May 2011 CUE TO MOVE

May 2011
Cue to Move

By April spring growth was returning and so were the tortoises, coming back down to the valley and right on cue for April 25 the symbolic red poppy was blooming in the wild everywhere. Sogut was looking a picture with her new spring growth.......so here's a small selection

Wild Turkish Poppy in April

B snapping pics in field of spring blooms



Goats among blooms under olive tree

Traditional house Sogut

Pathway to sea

Under spring sunshine

Road through village (note cellphone tower) 



It was the cue for us too. First week of May we departed Sogut refreshed and enthused about the ports and passages ahead…. but first we have to do some hardyards in the boatyard at Yat Marin Bodrum. This requires a 35 miles repositioning passage east to Bodrum where we are currently ‘on the hard’ doing out of water maintenance for the first time in two years.

A few pics of Musketelle on the hard at YatLift, Bodrum.

We were parked right beside the Aegean with the Greek Island of Kos in the distance

Underwater antifoul with 'Hempel Olympic' after 2 years in the water

We came to this yard because they use steel props whereas many Turkish yards use wooden props

Looking the other way

B and washday beside the Aegean.......not a bad backdrop and the natural drying was good too !

In the Travel Lift slings splashing resplendent with new blue water line

Backing into the drink

Relieved its all over until next time.......owners with WiFi in her Burberry cat bag


A planned 10 days on the hard has as normal ballooned into 30 days as we discovered or created new jobs that were not on the initial worklist. But at last we are about to splash and start heading west through the Mediterranean to reach Gibraltar by October before heading out to the Canary Islands and onward across the Atlantic in January.

As usual our route and plans are very fluid so readers will have to login to see how it pans out. Regular followers of our meanderings will instantly recognize this as condition normal, and that’s the way we like it !!
Above all we are not looking for a ‘back down’ this year !!

We will try to be more regular with the posts as WiFi internet access allows.

Regards P B and W






April 2011

Silence Broken

Its over six months since we last posted to the blog from Karacasogut, Turkey. And in that time Musketelle has not moved from her perfect winter haven.

                                                  Picture Perfect Karacasogut - Sogut

From late October 2010 to April 2011 Musketelle safely wintered over on a wharf mooring in the sheltered waters of Karacasogut during which time we returned home to NZ for 3 months for the first time since 2007. Before we departed in late October autumn was changing the colours in the surrounding countryside and on our regular walks and bike rides around the local parish (oops mosqish) the tortoises were heading for the hills to hibernate.

Tortoise on move for winter

The NZ visit was very timely but not really planned. The primary driver was getting the skippers back problem checked out with health professionals at home and the good news is that his NZ doctors initial guidance and assistance via Skype whilst we were holed up in Greece last year was the absolute correct assessment and the recovery as predicted was 6 months to the day. The trip home of course provided a great opportunity to reconnect with family and friends.


Also P was able to have a milestone zero birthday celebratory reminisce with old ROT and BOP mates from his youth some of whom he had not seen for 40 years. We had a couple of trips up and down the North Island spending time in Wellington and Taupo but mostly Auckland. Great to experience the NZ summer. Even found time for a coastal passage positioning a cruiser racer to Opua for Bay of Islands Race Week.

Some NZ Pics

On beach BOP

Sailing to Kawau Island en route Bay of Islands

Approaching the Hole in the Rock, Cape Brett

Land of the Long White Cloud - it was raining in Opua

Timely bonus was house sitting sister Debs townhouse in Orakei. We departed a week before the little country was rocked by the tragic CHC quake which was even newsworthy in Turkey. We were shell shocked, glued to the internet in disbelief at events happening at home and then the enormity of the Japan disaster.

Since our return to Turkey in February we have been doing ‘boat stuff’ (see below) and immersing in the
tranquil haven that is Karacasogut, where the sun always seemed to shine and the late winter early spring temperatures were always in the teens. For those inevitable cold snaps we must admit to switching on the reverse cycle air-con on a couple of occasions. Throughout the winter Sogut experienced just a handful of blows with little rain, sheltered as it is by a high coastal range to the north and a horseshoe shaped bay covering the other points of the compass. In Sogut it was all good N E W S

Sogut to NORTH

                                      

Sogut to EAST

Sogut to WEST

Sogut to SOUTH

Yes, we can recommend Sogut as the ultimate cruisers Eastern Med winter hideaway with a benign micro climate whilst 30 miles to the east the northerly winds regularly roared down the Aegean Sea sometimes at 60+knots without any affect on Sogut.

The only downside for some might be that it is very quiet and a 30 minute Dolmus (minibus) ride from the nearest town, Marmaris. But the operators of the wharf, the café ‘Sahil Iskele’ made us feel at home with hot showers, a store (corner dairy) with fresh bread daily and local beer and wine in the chiller and a café restaurant open throughout winter. Within walking distance the local villagers sold fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Sahil Iskele Cafe and shop 100m from our wharf berth

While we were back in NZ the restaurant staff looked after WiFi and we returned not knowing if our little friend would go feral and not recognize us. As it happened she had smartly established fallback positions with 4 other yachties on the wharf in the event we did not return; our Aussie friend David of Sahula, some French cruisers and a couple of Turkish vessels. The evening we got back she was literally in bed with a Turkish lady on her yacht but when we called out for her and mentioned food there was an instant response and she was back on Musketelle in a flash. With animals its all so transparent, its obviously all to do with voice intonation recognition.

"Boat Stuff
Whilst in Sogut we concluded a handful of enhancements to on-board systems that were either partially installed or ideas requiring action. Unlike living ashore in a conventional house living day in day out on a 16m x 4.5m yacht gets you thinking about access and egress issues, storage issues, utilising waste space, refinements here and cutouts or additions there to make life easier and more comfortable.

Story of the Steppes - As an example we have a 4 step ladder down into the main saloon from the cockpit with a big lip at the top annoyingly making the top step 50% higher again than the other steps. Given we both go up and down those steps a hundred times a day, over the course of a year this has us both somewhere on the slopes of Annapurna !! The day we bought the boat P said lets cutaway that 50% from the top step. B said no, because she would lose space from a valued galley cupboard below. End of story, until one day over a cuppa in Sogut the subject came up again this time because WiFi the cat was having difficulty jumping up and down the steps…. B pinches her lip and revisits the logic in removing the 50% and within days its gone as P gets to work with skill saw and grinder doing what he knew had to be done 5 years ago. We now have markedly improved access between cockpit and saloon and everyone including the cat is happy.

Original steps cockpit side

Cut out and removing



That was easy

New teak laid ready for painting

Watermaker - A no brainer was increasing the production capacity of our reverse osmosis desalinator from 30L to 90L’s freshwater per hour as the systems core 1Hp electric motor and high pressure pump allowed for such increased production. With multiple taps, a washing machine and a couple of showers 50L per person per day is easily consumed. We will even have enough freshwater for washing the salt spray off the decks at sea!! But this complex installation is proving very testing as P insists on doing it himself as he figures this way you know your system inside out. But at time of writing first production drips are still awaited. But he insists a miracle is imminent.

Refrigeration -

All concentration trying to be a refrigeration expert

We installed and commissioned 12 volt air cooled refrigeration and freezer Danfoss compressors to supplement our 230v Eutectic system so that we can keep food chilled using our solar panels and the wind generator without relying on costly diesel to run the generator as for the 230v system. Note - Diesel is NZD$3.50 per litre in Turkey which means it costs us over $2500 just fill the tank !! and the cost of fuel is not about to reduce much if at all where we are headed.






March 2011
Unable to Publish

We regret we have been unable to publish to our blog because the host site for our blog, BlogSpot (a Google entity) was banned by a Turkish Court in December 2010.  An individual was using the site to re-broadcast local soccer games in violation of broadcast rights held by a Turkish television broadcaster. The broadcaster went to court and Blogspot and its estimated 17 million users in Turkey including us were instantly cast adrift. Our blog was not affected and was still accessible worldwide except in Turkey. Now we learn the ban is to be lifted in April 2011 and they say normal service will resume.

P and B

Oct 2010 SILENCE IN SOGUT

Here we are, at anchor in Karacasogut (Sogut).



View Larger Map


So sheltered and so quiet. None of that boom boom music that has ruined many a cruisers night at anchor in Bodrum, Marmaris and many other places. At the moment it is raining but calm. Fellow cruisers arrived here yesterday having dragged all over their previous anchorage and having their wind generator blades blown off in a gale - what gale we said.

There is not much here at Sogut. A restaurant/cafe/shop with jetty and another larger but rather ricketty town jetty with a store and cafe plus a local restaurant about 150 metres up the road. There is a small and pricey marina ("marinette") with a sailing school owned by Turkey's second circumnavigating yachtie. Apart from holiday homes (apparently for folks from Ankara) there are only farms. In winter when the gulets and cruisers do not come it will be very very silent indeed.

Gulet anchored in Karacasogut

It is about 25 kms by road to Marmaris and the dolmus (small bus) goes in a couple of times a day.  There are good opportunities for walking and cycling which we are loooking forward to now that Peter is mobile again (albeit with care).

WiFi is in love with the land - none of that Yacht Marina concrete here - grass, trees, insects, frogs - what more could a kedi want. She is demonstrating a remarkable ability to see off the local strays from the restaurant already, not surprising really as she is about twice the size of the average street cat.

Going Ashore

Returning to Musketelle

Out walking

We have been privileged to see (and smell) Badem the famous monk seal who is meant to be making his/her way in the world after being released back into the wild following rescue as a sick youngster.  Fortunately for us the dinghy Badem occupied in the bay for several days was not ours - the poor owner on returning to his boat has spent hours trying to clean out the evidence of seal occupation.

Badem the Monk seal having a dinghy nap

Aug 2010 ATHENS 4 MRI

AUGUST 2010

03 August
New Anchorage
We have motored further south down the Evia Channel and reached Porto Rafti on the mainland coast of Greece about 50km east of Athens by road. A month after faltering and still without a clear-cut diagnosis we are in the final throws of getting an MRI in Athens and also have my NZ doctor (fellow yachtie) in the loop too.

A month of no walking, absolute bloody pain that is still unresolved, that responds to rest but reappears on getting vertical. We are obviously now behind sched for 2010 and we will be reassessing things when we have a clear diagnosis. The jury is out on where we go if I need specialist attention, here in Greece, the UK or maybe back to NZ.

Have always lived by the adage you just don’t know what’s round the corner, which is why we are doing this circumnavigation thing. But it has to be done whilst the head, heart and body are still willing....looks like P has cut the corner with the body!!

05 August
MRI at Last
Yippee!! have had the MRI today at the swanky Athens Medical Centre (read expensive) and the preliminary diagnosis by the radiologist lass was obvious damage to the Lumbar Spine at L4/5 but a formal diagnosis must come from a consulting Orthopaedic specialist next week.

10 August
Definitive Diagnosis
We have consultation with the experts and they confirmed I have a herniated disc which surprisingly I am  relieved to learn because it confirms it’s an injury related condition only.  Recommended fix is a surgical procedure called a 'Microdiscectomy' that without complications will relieve pain immediately but require 6 week recuperation.

Immediate Invasive Solution Offered
I was introduced to an  Orthopaedic Surgeon who also diagnosed me and we discussed my lifestyle and he reaffirmed  the operation as the best way forward.
The cost is NZD16k+ if everything goes right and they can do it tomorrow... so we go away to think about it !!

We return to Musketelle at Porto Rafti to gather thoughts and needless to say Google the microdiscectomy procedure..... and this is where things start to unravel because for each successful story there are 10 negative reports by sufferers saying at all cost avoid the operation with numerous complications sighted.  After the delays of the previous month things are now moving at lightening pace.  We call to delay the procedure.

11 August
Skype Consultation with NZ doctor
Got back in touch with Dr Alex our NZ doctor and he gave me a balanced opinion for both the Invasive solution and also the non-invasive solution and naturally leaves the decision to me.  B and I talked it through and concluded that we were against the knife but that if things did at any time take a turn for the worse we would not hesitate to have the operation.

We send a CD copy of the scan to him in NZ so he can look himself and get another opinion from a local specialist.  To speed the delivery B goes to Athens Airport which is between Rafti and Athens to send from an airport based courier but ends up being directed to the airport Post Office. They offer a range of options one of which was a trackable deal operated by Hellenic Post with a 5 day delivery to NZ......it ultimately took 3 weeks not helped by NZ Post acknowledging they had it mislaid in their system whilst back in Greece we were castigating the Greek PO service.

12 August
We Opt for Non-Invasive solution
At the expense of throwing our cruising plans in the air I made a decision opting for the Non-Invasive solution which Dr Alex suggested would require a minimum 3 months rest avoiding any stress and strain but requiring a simple exercise regime as the pain progressed from Acute to Chronic.
Being a yachtie Dr Alex recommended the first exercise involve patient being dangled into the tide over the stern of Musketelle in a harness around the abdomen allowing the body to relax and stretch to relieve pressure on the spine.

Whacko it started helping and progressively I became ever so slowly more comfortable with the pain changing profile but certainly not going away. I quickly learned what helped and what hurt. Surprisingly some of the worst pain now started to occur when horizontal with pain increasing at night and this went on for over a month night in night out. Not happy!!

The tedium of being restricted like this is really getting to me and providing an instant insight into ageing !! and I don’t like it !!

During this time we were neatly positioned at anchor in the bay at Porto Rafti with multiple swims each day the real lifesaver in the heat and it was here I started to get off Musketelle for brief visits ashore for other than hospital visits. Did not go far, normally just to the nearest taverna to relax as best I could but it was a start and each time I got more distance on the crutches. But also had some days when things went backwards so knew I was certainly not out of the woods and that the operation might still be required.

It was very much touch and go around this time and although the pain profile was clearly changing ever so slowly for the better I was loath to discuss it with B because this whole thing is really testing our resolve, absolutely destroying our cruising plans and schedule requiring us to make decisions that we really don’t want to make.  At times we were both silently assessing and mulling over all options, one of which was the unspoken prospect of having pull the plug on the circumnavigation altogether and put Musketelle on the block !!

But one decision has already been decided for us. Timing now dictates we will not be heading across the Atlantic this season. Which opens the door to numerous other options that do require Discussion and Decision making.....

Decisions Decisions Decisions

If the operation is required........
Do we have the operation in Greece, France,UK or return to NZ or even Australia ?

Where do we layup Musketelle for winter.....
Do we stay in Greece at Messolonghi Marina ?
Do we consider even crossing to Italy, if P is up to it ?
Do we return to Turkey where we know the ropes, and is P up to it ?

We don't want to stay on Musketelle for the winter and need somewhere to recuperate........
Do we go home to NZ for the summer ?
Do we go to France
Do we go to the UK
Do we rent a pension in Turkey

What do we do with WiFi ?
who is coming along nicely under tutilage of her new owners

16 August
On the Move
So with these options pending we departed Porto Rafti and headed south to round Cape Sounion a little over 6 weeks after we entered the Evia Channel a journey that should have taken 2/3 days.  We round the stunning Cape with prominent temple to spend a few pleasant nights anchored off the town of Vari before heading the short distance further west to Zea Marina near Piraeus the port area for Athens.

On arrival Zea Marina persevered with the crutches and got off the boat for a few meals at nearby restaurants then discovered riding the bike was easier than hobbling on the crutches so enjoyed exploring the marina precincts.

The reason we have come here is because we are en-route to Messolonghi Marina which is on the Gulf of Corinth to the west requiring us to transit the Corinth Canal to get there and Piraeus is on the way. Also we need to talk to Greek Customs who have a main office at Zea Marina about a  'Bi-Lateral Agreement'.
What Bi-Lateral Agreement?
We have issues about leaving Musketelle in Greece beyond 3 months just as there are for us with Greek Immigration. NZ has a bi-lateral agreement with Greece that overrides certain regulations under the 'Schengen Agreement' that would assist us but can you believe none of the border control and customs officials know anything about it and just shrug their shoulders. To make matters worse the NZ Embassy in Rome (that also covers Greece) was of no help when we phoned them. So now our plans for laying over in Greece really are up in the air and we are sitting at Zea Marina literally making a decision on whether it’s worth spending $600 going through the canal tomorrow to checkout Messolonghi or returning to Turkey !!
The Customs officials at Zea turn out to be no better than elsewhere with most staff more interested in 'social networking' on the office computers. 

17 August
We Turn Back !!
Now to people who have an aversion to turning back this is a real conundrum but it’s looking like a no brainer. The cost of staying in Greece and Turkey might be similar, but the Turks give the impression they like us and welcome our contribution to their economy and their rules for staying are clear-cut.  In contrast the Greeks are negative on all counts and furthermore there is political uncertainty and unrest among the natives at the economic austerity measures being introduced that might mean we have trouble when come to leave Greece next year.
So Turkey it is !! and that’s one big decision sorted.

20 August
Back to Vari
From Piraeus we motored back to the anchorage at Vari halfway between Athens and Cape Sounion where we stayed for 10 days, relaxing in the sun with swimming the major activity for the invalid.  I made giant steps forward here with the multiple swims really doing me good although sometimes I overdid things much to B's chagrin. Shore visits were not successful.

31 August
End of the Summer Pain
Time to get going we have just 15 days on our visa to be out of Greece. So we hop down to Cape Sounion for an overnight stop on the last offical day of the Northern Summer anchoring under the floodlit temple atop the Cape and swim in the last rays of the official summer sun.

Tomorrow morning 1st day of a new month and a new season, we will start going back as we head East for winter with the Turks.

Jul 2010 WHAT'S GREEK FOR PAIN ?

JULY 2010

03 July 
Is this Ironic or What
The evening we anchored on terra firma mainland Europe for the first time was another milestone in our meandering, but the skipper did not need a sleepless night to celebrate the event, but thats what he got !!.

''WARNING''
Readers should stop now if, like most of us, you find other peoples medical stories tedious.

If that has not dissuaded you then......
It has been said that when hearing of others misfortune.....
50% of people don't care, or worse are pleased to learn of the misfortune
49% listen and profess to caring, but in reality are just being polite
1% really do care... without the details

If you are still reading you have had every opportunity to bail out, so you must be either family, true friend, sailing soulmate or have a penchant for 'schadenfreude'.

This story is included in our blog - 'our record of our voyaging' - because it has had a major impact on our cruising plans and effectively puts us a year behind sched.

03 July 
Skiathos headed for Rathes
After day sailing from the island of Skiathos in the Northern Sporades group of islands we entered the Evia Channel separating Evia Island from mainland Greece. On dusk we reached our selected anchorage for the night, off the town of Rahes on the northern mainland side of the channel. Our first anchorage on mainland Europe !!

We sat down to dinner with the prospect of spending the next 2 / 3 days sailing down the channel from north to south to reach Cape Sounion before making a decision on our passage plan thereafter.

Little did we know then that we would not pass Cape Sounion with a concrete passage plan for over another 2 months...not 2 days. And that eventual passage plan would see us sailing in the wrong direction !!

Pain Presents
Throughout the day sailing from Skiathos, Skipper has a niggling pain first presenting in the left buttock like pulled muscle tissue or possibly a chill in the kidney type pain, but eliminated the kidney when no bladder disorder. That evening when the pain started moving south he retired for the night to self-diagnose on-line with Bing and Google, concluding he had strained himself humping 2 x 30kg water jerry jugs at a time at Skiathos 01 July, recalling one bigger than normal step down onto a dock as the cause (according to B. acting as a 30yr old in a 59yr old frame)

04 July 
Dr Bing-Google
On waking this morning pain was more acute and now centered on the hip area and dramatically worse when moving around. So acting on the previous evenings on-line self diagnostic research decides to go with the recommended 'complete rest' option taking control of the queen size bunk in the aft cabin wreathing in the mid-summer heat with B banished to the fore cabin.
Spends the next 5 days resting with pain reduced when horizontal but instantly acute when hobbling to dining table or ablutions which is rather essential.

06 July 
Motoring South
B in command P semi-comatose, we motor down the Evia Channel to the ancient town of Khalkis where for centuries bridges have spanned the narrowest part of the channel where huge tides flow through a 70 metre gap requiring vessels to transit once a day when a small slack tide occurs and the vehicular bridge joining the town is raised.  With P dosed up on painkillers we went through at about midnight with a dozen other vessels, yachts, motor boats and a quite large coastal ship.

The townsfolk were out in force looking at the spectacle even at that hour, so it’s clearly a local attraction even for them. There was a full moon and many of the townsfolk spied WiFi the wonder cat sitting on deck totally bewildered by the interruption to her nights sleep. We don't normally have crowds looking down on us from above into our floating home so with mountain bikes on deck and other cruising kit we must have looked like a floating menagerie compared with the pristine charter yachts. Were they laughing at us? Or just being friendly?

We anchor in the large open tidal basin on the south side of the bridge, like a sort of hospital ship with not hundreds of patients but just one increasingly grumpy beached whale like skipper prostate on his bunk for the next 3 weeks unable to move without great remonstrations.

B was required to hold ship and everything else together including a ships cat that was now showing signs that she felt ignored and questioning why her regular walks ahore had been curtailed and why the skipper was now hogging all attention ?  Thereafter to keep the peace whenever B had a spare moment she started taking WiFi ashore for walks and the world of WiFi settled.

During those forays ashore B noticed that the towns small marina might just be able to take Musketelle....at a pinch, because it was mostly inhabited by local boats of the smaller pedigree. However there can be issues with being tied to the land....... like vermin that can wreak havoc. An experience our friend David, aka 'Sahula of the Sudan' on 'SY Sahula' had a visiting rat turn his life inside out for a month or three back in Alanya 2009.  Nevertheless Barbara sussed out a couple of options on a new marina finger that she thought were ok so we have this as an option if and when required. In the meantime all was as well as it could be on Musketelle the hospital ship at anchor out in the basin with cooling breeze wafting through the hatches.

10 July 
Initial Diagnosis
With no signs of improvement P hobbles ashore to make taxi tracks to Khalkis Hospital and is directed to radiology for some x-rays.  Overstressed duty doc quickly examines patient, looks at the x-rays and declares Osteoarthritis!!  Prescribes a few pills, suggests a walking stick, avoid steps (very difficult on a yacht), and get used to the pain!!
This diagnosis obviously stopped us in our tracks as you can imagine.

13 July 
Second Opinion
B finds another doctor for a second opinion. He assesses the problem as tendon and nerve tissue damage in the buttock area and prescribes more pills suggesting complete rest and improvement within 5 days.

17 July 
Ride in Greek Ambo
Things are getting worse, with pain now excruciating, radiating down the leg into the thigh and calf muscle and shin, so B goes ashore to find an Orthopaedic specialist.  He decides a  'Boat Call'  is necessary and immediately comes to Musketelle which we had moved the day before into the tiny Khalkis Marina  that B had sussed out the previous week.  He examines and looks at the x-rays. Then insists I be evacuated by the ambos who came in numbers and strap me onto a banana board stretcher and hump me up through the main hatchway on to the aft deck then lower me down onto the dock and into an ambulance to the same hospital.
Exhibit 'A'
10 x-rays later and diagnosis by a collection 5 doctors I was feeling like 'exhibit item A' and entertainment for them. A jab to release tension in the affected area and manipulation of the hip and leg and they also now conclude tissue damage as opposed to a hip problem. But I could tell they were guessing. They prescribe another selection of pills, suggest I forfeit the walking stick to buy crutches and rest, but attempt to exercise with the crutches and come back 25 July.

25 July 
Out for the Strike
So come 25 July back we go, albeit without any exercises under the belt as just too painful and can you guess the hospital doctors are on strike and to come back in another 3 days.  At this point we decided to move towards Athens with the prospect of doctors with better command of English and hopefully an MRI scan.

Jun 2010 HOW A TURKISH KEDI ACQUIRES A SEA BERTH ABOARD CIRCUMNAVIGATING KIWI YACHT SY MUSKTELLE

After having to put to sleep our dear loyal 19 year old NZ cat “Murphy” before we left NZ we have spent the last three years sailing through Asia and the Middle East avoiding the plight of the countless cats that ply the waterfronts casting their pitiful looks our way for, at the least, kindly eye contact or ,at the most, a morsel of food. There are literally so many that even animal friendly people like us have to bite the lip and walk on.

That was until 10 December 2009 when one of the numerous dock cats (or “Kedi” in Turkish) at Marmaris Yacht Marina decided to board Musketelle uninvited through a small open porthole while we were out and help herself to a bread roll and then settle down on our bed.

When we returned in the dark B entered the aft cabin and thought she heard the floorboard make a funny squeak but on turning on the light found instead that the squeak was a ”hello” from a quite unconcerned and comfortable cat. Said cat was not at all phased at being sprung and gave the distinct impression she was pleased with herself. We were impressed by the fact that this visitor had used some nous to get in and make herself at home. She eventually departed and we laughed at her cheek but thought nothing more of it.

Later however said cat returned and started making the usual feline overtures that we interpret as friendly but we sent her on her way. However she persisted with more visits of variable duration, sitting on the deck and amusing us with her meercat impressions as she peered over the cockpit coaming to watch goings-on on the dock.

We then made the fatal mistake of giving her a name – a sure sign we had been twisted round her (not so little) paw. At the time we were having difficulty with the internet wifi signal at the marina being very unstable and, like the cat, coming and going. So we named her WiFi.

Thus far we had a visiting and named cat. However feline domestic bliss was not assured for this is really a wild cat that had been fending for itself around the marina for several years. At times she showed her real self – difficult to handle, untrusting and with a lightning left hook with claw advanced usually when least expected and when we thought we were only being friendly. Still she manages to amuse and winter and Xmas are both coming up fast…

No sooner is she installed on board and sleeping under the dodger than we start getting visits from other dock cats seeking to dislodge her from this board and lodging. The siege continued and one night B observed WiFi walking down the dock towards Musketelle when another cat shoulder barged her in a good rugby style tackle straight into the tide. Proving that cats can swim WiFi hauled herself out soaked through and very shaken. Of course she got the big dry towel rub down and much fussing over. Maybe it was all a set up as this event now had us protecting WiFi in her patch.

Next problem was that we were about to depart for France and London for three weeks for Christmas – what to do with WiFi ? Other cruisers rightly noted that we could just leave her to look after herself but guess what, we weakened. At vast expense, we put a stray dock cat, perfectly capable of fending for itself, into the cattery at the Vets.

The die was cast. WiFi now had all the appearance of an official crewmember of SY Musketelle and whilst in residence at the Vets she had all necessary vaccinations and treatments to allow her to sail to the EU and beyond, a microchip inserted in her neck and “pet passport” (ie health papers) issued. At this stage as far as we know she has not a single sea mile under her collar but the prognosis is good for at least getting around the Med and across the Atlantic to America. Not a bad turnaround for a homeless Turkish Kedi.



Wi Fi takes up the story

Mid January 2010 my new friends collected me from “the cat prison” and I was bundled in a new fancy cat bag back to my regular haunts at Marmaris Yacht Marina where we stayed until May which allowed me to get back into my old routines on Hotel Pier. This is the pier that I was introduced to after my birth somewhere in the marina back in 2007. It’s the place where I have survived nicely thank you for over 3 years befriending hundreds of cruisers from all over the world. I’m an expert at getting my way with most of them and as a result more food than I can eat has been available most of the time particularly during spring, summer and autumn. Winter is the big problem so I have to really work hard on finding a safe haven for this harsh time for vagrant cats.

              Here I am on 'my' dock at Marmaris Yacht Marina

Would you believe I have been taken on board a number of yachts on a semi permanent basis and some have even named me. I have been variously named “Arabella”, “Cleopatra” and then a lovely Swiss couple Trudi and Jurg got all regal and called me “Princess India” because at that time I was doing a stint on India Pier. Next Jeanette and Charles from the Dutch yacht Happy Days befriended me and called me “MiMi”.

Now I have fallen in with this lot aboard Musketelle who call themselves “Kiwis”. I have established that a Kiwi is a bird that cannot fly and, as a cat, that certainly interests me but these guys don’t look like birds and he even has fur on his face. She goes by the name of B and he P and they are not bad if a little pushy with me to settle into their routines aboard their yacht. They seem to forget that I know more than a little about yachts and theirs is by no means the best and biggest that I had the choice of selecting. So I keep up my guard that has served me well in my survival to date in the tough world of wild life at Marmaris Yacht Marina.

But let me tell you not all the cruisers have been cat friendly and some have downright mean, probably due to the ablution habits of us wild Kedi and particularly those dirty old tomcats that spray everywhere. Would you believe one Canadian cruiser gave me major grief by throwing me into the water one day in front of other cruisers. I sure gave that boat a wide berth thereafter.

Winter has passed, it’s now March, spring is in the air and surprisingly this stay aboard Musketelle has turned into one of my longer visitations for a number of reasons. Firstly they relented on my access to and around Musketelle and in no time at all I had the run of the ship with the exception a few no go areas like the dining table and the navigation station. But they at least dedicated a few sleeping spots for me which is a nice touch and if it was really cold I was even allowed on their bed.

The one difficulty was they started locking me in at night which was a real hassle to begin with. The other major hassle was that they put a plastic tag on my collar with a message in English which of course being a Turkish Kedi I could not read. But the long and short of it was my multiple feeding opportunities which I had perfected with the cruisers disappeared and in no time the only food I was getting was from the owners on Musketelle. I immediately smelt a rat and concluded they had betrayed me with a “please do not feed me” message. So to supplement my diet I made it my business to stay out on full moon and very still nights which is the best time for felines to pickup miscellaneous fodder and supplement the Whiskas diet they persist with.

The other nights I hankered for were when the men that keep the waters clear of debris with their big nets were on the Pier and they would throw me little fish, the absolute best meal on the pier. I would often take a sample back to Musketelle and liberate it alive and kicking in the cockpit which always got them going I can tell you. B obviously dislikes fish but P is with me on this even if he does not share my catch with me.

Early on we got the necessary ablution issues sorted out and they provided a dedicated cat potty with high tech crystals that mean no smells, so that was appreciated and I now use it all the time rather than going on other boats and in dinghies like all the other wild life around the marina. There is talk of another Kedi from the marina that goes to the loo on the ship’s human toilet but they have another thing coming if they think they are going to get me to perch on the porcelain, a parrot I am not.

P and B kept talking to me about sailing to America and New Zealand. Well I have been to India Pier so thought that America Pier and New Zealand Pier sounded fine. However it seems that this was not what they had in mind.

On the last day of Spring 31 May the owners played a trick on me that I was least expecting, and they cast off from Marmaris Yacht Marina as I was awakening from my afternoon snooze and now I am on the way to who knows where. As usual the owners are fussing around making life as comfortable for me as they can but even with four legs this continual slip slopping around at sea does take some getting used to.

Over the last three weeks we have sailed to some neat spots in Turkey visiting Bozburan and Bodrum and we even had a taste of Greece with visits to the Aegean Islands of Kos, Leros and Lesvos, my first foreign country. I could easily have got off at the fuel dock in Kos and had a walk around and even done a runner, but did not think it looked anything special.

I am making it my business to keep an eye and ear on everything that is going on around me aboard Musketelle and there is a pattern developing. Each morning we get up, we all have breakfast, they turn on the noisy generator to power us up, cool the freezer etc then they listen to the MedNet on the SSB (Single Sideband Radio) with other cruisers all over the Mediterranean and then listen to the weather forecast in Turkish and Greek, eeks !!

Then we up anchor and sail away to then drop the anchor at a new spot in the afternoon to relax and watch the sunset and then we all have dinner. At least I don’t get locked in at night now and can use the porthole next to my bunk to wander round the decks at night if I wish.

Initially I was upset at the main engine starting up when I was “below” (that’s a nautical term for downstairs you know). Now I am pretty relaxed about it especially if I can sit on the back deck and watch the water shooting out the exhaust at the transom (back of the boat). The only thing that really gets my hackles up is the water making machine that sounds like a jet engine and freaked me out when they first started it. Cat-astrophe! I accidently bit B’s hand and she had to go ashore to a local hospital for a Tetanus shot. Luckily I had a Rabies injection in January and the owners have been vaccinated to. I was very embarrassed by that outburst but it was only because I was really scared.

I am a little concerned we are leaving my homeland Turkey but I am now legally allowed to travel with the owners as evidenced by the official release documents issued by the Turkish Authorities in Ankara and Marmaris with the all important stamps and signatures. But can you believe under the heading Breed they have had the cheek to called me a “Cross Breed”. That hits a nerve let me tell you.

Currently we at Ayvalik near the Dardenelles not far from Gallipoli and we are sailing to Limnos Island in Greece on Sunday 20 June.......I will let you know how we get on.

Ships Cat WiFi

Sep 2009 GREEK SOJOURN

SEPTEMBER - Greek Sojourn

This is a busy month for us with all arrangements centering around B's father Alf coming to Europe with Dot to celebrate his 80th birthday with us aboard Musketelle in Marmaris. Is that not a great attitude !!! It puts the pressure on us to make it memorable. As they are doing a 12 day cruise around the Med, Aegean and Adriatic from Barcelona to Venice we decide to meet them for the day their cruise is at the Greek island of Thira otherwise known as Santorini the supposed lost Atlantis. We leave Turkey with the plan of spending a month cruising in Greece visiting 12 islands in the Dodecanese and Cyclades group of islands in an anti-clockwise circuit from Marmaris back to Marmaris.

Gidday Greece - After a daysail from Marmaris we reach the picture perfect Greek island of Nisios Symi in the Dodecanese Group, country number 18 in our nautical meandering. Symi is just 4 miles off the Turkish coast. In Symi they have retained the traditional low stone and plaster buildings hugging the waters edge and up the hillsides, painted pastel peach and beige painted with Med blue highlights. The motor vehicle rules in coastal Turkey but is a hinderance to life on the Dodecanese. As usual on arrival in a new country we shouted ourselves a night out dining at a local restaurant sampling the local fare and beverage even if in this case it was an Italian restaurant. Next morning we did a heart thumping climb to the monastary atop a hill overlooking Symi. (see pic)

A Meaty Story - On the walk back down to Symi town we found a hillside village butcher selling pork. Travelling in muslim countries we have not had pork since Singapore. This is a real treat so we buy a few kilos and are now porked out. The butcher asks where we are from and proudly shows us some Southland frozen lamb in his freezer which really impresses us. Then even more proudly goes to his walk-in chiller and emerges with his own local kill lamb with testicles still in tact. But at least they don't eat dog in Greece !!

Real Sailing Weather - The further north we sailed we experienced some great sailing in gutsy 20/40 knot winds fed by the local wind named 'the Meltemi' that funnels from north to south like a conveyor down the middle of the Aegean Sea. The other island on the must visit list is a request by P that we call at Mykonos for a trip down memory lane, given he was there as a 19 year old 39 years before. What a disappointment..in 1970 it was full of pretty topless lassies whereas today its been taken over by the gay male community who roam the beaches naked. After walking around the picture postcard but 100% tourist white-washed town we planned to stay one night, but as bad luck would have it a gale arrived and had us pinned in the town marina with a swag of other yachts for 5 days as battered yachts limped in and one even came ashore off the marina. This was our first grubby weather for months.

Santorini Anchorage Blues - 7 island stops since arriving in Greece we reach Santorini a day before Alf and Dot and do a recci of the island on a scooter with its major attraction being the villages built atop what is effectively the rim of the crater looking down into the caldera where the cruise ships anchor. The next day we meet them and give them a whistle stop tour of the island in a rental car showing them Musketelle at anchor before returning them to their luxury 2000 passenger ship 'Celebrity Summit'. For us anchoring at Santorini was a real problem because the caldera is so deep, with only limited opportunities to anchor and limited mooring buoys which were occupied. Thus the only suitable anchorage was on the open south side of the island in a shallow strip. You can guess what happened, the prevailing northerly that blows for 28 out of 30 days a month at this time of year decides to come in from the south at dusk and we are pinned on a lee shore with just 1 metre under the keel. It's sea state rather than wind that has us concerned but we think it will abate. At 10pm a local fisherman comes over to say he is moving his boats to the marina (which is too shallow for us) and we should move too. We had already been doing anchor watch and keeping a close eye on the anchor alarm and we knew we were not moving. Our only other option was to sail through the night to our next island but because we are both very tired, we elect to stand watches through the night, rely on the anchor alarm and take bearings off landmarks to ensure we don't move futher ashore. Come daylight we were totally pooped as we up anchor and sail away. We are generally risk averse and over breakfast agree we should have sailed at dusk. P recalled that surprisingly B was not worried so neither was he.

Return to Marmaris - We sail east toward Turkey making overnight stops at 4 islands and then a final stop at Symi to formally clear out of Greece. We take on 300L of cheap diesel (if NZ$2 per litre is cheap) and sail into Marmaris on 21 Sept, the same evening Alf and Dot fly in and B collects them in a cab from Dalaman Airport 90 minutes from Marmaris and they return to stay aboard Musketelle at Yacht Marin.

Family Party Time - We spend 3 days aboard including a night anchored off Marmaris town and celebrate Alfs 80th aboard with Lanson Champagne and also have a great night in the classy Yacht Marine Restaurant. On such occasions a few stanza's of lite poetry never goes amiss....

ODE TO ALF 23 Sep 2009

King Alfred George he was born
Eighty years ago this DAY
Comes all the WAY From Lowry BAY
To imbibe and say CHEERS
with the MUSKETEERS
Right here on Marmaris BAY

Its a right pleasure for B and I
To be looking you, Alf, in the EYE
Having you here for this special DATE
As if we were all at 238

On sombre note we have thoughts
For those no longer HERE
And also for Irene and Phil
Unable to take to the AIR
For tonights special toast
Celebrating the Alf for whom we CARE

We care for this olde FELLOW
Because he's a positive HAPPY
Cheerful and jolly CHAPPY
Never one for the STOUSCH
Prefers the Famous GROUSE
And loves the Limon CELLO

We recall the year O7
The widower comes to FIJI
A first to tropical heaven says HE
Meeting Chief Ronnie was GREAT
Catching fish from dawn to LATE
As we cruised the Blue LAGOON
It was over oh so SOON

Come the hilarious last NIGHT
Getting a bit tipsy and TIGHT
Half slaughtering a bottle of SCOTCH
He declares senior life is only 1st RATE
If you have a good MATE
And in a tear of joy
Announces Dot is that NOTCH

Life is now a piece of CAKE
Backward and FORD
From the Bay to the LAKE
And all above BOARD

If thats not enough
Full of ZEST
No time for REST
With Dot in TOW
They're in Turkey to SHOW
What it takes to celebrate The BIG 80 !!

Istanbul Visit - We left Musketelle at Yacht Marin and all flew up to Istanbul for a 3 day stay in the old town known as the Sultanahmet, close by the Blue Mosque and other major attractions.  We were in Istanbul to view the sights before Alf and Dot commenced their return flight to NZ.  Whilst we were there the city came to a standstill as the last Ottoman noble had died the day before at 97yrs old and as is Muslim practice was being buried in a mosque within 24hrs. There were police everywhere holding back the crowds as a sea of Muslim mufti and clerics surrounded the hearse as it pulled up outside the mosque and the crowd burst into song and some kind of Ottoman salute.

Highlights were visits to the Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya and the home of the Sultans, the Topkapi Palace. The palace was the highlight and we spent a morning there on the huge grounds which overlook the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. That afternoon Alf and Dot went on a cruise up the Bosphorus while B&P headed for the Turkish Naval Museum on the other side of Istanbul.

Old Charts Challenge History - We were heading for the Turkish Naval Museum to view an ancient map of the world including the East Coast of North America and the southern extremities of South America drawn by the Turkish Admiral Piri Reis pre-dating Columbus and Magellan.  The clear message is these discoverers had this and possibly other charts to aid them. Would you believe the map is no longer housed at the naval museum but in the cartography section at the Topkapi Palace where we had been all morning. But we then learned that you have to be a Prime Minister, a President or an Admiral to view this highly prized piece of chartwork. Oh well so be it...at least we were able to purchase a copy which we will frame for the study. The history behind this chart is absolutely fascinating and full of intrigue with copies getting to the Spanish and Portuguese via Papal involvement in mysterious deals all those years ago. This is a part of history Anglo, French and American historians do not wish to acknowledge because it rewites history and, to put the boot in, the Chinese are there in the background. Since reading '1421' P is on the lookout for literature on ancient cartography to learn more.

Back on the Water - After seeing Alf and Dot off we flew back to Marmaris and are now back at sea cruising north up the Aegean Coast of Turkey discovering new anchorages in the last of the Autumn weather for the month of October and maybe into November before finalising on a marina for winter. We are anchored under the fort at Bodrum as we write this blog.

Luxury Gulet up in Smoke - Before we left Marmaris an ultra modern 120ft long private Gulet caught on fire at 10am in the morning at its private dock 500m from Yacht Marine. The pall of toxic smoke quickly brought a large coastguard vessel to fight the fire and then a chopper with a fire bucket dropping seawater over it. Alas to no avail, by 2pm the huge masts were both toppled and by dusk the hull sank beneath the surface. Reputedly US$20M down the gurgler. P recalled how lucky he was with the big blue boat fire back in 98. Fire at sea is a most feared thing by mariners and never far from our minds on Muskie.

Jun Jul Aug 2009 TURKEY

We are still out there even if we have been most remiss not updating this blog since mid-June. Truth is since arriving in the Med late May life has seemed much more suburban compared with the previous 4 months when we covered big distances sailing from Asia across the Indian Ocean and up Pirate Alley and the Red Sea. Since arriving in Turkey we have felt that there was little to report given these recent months seem more like an extended summer holiday. But a few followers have asked whats up? so someone reads our ramblings which is nice to know. We will break the update into months....

JUNE 2009
Final Weeks in Alluring Alanya

We have Muskie ready to put to sea again after giving her some much deserved TLC during our stay in Alanya which we have come to really enjoy and like. But we still have time to check out things local and a bit of history. We discover the 'Senai' - an area in a Turkish town surrounding a mosque where all the artisans are located much like an industrial area in NZ but literally all the trades and services are located in the one area with whole streets dedicated to the same trade or service much like the bazaar. This structure is historic and dates back to the days of the Sultan when his tax collector could go to one area and collect the patrimony (taxes) in a clean sweep. Every town still has one. We have no trouble finding eager locals to get most boat things made or repaired or to buy almost anything. We have a bit of fun getting the banter going using our English/Turkish dictionary and drawing sketches of jobs and we always get there in the end.

Understanding Turkish Ways - picking up the language and generally immersing in the culture was an early priority as Turkey will be our base through the northern winter until we head west next April. As a kick start we treated ourselves to a handful of books on Turkey to give us a better insight and we have learned much about this very interesting country with a history of chaos largely due to her physical positioning between east and west. Even today there is a major trial going on to establish the involvement by 130 leading right wing politicians, academics, judiciary and high ranking military and police officers in an alleged attempt to overthrow the current government because they are concerned this liberal administration is moving back toward a non-secular state at the expense of the secular model around which the constitution is based and which was implemented by the famous founding figure of modern Turkey, Ataturk.

Ataturk #1 Turk - Mustafa Kemar later named Ataturk came to power after World War 1 and over a 10 year period in the 1920's introduced the current secular state, banned the Fez and other traditional structures as a way of forcing Turkey out of her old corrupt and backward ways to match the modern Europe on her western borders. Incidentally before getting into politics he was their leading General at Gallipoli. Almost every private business and government agency has a photo of a young Ataturk hanging in a prominent place and we see Ataturk monuments everywhere.

JULY 2009

Lycian Coast - Discovering Antiquity

P's sister Deb and Gaz from Grenoble joined us for a week as we commenced our coast hopping westward from Alanya to Kemer, magnificent Cineviz Limani and ancient Olympos before flying home to France. The B&P duet then continued cruising what is known as the Lycian Coast. A coastline marked with literally hundreds of anchorages in bays and inlets under steep rocky mountains. More than a few reminding us of an extremely dry Fiordland. Sailing along coast such as this, rounding headlands and entering bays to be confronted with the outline of ruins, fortifications and burial monuments often without another vessel in sight is a privileged way to experience these treasures.

Ruins, Ruins, Ruins - This is a coastline richly endowed with ruins most of which are still underground and undiscovered. We climb over ruins on hillsides, swim over sunken cities, marvelled at hilltop forts, aquaducts, underfloor heating sytems, elaborate sarcophagi and amphitheatres. The enormity of the quarrying, stone masonry and engineering to achieve these feats is mind boggling. The only conclusion is they must have had an endless supply of very cheap non-union labour. The scale and spread of these ancient civilisations is quite beyond comprehension and whilst these physical remains are impressive and interesting to view one cannot help thinking about the peoples that built and inhabited these places. So now we are borrowing and buying more history books to try to join the dots. It makes the exercise much more meaningful.

Love the Water - We continue to be amazed at the clarity of the waters we have encountered in Turkey and Greece considering these latitudes have hosted civilisations since the beginning of time. Needless to say we commence and end each day with a swim off the back of Musketelle and then a freshwater rinse with the transom shower. This is de-riguer for most cruisers and now that we are in European waters it is not unusual to sight the Germanics and Scandis doing it au-natural. The further west we sailed the more yachts and boats in general we came across. In particular the local Gulet.

Whats a Gulet ? - A Gulet (pronounced as in bullet) is a big, on average 80-100ft long traditionally built Turkish yacht, built of wood, often teak and mostly beautifully varnished, two masts, a big bow sprit and are purpose built for the eastern Med waters they ply. In recent years the design has been updated and some are being built in composites and steel as a sort of local superyacht. They carry mostly European tourists and provide for groups ranging from backpackers to small numbers demanding super luxury, on day and overnight/week long cruises up and down the coast. The more exclusive gulets have stylish names. The package holiday models are variously named Easyjet, Thomas Cook, Love Boat etc and their guests mostly sleep outdoors on foam topper pads on the cabin top under sun covers and because they party to boom boom music to the wee small hours they are invariably asleep when we pass them in the morning. Gulets very rarely sail, mostly using their engine. They have a reputation for being driven by gungho types who barge in to an anchorage and drop their anchor in close proximity to you, usually over your chain. However we are pleased to note that we have not encountered any problems to date.

Anchoring Etiquette - Its not only the Gulets....We have arrived in the equivalent of Manhattan as regards yacht population and the courtesies normally shared between seafarers often reduces to that expected in the big apple. The Germans and French lead the bunch requiring 'courtesy bi-pass operations'. They seem hardwired to anchor on top of you when the whole of the Med is available. We have no sooner had our swim, poured the first sundowner and one of these types will motor in drop his pick then drift back to nearly make love with our bow. When Deb and Gaz were with us we watched a German anchor within 10-15 metres of us by the technique of going semi stern-to the wind then motoring forward over the anchor and chain ending up well within our swing circle. At 1.00 in the morning he then expressed the view that we had dragged (we hadn't) and he declined to relocate causing us to have to do so. We have crossed him off our Christmas card list.

Mediterranean Climate - The thing about this part of the Med and Aegean is that the summer months are so settled you can guarantee cloudless sunny days from mid May until late September with temps in the 30's during the day and 20's at night. Neither of us have ever experienced such settled weather for so long, we now know what a Mediterranean climate is.

AUGUST 2009
Deep in Tourist Land - Closer to Hell than Heaven

We reached Marmaris a 110% tourist town on a big land enclosed bay with every type of nautical play activity on the water, on the beach and in the sky during the day followed by dining, dancing, lightshows and laser sky writing advertising overhead topped off by turbo sound boom boom music until 5am each morning !! A weird kind of continuous Eurovision Techno Song Contest day and night with mostly overweight half naked Brits proudly wandering around exhibiting tattoo and piecing ehanced bodies taking cellphone cam pics of each other for their Facebook websites !! Brit holidaymakers make up the majority of the visitors and there are so many Brit bars and restaurants everywhere it feels like Blackpool. We are certainly not here for this !!

Off the tourist strip there is a large number of marine chandlery and yacht service operators because Marmaris hosts 5 marinas and there is a large fleet of Gulets based here too. The reason we have come to Marmaris is to checkout the marina situation as a base to layover for winter, with our main interest being the biggest marina in Turkey the 2000+ boat capacity Yacht Marin Marmaris (http://www.yachtmarin.com/). We checked Musketelle into Yacht Marin to get the feel of the place, stayed a couple of nights, negotiated a winter rate and made a tentative booking from 01 November. We are impressed with the place but there is a definite lack of interest and friendliness by staff and we left with the idea that we will keep looking for other options and may even return to Alanya and the small friendly little marina that was such a neat introduction to Turkey for us. We have a couple of months to cruise further north to find something.

Marinas at a Price - The explosive growth in Turkish tourism over the last 20 years is largely waterbased and Turkey has replaced Spain as the cheap high volume destination. There is a huge captive market on Turkeys doorstep and the advent of the budget no-frills airlines are flying people in from all over Europe and the old Soviet states by the millions. Apart from price the attraction is a stable summer climate with clear cloudless sunny days for 5 months. The Gulet charter business is only one aspect of the boating business. The other is the charter yacht business and the private sailing community which are both enormous. They all need secure berths. The Turkish central government invested heavily in building major breakwaters along the Aegean coast and has then sought private investment partners to develop marinas behind these breakwaters. There are currently 30 major marinas in Turkey today with another ten due to open in the next few years. Some of these marinas are huge with wet berths for up to 1000 vessels and hardstanding for another 1000. Some are world class with hotels, helipads, swimming pools, restaurants, bars, library, wifi and all services. As a consequence of increased demand, prices to berth at these marinas is rocketing and fast approaching other overpriced Med countries. For a yacht our size 50-70 Euro (50 Euro is roughly NZ$100) or more per night is the casual rate at some.

Needless to say we anchor wherever we can even with the aforementioned ettiquette issues. We reason in a marina we are only renting water space and its the same water just a different spot. However come what may we will need a marina spot for the coming northern winter Nov/Mar as the gales in the Med can be vicious so we are using the next few months on the lookout for a suitable wintering over spot at the right price.