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We arrived in Keci Buku in mid September, where we passed a delightful couple of weeks.
We were able to address Ann’s medical problem with ease from there as it’s only 45 minutes by bus into Marmaris. In the end, she underwent a bunch of tests which all showed that there was no problem at all. We had a couple of glasses of wine once the results were all in. (This would be an understatement, for those who don’t know us so well.)
We elected to head into Marmaris Yacht Marine in early October. This is the place where we planned to spend the winter, but we thought we would go in early to clean up the boat a bit, then go out and cruise locally for another few weeks. Well, it didn’t turn out that way. First, a water pump packed up (one of the FIFTEEN electric pumps on this boat … did we ever say that this boat is simple?), then we had to fix a gas line for the dinghy engine, then we each (consecutively) got quite sick with the a bad flu. By then it was the end of October, and we figured this was all a message, and that we should just stay put. So we did.
THE WINTER BEGINS …
MYM is very different from Kemer, and different, too, from what it’s been in the past.
Kemer, of course, has an active social environment,
and a very close-knit liveaboard community. It’s close to the big city
of
MYM is much bigger (3 times the number of boats in the water, 10 times the number on the hard), and this year, there are at least as many liveaboards as there were in Kemer last year. In the past, MYM has mostly focussed on lifting big boats out of the water for the winter, and hasn’t paid attention to attracting a winter liveaboard crowd. With their significant expansion over the past couple of years, and their very attractive cost structure, they are now faced with the ongoing demands of a liveaboard group. It’s taking some time and effort by the cruisers to help them understand what’s going to make them successful at it.
That having been said, it promises to be a good and active year, and together with some 20-30 liveaboards at Netsel Marina across the bay, we expect to have a busy, fun and productive winter season.
Our days in MYM are typical of marina life in the winter. We do as much as we can on the MYM grounds, and we go into Marmaris proper at least once or twice a week. There is regular dolmuş (minibus) service for the 20 minute ride. The marina has made it even easier by offering a free, fair weather day-boat ferry from MYM to town and back twice a day.
The weekly market in Marmaris is Thursday, and it is HUGE. Even in mid-winter, excellent fresh fruit and vegetables are available. The prices do go up a bit off-season, but they are still more than reasonable.
The MYM restaurant serves very good food, with elegant presentation worthy of good North American restaurants. It is, however, a bit pricey for folks on a cruising budget.. So our attendance is limited to special occasions and what we quietly call “cheap food nights”. The two principal in the latter category are Happy Friday, when there is a good selection of slightly smaller and lots cheaper meals, and Fish Night, every Tuesday, when we can all have fish and chips à la Turkiye.
What would a marina bar be without Happy Hour. Originally planned (by them) for 4:30 pm, it finally got rearranged (with lots of input from us) to 6:30 pm every night.
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| 59 John (Seascape) and Liljana (Liljana) tend the BBQ |
Marmaris is THE PLACE if you want to have boat work done. There are so many yachts, power boats and gulets here all year that many capable businesses have built up over the years. Chandlery supplies are good all around the town, and our local MYM chandlery is one of the biggest and most well-priced.
Monthly barbecues by the (almost empty) pool at Netsel give us all a chance to swat the wasps, get all smoky from the charcoal cooker, and enjoy a great afternoon pot luck.
