This was to be a strange year with no sailing planned as we decided to spend some time updating the boat and dealing with some much needed repairs including the osmosis problem. Since we weren’t going to do any travelling as such by boat we decided to spend Christmas and New Year in Cuba celebrating a big birthday. We flew to Havana and spent a few days getting to know this vibrant colourful city. We got a bus to Vinales in the Pinar del Rio province. Lots of porches with creaking rocking chairs and a countryside filled with dome like rounded small hills (mogotes). We found a lovely Casa Particular to stay in and enjoyed getting to know our hosts. Our next stop was the island of Cayo Leviso. It really was your picture postcard idyll with white sand, turquoise sea, a few palm trees and bungalows on the beach. Back to the mainland and a bus to the 500 year old city of Trinidad noted for its Spanish colonial architecture. Finally back to Havana for more cuba libres and salsa. We definitely want to go back to Cuba again and continue exploring this fascinating island.
The boat got lifted out of the
water in March and the work began with a vengeance. Of course one job led to
another and as well as dealing with the osmosis, replacing the headlining below
we were soon also having a complete respray.
Living in the boat yard turned out to be opportune work wise too. There
was quite a community working on their boats throughout the long hot summer
including a couple working on the beautiful 100 foot turn of the century
gentlemans motor yacht Prince Otman, once owned by the Duke of Westminster.
Once their refit was complete they asked us if we would help deliver the boat
to Israel via Rhodes. We said yes and were soon on the water again. It was a
real experience to be on board such a beautiful classic vessel. The voyage was
uneventful and we were soon tied up in Herzylia marina once again. We were then
individually questioned by Mossad and our small cabin, luggage and computer
thoroughly searched. The interrogations continued at Tel Aviv airport. We were
glad when we were finally on our way back to Turkey but sorry to have to say
goodbye to our friends whom we left on board. Once back in Marmaris we
continued with the hard work until “the accident”. A 4 metre fall directly on
to the concrete below resulted in a broken pelvis and subsequently a move into
a ground floor apartment in town which was extremely generously offered to us
by a friend we hardly knew at that time. It was a long painful road to recovery
and the rest of the year was spent in town rather than on the boat.
