So this is it at last, what we have been planning for the last three years, EMYR 2011.
After a great final week with our friends in the Gocek Bay area, we finally joined the rally. We left our anchorage and motored to the Marin Turk Exclusive Marina, a new Superyacht marina to the North of the bay. The marina staff had moved many of the superyachts from their berths to accommodate the 45 yachts and their crews. We were one of 25 yachts joining the rally at Gocek and arrived well before the main fleet. A ‘Joker’ boat (the small rib used by the marinieros in Turkey) came out to us and helped us onto our mooring. We moored next to ‘Skysong’ a beautiful 43 foot Malo yacht owned by Michael and Christine Buerk, who had also joined the rally in Gocek. After the traditional ‘landing’ beer we set about ‘dressing’ the boat with bunting for the first time. We used the bunting given to us by Nannan and Gramps from ‘Charlie Dee’, and although it looked as if it needed a good iron, we were soon looking the part.
The EMYR secretary welcomed us and delivered two goody bays crammed with EMYR merchandise. Polo shirts, T-shirts, document bags, mugs, memory sticks, hats, etc. They also gave us our Rally Number E1152, which we attached to the life lines.
The new arrivals and the rest of the fleet arrived throughout the afternoon and after a brief walk around the marina, we were all called to our first skipper’s meeting. All of the yachts are in a group of about 10 yachts, of a similar length and speed. An Austrian EMYR veteran, Verner, has been appointed as our Green Team leader, and he led the meeting, making introductions, giving vital info etc. This was followed by the first cocktail party, with wine, cocktails and a buffet supper – no charge! A great opportunity to meet some of our fellow travellers from all over the world. In our group we have three Brits, including ourselves, the Buerks and a solicitor and his wife from Yeovil! We also have three German boats, one Dutch, one Danish, one Austrian and one French Canadian boat. A real mix!
The following day we went on an organised trip up the Dalyan River. We left on two coaches at 9.30 in the morning and travelled the 20 miles or so to the town of Dalyan where we boarded our boat for the day. Our first stop was at the amazing Lycean rock tombs (circa 400 BC), carved out of the sheer cliffs, hundreds of feet up.
We then motored downstream for a number of miles before reaching the ruins of the ancient city of Caunos (3000 BC) with a fantastic amphitheatre (the first of many!).
We then continued down the river through the reed beds to the mouth of the sea and Iztuzu Beach. The beach is well known for the Caretta Caretta , Loggger Head Sea Turtles which have existed for 95 million years. You can only visit the beach during the hours of daylight because hundreds of turtles nest and lay their eggs at night.
Lunch was served at a river side restaurant and then we visited the hot sulphur pool and mud bath! Very smelly but it just had to be done… a great end to a brilliant trip!
The following morning we were up early (4 am!) for our next passage to the new marina at Kas. Each of the groups are allotted a half hour time slot when they have to arrive at their destination, and we are always the second group in because they like to moor the larger yachts first. Oh well I suppose we will need to get used to the early morning starts!
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