We positioned the boat in Marathounda bay on the East coast of Symi island to have a better position to catch favourable winds when going further East. On Oct 10, 2020 at sunrise, we left Symi, and Greece, and Europe, for the 35 Nm to Marmaris in Turkey.
At the immigration dock the impact of covid was clearly visible. There were at least 6 ferryboats mothballed that would normally sail between Marmaris and the Greek islands like Rhodes and Symi. The ongoing dispute between Turkey and Greece about coastal gas exploration made the situation even more dire. The farmers where particularly hard hit since the Dodecanese, being distant from Athens, are a major destination for agricultural produce.
We hired the service of Mrs. Nermin Ute of Anker Marine, to process the immigration and customs formalities. She is very efficient and the clearing went quick and smooth. We now had our Transit Log (cruising permit), to be renewed annually.
Salient detail about Nermin’s familie name is that her forefathers are native American Indians from the Ute People who immigrated to Turkey after their tribe was relocated to reservations. The state of Utah is named after the tribe.
Our previous boat, a mono hull, was parked on the hard at “Yat Marin” and still had to be sold, the main reason for clearing into Turkey in Marmaris. We anchored in a well protected bay close to the marina and ferried back and forth in our dinghy.
It turned out that our old boat was in a dire state and would need a lot of TLC before she could be put on the market. (We will make a separate post on this major project).
We left early mornings in the dinghy for the marina to work on the old boat and returned late in the afternoon. Upon return on the third day we noticed there had been a break-in in our catamaran. Feeling our home was no longer safe, we decided to dock our home inside the marina.
We learned that at least two other boats were also broken into in the same bay. The waters are warm this time of year and the distance to the shore is rather short. Boats with a “sugar-scoop” stern are easy boarded by swimmers. Not an exemplary welcome for a new destination, but rest assured, all other experiences in Turkey are wonderful. The loot was limited and we are now more vigilant when choosing an anchorage.
Thank you for reading this blog. Turkey is a fascinating country with a long history and friendly people. Enough inspiration to keep the blog interesting, “in sha’allah” as they say.
Regards: Liza and Frits