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It was a bit of a hectic morning with giving John and Aysel a lift into town and trying to get some needed errands done all before the car was due back. And I didn’t envy them closing up their boat and dealing with the marina beaurocracy. But we managed to get them to the otogar on time and squeeze in a quick phone call to the solar panel guy so Aysel could give her much appreciated Turkish translation one last time. After a sad but hopeful goodbye (we hope to visit them in Usak, Aysel’s home town, in a couple of weeks!), we were able to squeeze in a stop by Doyle Sails and put a down payment on a new mainsail!
Then it was back off towards the marina with plans of work, but it was time for a siesta instead. We found ourselves falling asleep on the day bed in the heat of the day. But it actually proved beneficial because when we managed to get ourselves moving the temperature was cooler and we worked happily until 8:30pm, only stopping because the day was growing dark. Despite an overall feeling of being productive, there were some moments of discouragement as well. We had another guy come by to give us an estimate for a storm dodger and bimini. And like the first guy, he didn’t seem eager to start work with us. He couldn’t understand why we wanted to start this process now when we had all this work left to do, thinks we should wait a couple of weeks. But our fear is that we will be one of those people who get stuck in the marina waiting endlessly for their canvas work to be done. We have the dodger, measurements can be taken, what is the problem? He also told us that a window in our dodger should definitely be able to open for circulation. Especially while we are on anchor or it will be unbearably hot. That was our original plan but we somehow let Mehmet, our metal guy, talk us out of it. And when we changed our minds after he put the dodger in he said it would be too complicated. Now looking back on it, we think he talked us out of it because he doesn’t know how to install windows. That, plus the windows panes are still sitting on the ground which he left us to take care of. Just another thing to try and solve.
But on a good note, our ‘perfectionist’ and nice neighbors on Foxy Lady (why do so many people think that is a good name for a boat?) gave us some beautiful (and expensive) material! They had it all sewn into covers for their beds but then changed their minds and don’t want it anymore. And it looks like there is enough to re-cover our whole settee. We will see when we get around to that project…


And here are our new floors!!!

Before...

After!

"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.