Sunday 11 May 2014
Wednesday 07 May
We arrived at the Marina late on Wednesday night after a mind numbing journey from home via Gatwick, and a delay of approximately an hour on the 'plane while airport staff removed the luggage of two passengers who had decided not to fly anyway, and possibly the most civilized, and hopefully the last, taxi ride from Dalaman Airport.
As the 'yard' where Sequel has been all winter is flood lit like a massive football pitch we were able to see even at 11.30 p.m. that the work had been completed.
Thursday 08
Up and about as things to do before a return to the water on Friday morning. The Captain disappeared to visit various people he had to see but within a very short space of time I received a message that he was having coffee on Bula (Geoff & Anne's boat) - great start to our plan to get things done - but I was down the ladder in no time at all to join the coffee party. We did set to in the afternoon, however, as we had to get the winter cover off and the anchor chain, all 100 metres of it and very heavy, back on board and in its locker. I was also keen to mark the chain at intervals so that I have little more than a vague idea of how much I let out every time we drop it. I have tried a sort of counting technique but actually I have absolutely no idea. So we laid it out and sprayed black paint at 10 metre intervals and then had a cup of tea. By this time there were some very threatening black clouds accumulating and we had to scurry to then get the chain aboard. The distance from the ground to the front locker is about 3 metres, So the Captain stood on board with the anchor winch and I lifted up the chain as best as I could and it worked well until we got to the anchor itself which I could not begin to pick up. A very nice chap who was working on his boat next to us came to our rescue and with one arm picked up the anchor - I felt quite inadequate but the job was done - and then the heavens opened and it rained for at least two hours with the usual display of lightning and thunder, the novelty of which wears off after a while. And the yard after the rain was a large grey muddy puddle - the dust being a little like concrete dust and the result a horrible mess.
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| After (see previous post for Before (Surrounded) |
Back into the water quite early and what a relief after the concrete swamp. Forecast was for rain all day but we were lucky, and it didnt rain all day although no sign of the sun. We have not experienced a May quite like this one in the Med or Turkey in the last four or so years. We were taken by the marineros to Juliet pontoon which was exactly where we wanted to go (and where there are at least two other boats we know) but into a very tight spot and for the first time out in over 7 months the Captain was a-maz-ing. We had a moment or two of anxiety over another line getting caught in the starboard stabilizer but managed to avoid it and we were soon having coffee again on Bula.
Saturday 10
Time for a quick trip into Marmaris to sort out our wi-fi and a trip to West Marine chandlers for some chairs for the deck. We took home the covers of our directors' chairs when we popped over in April and they are sitting, beautifully clean, in a cupboard somewhere in Willowtree. My turn for a senior moment - my husband having had a bad one before we left home looking for a CD (with the engine manual on it) which he had packed carefully in an accompanying booklet and packed in his bag - we found it after we got here having turned his study upside down just before we left.
Sunday 11
After a beautiful, very promising, start to the day I am now writing this inside the boat as it tips down with rain again - the Captain is reading the paper asleep - very clever - upstairs by the helm position. It does look like the weather is improving over the next week and the boat is to have its top half cleaned and polished and a few other things sorted out before our first guests arrive on 23 May. We are looking forward to piping them aboard.
I am very pleased to report that we have a new liferaft in place already and a new dinghy arriving tomorrow - along with the deck chairs. Tonight is the beginning of summer (?!) party at the Marina - we are already on notice to have the equivalent of a towel ready to bags our seats at a table for about 13 of us at 6.30 p.m. I am already a little worried if there is any blood left in my alcohol system.
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| Rain on its way again |
