Mike's da man!

I am so amazed by and proud of Mike. He has tackled this boat and it’s never ending projects with determination and tenacity. He has been able to organize, manage and carry through with various jobs (big and small) which need to happen before we can set sail, also ones to keep us comfortable and most importantly safe. The boat and her needs never stray far from his mind, if at all. It is an all consuming job during the haul outs just to stay ‘above water’ and keep on track. And what astounds me most is the attitude he carries through all of this. While I become frustrated over some little thing, Mike remains calm despite the 10 times he has to run to the chandlery for just that one more piece that is needed to complete a job. Or starting a new project and just having it lead to five more unexpected things that need to be done. I know he will read this and probably disagree. And there are moments where he may loose his cool for a second or get discouraged for a moment. But overall, he keeps everything in perspective and continues on despite the various obstacles thrown at him. And in the midst of everything, he is still able to be a wonderful husband and friend who helps me get through the tough days.
And today was no different. He was able to buy new batteries after a lot of research on what would be most beneficial to us. He spent the afternoon lugging old ones off the boat, lugging the new ones on and getting them wired. Mike, each day is one day closer to being on anchor, surrounded by clear blue water, with a cocktail in hand instead of a power tool or varnish brush!

Poor guy...he's so busy working on the boat that he can't even find the time to get a hair cut:)

Puppy Love

Yeah, Mondays are hard. That one peaceful day seems to make the grinders sound even louder the next morning. I think there was more of the usual today, some sanding, some varnishing and work on the head but writing this a couple of days later makes it hard to remember. But what I did recall this afternoon was a dream from the night before. I dreamed that I was home and in the kitchen with Sunny glued to my hip. We were only planning to be home for a brief time and then return to the boat in Turkey. It was a beautiful spring day and I remember thinking that if we were leaving we better do it soon. I was feeling pretty happy to be home and thought that the longer we stay the harder it will be to walk out that door again. But I mostly remember the feeling of being close to Sunny. He was just this big yellow fur ball of love and happiness, sappy I know but true. There is just no way to feel down with him next to your side and giving you his unconditional love. When I remembered the dream I told Mike and the next thing I know I had tears running down my cheeks. We talked and reminisced about Sunny and home for a little bit. And I swear I also spotted some tears on Mike’s cheeks as well. I think he has been in a bit of denial. It was good to think about home and all of our family and friends who we miss so dearly. And thank you again, Kirk and Judy, for taking care of our boy.

Another Perfect Sunday

Ahhhhh….. Sunday! Last Sunday didn’t really feel like a Sunday what with the Boat Jumble, shopping, cleaning and preparing for dinner with Uli… so today we’re making up for it. We slept late and woke up slowly. I fried up some left over potatoes while Serena lounged on the day bed enjoying coffee and the lack of noise from grinders and travel lifts. With some onions, garlic and tomatoes thrown in for good measure, we served up breakfast complete with yogurt, hot sauce and orange juice. Not a bad start. We then returned to the arduous task of lounging, but now with the added effort of digesting on top of it! Reading, writing, listening to Melody Gardot and Jack Johnson. Nice. Maybe if we get up the energy we’ll get out for a walk, or a swim. It feels good to rest up. Lately we both have noticed feeling stiff and sore. I guess it’s not that surprising, but it’s hard to point to a particular activity that would cause it (besides perhaps aging?). A cumulative effect I suspect. A day of stretching the legs and swimming in the Mediterranean might be just what’s in order…
And indeed it was. OK the swim didn’t happen. At least not in the Med. As we were leaving the marina we got a call from a man who was interested in buying our self-steering wind vane that I had bought last year. It was one of those morning Net super deals that I jumped on for fear of it disappearing. Only afterwards doing some research on it did I discover that it was not compatible with our hydraulic steering system. At least we sold it for the same price we paid for it, so the cost of our education was simply stumbling over the thing for a few months. Serena waited poolside while I completed the transaction, which took about an hour. I met her there and after a quick dip we decided to continue with the walk. The marina is situated on an isthmus between the mainland and what used to be an island.


The pavement ends at the marina, and if you continue on a gravel two-track leads you up on and into the hills and forests of this good sized island/point (called Paradise Island by the locals). By this time it was getting to be mid-afternoon, which was perfect for walking. The heat of mid-day had dissipated, and the lower-angled light made the views even more stunning and the forests even softer as it was filtered through the trees. This really is an amazingly beautiful place.










It felt good to walk in woods. I miss that. These woods have seen people coming and going for centuries, maybe even millennia. They are uninhabited now, but last year on a walk with my brother John we came across the remains of a stone wall and some sort of structure near a creek bed. Then, now, and on other jaunts I’ve come across shacks of unknown purpose. Storage? Squatting? Sheppards’ camp? Hard to say. There are numerous bee boxes also. Some active, some not. Somebody has to tend them…









We started to feel some pangs of hunger, so we turned around and headed for home. The lateness of the day and thoughts of a nice meal helped us to decide against a swim. Before he left Uli had told us of this restaurant that we had to try. It’s called the Missing Link and is about a 15 minute drive or minibus (dolmus) ride from the marina. We had hoped to take the car, but somebody must have grabbed it before us because we couldn’t find it. Ah well. We grabbed a beer at the store and drank it as we waited for the dolmus.


We found the place without a problem and proceeded to have one of the best meals I’ve had in Turkey. This place is incredible. OK, so it doesn’t have waterfront dining like Orange does, but its back patio is nestled up to the woods and the evening light was magical.


It’s run by this Austrian couple from Vienna. We didn’t meet her, but he is this guy named Hardy. He’s owned several bars and restaurants over a couple of decades and they set up this one about a year ago. His Turkish chef has been with him for almost 20 years and has run some high end kitchens in Vienna. The experience shows. The flavors were fresh and delicate and woven together with a masters’ touch. And they’ve gotten a line on wild pig. Since nobody eats pork in this country, they literally run wild. The story goes that some pigs were rummaging in the forests behind the restaurant, so Hardy lured them to the fence and then knocked one on the head with a hammer. Their harvesting techniques have grown a bit more sophisticated since. At least I hope so. I didn’t ask. As it turns out it’s just as well we didn’t drive, because after we ate Hardy joined us at our table with a bottle of vodka and poured us a few rounds as we sat and chatted. Apparently he’s been coming to Marmaris off and on for 24 years and told us stories of times before the cruise ships and all-inclusive (low budget) resorts. He offered to show us around some one of these days. Hopefully it’ll work out that we can take him up on it. After a most enjoyable meal and conversation we reluctantly departed so we could catch the dolmus back to the marina. Hardy sent us on our way with full bellies, stimulated minds, fresh grapefruit from his garden, and couple of wild pork sausages for breakfast. The ultimate host. As we waited in the dark for the dolmus to arrive, the entirety of the day settled upon us and we realized with a satisfied grin that we have another entry for the “most perfect day” contest. I look forward to fielding more competitors.

Crazy Mozzies

It’s happening again…when we were hauled out in Cyprus I would wake up like clock work every morning around 2am, hot and being chased by mosquitoes. Thankfully, the Turkish mosquitoes are not as crazed as the Cypriot variety. I don’t know what was up with those mozzies but I pictured them as little Japanese fighter pilots on methamphetamine. Instead of just buzzing around your ear, they would dive bomb your ear... literally fly into your ear. Do you know how loud it is when a mosquito actually flies into your ear? It was quite disturbing and I should consider myself lucky that the Turkish mozzies are not as brazen. But I don’t know what it is about that spot in bed. If it is being next to the bulkhead (or wall) which makes it warmer or if it is my circadian rhythm that fires up at 2 in the morning. But it has gotten to be a little annoying with it happening again on most nights. Especially when I look over at Mike who is fast asleep (jet lag must finally be resolved) and under both comforters with no mozzies flying in his ears! The night before last Mike offered to change spots with me and I quickly accepted. But soon felt bad because I could feel the cool breeze on my face from the open hatch while also feeling Mike swatting the mosquitoes who were now buzzing his head! Last night, when I awoke at 2am, sweating and swatting, I decided to go into the salon and sleep on the day bed. I figured that at least I would be cooler so I could hide under the covers and not leave any vulnerable arms or legs out for a feeding. So with the blanket pulled up around my face I tried to ignore the buzzing and go to sleep. I must have been successful for a while because I do remember a dream but it wasn’t a good night. But I have the best husband, because upon pulling myself out of bed, there was no propane left to heat the water for my cup of coffee. Mike instantly got the tanks and went to the store to get them refilled so I could have a hot cup of caffeine to ease the sleepless night. Or maybe he felt guilty about sleeping in the good spot! (uh…Mike here. NO! that is DEFINITELY not it! I’m just a good husband!)
The day ended up being much more productive than yesterday. Mike was able to get most of the plumbing for the toilet completed which is not an easy job. There was a lot of grunting and contortion going on in order to get the hosing from point A to point B. I sanded and got a coat of varnish on our companion way hatch cover but also sanded the tips of my fingers off making a go at the wheel (lots of little grooves and corners). I think that is going to be a project that I tackle a little each day. And the pizza was so good last night that we had another repeat of Little Italy while concluding our Godfather marathon. Man, Sophia Coppola really was terrible. We’re happy she moved to directing!

Little Italy

Our energy and motivation levels were pretty low today. I started the morning with sewing a patch on a pair of desperately needed work shorts and taking advantage of a good internet connection on the boat. But after getting another coat of paint on in the head I was done. Mike had a list of stuff he wanted to accomplish but nothing was coming together for him as well. We had plans to head into town for more errands and got a few things done but it felt more like a trudge. We did accomplish the most important one though…getting pizza makings for tonight! As we were returning to the boat, the skies grew darker and we just made it back before the rain fell. It was perfect, enough to make a cozy atmosphere but not enough to find its way inside the boat. It was also perfect timing because it helped stopped those guilty pangs from not wanting to work. We just lounged and enjoyed the sound of rain on the decks while I read and Mike played Solitaire on the computer. I eventually got motivated to make pizza and I have to say it was the best one so far! The Godfather, pizza and red wine… our own little Italy in the middle of a boat yard in Turkey!

Just Another Day

We survived our first night without falling in the bilge…or dropping anything valuable in the bilge! Today we continued to work on the head, we’re really happy that we started this project our first week. Last night I was going through the cupboards and consolidating our emergency supplies which Mike replenishes every year. And of course the metal behind the cupboards was dirty and rusty and needing a new coat (or several) of paint. I was also able to get some Sikaflex on the inner windows seals and do a final fit on most of the trim (a project started 2 years ago almost completed!). Mike also made some good headway on plumbing the toilet. He spent all afternoon grinding the thru-holes into larger ones (the fittings that allow water/waste to enter/leave the boat), which was a slow and dirty job. It just felt like a really busy day and we were pretty wiped by the end. But were able to find the energy to take a very needed shower, lounge on the day bed and watch the first half of Godfather II. There sure is a lot of Italian spoken in that movie, which is really noticeable when you have a bad copy and don’t have subtitles!

Don't Fall in the Bilge!

In the midst of all this work and projects needing to be completed before we can go in the water, we decide to get our floors redone (yeah Steve, it wasn’t a joke). Our reasoning is that it would help to improve to look of the cabin immensely because the current wooden flooring is chipped, scratched and covered in paint drips. And in the back of our minds we’re always thinking about re-sale value. Another reason is that we really like Ishmail and he offered us a good price on the job. Not sure how good of a reason that is, but too late now! Today Ishmail came to take our floors away. I wasn’t really prepared for this and especially not the fact that he was taking all of the floor boards with him. I think Mike could see the panic in my eyes and he thought I was going to run. It didn’t help when our neighbor asked us seriously if we were going to stay in a hotel. No floor boards means that we don’t have anything covering our bilges and so we get to step on the wooden braces that are every few feet. If you miss then you fall in the bilge. Kind of like hop-scotch. But actually it ended up not too bad because we were able to place some various wooden boards in the high traffic areas. And the door to the head fits perfectly in the salon. We also dropped the table to make our big day bed which is really cozy. We just have to sometimes yell “left! left!” (my job when Mike was driving in Cyprus to remind him to stay on the left side of the road) when we get out of bed or walk in the dark! Other than that, today I went around and fitted the varnished trim into the windows. I was also able to cut some old foam into pieces so they could act as insulation for the head. The ‘ceiling’ was just the steel deck and some flimsy panels. During the day the steel would get really hot to the touch and just radiate heat down into the small head. It often felt like a sauna in there so happy that those old foam cushions came into use. After a beer in the cockpit (and an unintentional meal of peanuts) we skipped dinner but settled on the day bed and started a new movie marathon….The Godfather!

Floors...

...now no floors