2017 Where is LeeZe? Mykonos > Ikaria

Dear all,

There does come a break in the wind and on 25 July, we are off to Ornos Bay on the southern side of Mykonos Island and anchor.



From this picture, Ornos Bay is not far from the main port and in fact, Zehra took a 20 minute bus to there. For the record, we both do not seem to understand how this island became the playground for the rich and famous. To us, we can take it or leave it.



However, I chose NOT to go with her because if there ever was a crowded anchorage, this one exceeded any that I had experienced before. First, on the outer edge were huge motor yachts anchored in 100+ meter water where LeeZe would be a tender for them. Then, the next row were extremely large sailing yachts. Then there was a break until the water got to be less than 30 meters. This area was dominated by 20+ meter power yachts moored to mooring buoys. Then, as one works your way in to the shallower water, more mooring buoys with smaller yachts tied to them. I eventually anchored in 13 meters of water, surrounded by power boats moored to their mooring buoy. For NEARLY the entire time we were there, the wind blew from the south, which is very unusual. My chief concern was that when the wind changes, LeeZe, at anchor, has a far larger swing radius than any of these boats on their mooring point, and therefore the risk of collision seemed to me to be quite high, almost inevitable.

But the night before our departure, the wind does swing around to come from the north, and when I wake up and look out, I realized that a collision was not inevitable.



On 28 July, with nice weather, we move on toward the east to the island of Ikaria. This is an 8+ hour trip to the main port of this island, so we decide to stop at a little village along the way called Magganitis.



The weather was fine for most of the crossing, with the seas getting quite choppy and confused as we approached the western tip of the island. The EagleRay guide did state that one could expect high winds coming off the steep mountain slopes and that one could avoid them by traveling 3+ miles off shore. What I experienced was that these high winds did abate that far off shore, replaced by steep and choppy waves. The guide also said that Magganitis was a protected anchorage from winds in very direction, but this was VERY misleading as the only place were this protection existed was in an inner harbor even our tender would find small and crowded.



So, we anchored off this little town, and went in for evening dinner. The cafe/bar/restaurant at the very base of the town was crowded, so we had dinner there. Zehra ordered calamari and she said it was the best she had had this year.

The next morning, we are underway for Kirikos, this island's main town and capital. It is only a two hour run, but for 95% of the run, LeeZe was heeled 8-9 degrees to starboard by the 30-45 knots winds coming off the island hitting abeam. It was a little unnerving to run like this.



We arrived in Kirikos and anchor in the eastern part of their commercial port. The guide tells of a marina being built in town, but not yet finished.



So, we get into the tender and go ashore, to the Port Police. To make a long story short, we are allowed to stay where we are anchored for no more than 1 day as a large ferry in arriving the next night at ~ 1800. We are also allowed to tie up at the marina, even though it is not opened. So, back into the tender we go and we take it to check out the new marina. The entrance is narrow and requires a course change to get in, but the water is deep up to the rocks. We note a spot side too next to the yet unopened marina office and we get back to LeeZe and make quick haste to get to that spot before someone else takes it. Up anchor, and we move. LeeZe is quite sluggish but we get into the spot will relative ease. Come to learn there is no electricity but there is water, which I do use to wash the salt off of LeeZe.

Astern of me is a Japanese sailor of limited English. We learn that he has been the Med for 3 years, and right now, "motor" is broken. He is waiting for a mechanic to come.

The next day, 30 July, a diver and a mechanic show up and work about an hour under the boat, taking off a foldable prop. When they get it on shore, it is painfully obvious that this single handle sailor has hit something because two of the 3 blades were badly mangled. Later he comes and tells me that they want 1000 € to fix it, and it will take about a week. He looks so depressed, but has no choice.

On a lark, I ask the diver if he could inspect my prop. He goes down and 15 minutes later, comes up with about 20 meters of rope that he cut from my proper. Now I know why LeeZe was sluggish. I give him 20 € for his trouble.

This island is known for many of its people living past 100 years old. It is obvious why. There are steep stairs one has to use to get to and from home, market, beach etc. Roads are quite steep and windy. The island's roads are so windy that there is only 2 buses that crosses the island each day, one starting here and going west, and the one on the west coast coming to here. The one way trip takes 5-6 hours if there are no accident or road closures.

We plan to stay in Kirikos until the next weather window allows us to move east. On Monday, that looks like Friday, but come Thursday, it now looks like Saturday. Come Saturday, it now looks like Sunday, and on Sunday morning, one last check of the weather now shows that Monday is the day to go.

We are both ABSOLUTELY FED UP with this MELTEMI Wind!

There was a short weather window during the middle of the week to go west and nearly all the boats in the marina took advantage of that window. A Greek flagged power boat owned by an Austrian couple came in during the later part of the week. Thy were trying to get to Athens, and they also had had it with the wind.

Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, 6 August, the day we THOUGHT we would be moving on, things started to look up for our Japanese boater. The diver and mechanic came by, with boxes of parts, and within an hour, a new prop was installed and tested satisfactory. This was the first time I saw a smile come to the sailor's face. Later, he also says he is departing tomorrow for points south.

Meanwhile, I ask this diver if he would clean my mechanical speed wheel that measures boat speed. I ask if 10 € is enough and he nods. It takes him 2 minutes to clean the wheel and I give him the money. As he is getting out of his dive suit, I ask if he would like to rinse off at our shower on our aft deck. He jumps at the chance and the I offer him soap and hot water, he becomes quite grateful. While drying, I come to learn that he asks 100 € to clear line from props and 50 € to clean speed wheels. But, he also said no one has ever offered their shower so, he considers us even!

On 7 August, we are underway to Pythagorio where this time we moored along the wall. The Japanese sailor is already gone by the time we depart at 0900.

That is all for now folks!

If you have any questions, please ask.

Lee and Zehra

MV LeeZe

http://whereisleeze.blogspot.com

2017 Where is LeeZe? Katapola > Naxos > Paros

Dear all,

Our June 15th trip to Naxos,



was uneventful, about 17 nm long, and took about 3 hours. We anchored to the North of the ferry dock, and per the sailing guide, made sure the anchor was holding.



Per the GRIB forecast, we have strong winds building for the next few days so even though we dropped anchor in just 4 meters of water, I let out about 40 meters of chain and then some 10-12 more meters after attaching the snubber line.

Per radar, GPS, and the naked eye, my CPA to the South ferry dock was no less than 30 meters, and to the NW rock wall, no less than 80 meters. IF the wind, which is predicted to be from the North (or so) actually came in from the south, I would spin into the swim area to the east, but the size of the waves would probably make it hazardous to use. I also MIGHT go aground as the water was posted on the charts as being 1-2 meters in depth, but the PROBABILITY of the wind shift was quite low given the forecast and my experience.

Th first night at anchor we stayed on board, just in case I screwed something up.

The next day, we lowered the tender into the water and headed ashore in the evening. We walked around, found the Municipality Port building, and observed what looked like a marina south and east of the ferry dock. As it was late, we left the arrangements needed to come to the "city wall" until the next day.

Back on board, I noted a catamaran anchored ahead of me, toward the swim area, and as best as I could tell, he was anchored over my anchor. I thought that was foolish but hell. I am usually the most cautious boater around for stuff like this.

The weather the next day did NOT disappoint in so far as being faithful to the forecast, but we were riding very well, so in the afternoon, we went ashore again. We found the Municipality Port building closed and so on a lark, we thought to check out the "marina," making bets as to how much per day "they" wanted.

Much to our surprise it was the Municipality Port Marina, and the fee for LeeZe was €21/day, water and electricity included. Talking to the Harbor master we come to learn that if we can tell him the day before, he said just "come on in!" between 10-11 the next morning.

Seemed simple, and when things seem simple, Murphy is lurking just to make it not so.

So, on 21 June, in the afternoon, we talk to the Harbormaster and tell him that we would like to come in, and that we are the blue and white trawler at anchor. He gets so excited that I think he peed in his pants. He saw the boat, wondered about it, and now is excited to see it in person. Zehra and I both think that he will give us a good spot.

But before 21 Jun comes, 18 and 19 June have to come and go, and on 18 June, another catamaran had moored in front of us the previous night. (It was not there when I did my anchor check at 0030, and it was there at 0830.) He stays 18th and on the 19th, wants to depart. The wind is blowing probably over 20 knots and from the North, and I am to the south of him.

Most if not all production sailing catamarans in the 40-50' range appear to me to be underpowered because the size of the room for the engine is small. I have talked with many cat owners and nearly all have between 55-70 hp engines, spinning small props that usually collapse when not in use. In addition, to minimize overall weight, they usually have a small, toyish-like anchor with thin chain, and not much of thin chain either.

So on 19 Jun, this guy is getting underway and he is struggling against the wind to motor forward to retrieve his anchor. I have no clue he is leaving as we are eating breakfast on the aft deck. But after hearing some yelling and screaming, I investigate and determine he is yelling at me, waving his arms and flapping his jaw, and with the wind noise, I am clueless of what he wants.

So I go and get my handheld radio, and waive it at him, which as far as I could tell, only made him more anxious, more irritable and more demonstrative. I still could not make out what he needed so eventually, he went below and call me on channel 16 yelling at me to put out more chain as he is caught on my chain. I ask him to shift to another channel but he yells at me again and then comes topside.

Now, I am topside, at my anchor, and my bare foot is resting lightly on the snubber of the chain. If he his trying to raise his anchor, I would feel something, but I do not.

I am not the one to try to have a conversation against the wind, so I waive to my radio and act as if I am taking into it. To say the least, I can see his frustration grow.

He goes below, and then comes back topside. I hear a female voice on the radio "hello, my husband needs you to loosen you anchor chain." I answer her, asking of she could switch to channel 72, and she says "I do not know how to do that."

So, I tell her that I do not believe that your anchor is tangled with my anchor. She insists her husband believes it. So I ask her to have him raise as high as possible and see what is fouling his anchor.

She says "please hold on" comes topside and says something to her husband. He did NOT seem to take it well and goes below to yell at me again to drop more chain.

I try to tell him that I have a lot of chain out, and a long snubber, and if he is caught between my boat and the snubber, he should be able to pick up my chain. He says he cannot pick up his anchor at all.

I suggest to him that he just be caught on a rock or something else. I also suggest he get into the water and check. I also said that if after all that he needs my assistance, I will be monitoring channel 72.

I then go into the pilot house and behind the sunshades, observe. He comes up not happy, tries to retrieve his anchor, motors around trying to get it free, and probably does this a few more times as I go about my business.

About an hour later, I see that he is no longer in front of me, so I assume he was able to get the anchor free and motor away.

So, 19 June is my birthday, and we had planned to go ashore to celebrate, but the weather made it not conducive, so we stayed aboard.

21 Jun is a nice day so I done mask and fins and follow my chain to the anchor. I see that the anchor is dug in quite deep but that the trip line is intact. As I am swimming back, a glint catches my eye and turns out it is a spade anchor, trapped under a concrete block, with a short amount of chain and the rode cut.

It was not hard to retrieve this 10-12 kg spade anchor, and my guess is that the catamaran cut his rode and left. The spade anchor itself looked like a cheaply made Far East design and so I gave it to the Harbormaster to do with it whatever his wished.

So, now it is 22 June, underway at 0940 and come into the marina at 1005, dead slow speed. What our experience is we see a guy waving to us, yelling at us, flapping is arms or some other type of movement trying to get our attention. Using binoculars, Zehra sees no one. Since this is a very tight place, I slowly turn around and leave, anchor just outside, and call the harbormaster on the cell phone. He asked me why I did not come in? I said I did not see him and have no clue where I am to go! He says "come fully in and I have a place for you."

So, up anchor, leave it at the water's edge, and slowly come in, realizing I am going to the turning basin where the room for error is measured in meters. Meanwhile, he is telling Zehra on the phone for me to keep coming and after entering this basin, we see him.

Zehra hangs up and I am in disbelief. The place he wants me at is, well IMHO, just not doable. I do NOT believe I have the skill set to get LeeZe med-moored into such a spot without hitting another boat. Zehra is of the same opinion, but the harbor master is ABSOLUTELY insistent that I can make it.

Thank God there is no wind, so I collect my wits and tell Zehra that I have to drop my anchor opposite the spot, right on top of that ferry boat over there. Zehra bless her soul starts to freak out but I promise her I will not hit it. (I have no clue if I can keep this promise!) As we slowllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyy approach this ferry boat a guy appears on it and motions me to get closer, Zehra says to drop anchor but this guy says come closer.

He tells me to drop anchor when his hands are on my bow pulpit, preventing me from hitting him.

I drop and slowly go astern, letting out chain as I slowing make my way back into a spot I am convinced that I will not get into without hitting something.

However, as I start going back, about 50 meters away from the dock, LeeZe responds like the queen that she is, and slowly slides to port as we approach, and then Zehra has a line over.

We are in, with 70 meters of chain out, and we got in without hitting anything! We look at each other in sheer disbelief, and then we crack smiles.



We stay in this marina until 29 June, when we depart for Paros. The departure was just a stressful because my bow was right atop the ferry boat to get my anchor up, and then I had to back just enough not to strike any of the other boats around me while turning in such a tight circle praying for no wind gust or personal fuck up. But we do get out of there in one piece.



Th trip is mostly uneventful as the waves were small and the wind was building. Little did we know that this was a very ominous sign.



We did not get out of Paros until 25 July. From the image above, the ferries come in to the west of the wall. LeeZe was moored to the outer part of the wall with 105 meters of chain out as that is where visiting yachts are normally put. Electricity and water are available via prepaid tokens. The shore power pods are on the inner side of the wall so your utility lines need protection because cars, scooters, fuel trucks, and grocery carts all run over them.

When the ferries come in, they create a swell that EASILY rolls LeeZe 9+ degrees, at times. If the ferry is a heavy single hull ship, and if the wind is blowing harder than normal, the ferry comes in at a higher than "normal" speed and this creates an even larger swell. On July 4, there were very high winds at the wall which lasted for 4+ days. This was repeated on July 18 for 3 days. LeeZe's motion during these high wind days was terrible to endure and quite violent at times. During the first wind storm, I did not leave LeeZe at all. I had taken in all lines less one and slacken that line somewhat so I was 5-6 meters off the wall, There were times when conditions were such that Zehra could get off safely, and she took full advantage of these times. As the wind died down, I put more and more lines on until at the end, I was tied like I was at the beginning.

This port has lots of charter boats come in on Fridays and Saturdays, and the Port Captain, Yanis, could not care less about your ship safety if it means that the charter boat cannot come in. This is a first for me and no amount of discussion with him or his boss could change their minds. This was evident when a charter cat came along side to starboard and I had extra lines out at the stern in an attempt to limit the amount of movement. The female Captain immediately started complaining that one of my lines were damaging the rub rail on her boat and eventually, we had to change data because she was going to submit an insurance claim. She took no action to protect her boat from my line. (Normally, and in all other cases, the boat arriving takes action to minimize the contact of lines from the boat already there.) In fact, her arrival day had weather that was 15-25 knots blowing and after mooring, the problem got worse throughout the afternoon and evening. Per her mate, their anchor was not holding well, causing the cat to get closer to the wall than what I use to seeing. The next morning, with winds even higher that the day before, she gets underway to reset her anchor (took her 45 minutes to do because the cat is under powered and the winds were above 20+ knots) and it turned out, the anchor did not set again. But by this time, she was within hours of departing with her new charter guests and took no additional action.

Knowing that we did not get along, somehow, the following week, she managed to find herself mooring next to me again. This time, as I was taking in some bow lines, she ordered my line cut in the presence of the Port Captain because she had no patience to wait for me to clear the line. That was the last straw. Taking pictures, and making a deck log entry, I went to the Port Police to file an official complaint. As usual, they did not seem to care, until I started to ask them for their names, and the spelling of their names. They wanted to know why I wanted this info, and I said when I make my formal written complaint to your government via the American Embassy in Athens, I will need to name the people I spoke with.

NOW that got their attention! Within 15 minutes, we had reached a financial settlement that will allow me to replace that line once I am back in Turkey.

Anyway, this Meltemi wind this season is worse than normal, both in speed and duration, than in past years.

But there does come a break and on 25 July, we are off to Ornos Bay on the southern side of Mykonos Island and anchor.

That is all for now folks!

If you have any questions, please ask.

Lee and Zehra

MV LeeZe

http://whereisleeze.blogspot.com

2017 Where is LeeZe? Kos > Katapola

Dear all,

We spent some time in Kos, move around to three different mooring spots, washed LeeZe just before our third berth shift and loaded water (as it was free, just for the cost a new 50 meter water hose).

There had been a rain storm, and it came from the south. That means work, and lots of it. For rain from the south means that air mass has been over the Sahara and contains much sand, which comes down with the rain, sticks and does not wash away. So, I wait until I am almost ready to depart to wash LeeZe with soap and water, bow to stern, boat deck to aft deck. One can see the sand rinse away. I have to use my onboard water pump because while shore water is free, the pressure is not enough to even wash one's face. 

This also means that I have to load water, and with such a low pressure, and going thru filters before the tank to make sure the water is debris-free and chemically as soft as possible, the load takes over 22 hours. But I plan for this and this load does not inconvenience me at all.

So, we do the berth shift two days before our planed departure. We moor at the only spot at this marina where there is a 63 amp/308 VAC outlet and can people watch. I like to people watch from the aft deck, on the cushion, sipping a glass of wine. 

But, the engine idling rough and dies maybe 5 or 6 times during the mooring. Ugh. But we do get in safely without crashing the wall. That is good! 

As water here is €6.49 per ton, we only take electricity at €0.29/kw, and some €20 later, and after 2 equalizing battery charges, the battery is "back to normal."

As for the engine, I am perplexed. I drain each fuel filter of water (there is none), inspect the water-separators and find them clean, tighten the throttle linkage and while those efforts made a difference, now the engine "hunts" at idle, and remains steady and strong at power. 

Our plan is to go to Katapola. But as we tell people, we are retired and have no place to go in a hurry. So, I plan to stop at two anchorages along the way to make each leg about 6 hours long.

Our first stop is Vlychada.

There is a little town at the north end of the harbor but as we are only staying the night, we elect to keep the tender on the boat deck. (A new practice implemented the middle of the last cruising season continues with this one. If we plan to cross open water, no matter what the darn GRIB weather forecast predicts, we are securing the tender in its cradle on the boat deck. We no long want to worry about losing it when we run into foul seas.)

The next morning, we are off to Levitha, again to anchor one night. 

Our cruising guide states there is a mooring field in "E Cove" and it is right. There are about 24 mooring balls. None seem to be big enough for us to use so I anchor to the west of the field. By the time 1800 comes, there maybe be ONE ball not taken. After 1800, a person from the restaurant comes around to collect a fee for the use of the ball. The guide also says the the house over the ridge runs a small restaurant where the fish is fresh from that day, and the wine local. We inquire if they will run a "taxi" service" and was told no as they are short handed this night. So, we eat aboard, watch a movie, and plan to be underway at around 0800 the next morning.

Today is 7 June and this is the longest leg of this part of the adventure. Up anchor, and make the run to Katapola, arriving around 1400. Here we are mooring, but have NO info on who to call and who to speak to. This is somewhat maddening as one cannot arrange in advance to have help handling lines. 

We arrived in the harbor and look around. 

There are two distinct groups of boats moored to the wall with a huge gap in between. There is a person on the SW side waving his hands and so we have found our place. 

After studying how the gulets moor, we decide to try their way. Even after 6 years, we are trying new things and learning. We place our mooring ropes in such a way that they hang off the 3 meter passerelle. Zehra has a 10mm "Spectra" line in her hands that she can easily throw to moor us to the wall. The plan is to get that line over, settle in, and then with me on the aft deck with the anchor control, complete the mooring. That's the plan and well, on this adventure, plans tend to fall to shit two minutes into them.

So, I drop the anchor about 90 meters from the wall, came back relatively straight this time (LeeZe backs to port) pause at about 50 meters out to verify the anchor is holding, (which USUALLY causes the line handler at the wall to start to yell because he has no clue why I am stopping, which depending on his antics, causes Zehra to get agitated as she knows what is happening and is unable to calm him down which………), verify that we are holding, and resume my backward approach. 

When we are close, Zehra tosses her line, the guy on the wall takes it to the bollard, and we are in. Zehra stops all work and tells the guy to wait. Typically, LeeZe will lurch forward after one throws the line as she tries to find the equilibrium point between 90 meters of chain out and a line ashore. If the line ashore holds, and it has yet to not to, engines are now in neutral and will stay that way. Using the anchor control, I let out chain and slowly bring LeeZe back by hand. I then direct how I want our mooring lines placed and doubled up, and 15 minutes later, we are done. Zehra remarks that this was the easiest mooring in such a long time that she could remember. 

So, the plan did not fall to shit like it normally does, and came together, like it normally does not!

Akmed, the Egyptian running the wall, tells us that water and electricity is €15/day, mooring fees are extra, and check-in is right behind him. Zehra goes and completes check-in with the Port Authority, and I decide that we will use our battery and water tanks while here. I will load water and charge the battery bank one day before scheduled departure.

That evening, a guy comes by from the municipality office and seeing how we are staying longer than two days, asks us to pay for two days, then call him before we leave. Two days is about € 17.50. 

Katapola is a small town. The big and bigger ferries come into town and moor to a pier to the west of the town, and in some cases, cause a surge around the bay that is pretty strong.

That gap I mentioned? Well, sometime between 1800 and 2000, a not-so-small ferry comes in, drops some 300 + meters of chain across everyone's anchor who is moored to the SW, and sterns too a loading ramp that I had failed to see until it used it.

There is a plus and minus to his arrival. 

The plus is that no one will moor to the SW wall while the ferry is in as the ferry is guaranteed to lift our puny-to-it chain upon departure the next morning at 0600.

The minus? No one on the SW wall can leave until the ferry does.

Now that is out of the way, we clean up and for the next few days, plan to see the island. 

Here is a city map (with a legend to the left that is not in the frame),

And a local bus schedule.

By happenstance, we are moored next to a sail boat whose home port is also Florida, SV Believe. I knew the boat was a "real American" because they were flying a decent size flag. If the boat is from Delaware, the flag is BARELY the size of a napkin.

They are leaving the next day so do not have much time to chat. They had been sailing away from the US for 14+ years, having been North of the Arctic Circle, been to Russia, and nearly all the places to go on the North Atlantic seaboard. SV Believe stays on the hard for 6 months and they use it 6 months. Wish we had more time to talk.

 In Katapola, we use the bus system to get around, and spend some time in the mountain village called Chora. This island makes and sells it own cheeses, and some of them are quite good. Zehra buys what she likes and we will eat it all up! We met two Aussie ladies at Chora and come to learn that they are departing on the next morning's ferry. Since they are staying at a place near to us, we invite them to seek the us out after dinner. 

I choose to walk from Chora back to LeeZe, and the path, while well marked and easy to follow, it is only 7 km long but boring as the predominate color is earth brown. Other hikers told us it was quite a beautiful but I guess I missed taking THAT path. 

The Aussies did come by after dinner and we shared a bottle of wine, talked and talked for 3+ hours. Nice people!

Anyway, 8 days after arrival, after paying our mooring bill, completing two more equalizers, and arguing with Akmet about how much water I actually did use, and having to get the Port Authority to resolve it (in my favor), we depart for a day run to Naxos.

That is all for now folks!

If you have any questions, please ask.

Lee and Zehra

MV LeeZe

http://whereisleeze.blogspot.com

2017 Where is LeeZe? Turgutreis> Bodrum> Kos

Dear all,

It has taken a while to get this going as I have been quite busy.

Over the winter, we stayed in Turgutreis, near to Bodrum. It is a large, very impersonal marina that I could not recommend to anyone. Out of all the marinas that we have stayed in on both sides of the Aegean, this one will stick in our minds as one of the worst, if not the worst. 

Over the winter, the required maintenance was accomplished in a timely, but not rushed scheduled. I changed out our mooring lines yet again for 12 strand ropes, and they seem to be doing MUCH better than the braid I used the last two years. It is really difficult to "give away" used rope, because one always thinks that one can find a use for it after its expiration date for the given function has passed. But I did bite the bullet and gave away my FIRST set of ropes to the Bodrum City marina staff who were quite appreciative, but not so much as to offer us a place to stay in downtown Bodrum for a week. 

So, on May 1, we departed our marina for a quick run to Akarlar, an anchorage just around the corner between Turgutreis and Bodrum. We anchored there for one night and then made our way to the outer harbor of Bodrum. Zehra wanted to anchor in front of the famed nightclub Halikarnas, which we came to learn later has closed after 38 years. 

While on the transit over, the engine died about 2 hours into the run. I get it started using the emergency fuel pump and anchored. I found the two vent valves on the water separators open and these are quite small, so it took a while for them to lose their vacuum. 

We were there a long time, and there was one day/night/day when I had Zehra stay ashore at a hotel because the winds and waves were predicted to be high and large. LeeZe was at anchor in about 8 meters of water with about 70 meters of chain out, snubbed with a 22mm 12 strand snubber line and backed up with two addition snubber lines. Wind gusts got about 60 knots and easily there was 1.5 to two meter waves in the outer harbor.

The harbor is a semicircle, more or less, so the wind was not blowing from the same direction all the time, but changed direction due to the topography. The waves more of less came from the same direction for hours on end, within +- 40 degrees, but the gusts would change direction quite quickly, and LeeZe rolled 10-12 degrees while she worked her way around. I told Zehra later that LeeZe was doing some very funky dance moves!

I was surprised that only one boat lost its mooring and ran aground hard in the corner by the castle. I saw it being moved later to somewhere with a floating collar around it with the boat half submerged. 

LeeZe's anchor seemed to dragged about 60-80 meters from where it was initially, and had I gone in the water, I would have seen evidence of the "field being plowed."

Th night after the wind, we were meeting Brit friends from my first Ankara period for dinner at Sunger, a great pizza place in downtown Bodrum. At first, I was not sure that the winds would die down as the forecast predicted, but they did, and I got ashore to meet with Zehra and the friends, and to have dinner. To be honest, I was relieved to be on dry land. I was STUPID and CHEAP and should have come into the marina for the night, pay their outrageous daily fee and not have to live thru that storm. Next time.

So, on 14 May, we depart the anchorage for Kos. We had to delay our departed a few days because PROBABLY as a result of the 9 May storm, I did SOMETHING to my left shoulder that caused it to hurt like the dickens for 3-4 days. No amount of Ben-Gay helped, but I was good to go on the 14th.

Now the trip over was no a long one, and the seas were calm, the wind low, and we get into Kos and tie up at the "city wall" or so we thought. Nope, where we tied up was at an extension of the main private Kos marina, and we learned that the daily fee was ~ 4 times more than the city wall fee, + electricity and (very expensive) water.

It took us a few days to arrange to go to the real city wall, where there was no electricity, and water was available for free, if one had a 50 meter hose, which I did not have at the time of arrival, but do now!

On 16 May, a surprise pair of visitors show up at our stern, our British friends from Bodrum. They had no clue we were in Kos and came over for a day trip. It was so nice to have them visit, quite and un-expectent surprise.

Meanwhile, Zehra is trying to figure out what hoops her brother and his wife have to jump thru to spend a few days or so with us on LeeZe. We visit agents, passport and customs officials, and in the end, the visa they need is a Schengen visa, a visa that would allow the to visit any of 28 European countries. This application for the visa is $$$ and you do not get your money back if the request is denied. So, in the end, they decided not to come, and we were a little disappointed.

On 17 May, we move to the other side of the harbor and stay there until 3 June, enjoying all that Kos has to offer. The spot was a little rolly, especially when big ferries came to the custom dock just across the way. But, the price was right and we enjoyed it.

But the time comes that we want to leave. So, we pick 5 June to continue our travels, so 3 June, we decide to move back to the marina because the batteries need a really deep charge that the solar panels and the generator just cannot give. This day was falloff calamities. First while preparing to depart, I lost my balance and fell into the water. My GOOD glasses fell to the bottom and it took some time to find them. Since I had dropped a garden hose brass cut-off valve into the water the day before, I retrieved that also.

Then underway, but while docking stern too, the engine died. Restarted and this happened maybe five or six more times. Ummmmmmm. But we do land safely, plug in shore power, and give the batteries the charge they need. Meanwhile, I found a fuel valve out of position, and thinking that was cause, checked each valve and confirmed that they were correctly placed. But it was Sunday and I was tired so I failed to do an post-maintenance check. You are probably NOT surprised that was not the cause of the engine shutdowns, but I leave that to the next installment.

If you have any questions, please ask.

Lee and Zehra

MV LeeZe

http://whereisleeze.blogspot.com

2016 Where is LeeZe? Leros > Kalimnos (Kalymnos) > Bodrum-Turgutreis

2016 Where is LeeZe? Leros > Kalimnos (Kalymnos) > Bodrum-Turgutreis

Dear all, 

We arrived in Leros on 24 August and we settle in. Our last blog entries covered the arrival so I will elect to start with my shower.

Yup, for 29€/day, Lakki has showers and shore side toilets. A shower! My last shower where water flow was not an issue was EXACTLY 2 months ago, in Izmir.  (We both have talked about getting a hotel room every so often while underway just a change of pace, but somehow, we never come to do it.)

So, about 1900, we walk off to find the showers. We do, and while I cannot speak for Zehra, mine was heavenly! We definitely enjoyed these showers.  Since I am a little pooped from the day's event, Zehra finds a close-by restaurant for us to have dinner. 

This restaurant is by the ferry dock, and at 2045, it is quite empty. But the food is good, the wine goes down easy, we make a few calls using their WIFI node, and leave at about the time their tables are becoming full.

The next day we decide to wash LeeZe. We should have washed it just before departing Samos when the water was free, but it would still be filthy from the sand and the grit carried by the wind. Water is a little cheaper here than Patmos, but it comes with a warning not to drink. I ask around and the water is artesian and therefore very hard. People either buy softened water from the municipality or drink bottle water. On LeeZe, we use a chemical called silifoz that when you pass hard water over it, out comes softer water so this warning is not a concern. (For those that want numbers, it takes the TDS from above 50 to below 8. (We also use an HOH resin filter to remove even more ions just before it comes out the separate drinking water tap at the galley's sink.))

But before we wash we take a walk into town. Somehow, we both thought there was more to Leros, but there is not. Town is about 6 streets wide by 5 streets long, with three butchers (one selling home- made sausage, one selling dry-aged beef, and the last one really nondescript), two veggie stands, a couple of restaurants and supermarkets, some shore side cafes, and a few other shops. 

I broke a charging connector for my VHF portable radio, and a tech at a cell-phone store charged me 5€ to repair it, which did not hold up at all. Luckily, I found a satellite dish installer and for 3€, soldered on a new tip that should work for a long time. (My soldering skills kind of suck!)

Then, with a brush, water, and some soap, we start with the solar panels, and watch the dirt just flow away! The foredeck in and around the anchor chain area was horribly dirty so that took some time to get clean. Zehra was concerned about the amount of water that we were using, but LeeZe was filthy. After washing the windows and portholes, the last place to wash was the aft deck. This is our "front door" so I try to keep it neat, clean, and presentable but it was anything but. Soap, brush, and some elbow grease got it sparkling! 

By now the day is waning, and having used only ½ ton of water, off to the showers I go for another turn under free flowing water! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

We go back into town later that night before dinner, and it is just not as lively as Samos or Patmos! (Definitely dead if we compare it to Chios!)

This marina is crowded, with boats coming and going at all hours of the day and early evening. 

28 August: Yesterday afternoon, our Aussie neighbor from Patmos stopped by for a visit. He is in Leros Marina, on the hard, working on the boat before flying home later in the week. (I had just come from a long walk to a plumbing shop looking for an exact match to the under-sink water hose that broke, but alas, none were available.) He was over on this side of the bay because the marina told him he had to buy a customs bond for the boat, which unbelievably, Customs was closed. Whoever told him this was badly mistaken. 

First, the marina he is at is authorized to store a foreign flag vessel on the hard (land) by the Greek Government. This means that they have already gone thru the hoops necessary to satisfy what rules Customs has in place for the marina to take possession of the foreign flagged vessel while the owner(s) are out of the country. (Same as in Turkey! Marinas that comply with the government's Tourist Ministry rules for storing foreign flag vessels on the hard do not require individual Customs Bonds.) 

Second, specifically for him, he bought the boat in Portugal, and the boat's Value Added Tax (VAT) is paid. It was paid when the boat was bought brand new by the first owner. He has the paperwork to show it. The fact that it is foreign flagged makes no difference because the Customs Bond one gets is needed BECAUSE the EU VAT (or the Turkish VAT if in Turkey) has NOT been paid. 

He knows this (he is a former lawyer and understands the rules) but since there are so few boats in the EU that are foreign flagged and have their VAT paid that people ashore who do not understand the purpose for the bond default to the "If foreign flagged, need a Customs Bond" answer. Since the Customs House was closed, he never had a chance to resolve the issue. We are both guessing that when he does get to Customs, they are going to tell him that the bond is not necessary as he is leaving his boat at an authorized marina AND that the VAT on the boat has been paid ^{Note 1} .

So, boys and girls, sometimes (OK, if Zehra was writing this, she would says "almost always") the people behind the desk that we have to deal with are programmed to provide just one answer, and are not able to deal with questions that fall outside the programmed response. 

We have decided to leave tomorrow, so tonight, with our Aussie friends, we are heading off to dinner at some little restaurant they know and love. We have our last "water-be damned" shower, I shaved we relax, complete loading water, allow the battery to finish its equalizer battery charge, and at 1945, we meet them at the restaurant. We each order a item so we can share, and next thing you know, after much wine, ouzo, and talk, it is midnight. We say our goodbyes, promise we will look each other up if we are ever close, and walk back to LeeZe.

29 August. Yesterday, this big tall behemoth of a yacht ties up next to us starboard side. He is so big that the marina tells him he has to use his anchors as the bow mooring lines are not strong enough. He is so wide that he pushes me into my neighbor.

At 0550, he starts his big-ass engines and that makes me jump right out of bed! Zehra, bless her soul, sleeps through the entire racket! So I get up,, the Captain says hello and apologizes, and at 0600, departs with more noise (engines and two chains of anchors being recovered!).  I go back to bed and Zehra is still sound asleep. I have no clue how she does that!

I get up later, complete some chores, make us our coffees, walk into town to check-out with the Port Police and Zehra goes her way to buy eggs, bread and whatever good looking veggies are still around since the last island delivery Thursday night. I go off to the hardware store to buy a few things, come back and pay the marina 145€ for 5 nights (OUCH!), 4€ for water (Their meter broke so they charge me the minimum) and return the bathroom access card. Zehra makes it back and we depart for a short trip to Xirokampos, an anchorage at the bottom of Leros Island. 

2016-08-29 Leros to Xirokampos, 2016-08-29 Xirokampos]

We get there at about 1230, anchor, and after a little clean-up, I take a snooze! Later, before dinner, the winds are less than 10 knots so we lift the tender off the boat deck and into the water. We stay aboard tonight but may go ashore tomorrow.

30 August: We go ashore, actually, to a beach club, and hang out. I checked the weather yesterday and it looked fine for the next few days. But around 3PM, I hear a boater describing an engine problem he has and he wants it fixed today because tomorrow, he wants to be in Kalimnos ahead of the bad weather. What bad weather? What did I miss??

We get back to LeeZe and I download the latest GRIB weather data. Yup, the boater was right. There is freight train of a storm coming down the center of the Aegean starting late Wednesday and winds peaking at around 35+ knots with 2+ meters seas predicted for Friday and Saturday.

So, we change our minds and decide to depart tomorrow.

31 August: Up at 0600 and underway by 0645. The plan is to go to Vathi, just NE of Pothia, the main town on the island of Kalimnos. (By the way, it is sometimes spelled Kalymnos.) It is a short 2.5 hour run and it is very, very rolly. The wind is behind us, at times 25 knots, and the seas are confused by the island and when not confused, are some 40-50 degrees off the wind. LeeZe doesn't really mind the the following sea but we do as we roll about. The rolls are bad enough that stuff that is not fastened down with either screws or "museum glue" end up on the deck one way or another, EXCEPT for items that are resting on some heavy and thick anti-slip mats. (The expresso machine is on one of these matts and it did not move an inch. The DVD player and satellite box are held in place with museum glue.)

Zehra finds a spot to sit in the salon and rides out the swells. For nearly ½ of the trip, I manually steer to find a good course and of course, while changing course, we experience some larger than normal rolls. In addition, thinking that the ride was not going to be this bad, I elected to tow the tender, so it is dancing to a far different tune than LeeZe.

We turn the corner not far from Vathi and the seas calm considerably. The tender is still on its tow line so that is good. We motor into Vathi and note that is quite calm, and quite a short and narrow bay. My guess is that the bay is as wide as 50 meters, which means that I need to drop the anchor on one side of the bay and moor stern to on the other side.

I have never been very successful with just 50 meters of chain out, but Zehra makes the call. On to Pothia! Up anchor, turn around, and depart. Me thinks I saw about 5 peoples' faces breath a sign of relief as I left.

From Vathi to Pothia the sea is not rough at all and an hour later, we are in the inner harbor. There is a  guy with a yellow vest that indicates where he wants me to come into, and I drop anchor to prepare. He has no radio, and I really hate yelling (when others do it, it makes them seem quite immature) so I indicate with hands that it will be a few minutes. 

It was rough enough outside even on the last leg that I elected to stay off the boat deck, which is where the fenders are lowered from. The two ball fenders for the bow could have been lowered earlier but I chose to wait. So we do that, move the tender up the starboard side, and make the lines and passerelle ready.

I am about 120 meters from the wall. I elect to keep the anchor down but let out 40 meters of chain. The Eagle Ray guide states the bottom may or may not have good holding, so I really want to test that at 40 meters with a backing bell.  I test and yup! The anchor is holding. I can imagine what the yellow jacketed guy is thinking, all of it probably not good and maybe even hysterical. 

We do then get in, and Zehra gets a line over. The wind was gusting to 25 knots but with a few back and fills, LeeZe is in and safely alongside a sailboat. It is about 1130, and this whole 19 nm escapade took some 4½ hours.

The yellow jacketed guy is a pier master and line handler, and after getting one line over, he wants the main lines also before telling me his fee is 15€. I pay it, grumbling a little bit, but then realize that if boats listen to him, anchors are not fouled when departing. 

(Story: A French flagged Amel sailing vessel came in some ways down from me so very late on the same day we came in that the pier master was not around. The next morning his neighbor was leaving and his anchor was fouled. The pier master made the Amel depart the dock to clear their anchor chain, and then had them reposition to another spot on the wall. I hear from their neighbors that they were charged 30€.)

Knowing what is coming, I put out the winter springs and then double lines. More boats are coming in and the wall is getting full. The big boys moor further to the south closer to the city center where the charter gulets also moor. So this is not like Patmos where the big boys mingle among us small fries. One smallish cat wanted to moor there and was denied permission. 

We clean up and go out for dinner. We are here far earlier than expected, but the town appears to be lively and interesting. Where we are there exist small family run restaurants, and one bar-cafe. One family restaurant's menu board stars with "This is what our family had for dinner tonight, and so will you" and they were charging 8€ for a tuna steak and veggies, drink not included. 

2016-09-02: By this afternoon, we have explored some parts of the city. We found a decent grocery story quite near to us. There are numerous fresh fish stands and butchers around. The city is alive with people late into the night, and on Wednesdays, one local restaurant has greek music that was still playing at 2AM when I finally went to bed. Ferry boats come and go and while they produce a swell upon entry, the springs make the jostle acceptable to me, but not for my neighbors. The wind is forecasted to drop on Sunday and stay down for a week.

We were scheduled for guests but it appears that plans have changed and now, we may not get any. For the record, we were thinking that we would be inundated with guests over the years, and we have not been. We know people have their schedules, but are a little disappointed when they could not make time for us. This is ESPECIALLY true for this that are not distance-wise challenged. 

Anyway, this is probably our last Greek port, so it is time to fire up the deep freeze and stash it with fish, pork and beef for the upcoming winter to enjoy!

2016-09-08: Last Wednesday and last night, a restaurant right by us offered live Greek music till the wee hours of the morning. The people in their boats at the wall were dancing, and so were those in the restaurant. The other restaurants were absolutely empty. Not a soul in them. 

Zehra hurt her right hand on Monday so Tuesday night, we went out and had Pizza @ Il Postino, along the waterfront. Now, every time we have walked by in the evening around dinner time, (which lasts from about 2000-2330 or so!) we maybe saw just one table empty of many outside on the sidewalk. So, we snagged a table and ordered a pizza. Since we each wanted different ones, he did the half and half routine. It was the BEST pizza we had had in such a long time that we cannot remember when we had pizza this good. (Maybe it was when we were visiting friends in Bethesda, MD in 2011 and they took us out on a Tuesday night to a local pizzeria that was just hopping!) 

Yesterday, we suggested to some newly arriver boaters that if they were looking for pizza, may want to check this place out. They apparently did as this morning, the lady of the boat told me they thought the pizza was great! 

For last night's dinner, I had bought some chicken legs with the thighs attached to grill. But just before sunset, a tall and wide catamaran is shoe-horned in on the side where my gas grill is. I thought nothing off it until as I was lighting the grill. The captain asked me not too as he was afraid I might burn his boat. So far, in the five years, I have not burned the rollup curtain just above the grill, so I told him I was not concerned. He did not like that answer and seeing that I was continuing, he insisted. I still did not think there was a problem and said so. 

But he called over the mooring official and complained. The official told him that there was no other room for him to go to at the wall, and that if he wanted he could go to the anchorage. The Captain wanted to know why he would not stop me and the official told him that it is a gas grill, we have observed him cook on many nights, and it has never been a problem. But the official did offer to help move them to the anchorage. 

He stayed, fuming. I cooked. I did not burn his boat, and he left in the morning. Zehra, who does not like confrontation, wanted to cook the chicken inside, but I did not want her to cook, given her right hand was no where near 50% usable, and I did not want to add heat to the salon. 

BTW, the chicken turned out great!

We are moored very near to Super Market Vidalis. This market is identified on Google Maps. It has a red sign with a giant "B" at the top of the sign. If you go down the street to the left on the market (as you look at it) no more than 50 meters, there is a marine store run by a very old man. His store is FASCINATING! I think that he has been adding inventory since the 1950's and has nearly anything one would need with respect to hardware, ropes, etc etc etc. He knows very little English so I was not able to ask if he had bronze bolts, but my guess is that he probably does, as he seems to have so much other stuff. I wish I had found him when I needed some chain. He deserves to stay in business.

2016-09-11: Today we both took a minute in silence for it was 15 years that the Twin Towers were brought down by terrorists. 

But last night was loud. While waiting for dinner, and with Zehra talking to her Mom, a series of 7 very LOUD explosions rocked the city, literally. The locals did not bat an eyelash. The visitors—many were absolutely confused. Just like we were some 13 days ago. The explosions? That is a tradition here when there is a wedding. Yup, dynamite is in the hands of civilians.  Real dynamite, if one believes the locals who clued us in the last time we heard them. The bigger the wedding, yup, the bigger the explosion. And, each of of the 7 were bigger and louder than the one previous. The last one was so big that it caused a mini-rock slide on the small mountain to the North of us. 

And, of course we crashed the religious part of the wedding! It was held in a church just above the port. The women, ladies, young ladies, little girls, and babies were all dressed to the nines! The men, well not so much. Must have been 200+ and per tradition, the bride and groom meet each of them at the foot of the altar after the ceremony. The church was so HOT that I commented to Zehra that the bride must be melting in there!

Then, after dinner, while sitting on the boat deck sipping wine and enjoying the view, the wedding party goes by in the horn honking cars letting everyone know, even the dead, that they had just been married. 

Bu 0030, the city is quiet. I am expecting another series of explosions when the party is over, but, thankfully, they never come.

In Turkey and Crete, at weddings, shots (with real bullets) are fired into the air to celebrate the marriage. Here, they use dynamite. Lots of it. (A fun fact you might want to throw out at your next dinner party!)

2016-09-16  It is Friday night and the sound of dynamite exploding fills the air. There is a church on a hilltop to the south of us that appears to be the source of the explosions.

It was dusk, but with just enough light to see that the explosions were occurring over the rocks below the church. We did visit the church, but saw nothing unusual. We think that there is some type of a device that launches the dynamite into the air from this church. We picture in our brain a spring loaded device that launches the dynamite after its fuse is lit. But we could be way off. There were 6 of them tonight, none as loud as last week. Therefore, we presume that this wedding was smaller.

2016-09-19 It is time to think about leaving. Our visas expire 23 Sept so we have 24-48 hours after checking out to actually leave. We investigated getting an extension but it appears that is quite €€€€. So, since our place in D-Marin, Turgutreis will not be ready until 1 Oct, we will probably anchor somewhere off the coast of Turkey and kill time. There was a possibility of some guests coming to Kalimnos but now I believe that is just going to happen given our expected departure date. 

I have been loading up on cuts of beef and pork to take with us. We had some meat in the deep freeze  (located in the lazarette) which we moved to the house refrigerator freezer just after departing Chios. We turned the deep freeze off and left the door open, so it could defrost and dry. It was just turned on a few days ago, and the cheese, pork and fish we bought was moved to it. The beef we keep in the house refrigerator. The best island for beef was Patmos. Hands down. There was a butcher there that dry-aged steaks, ribs and what-not for ½ the price that I can find here. The pork quality here varies from butcher to butcher but I did find one that slaughters pigs and cows on his farm during the weekend to sell during the week. He can do special orders and speaks pretty good english. The one cut I did ask his for was baby back ribs, but as this is not the time of the year for piglets, he could not provide.

2016-09-23 We formally requested to extend our visas for a month, just on the chance it might be granted. We did not have a clue about the process, and neither did the Port Police, the people who would actually grant the stay. So, they called their boss on the island of Kos who had to call HIS boss on the island of Rhodes. The fee to extend the visa was the same we would be charged if we overstayed our visa– that is 600 € a person + an unknown amount for each day beyond the 90 days. 

So, we checked out on day 90 @ 2000. BUT, we did not go anywhere. Well, ok, yes we did. We went to dinner! Then we went to listen to some music and then we went back to LeeZe for bed.

The next day was windy as heck and so, we did not depart. Per the agent, we have 24-48 hours to leave, maybe, not 100% sure, but probably. (For Turkey, the authorities gave you 7-14 days to leave, but they require you to stay REAL CLOSE to the boat.) We did not press him for a more definitive # because the Greeks seem to make it up as they go along. We did give a call to the Embassy in Athens on the off chance they knew, but they did not. They offered to find out and get back to me, but could not tell me when that might be. 

So,today, Sunday, 25 Sept, at about 0800, there was a very narrow 3-hour window where the wind and waves were predicted to cooperate, so we left. Raising 100+ meters of chain takes some time, but digging the anchor out of the hole it was in was a very painfully slow process. 

We depart Kalimnos and plan to pass south of Plati and Pserimos islands, because the NW wind would be blocked by the islands. 

The winds were, but in the channels between, we had sustained winds of 32 knots, and waves coming over the port side of LeeZe. But we chugged on, knowing that we had a far larger channel to cross– the one between Pserimos and the mainland of Turkey.

And, we were not disappointed. Due to the land formations and wind direction, in lieu of a course towards the east towards Bodrum, the best course for our comfort was practically due north. Waves are still high and the winds were up there also, but as we got closer to the mainland, the winds died down and the waves, well they turned more southerly, allowing us to turn to the east. 

As we approached Bodrum, there was a Turkish Coast Guard (TCG) frigate at anchor within meters of the Greece-Turkish territorial line. There had been a NavTex warning that "many" small craft were departing the Turkish Coast towards Greece, but that warning has not changed one word over the last three years. In fact, unlike last year, we saw no small craft filled with migrates. There was no chatter on VHF Ch 16, there were no TCG inflatables running around checking the comings and goings of the numerous boats around Bodrum, and there was no Greek military vessel watching the TCG vessel from their side of the line. 

The detours we took to make the ride less miserable took their toll on our arrival time and added about 65 minutes to the trip. But we made it, safe and sound, with hardly anything falling to ground, except for the portable VHF radio, which never seems to stay in its designated place. Huh!

We drop anchor and call into the city marina to see if there is space. Nope, nada!  We come to learn that they (at least they say) do not have enough space for the boats with contracts. That might explain why there are 25-40 boats anchored in the bay! And this is the end of September!!!!!

Since we have the hook down, we elect to stay put, just put more chain out and call it a day.

Dinner was the left-over pizza from that fabulous pizza joint on Kalimnos. 

As I was throwing away the pizza box, it dawned on me that the box was the perfect metaphor for what is wrong with Greece.

The box came from an Italian company just north of Naples. The only words written on beside Pizza were english words. No Greek words. Could not the pizza restaurant find a Greek company to make pizza boxes????? And put some Greek words on the box??? Nope! Maybe the box making companies in Greece threw in the towel when being asked to make pizza boxes. Had not a clue. But, given my conversations with the butcher, our agent, the very very nice cheese and cold cuts lady in the local supermarket, the pier manager, and the motor scooter rental guy, Greece has thrown in the towel on many many things.

Tonight after dinner, we are sitting on the aft deck when the castle outdoor lights come on. It is about 2100 so this means that somebody has put these lights on a timer for summer sunsets, and has chosen not to change it for the upcoming fall. And, right after that, I had my first mosque call in the last 90 days. (Oh yes, especially on Kalimnos, there were many churches and many of them ring their bells at all hours of the day and night. Somehow, those  did not seem to intrude into our daily comings and goings as a highly over driven electrically powered 4 speaker sound system of a man saying a prayer. Just thinking out loud!)

2016-10-01: We are underway today for Turgutreis, D-Marin, our winter home. This entry is somewhat late as there was a lot to do upon arrival, we had to retrieve our car in Izmir, Lee had to go to Ankara to complete some dental work that so far, has taken more than two years to resolve, and Zehra wanted to be in Ankara when her mother arrived from Istanbul.

Her is the final route we took:

So, we moor LeeZe in berth C-14,

close to the office and the bathroom/shower complex. After settling down, we go in to do the formalities. One of the things that gets us thru winter is satellite TV from a company called Digiturk. The marina informs us that we cannot use our antenna, but that they do have Digiturk and other digital satellite channels. We are thankful, but turns out, we were thankful wayyyyyyyyy toooooooooo early. (This place has 126 rules, mostly of the "I shall not" variety. I hate corporate marinas!. The marina last year in Izmir had 7. That was good!)

The marina person comes by and hooks us up, and tunes the receiver. Well, all we can get is SOME Turkish news channels, and soccer/football channels. We want foreign film and foreign TV channels. 

We go back to the office and tell them. They look quite surprised as they have NEVER received a request for these channels. They agree to talk with their technical services people and Digiturk. 

We depart for Izmir, do some shopping there, spend the night there, and drive to Ankara. Lee gets his dental work done, and Zehra gets to see Mom and the whole family. Zehra would love to spend more time there, and could have, but with the weather nice in Turgutreis, and coldish in Ankara, we return back to the marina. (The drive was the longest we have ever undertaken in country! If we ever do this again, we need to take rest break overnight in Denizli. This will also make the drive safer because for the last two hours of the drive, one is squarely facing a setting sun which makes driving……… somewhat interesting!)

Digiturk status? While we were gone, they did resolve some issues, but needed us on board to resolve the rest. (That turns out NOT to be 100% true but we have become use to their blaming others for failing to make progress.)

So, they request their technicians, which takes a few days because the people that installed the TV distribution system are not the same as the Digiturk provider.

So, the stars are all lined up, and over a period of three long and frustrating days, they finally THINK they have "our" channels at the head of our pier.  Turns out they do, but when they check to see if the channels are at the connector next to LeeZe, nope, not there. (Turns out their cable under the pontoon is not in great shape, so instead of replacing it, they take a day to get an amplifier to boost the signal.)

The last step is to take the signal from the box and route it to our receiver. We verify the cable is good, but we are frustrated in that the channels we want do not show up. 

Eventually, they connect the box directly to the receiver (not using LeeZe's wiring) and for 5 minutes, we have all the channels we want.

Then poof! All gone. Why? In the process of resolving our issues, they broke the other digital satellite channels.

The fix? Some new type of electronics box that has to come from Istanbul which none of the techs have ever seen or used.

Zehra and me both are starting to feel that Hell will freeze over long before this problem is resolved. 

We wait a few days and yesterday, 19 Oct, at about 1700, after watching them mess with this new box at the head of the pier for two days, we have Digiturk, and every else has what they are suppose to have.

But as of that moment, there is a white cable running thru our back door because the built in wire in LeeZe does not allow enough of the signal to pass thru.

So, yesterday, I decide to look at it before calling in the big guns to route new cable from the aft deck thru a steel wall behind panelling to the TV.

Gaining access requires cutting into wood the covers the back of the connections. The yard never thought that I would need access, so they did not put a door. UGH!

Anyway, gained access and the wires are a mess. For some reason, they took cable TV cable, hooked it up to 12 gauge electrical wire, and then connected THAT to the really good cable I had provided to them that ran behind and thru everything. (I am surprised this Rube Goldberg mess worked at all!)

And of course, the electrical connections were corroded and ………

So, I removed all the corroded stuff, got a piece of my good cable, made up new connections, and tested.

Success! We can now remove the cable from the door and route it appropriately.

(If you think this took just some 5 minutes, it took over 4 hours! It was not obvious to me how to resolve the mess I had in front of me, nor did I remember where I kept the various parts I needed.  Getting access to the spare good cable took time as I had stored it in an accessible place, but not one where access was quick or easy.) 

Once I had all the parts, I tested each connection I made, then shrink tube the connection, did that again and again, until I was at the connector on the locker where the external cable is connected. Since access to most of this wiring is not needed, I doubled or even tripled some the heat shrink wrap tubing just to hold off as long as possible the corrosion creep that eventually catches up with you. I know eventually the wire will have to be replaced, but if I can push that to the future, then I will.)

So, it was last night that we watched Digiturk TV, our channels, with the back door closed. It was nice!

Of course there is a lot of work to do, painting to paint, wood to varnish, etc etc. Do a chore a day when weather is good and EVENTUALLY, the list is done. 

But this does conclude this year's cruising season. What awaits us next year is not at all pinned down yet. 

If you have any questions, please ask. 

Lee and Zehra

MV LeeZe

https://whereisleeze.blogspot.com

Note 1: This note more fully explains the customs bond rules for foreign flagged vessels in Turkey. LeeZe was built in Turkey but exported, so no VAT was paid. Therefore, if Zehra and me both leave Turkey, AND the boat is not at an Ministry of Tourism's authorized marina, then we would either have to get a Customs Bond or designate a person to watch over the boat while we are out of the country and technically, add that person's name to the Transit Log (which authorizes LeeZe to sail in Turkish water) as a crew member. 

Again, in theory, when you put an item under a Customs Bond, you are required to hand it over to Customs to store. That is quite difficult with a 44 ton vessel but in some parts of Turkey, after you put the boat under bond, Customs will come and place seals over all access points stating that the boat is officially in the custody of Customs. We have heard that if in Istanbul, Customs will have you sail the boat to one of their docks but I believe that is not happening these days, if it ever happened at all.

Now once you put the boat under bond, you are no longer allowed access to the boat as it is "sealed." When you come back, one has to get a release of the bond before one can unseal and go aboard.

The main reason one would want a bond is if you are leaving the boat in Turkey for a year or more and not at an authorized marina. Once the boat is under bond, the transit log's annual expiration is suspended, and is restarted once the boat is no longer under bond. I am not sure how long one can keep a boat under bond, but there were a few boats in Marmaris on the hard for years, as  their owners have other boats and are sailing in other parts of the world. 

If one is making a short trip outside of Turkey, then most of us just ask a friend or relative to watch over the boat while one is out of the country. Most of us do not add that person to the Transit log, but make the appointment in writing, sealed with the ship's seal. 

If the VAT was paid on LeeZe, LeeZe would be flying a Turkish flag, would not need a transit log, and I could store LeeZe on the hard anywhere I wanted. Life would be a little bit simpler, but we would be a whole lot poorer!


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Attached are some pictures of LeeZe out of the water for a bottom paint job!