HEADING HOME

Goodbye Moonbeam.

Goodbye Crete and Marmaris.

Loved my time onboard the sailboat and cruising the Greek islands and the Turkey coast.

Loved meeting the many new friends along the way.

Heading home.

KNOSSOS, CRETE

Knossos, the capital city of the Minoan world, is the most important site in Crete, and second only to the Acropolis in all of Greece. There are several known palaces on Crete, but the most important is the one at Knossos.

Exploration of this site began in late 19th century with the idea of finding what was thought to be the mythical palace of King Minos. Not mythical, but real, identified as such in 1877. Several later attempts at excavation were made, but it was Arthur Evans who arrived and stayed for 30 years at his own expense and who finally continued the work and the result is mostly what we see today.

The first palace of Knossos was built before 1700 BC, but was destroyed by a catastrophic event, probably an earthquake. A new palace was built on the site, larger and more grand, in total size about 180,000 sq ft.

This was the center of the Minoan civilization: with its great palace, five entrances, a labyrinth of 1,500 rooms over 5 levels, an efficient water supply system, the very first flush toilet, magnificent frescoes.

Photo below is the Balcony of the Guard at the highest landing of the Grand Staircase, itself a masterpiece of architecture. Behind the colonnades, frescoes of the guard's figure-of-eight shields.

The Queen's bathroom....

The Minoan culture was advanced and developed a sophistication with beautiful art images and commercial activities of pottery, agriculture, textiles, wine and more. They had a growing fleet of ships which probably engaged in trade.

The amplitheater held religious sessions and dances. There was separate seating (not visible at the site) for the royal family and an additional circular step-seating for 500 citizens. 

The pot on the right is about five feet tall and 4,000 years old. The other two are modern day copies.

But, a final catastrophe came in 1370 BC, an earthquake is theorized, and the palace and Minoan culture ceased to exist, supplanted by the Mycenaen culture.

ANCIENT APTARA

We visited one of the most important city states in early CRETE, 13th century BC. James, our friend and a leading Cretan historian, was our guide. Located at the harbor to the east of Chania. With its prominence at the high point at the entrance to Suda Bay, sea traffic was controlled and development followed. The greatest height of the city's influence was in 400-300 BC when it was prosperous, minted coins, and developed relations during this Hellenistic period.

Aptara was destroyed by earthquake in 700 AD and evidence clearly shows that the city was abandoned at that time.

Main entrance leading to ancient city. The road and fortifications were built (probably) mid 4th century BC.

If time had permitted while here, we would have driven the two hours to the southern coast and the site of ancient Kommos that is the passion of James. Under his direction, meetings with relevant authorities are being held and contracts to be signed for architectural surveys. Not yet open to the public, this will be another important link in the history of Crete. 

www.kommosconservancy.org

Master plan for Kommos:

NEW WAY TO EXPLORE

Modern wheels to roam the narrow, winding alleys of the old city. After a 15 minute lesson on how to ride and manage a Segway, we were "good to go" with our guide for 1-1/4 hour touring ride of Chania and its harbor. Once we start, the operational movements are intuitive: lean forward to go forward, straighten up to stop. Leaning back produces a backward going, which we were told is never done. Turning is easily done by pushing the handle left or right. Even tight turns are possible.

Jackie first, then James, Nancy and Ken.

A stop in front of Moonbeam.

After the ride, what shall we have for lunch?

ARRIVED IN CHANIA, CRETE

It was with light breeze and calm seas that Moonbeam arrived early Sunday morning after 43 hours of sea time. Sunlight lit the entrance for a picturesque arrival.

Entering the harbor, we were awed by the colorful old Venetian buildings lining the harbor with a snow capped mountain backdrop and tied up stern-to, at the seawall In Chania, the second largest city of Crete. 

Friends, James and Jackie met us, invited us to their apartment for a traditional Cretan breakfast of strapasada (a scrambled egg dish) and a sampling of local cheese, sfikia, and then a walk through the narrow alleys of the old city to the Schiavo Bastion and its Venetian fortifications, built in mid 16th century to guard the harbor as the threat of Turkish invasion loomed.  

The Crete Maritime museum proved interesting and is filled with informative material from the periods of Greek and island maritime history. Museum tickets also provided entry to the old ship buildings where a authentic replica of a Bronze Age ship from the Minoan civilization was housed. Built in Chania using the same materials and building tools available from the time, this boat, carried a single square sail, was 45 feet in length, with room for 22 rowers. An ambitious project, it was completed and sailed to mainland Greece for the opening of the Olympic Games in 2004.

SATURDAY ENROUTE TO CRETE

It is 9 AM and I am sipping a freshly brewed cup of coffee. And sailing. Turkey long departed, 20 hours ago.

Crete, and its port of Chania, 110 miles ahead on a course of 253.

After a bumpy overnight with little sleep, motoring into a head wind, confused seas, and a field of fishing vessels, this is pure heaven. Sails out at 8:00 and engine off. At 52 feet and 30 tons, Moonbeam likes a good breeze to get going. We have that, with 18/19 kts apparent, wind on the beam. Speed through the water is averaging in the high 7's and even pegged a 8.5.

And one half hour after first writing the, beam winds picked up, speed averaging in the 8's with an occasional surf on one of these waves for a peg at 9.4! Waves 2-4, boat really cruising along.

WooHoo! As good as it gets!

Isn't this why we fell in love with sailing in the first place?!

LEAVING FOR CRETE ... SECOND TIME

Finally all work is finished and checked out to be good by 6 PM yesterday.

This is my last post from Turkey and I leave with good memories and a final dipping of a huge round sun last evening. Yeah!

RAINBOW GLORY

It is rare to see a complete full rainbow, but last evening one did appear over the marina after a strong afternoon storm with rain and lightning strikes.

The left side dipped down between two mountains and the right side, behind the flags of Turkey and the marina, touched the sea outside the entrance. A lucky omen, I think.

Lucky indeed, as we just learned Moonbeam is on this afternoon's schedule for the travel lift. With the cutlass bearing newly installed, the engine alternator replaced, plus bonus of new bottom paint, all is a go. Looking great ashore, the boat is ready for launch. 

Amos

Americans, when hearing the term "Amos", will usually associate it with a comedy routine. Amos and Andy comes to mind. But, not here in Marmaris.

With the rental car still available, and after a day of boat chores -- anchor chain marking, top sides cleaning, and stainless polishing -- we set out exploring. The destination was another peninsula extending west from Marmaris. Well marked with road signs and a small brown colored one with arrow indicating the route to "Amos". Hmmmm. Not shown on the map, curiosity was aroused.

The road again, snaked around mountains dropping sharply to the sea, and small villages wherever there was enough coastal land for one. We passed three before coming to the end, by then a one lane, unpaved path around pastures and small huts. At the last, a lovely view, a couple of sailboats anchored off the shore and to our surprise, a yacht club!

Reversing to retrace our path, we were headed to the "Amos" sign at a park spot and what seemed, an entrance into the forest. Yes, worth the stop. Another early city and post boards with detail.

Ancient Amos, situated high with panoramic views of the area and its sea traffic, was one of the important cities in the Rhodian Peraia. 

Nice that a path provides helpful climbing to reach the top and the view.

The settlement location was surrounded by city walls 6 meters high by 2 meters thick. Inside are found an amphitheater with seating for about 1,300, a cistern, remains of statue pedestals, stones containing inscriptions, and other remnants. Only a little excavation has taken place, but enough revealing artifact to date the city from 200 BC.

The lower rows of seating in the theater are best preserved, providing a sea view as the backdrop of stagings by the people living here.

WAITING AND WAITING

What is a boat without a list of chores? After a great day off on Sunday for a road trip in rental car to Knidos, the most important port city in early Turkey, 400BC, we are back to 2015 reality.

Returning that evening, and as some vino was being enjoyed in Moonbeam's cockpit, the sky delivered a colorful show. Look at the top half of the photo, and picture the boat swinging at anchor, alongside a lovely coastline somewhere. Then take in the complete pix, and see it is only imagining: the boat not moving, no gentle wave action, and still on the "hard".

On Monday the mechanics are doing their part, while for the crew on Moonbeam, it is tackling the "to do" list ...

With the genoa down, we installed the new sheets, which traveled a long journey here ... after Nancy purchased them for Ken in the U.S., and Jim carried them to the boat in Bali, and hence to Marmaris. Dishes from the galley have to be carried down the ladder and washed at a yard spigot, no draining water down the galley sink onto the marina grounds. Anchor chain markings have faded ... although easy to remark, first the entire 300' of chain must be lowered to the ground, measured markings made and then spray painted. Plus, plus plus, more items. Not to bore the reader with all the details.

AN ANCIENT SITE

Knidos is a hidden treasure, overlooked by most tourists. A few yachts arrive to tie up at in a sheltered harbor and fewer still arrive overland, to this place at the end of the 63 kilometer long Datca peninsula. 

Driving out in a rental car on Sunday, the marina worker's holiday, we were rewarded with a narrow road, sometimes only a single lane, winding up, down and around the mountains amid a changing landscape of pine trees, scrub growth, olive groves, rocky outcrops and finally a spectacular view. Out at the end where the Mediterranean and Agean Seas meet.

With two natural harbors, one on either side, this location became pivotal in the old sea routes and helped the city's development into one of the most important ancient ports. Little is known about the early history, but excavation has revealed information from 400 BC. The reason for our visit is to explore what has been found and see the restoration underway.

What is here? City walls; an amphitheater facing the sea and large enough to seat 5,000; the columned gallery entrance into a building of 25 rooms and annexes; stone slabs with inscriptions and carvings, many now laid out on the ground in an organized manner.

Also, an important round temple, believed to be dedicated to the diety of love, Aphrodite; other temples including one with 3 aisles, which in later years was turned into a Christian church; a main  sreaat and a harbor street; plus, a stairway of stone leading to the Apollo Temple.

No one knows why Knidos lost its strong foothold of power, maybe from ongoing wars to which they succumbed. The city became deserted, water sources had dried up and it was forgotten until a Brit stumbled upon the land in 1747. And then, visited many times and studied. It was only in 1967 that serious excavation was begun, led by an American archaeologist, Iris Love, and her team.

Saturday progress

Finally, a positive one update.

1. Moonbeam was hauled by noon, per schedule.

2. Mechanics pulled the shaft and will replace cutlass with new.

3. Electrician arrived by 5 pm and took out the alternator to bench test. Plus, had time for 2 additional minor items.

4. Ground connections have yet to be checked.

5. Since the boat is now on land, on a cradle and timber jackstands, we are closer to the office.

6. Many folks continue to stay onboard their boats, even when out of the water for repairs and we plan the same. The only negative: water usage is curtailed and showers and restroom require a trip down the ladder!

Heading now to happy hour after this good day.

Above: 330 ton lift lifting 30 ton Moonbeam.

And below, Veysel, our mechanic, waiting for his partner to pull the propeller shaft.

Back in the boatyard

Back in Marmaris on Thursday, and stern-to on Bravo dock, the furthest distance from the marina office, Internet and more. 

Even though it is interesting to pass by all the boats from Bravo to Alpha and past many more standing on their timber jackstands on the hard, it is a long walk. When I counted the number of steps and measured my stride, I calculated it to be a 3/4 mile round trip. Doing that a few times a day and there's no need to go to the gym!

Update on things ... Ooops, forgot, we are on Turkish time, so no progress to report. However, did get checked back into Turkey at the customs office. Boat has been scheduled to be hauled to work on prop shaft, check out the excess vibration, repair/replace cutlass bearing. That was for Friday at noon, then 3pm, then 5pm and now It is for Saturday, noontime.

Two workers came on board on Friday afternoon and took down the genoa and the staysail. Both are neatly rolled up on deck. Why was that done? With the language difficulty, no answer to that question. We do have an excellent agent working out details, so just relying on her for much of communications and detail.

Electrical problem solving will be next. Hopefully.

Workers are not on site on Sunday, so planning to rent a car to explore the Datca Peninsula. It is a narrow spit of land, about 21 miles long, with ruins of ancient cities at the far end. More on that later.

Moonbeam was supposed to be arriving in Crete today, leaving several free touring days for me before my flight out next Wednesday. Obviously, that will not happen and I'm rebooking the flights home to a later date.

While waiting I am contemplating my "dream" sailboat.

Whoops

The best strategy does not always play out as planned.

With more than one week before my flight back to the U.S., the passage to Crete allowed for leisurely cruising and some days left over for touring in Crete.

However.....an electrical problem and subsequent inability to charge the extensive battery bank on Moonbeam interfered. Not good. 

From Tilos, it was still 160 miles to Crete, but only 48 back to Marmaris, Turkey, where we know good technicians were available. Hence instead of continuing west, we turned east to the marina we had left 4 days earlier. We did have favorable winds and were no longer headed into the prevailing westerlies, but instead were treated with a following breeze. With 14 - 22 kts, the sails were unfurled and it was a perfect day!

Now back at Yacht Haven Marina and waiting for the electrician. 

Enroute to Crete

Tilos has always been a poor cousin to other islands. Little frequented by cruisers, most yachts just passing it by. However, it falls on the rhumb line from Symi and only 24 miles away.

Leaving Symi this morning, we took a shortcut through a pass to eliminate many miles around the north end of the island. Although the average depths in the Med are 5,000 ft, with the deepest at 17,000, we squeaked through the Nimos Passage seeing depths as shallow as 11 ft.

Our mooring for tonight in Tilos is in the island's bay of Livadhi. Inside the harbor, we were lucky to be ahead of 8 other yachts and snagged then next-to-last place alongside of the breakwater. Ashore is a likeable village center with many local choices for dining.

BLUE

Blue sea. Blue sky. The color appearing everywhere, Blue in shades from light to powder to bright. Although ochre, and lemon yellow are evidenced, the predominant color is BLUE!

From painted door and window frame hanging on an old stone wall, to shutters, chairs in the taverna, and to boats.

And on the island of Tilos, the bars on the window of the police station stand out in blue!

SAILING AND ADVENTURING

NISOS SYMI

Reading Homer's "Iliad" recently was only an introduction to the centuries of struggles that have taken place in the eastern Mediterranean. That read is only enough to realize that my knowledge of Greek and Turkish history has been deficient. How lucky to uncover the stories as I travel these waters. 

The Romans, the Greeks and the Turks each had their own separate periods of dominance, achieved by battles at sea and on land. I will need to go back to the history books to sort it out. And, still, after all this time, the region remains in flux, with current economies trying to emerge from difficult times.

Ah, well. It is enough for now to relish the opportunity of being here. C'est la vie.