From Kalkan to Finike



Kalkan bay

On 20^th October we left Gocek and continued our journey east along the Turkish coast. After a rolly night on a buoy in the bay at Karacoren we sailed on down to the resort of Kalkan. We had planned to spend just one night here, but when we crept out of the bay the next morning we were met by 30 knot winds on the nose and big waves that sent water over the deck, so we turned round and headed back to the harbour! Several other boats were about to leave, but when they heard why we had returned they decided to stay too. We soon got talking to our neighbours and found that three boats either side of us were booked into the same marina as us in Finike for the winter, and we were formally introduced over drinks on Carole and Ian’s boat, Maximillian.  

Kalkan, the torrent begins

 

The flood water in Kalkan harbour

 

The following day we had thunderstorms, and the day after brought torrential rain and flash floods. We were in the top of the town shopping when the torrential rain started, and when we tried to walk back down to the marina we saw that the road down the hill to the harbour had turned into a fast flowing river. Soon the water in the harbour turned from clear blue to a muddy brown as the red earth was washed into the sea. It was slightly worrying to see the water level in the harbour rapidly rising, but fortunately the rain stopped before it reached the top of the quay.

Kas square decorated for Independence Day

We finally escaped from Kalkan on the 26^th October and had a rolly sail downwind to Kas where we treated ourselves to a couple of nights in the well sheltered, upmarket marina while the last of the thunderstorms blew through. The town is in a very pretty setting in a large bay that faces the Greek island of Kastellorion.  While we were there they were busy decorating the town ready for Turkish Independence Day and it was lovely to see the main square hung with so many colourful flags. I also walked over to the Roman amphitheatre on the peninsular beyond the town, and was disappointed to find that it has been ‘reconstructed’ to the point of making it look thoroughly modern. But the seats at the very top of the theatre do still give you a wonderful view of the bay.

The Roman Amphitheatre at Kas

Our next sail was down to a beautiful area known as Kekova Roads, an enclosed channel protected by the 4 mile long Kekova Island. We anchored at the far western end in the almost deserted bay of Polemos Buku and dinghied ashore to walk across the peninsular to the remains of the ancient Lycian city of Aperlae.

Lycian ruins at Aperlae

 

The city was built on the shores of the bay, and some of it is now underwater. When we first reached the shoreline most of it was hidden from sight, but as we walked further along we began to see half submerged sarcophaghi and then the remains of the ancient city walls. Finally, the city itself towered above us on the hillside, now partly lost in a tangle of scrub and thorns. We could also see more ruins submerged in the water and wished we had brought our swimming gear with us, as it would have been a great area for snorkelling. We were completely alone in this vast, overgrown city and it felt quite magical as the thick stone walls glowed in the late afternoon sun.

Early morning in Kekova Roads

 

The next morning we weighed anchor and set off for our final destination, Finike, which is a small market town about 75 miles from Antalya. It was a quiet, windless day and after three hours on the motor we finally moored up in Finike marina. This is where Sandpiper will spend the winter while we are back in the UK. The marina is home to a wonderful mix of cruisers of all nationalities and offers a great social life with coffee mornings, BBQs, walks, drinks and all sorts of clubs. Unfortunately, the long list of tasks we had to complete before leaving on November 14^th meant we could only attend a few social gatherings, but we are looking forward to getting more involved when we return in March.

 

Finike marina

 

Sandpiper having her bottom washed in the yard