The picture above is where we are ending our week at Kale Koy. More about that later in the post.
We left Fethiye Sunday morning, April 18, 2021. After a few days anchored near Gocek and Fethiye, we were ready to get back to nature. We motored the short distance to Karacaoren Buku where we had a lovely afternoon in the bay cleaning the boat and swimming. There was a bit more swell in the bay than we wanted for overnight so we hauled anchor and moved to a more protected anchorage on the north side of Gemiler Adasi. This provided the first experience for Roger and I to anchor with lines to the rocks on shore. Even with the help of our friends on Nova Vida, it was a challenge. The windlass motor overheated on our second attempt which led to some anxious moments until we figured out why the windlass had quit. It is our good fortune, on many levels, that the bays and anchorages are not busy; we have some space to experience this wonderful part of the world, learn to use our equipment and manouver the boat.
Our next stop was Kalkan. Even though the marina facilities are closed, we were able to anchor there and take our lines to the dock. Kalkan is a beautiful spot with vacation homes and restaurants lining the mountainside down to the bay. The city marina was busy with locals getting their day-tripper gulets ready in hopes that visitors will soon be able to come. Dolce Farr Niente and Nova Vida were the only two visiting yachts.
We had a couple more days of heavy winds; so, we held up in the protected marina at Kalkan. From there we rented a car and visited the historical sites of Xanthos and Patara.
Xanthos was a leading town on this coast. It is now a Unesco World Heritage site. The people of Xanthos are known for their fierce pride; in 540 BC and then again in 42 BC they chose mass suicide rather than surrender to superior foe.
Patara was also a powerful city in its day. The ruins here are extensive. Patara was thought to be the winter home of of the sun god Apollo. In spite of the impressive history and ruins, Patara is better known today for its 12 kms of beautiful sand beach where tourists come to lounge and turtles come to breed. Patara is also the birthplace of St. Nicholas (AD 246 to AD 346). Better known today as Santa Clause, St. Nicholas was known in his time for his immense kindness and the miracles he performed.
We left Kalkan on Thursday destined for the area known as Kekova Roads. Kekova Adasi is a four-mile island that protects the coastline opposite. The “Roads” is the channel between the mainland and the island. The area is known for “the Sunken City”. You can’t anchor or dive near the Sunken City; but,there are numerous protected and interesting anchorages in this area. The first stop was Karaloz, a beautiful and hidden anchorage on the island side. We once again anchored with lines to the rocks. This time was a little easier than the last time; although, we still had extra hands with the lines. Once again, we were the only two boats in this gorgeous anchorage.
On Friday we moved on to Kale Koy (Castle Cove), named for the castle that stands at the top of the steep ridge (the picture above). Kale Koy is a little hamlet of about 150 people. It is on the mainland; but, it feels more like an island. You can only access Kale Koy by boat; it is stuck out on a little point of land without a road. We found out when we got here that this is another three-day weekend lockdown. We are permitted to go to shore for food (and a walk); but, we are not allowed to move to another anchorage.
Saturday evening we met Hassan and Deniz of “Hassan Deniz Best Kitchen”. Deniz spoke english very well. She told us she learned her english from the visitors to Kale Koy. She was born here. She lives and works here with her husband, Hassan, and their (probably teenage) son. Her parents and extended family are still here as well. Deniz cooked dinner for us. She shared her fresh and dried herbs as well.
