Yassas,

   Our day started with the alarm clock set for 5 am.  It is now 9:21 pm and I’m pooped.  We left Netsel Marina at 8:10 am and arrived at the official customs/immigration dock at 8:30 am.  There was a bit of confusion as to when our agent thought she was to have met us; we thought 8:30 am and she thought…well, anyway, she arrived at 9:45 am so we got away by 10:05 am.  Seas were much calmer than they’d have been on Wednesday but still a bit rolly.

  We arrived about 4 something a managed to get secured Med more style without too much drama.  Our second try was perfect.  We had to visit the Symi police, the customs, and the harbor master.  By 6:45 we were all set and on our way to dinner.  We chose a place on the waterfront near our boat drawn by the wifi sign.  Randal brought our small travel computer so could get check his email and get the password.    After dinner I took a walk and some photos and now am back on the boat on my computer  using the restaurant password hoping the signal will be strong enough to send this Symi preview. 

Ru

Symi Preview

Merhaba,

  Wednesday’s weather isn’t cooperating, but Thursday and Friday will be just fine so we’re postponing our departure one day.  While we travel I’ll be at the mercy of many different wifi sources.  I’ll try to keep everyone up to date, but I think mostly it will be just through or website www.mydoramac.com.  I send out email to all of you through my Outlook Express on my computer which I took with us during our recent land travels in Turkey.  I didn’t have to lug it around, the bus carried it.  But in our travels around the Mediterranean,  I’m not sure how often I’ll have my computer with me when we have access to wifi.  When I use web Yahoo at Internet Cafes there is a problem sending out to so many people at one time.  Yahoo thinks it’s spam and there’s always a problem.  So when I have to rely on other computers, I’ll only send to Audrey to post on our website www.mydoramac.com.  When I have my computer I’ll send to everyone but remind you to check for ones you didn’t receive from me directly.  It’s been a while since we’ve had to deal with this issue and maybe it won’t even be a problem. 

  So anyway…guess that’s it.

Ru

  This is probably the final time I’ll type that address; at least for 2013.  Yesterday morning we “sea tested” DoraMac and everything was mostly fine.  Our ICOM radio may, or may not send sailmail, but that’s a convenience issue and not a seaworthy issue.  I need regular wifi to send blog posts.  As we’ll be moving quite a bit, my posts might be much less often.  Then you’ll get a billion at once with a zillion photos to clog your mailbox.  I’ll really try not to do that. 

  Our plan is to attend one final Tuesday Happy Hour to say our good-byes and then Wednesday morning leave the marina about 8:00 am to be at the check-out dock at customs by 8:30.  (Customs is just around the other side of the marina but I like leaving lots of time.)   If all goes quickly at check-out  we’ll leave for Simi (Symi) Greece and arrive by mid-afternoon for our check-in process.  It will start our Schengen clock ticking which is only a sort of daunting thought.  We have 90 days to be through the Med and on our way to the Channel Islands.  Tunisia isn’t part of Schengen so our visit there will stop the clock for a bit. 

  So here are some final photos of lovely Marmaris, Turkey.  It has been a great place to winter thanks to all of Gwen’s hard work to make marina living more fun; the great people we’ve met here; and the  friendly, helpful  marina staff.  All in all, a hard place to leave.

Ru

DoraMac

One last stroll through Old Town Marmaris 2013

Merhaba,

   It’s Memorial Day Weekend in the US. We just celebrated ANZAC day here where both Turkish and Australian soldiers lost their lives.  Many of the enemies of the first two world wars are now allies.  Interesting to think about especially here in Turkey which is a prime example. 

   But on a lighter note….

Ru

Marmaris at night with Deena and TK

Our friends Deena and TK treated us to a farewell dinner at Fellini’s last week.  It also gave me a chance to take some final night time photos of the waterfront

Merhaba,

   Today Randal biked over to the Post Office and there was the book he’d ordered from England.  So now nothing is holding us in Marmaris.  We will take the boat for a test spin on Sunday and then check out either Monday or Tuesday and be on our way.  At least that’s the plan today. 

   When we first came to Marmaris there was nothing in the way of “art” that I could find.  Now we have the Culture and Art Center with its variety of exhibits and cute little coffee shop.  Today we discovered another art venue.  Here’s the story.

Ru

Yellow Building I always loved… 

Tozak Merkez (Center)

Mustafa Muğlalı Cad. No:15

Muğla / Marmaris / (Türkiye

    Ever since we’ve been in Marmaris; the few months in 2011 and this year; I’ve loved this particular yellow building.  How could you not love a bright yellow building with black wrought iron details?   While it was becoming the gallery it now seems to be, I once tried to invade, but with no luck.  The artist who renovated the space and who works, paints, and perhaps lives here speaks very little English.  This week, on my way home from the Thursday market I noticed that the gallery was now officially opened; but as I had my hands full of fruit and vegetables, it wasn’t such a good time to visit.  Today Trish and I did visit the gallery and I took lots of photos of the beautiful displays and lovely building.  You can see more of the building and the artist’ work on her website listed below.

Merhaba,

  We’re still here, but we do have a tentative plan.  It’s attached as an Excel file.  I’ve started to research Sicily and Sardinia as we’re pretty positive about those places.  Our friends Ed and Sue are in Tunisia now and really liking it.  We’ll stop there for sure too. 

  Randal has most of the boat ready to go.  And today I had my first “drive the dinghy” lesson.  I can do it if I have too; and certainly I can row it if I had to. 

  The Mediterranean weather isn’t being so cooperative this week, but should be fine when we actually do decide to head out.  Lots of folks already ahead of us.  They just stay put while the wind blows. 

  I haven’t been taking any new photos.  I have been painting a bit.  I’m trying to paint a postcard size picture of Marmaris harbor and so far, not so good.  But I’ll keep trying.

   Several local folks, when they realize I am an American, tell me how sorry they are about the devastation in Oklahoma.  We have found the Turkish people to be very kind and caring people.  Other countries will have a hard act to follow. 

Ru

Merhaba,

   Yesterday morning I walked to the Arts and Culture Center.    An exhibit of model ships was in the process of being installed.  Randal was excited about seeing it (and needed a break from his boat chores) so this morning Randal, our friend Collin and I went off to see it. Before we left our boat Randal asked if I had my camera and I said yes.   I’d taken it out and put it down on the chart table to put it in my pack.    But somehow I managed to leave the camera on the chart table.  Luckily Collin had his camera and loaned it to me to take some photos.  I didn’t do justice to either his camera, or the exhibit.  But at least there are some photos to share with you.    And because “no good deed goes unpunished,”  Collin had to hunt up his camera cable because his camera card wouldn’t fit in my computer.  He first had to find the cable and then he kindly transferred the photos from his camera card to a stick for me.  Thanks Collin!

  Because the exhibition was model ships and we have a marina full of cruisers, I announced the exhibit on the morning NET.  While we were there several other cruisers stopped in to see the exhibit as well. 

Ru

Model Ship Exhibit at the Culture and Art Center

http://www.gemimodelcileridernegi.org/

is the website of the organization whose members built the models on display in Marmaris. 

Merhaba,

  I want to share these scrip options as possible story lines for the women with the red hair.

Ru

From Ken

Oh yes, there is a movie here: after the third scene, the train begins to pull away and the camera then rises above the train, watching it roll off into the countryside, then returning to the couple still gazing into each other’s eyes. They have never met, can’t even speak each other’s language, yet they both know that their futures are to be intertwined. 

From Roy

Not original, but maybe in frame 3   "we’ll always have Paris" .  In background someone is already rounding up the "usual suspects".
  So sorry (not really) but I couldn’t help myself  !     Roy   … Note ;  nowhere did I  even whisper "play it again Sam"

From Gwen

I love this!  I have a script: Her name is  Alara.  It means, literally,"red ornament".  But she was a natural brunette, but never felt natural or possessed any sense of wellbeing; almost as if she was out of sync with herself. Alara  went to the hairdresser and asked to be a red head.  The hairdresser thought Alara meant like auburn, or strawberry blonde.  But the hairdresser didn’t question Alara and the hair dresser stripped all the colour from Alara’s hair.. then, several hours later, after the hairdresser had , created strawberry blonde, Alara took one look in the mirror and was horrified.  She was not RED.  After some mixing and chemistry by the hairdresser, Alara was finally RED.  She loved it. But she knew her husband was going to have a temper tantrum because his girlfriend also had hair this RED!  Alara walked outside the hairdresser, toward the small Migros in Netsel marina.  She didn’t know what to do, so she just stood by a boat nearby and pondered some kind of solution.  She’d already spent about 8 hours in the hair salon and close 350 Turkish Lira on her husband’s credit card… then it started to rain.  As it rained, Alara noticed some of the wet drops from her hair fell on her blouse.  The drops were light red!  After about 30 minutes, her blue blouse was slightly turning a dark purple!  It was then that her husband, who worked on boats, wandered by and saw her.  he stopped… dead in his tracks. " OMG"" he exclaimed (he was a chat room expert  and avidly into twittering).  "love it" he cried.  Then added in a tender and caring voice, "and I love you, my dear RED Alara!"     They did not, however, live happily ever after because the RED colour was not permanent.  Just a RED vegetable dye … leaving  Alara’s hair, after a week or so, just a drab orange…

Merhaba

   We’re still here.  Randal is off on his umpteenth trip to chandlery street.  Most big stuff is done, but he still has a list.  We’re also still finalizing our tentative route to England.  I’m almost certain we’ll stop in Sicily, Sardinia, Tunisia, and visit Gibraltar.  In Gibraltar we’re so close to Casablanca that I think we should visit.   Casablanca is Randal’s favorite movie.  I think we must know half the dialogue by heart, we’ve watched it so many times.   But all will be determined by weather and timing so we’ll see.  I’m actually, finally ready to go; summer season in Marmaris with the crowds and NOISE from Bar Street every night make the leave-taking easier.  Saying good-bye to friends, not looking forward to that.  But permanence isn’t part of the cruising world.  Some stops may be longer than others, but eventually most everyone moves on.  Maybe that’s what the story in these photos is about….

Ru

Seen from a window, a scene screaming for a script.

Our pilot house door has a window; a very dirty window.  Typing this prompted me to go clean it.  However, prior to it being cleaned, the streaks made for a very “artsy” image of a woman standing on the dock.  I’d taken the photos to capture her very orange hair; not to make fun.  I applaud women who have fun with their hair.  The image that showed up was not what I expected.  It’s not a photo of a woman with red hair; it’s a story about a woman with red hair. 

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Merhaba,

   The final story from our Black Sea visit.  I’m ready to go back.  So much more to see, and do and eat!

Ru

    Our final day was a long day.  We started the morning in Safranbolu with a 9 am cave hike (I started with a 6 am walk around modern Safranbolu) and ended with a final dinner in Ankara where we thanked our intrepid mini-bus driver Ayden and our patient, kind-hearted guide Taṣ.  There was even cake with sparkly candles.