Great consternation – the cooking gas ran out (second bottle). So decision was made to eat at the restaurant, which was the only place around. Went to speak to the owner, pointing out that I was here about 3 weeks ago. He corrected me – it was four weeks he said, you were a group of seven, they sat at that table and you sat here. I was gobsmacked. So to my ‘boys trip’ sailors – you made an impression!!!!

It was a fun-filled,evening, sitting on the deck overlooking this perfect bay. Much laughter, good food, very noisy we were. Ended with arm wrestling competitions, would you believe. Finally back on board we enjoyed a nightcap or two under a clear sky filled with stars. Perfect. Suffered a bit the next morning because apparently Raki, wine and whisky is not a great combination.

Arm wrestling in action:

This is a pretty place, steeped in history. There were a number of gulets (Turkish wooden sailing vessels – very pretty with lots of woodwork) and swimmers in the bay, most of which were to leave later in the day. We made a perfect approach and tied up alongside the wooden pier; within minutes everyone was in the water off the back of the boat. What a relief. The water was incredibly clear – the Turks are very fussy about that and have tough regulations.

Knidos was an ancient port and town, now in ruins and partially excavated. The massive stone moles defining the two harbour entrances are clearly visible. There are actually two harbours, east and west connected by a sandy isthmus. One is now quite shallow, while the other is large, deep and protected. The ancient city was built by the Greeks from around 400BC and became a wealthy centre for commerce with a population in the tens of thousands. It dwindled until around 700AD. During this time a huge city was built, with temples, theatres, marble paved streets, a water system and of course many buildings. All laid out perfectly in straight lines! Seeing it in ruins now begs the question…. what happened? Apparently successive earthquakes and attacks by pirates eventually led to its demise.

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This is a real sleepy little port. Which is why I was surprised when a policeman wanted to check all our papers yesterday evening, same as on the last ‘boys’ trip except this time we were legal 🤞. A quiet night meant we were all lazy risers this morning. Our anticipation of fresh croissants from the bakery fell far short of expectations as the baker was clearly not very good at his craft. Finally after last minute swims we made a very smooth exit, without anyone asking for payment. Apparently they only come by once a day.

It was a very leisurely sail across to Knidos in Turkey. Not being in a hurry we moved at a snails pace until the wind finally picked up. Extended games of ‘I spy’ kept the kids amused. Really hot today so a breeze welcome. Technically we should not be in Turkey whilst still checked into Greece but will take a chance on that. At least I remembered to take down the Greek flag!