert underneath the boat. We sat down there talking and laughing until the sky finally grew dark. It was definitely a positive way to end the really long, hard day.

Trying to figure out the best home

The metal plates Mike made for the deck blocks

John and Aysel to the Rescue!

This morning, Steve, who has been helping us with our electrical issues came by to try and sort out the wiring for our starter battery. Something about a diode switch…anyways it’s turned off now so now we can monitor our battery usage and get an idea of what sucks our batteries dry the quickest. We always thought it was our old fridge that was the culprit. But have found that it is our lights which consume a huge amount of energy. Hopefully some new LED light bulbs will help the issue. And to continue our work towards making ourselves more energy sufficient, Mike went into town with plans of ordering solar panels. Again, John and Aysel to the rescue. They happened to be with Mike and overheard the conversation. Panels made in China, only a 2 year warranty, didn’t know of any where outside Turkey that would honor the warranty… Mike was reluctant but was at the point where we need to keep making progress and this was the place a ton of other cruisers have used. Thankfully, John had another resource for solar panels which looks to be a much better deal…made in Spain, 25 year warranty, sizes better suited for our boat. They will even travel from Izmir, just for the cost of diesel, and install them for you! As Mike was running around town, I continued my varnishing. I got a coat on all of the ‘outside’ and inside floors, plus some extra spots and in the process have practically sanded off the tips of my fingers! And the galley is now officially closed and so thankful that Aysel invited us over for dinner on Quest! She fed us and even helped with translation with the solar panel guy who Mike phoned in the evening. How are we going to survive again without them?!

Hands Off My Varnish

Today wasn’t much better. Mike continued to work on making the metal bases for the rigging. Only to get bashed in the ankle a couple of times with a deck block while trying to drill out the stainless steel mounting plate so it would fit a metric bolt. But with much perseverance and a bit of swearing he got it done. I continued with my varnishing and started on the aft floor boards. And we thought it was a little difficult while Ishmail had all of the floors. But this has proven to be a bit more challenging, maybe because we haven’t had the energy to find the pieces of wood scrap we used before to create our stepping stones. So now we are jumping from brace to brace and trying to avoid wet varnish that surrounds us. It feels like we are living in the game ‘Operation’ where we can’t touch the sides. Since the aft cabin has wet floors and a big hole, we are sleeping on the day bed which is actually quite comfortable. I also tried to close the galley due to newly varnished cabinets and floor but Mike talked me into to letting him make one more dinner of beans. This was only because our plans to eat at the worker’s cantina were scrapped. Before we headed on our way, we fortunately called John and Aysel to invite them to join us in a meal of ‘mushroom meat’, pasta and ‘cherry jelly’ for dinner. But unfortunately for them, they had eaten there the night before with some gastro-intestinal distress as a result. And that is the last thing I want while being hauled out with a long walk to the bathroom. At least we had a good laugh while listening to their bathroom humor.

A Hard Day

So we weren’t as optimistic today. There is still a ton of stuff to do on this boat before we can get in the water. It’s looking like the launch date of June 5th isn’t going to happen. The realization of this was a huge let down and took its psychological toll. Mike had one of his worse days since being here. He spent all day trying to figure out the best method for attaching the rigging blocks to the deck. But at the end of the day all he had was a pile of botched attempts, scrap metal and one bad attitude. And it doesn’t help when we have been telling the canvas guy for weeks that we want an estimate when the dodger is in. And he finally decides tell us today that we need a metal guy to do the stainless work first. Don’t you think that would have been worth passing along a few weeks ago? So for a quick quote he grabs the guy for Demir who quoted us 880 Euro for 7 meters of stainless steel pipe. Translation: $50 per foot! Crazy! So now we get to wait for Mehmet to come to the boat to give us an estimate. Why he can’t just tell us over the phone, we don’t know. Sometimes it just feels like the boat is winning.

More Work, Less Food

We’re off to a good start! It was definitely a full day of work for the both of us. Mike started on prepping the decks…grinding, painting, putty. It’s funny, it sounds so simple and straight forward but is anything but. It’s a game of coordinating and planning your steps. And it seems like there is always something else that comes up to throw a wrench into the works. I started the job of varnishing our floors. At least that is straight forward. We took the forward boards outside and got a couple of coats on while sanding and varnishing part of the inside boards. By the end of the day we were beat and had to cancel on hanging out with John and Aysel. Another meal of beer and peanuts, a quick shower and then straight to bed while there was still light in the sky. But despite being really tired, it felt good to have a productive day.

Yummy Sunday

Why haven’t we been going here every Sunday?!
Cinar (pronounced Shinar) was incredible. It’s a huge outdoor restaurant nestled in the trees, with streams and ponds running amidst the tables. Among the guests are ducks waddling along with their chicks, kittens hunting on the rooftops, the inviting smell of wood smoke, and fresh springs where you can fill your water bottle. We even saw a goose attempting to hide a very large egg in a nest of twigs and feathers while it went to take a dip in the pond.


After trying to decide where to sit, we settled on a table in the ‘treehouse’ and had a feast! What a combination of flavors….warm bread, fresh eggs, garden ripe tomatoes and cucumbers, salty olives, sweet honeycomb and homemade strawberry jam. You just wanted to sit there and eat all day.








We finally managed to pull ourselves away from the table and started on our way back to town. But wait, we needed something else delicious to eat and couldn’t resist a stop at one of the many road side stands selling fresh strawberries and honey!






On our way back to the marina we took advantage of Aysel’s turkish, and with her and John’s knowledge bought a wireless modem and SIM card. No more of this crappy wi-fi at the marina. Now if we have a cell phone signal we can get on line! Eventually and definitely in no hurry, we made our way back to the boat where we lounged and napped. And then enjoyed another feast of chicken kabobs on board with John and Aysel. I promise, tomorrow will be more work and less food.

Pide Pide

I blame a combination of things (too much wine with no dinner, cramps and scrubbing anti-fouling the day prior) to explain why I didn’t feel like doing any work today. The continued rain and my reasoning of working tomorrow (giving up my Sunday!) helped diminish the guilt a bit while I napped and read the day away. But Mike stormed ahead and got the new metal at the bow prepped and covered with paint, even welded up an extension to the box in the dodger that houses the companionway hatch. As for the evening, we went into town with John and Aysel to patronize a familiar restaurant to them from last year. Mike has been talking about this pide (Turkish pizza) for the past 2 months and it was pretty damn good. And cheap! Our dinner cost 10 lira ($6.50) for 3 pide and 2 ayran, a delicious yogurt drink. And we probably took one whole pide home for leftovers. Despite how full we were, there was talk about going to lunch tomorrow. Outdoor restaurants in a beautiful setting, such as in the mountains or on a river, seem to be common place in Turkey. And John and Aysel know of a great one not too far from Marmaris. So after a phone call, we got Herbie reserved tomorrow for a little drive and brunch in the mountains!

Black Friday

Part of our daily morning routine consists of making coffee, checking e-mail and the weather (OK, and maybe a game of spider solitaire or two). The forecast for today called for rain. LOTS of rain. Normally not a problem, but when the companionway hatch isn’t in place, and there are a few open holes in various places in the deck, and you need to do some painting, it can become a problem. And lots of rain can become a very big problem. Luckily for us, the forecast didn’t quite pan out as … well… forecasted. It did rain, but not the torrential downpour of biblical proportions that we were expecting. We were able to tarp off the cockpit and cover any holes in the deck that may have caused concern, which left us with our painting projects to worry about. We were painting the anti-fouling (below the water-line) which requires a wet sand anyway, so that part was OK in the rain. Man, what a dirty and toxic job. The anti-foul is supposed to kill any marine critters that want to grow on your hull, so it’s basically a biocide. We got all dolled up in coveralls, masks, gloves and goggles to go at it. Nasty, but with the two of us it went pretty quickly. The next step is the primer. Even though it goes under water, you’re still not supposed to put it on in the rain. The weather couldn’t quite make up its mind. Clouds loomed, then went away feigning disinterest, only to come running back with cracks of thunder and nasty intentions that sent us running under cover. A few spits of rain, and the clouds again would retreat. My old rule of thumb when painting my last boat was that if it was not actively raining, you’re fine. So we armed ourselves with rollers and rags and went for it. We got 99.9% of the hull under the water line covered when the rain decided that we needed a break. We had to wait only about half an hour before Thor got distracted again and left us to finish the last remaining swath. The second coat was delayed by more hollow threats, with associated false starts. Finally in the afternoon, the clouds started to disperse more completely, and we were able to finish the second coat in one smooth go. The boat looks much nicer without the patchwork of old anti-fouling and random patches of primer that she wore before. All the while we were running in and out of the rain with our paint brushes, Ishmail was finishing up the floors. Well, his part is done anyways. Now Serena gets to take all of the floor boards outside and get several coats of varnish on them. And varnish inside the cabin where the floors don’t come up. Fun for her! Also Mehmet came today, with some prompting… and got the bow plate welded on. I shouldn’t poke fun at Serena for the varnishing because my turn comes next with grinding and painting.
After a productive day, our friends John and Aysel came over with a few beers to while away the evening hours and allow us to catch up on the past year. And they have had an eventful one. John’s home (well one of them anyways) is in Haiti and this is where they were at the time of the earthquake. Actually, on that day they were in Port-au-Prince, sitting in a café that was no longer in existence three hours after they returned home. To say the least, they were pretty affected by what they saw and experienced. After John offered his help to several different aid organizations (he is local, knows the culture and speaks many languages) he was turned down for the reason of “We know what we are doing. We have been to Africa.” To John and Aysel, it was pretty apparent that these agencies didn’t have a clue but fortunately stumbled upon an organization from Turkey that seemed to have a realistic approach to the aid they were offering. So now they are traveling in Turkey with this organization (Kimse Yok Mu –translation: Is Anybody There?) raising awareness and also trying to find companies that would like to bring business opportunities to Haiti. It’s kept them very busy with traveling and meetings and will hopefully have the end result of bringing jobs and money to the Haitians. After much conversation, the evening finally came to and end when Aysel got tired and pulled John away, down the ladder for the walk to their boat.

Grumpy...

...and grumpy

Ahhh....salt water!

Once again, another run into town but we made this one a bit more fun. On the way in we got to stop by a boat in Pupa Marina. We realized it was at the end of a road that I always longingly glance down as we drive back from town. It is just a small, dirt and gravel road lined with oleander flowers that ends right at the sea and is just so beautiful. After stopping every few feet for pictures we finally made it back to the main road. This was a quick trip into town and wanted to make sure that we left ourselves enough time for a swim on the way back. Because another place that always catches our eye is a little rocky point into the bay lined with tall pine trees. The water changes every color of blue from the rocky shore out into the bay and it just looks so inviting. We managed to leave ourselves a few minutes and joined many others who had the same idea as us. This was our first swim in the salt water and it felt heavenly. The water was cool at first and then became a perfect temperature. It was hard to make ourselves get out so we could have time to dry off a bit before jumping back in the car. We returned to the boat to find a good progress at the bow…meaning a large hole where Mehmet cut out the rusty steel under the windlass. And we were able to stay off the dirty boat a little longer and do some painting and varnishing in the shade of the eucalyptus trees. The afternoon only got better when Mike received a phone call from his friends, John and Aysel, who he got to know last year in the marina. They are back in Turkey to do some fundraising and awareness for Haiti, where they were living at the time of the earthquake. Luckily, they were able to make little room in their schedule to come down to Marmaris this weekend so we will get to see them. I know Mike is excited to spend some time with good friends again and I look forward to getting to know them better.

Roll Bar!

Another morning and early afternoon spent in town running around. It’s amazing how fast 4 hours will go by and there is always another errand you can do. We returned back to the boat and happily found Mehmet continuing his work on the dodger. And this time I had a proper excuse to hide in the library, to research anti-fouling…exciting, I know. And once again, Mike stayed on the boat which was good thing because he put out a few small fires in the cabin top due to Mehmet welding on the dodger. But what was really exciting was the roll bar going up! It’s going to take a little getting used to how it looks but it should balance out once we get everything back in its home. And at the end the day we excitedly put in our boot leg copy of Iron Man II. But this copy was even worse than the one we have for the first movie (people standing up, babies crying, squeaky chairs) so we aborted our attempt. Instead we watched the funniest movie of all times…Rat Race! We happened to spot it in the DVD store and the laughing already started just thinking about it, especially when Mike was doing his impression of Cuba Gooding, Jr in the bathroom. Greg, you know what I’m talking about! So we knew we were in for a treat and I wondered if Mike would fall off his seat from laughing again this time…yeah, the movie is that funny! Lucky for him we watched it on the day bed. And oh boy, I must have needed an emotional outlet because I don’t know if I was laughing or crying and it was only 5 minutes into the movie. But it sure felt good to laugh until your stomach hurt!

Perspective

Today was filled with rain showers with a couple of thunder storms thrown in for good measure. On one hand, it was relaxing because we found ourselves looking for little projects to do with some reading and playing games mixed in. But the lack of progress also made us feel a bit frustrated. Especially with Mehmet not being able to come and continue work on the dodger and roll bar. The afternoon did end pleasantly, the skies cleared and we shared some ouzo with the folks on ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’. They invited us aboard as we went to pick up their work table they were passing along since they are getting launched tomorrow. They also helped put some things in perspective. They built their own boat in the UK 25 years ago. They then spent 3 years sailing in the Med with their very young daughter (18 months to 4 years old) and talked about how different it was then from today. The sailing crowd was much younger, many with small children and people sailed on smaller and much simpler boats. A boat our size would have been pretty uncommon in those days. Now everyone has a big boat, fancy navigational equipment that they can’t leave the dock without in proper working order. And everyone is much older. It seems pretty obvious that this hobby has switched to the retired generation because of all of these expensive toys that people feel compelled to have. No longer are the days where you get your weather information from the radio broadcast in the local language and then spend your time trying to translate it. Or setting off across the Atlantic with only a sound boat and sextant. Now people abandon their boats in the middle of the Atlantic due to losing a rudder because they can get insurance instead of figuring a way to remedy the problem. Anyways, it was just a good reminder that we can get by with a lot less than we think and to get out there as quick as possible and let the wind fill our sails.
And…Happy Birthday Mom! I love you.

Yummy arugula salad...less peanuts, more greens!
And a happy birthday ouzo cheers to my mom!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

The ‘montage’ started today which is very exciting but means a lot of noise, grinding and metal dust. Since the boat has to be tarped off, including the companion way, it makes it difficult to come and go. So once again, I headed for the library for a little reprieve from the noise and dirt. Meanwhile, Mike decided this would be the time to pull our old windlass off, good idea since our metal worker was on board. And it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise to find a bunch of rusty metal! We are really glad that we didn’t decide to keep the windlass for another season because the anchor may have just ripped it from the deck. But fortunately Mehmet came to the rescue and is going to cut out a pretty large section at the bow and weld in a new plate. For the good news, by the end of the day we had our new dodger tacked in place and it looks great! But it definitely felt like one step forward and two steps back today because of a new project being added to the list. Also, even though the dodger is close to being in place, it will lead to many other jobs that have to happen. Grinding down welds, cleaning and painting, spot-filling/smoothing uneven surfaces, sanding and re-painting…
As the day was winding down, we were enjoying the peace and quiet in the cabin, making dinner and listening to Neko Case. The music just seemed so perfect and reminiscent of home and we found ourselves a little emotional. Again, missing our friends and family and finding it hard to be away during some important times. We seemed to ease the feelings a bit while creating another little Italy. This time watching a beautiful and funny Roberto Benigni film and eating some decadent lamb and eggplant pizza. Definitely not Seattle, but our home away from home is kinda nice too.

Lazy Sunday

Now this was a Sunday.
Sleeping in, laying in the sun, reading, swimming, eating cheeseburgers and drinking beers poolside, napping, watching a movie, taking a nice evening walk, the VHF turned off all day and absolutely no work done!

T-Minus Three Weeks and Counting

It’s official. We’ve submitted a launch date with the office. Saturday, June 5th. That’s 3 weeks from today! On paper it seems like we can get everything done by then, but we all know that reality often has its own ideas. We were thinking about launching the day before, but it was too much like starting a voyage on a Friday. I think we’re becoming superstitious. Other than that it was another routine day. Ishmail “finished” the floors, which is definitely a step forward, but of course there is still a lot to do to them before we’re done. Several coats of varnish, attaching the pull-rings, the ladder and table fixtures, and figuring out a way to secure them down in case of rough weather. We continued to prep the hull, with Mike applying primer in select places while I sanded the topsides. We even think that we can get on the bottom paint this coming week. Any visible progress is extremely motivating! Despite the occasional interruption (sander breaking down and a fire on the hillside) we had a long and productive day. So maybe a little stress at times but it seemed to fade when the work was coming to an end and we shared a beer and some peanuts with Ishmail. He is such a soft spoken, sweet man and we are happy to get to know him better. Also hoping to one day drive out to his shop where he has a ’59 Chevy truck. That is a picture I have to get! We celebrated Saturday night with a gin and tonic and then headed to bed with dreams of a quiet, restful Sunday.

Fire on the Mountain!

The 'bed' truck. I love it!

Calm Before the Storm

This was a busy day. It started off with a quick trip to the hospital so we could pay a doctor to tell us what we already knew. Mike has been having some PVCs in the morning which are mostly likely due to stress, caffeine, alcohol… but being nurses we felt that it was silly not to follow up. So we headed to the hospital where Mike had an EKG and everything (of course) looked good. 45 minutes later, seventy-five dollars poorer and an order of “No stress, be happy.” we were on our way. We then headed out to Mehmet’s shop where we got another look at our dodger and a first look at our roll bar!


They are both going to be dropped off tomorrow and then ‘montage’ starts on Monday. I think that is when the pace is going to pick up! So in order to savor this calm before the storm, we took a leisurely drive back down the mountain, and then took a dip in the pool to cool off before doing some more hull prepping. We also made sure to take advantage of the BBQ before it is temporarily out of commission and grilled up some more chicken and veggie kabobs. Mike has truly mastered his chicken marinade!