Sunday: No phony negronis.

A week ago today, we were stuck in Kas Harbor with a busted anchor winch and 40-knot sustained winds. This morning we sailed out of that same harbor with ease, gentle breezes at our stern. Travel makes you understand the folly of expectations. 

Now that I know (from last week’s trip) about the Kekova Region, I was giddy as we sailed between islands to enter this magical realm. This time, under stormy skies, I caught glimpses of Lycian ruins among the natural rock outcroppings, and I could see the line of castles on the opposite shore. I imagine what this place looked like in 400 B.C., waterfront shops and warehouses, residences above, stone steps leading up, boats little and big filled with goods from around the Mediterranean criss-crossing the harbor. It might have been a really great place to grow up. 

Papa catches fish while we are under weigh, the whole crew gets in on it.

I love catching moments of our crew at the helm.

Hopper started our morning activities with a yoga / pilates routine called Back Rx.

Captain Seyfi pulled into an impossibly narrow spot between rocky islands, and we downed some waffles. Have I mentioned that Turkiye is nuts about cherries? They come in syrup for waffle topping purposes here. Yes, please.

I love this scene - the gulet looks so wonderful in the sun, and we have swimmers doing something interesting on multiple levels. It reminds me of a well lit theater set. - HP

Our morning swim brought us to the bat cave on Asirli Island, then back around this uninhabited island. Marianne wanted a shorter swim, so she and I swam to a little island near our gulet, La Mia Stella. I love these swims with Marianne, we talk about our families, people we’ve lost, our college years, our past adventures. It’s not easy for her to get on and off this boat; the deck is really high and she’s got uncooperative knees.  We worked together to devise a way up the ladder yesterday, and it worked great today. 

With Marianne rinsed off and wrapped in a warm towel, I jumped back in, swam to Asirli Island, and caught up with the rest of the group, fresh from the cave. Heather, Lexi, Susie, Kerry, and I headed back across the channel to our yacht while Simon, Kathy, and Katie rounded the other side of the island and met some goats.

Scenes from on and around our gulet.

A thunderstorm snuck up on us, and most took the opportunity to extend nap time. Tea time at 4pm, where there’s always a cake that I can’t resist. The sky cleared by 5, and I swam Kathy and Katie into a nearby inlet for a swim/hike adventure. There's a ramshackle little restaurant/resort at the end of the bay, and we climbed up onto their dock to access a tiny portion of the Lycian Way, a long coastal trail here, to hike back to the yacht. The rest of the group circled yet another little island, chilly water on the surface from nearby springs. 

Hopper lead Kathy and Katie on a swim / hike adventure.

I stopped to chat with a lovely Turkish woman on a neighboring gulet and got to use some of my very basic Turkish! I found out that her name is Nasili, she is a teacher, makes jewelry, has one child and lives near Istanbul! She spoke some english and helped me out a lot, but not bad!! - HP

I made Negronis. There was music. A Seafood feast. Some type of semolina dessert? Yums. More music and dancing. The moon must have come up at some point. The ghosts of the Lycians mock us as we drift off to sleep. 

Hopper

A short video of our day! Don’t miss Hopper at the dance party at the end! - HP