February

The highlight for February was the all trip to the Istanbul Boat Show courtesy of Marmaris Yacht Marina.

The trip started early Wednesday morning, with us all meeting outside the office with our luggage ready to get on the coach. We were all issued with our Yacht Marina jackets and T-shirts; although it was a long journey (12 hours), we had good company and stopped at a lovely restaurant nead Ismir for lunch – all courtesy of the marina. Every one was booked into the Side Hotel in the old part of Istanbul and after a bit of a wait to check in we crashed out for the night.

The following morning we had breakfast in the roof garden restaurant overlooking the Blue Mosque and then we met the coaches again to take us to the Bospherous for a river trip. What a beautiful day – although it was chilly the sun was shining. We waited on the quayside for a while watching the tripper boats come and go – and then our boat arrived. The marina had chartered the biggest and most luxurious boat on the river! We were greeted by uniformed waiters offering champagne on the top deck. After an hour or so of supping cocktails we went below to the restaurant where we were served the most amazing 4 course meal. A four piece band played for us whilst we ate and then the belly dancer arrived and we all ended up getting up for a dance! What a brilliant day.

The following day we were all taken to the Istanbul Boat Show and were delivered to the Marina Stand where we were met by Bilgin, the boss, who made us feel very welcome with coffee, drinks, nibbles etc. We spent an enjoyable few hours at the show (Justin bought the inverter he has always wanted!) and then made our way to an Irish Bar to watch the Six nations Rugby. A perfect end to another great day.

Unfortunately the next morning we had to leave and although it was another long journey, we slept most of the way and again were treated to a magnificent lunch! The trip was a real highlight of the winter – thank you Yacht Marina!

After the purchase of the inverter and Justin’s birthday present from Helen – (a very shiny new roller for a stern line) we decided to go ahead and have a stainless steel arch built for the back of the boat. This was to incorporate the BBQ, davits to hold the dinghy, a crane for the outboard motor and most importantly, two large solar panels. The workshop built it in less than a week and came to fit it on one of the rainiest days in February. This didn’t seem to bother them – they borrowed our umbrella and just got on with it. Welding stainless steel in the rain – I wonder what UK Health and Safety would say about that. Anyway, the job was completed and the solar panels fitted – a superb job which has made a massive difference to our cruising.