1 - 31 December 2016: I completed most of the work on the radar arch. Yehuda's friend did a great job on the new light and sensor pole. I've included a couple of photos. I painted the top of the arch with non-skid but still need to paint the side (note the blue tape protecting the epoxy from UV. I will finish painting once the weather improves since we are in a rainy spell right now.

On the 15th, Yosi, Gadi, Nir and I went to a Whiskey Bar in Sarona Market. Interesting place with hundreds of different whiskeys from all over the world. We each had two "Journeys" through Scotland with four chaser sized samples of Scotch. Each journey focused on one of the four regions in Scotland: the Islands, Speyside, Highlands, and Lowlands. I tried the Islands Journey 2 and Scotland Journey 1. After some appetizers and lamb chops, we all shared a final journey. Good food and a great selection of whiskies. I want to try some of the American ones next time. Here are some photos.

On the 18th, Shimon and Remona (friends of Ruti's) came by for a visit. After that, we went to Nir and Hane's for a wonderful lunch.

On the 19th Tsipy and I went to dinner with Miki, Alon, Roni, Avital, Hanan, and Tal at a wonderful restaurant in Rehovet called Moo and Moo. Needless to say it was a meat restuarant with aged beef. We had a wonderful time.

Chanukah started on the 24th this year, on the 27th we had a small gathering of people from the marina to light the Chanukiya. Nir and Hane and our neighbors David, Iftak, and Alec joined us and we enjoyed a pleasant meal and evening.

Chanukah ended on the 31st and we celebrated the last candle at Noga and Eyal's home with them, Yardena, Ishay, and Eyal's parents. It is wonderful to see the delight in Ishay's eyes.

1 - 30 November 2016: I returned from the US on 22 Nov. I had a great time visiting in Floriday. I spent most of the time in Ft Lauderdale with Bob and Susi on their boat - Barefoot II. They are docked behind Steve and Zak's home on the ICW (where we stayed in 2011 to 2013) so I was able to reconnect with them also. We had multiple BBQs on the patio and enjoyed the hot tub most nights.

Bob and I attended the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show on 4 Nov. I was disappointed in the show, there weren't many displays for new equipment or systems and many of my favorite retailers (i.e., Defender) no longer have booths there. I guess it is the impact of internet sales. Bob, Susi, and I also attended the Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) GAM in Melbourne. I enjoyed reconnecting with other cruisers and learned a lot from the many presentations. We all went to David (Steve's brother) and Susan's new condo for drinks and from there to Checkers (a great German restuarant) for dinner. We had a wonderful time.

I visited Bev and Dave twice in their new home in Boca Raton. I enjoyed seeing them again. As many of you will know, they finally moved off their boat and into an assisted living center in the Jewish Community in Boca. I was able to do my annual physical with a doctor recommended by them. All was good. On my second visit, we traveled to Port St Lucie and visited Holly and Fritz at their new home and took a nice boat tour of the area.

I was able to buy all of my planned boat equipment and other American stuff. I am glad that Turkish Air allows two 23kg checked bags because I needed it. My flights were all good, on time and with great service. Since my return I finished the installation of the new Simrad instruments and installed my new VHF radio. I had to build a new fascia since the new radios are significantly smaller than my old one.

I will complete the radar arch next week when the new light pole is finished.

1 - 31 October 2016: Work continues on the boat. I am upgrading my wind instruments and depth sounder and integrating it into my Simrad chartplotter. The physical installation is complete but I am waiting for one more cable to finish up.

I removed the TracVision satellite dish and its supporting structure from the radar arch. The dish was not large enough to receive AFN, so I have been using a larger fixed dish while we are in port. I removed the anchor and steaming lights and will remount them after cleaning, filling, and painting the arch.

Since I had the arch open, I rewired the five solar panels from parallel to series and installed a new MPPT solar controller. This improved my charging efficiency. In the process I identified one panel as weak (only 9 VDC where it should be about 19-21 VDC). I will try to replace it later.

On 15 - 16 Oct, we took the train to Haifa and stayed with Efraim and Ruti for Shabbat and then a gathering of Tsipy's classmates from Palmachim Kibbutz. We took a trek to Kibbutz Yagur and visited one of the arms cache raided by the British in the late '30s. Afterwards, we had a nice BBQ and visit. Here are four photos from the gathering. We caught the train back to Herzliya but had to take a taxi back to the marina since the buses weren't running.

I am going to Ft Lauderdale on the 31st for three weeks to visit friends and attend the Boat Show. I finished work on the radar arch and installed a new seal and vent in the anchor windlass. I will, of course, return with lots of goodies to upgrade the boat during the winter.

1 - 30 September 2016: We are back in our normal routine. We had lots of visitors in our first weeks but it is tapering off with the start of school. Yosi and I met for sushi in Kyoto and then Gadi, Yosi, Yehuda, Rachel, Lisa, and Moshe all met at M25 for dinner one night. It was great as usual. We met Mark, the new pilot, when he and Brian came to the first Friday gathering in Sep. He is planning to buy a catamaran and circumnavigate in the future, so he fits right in with the group.

Tsipy went to Rachel's birthday party in the north. Her daughter organized the party, including a stay in a lovely villa with a pool and hot tub, visits to Akko, and a Toronado ride off Rosh HaNikra. She had a wonderful time. We also celebrated Lushi's birthday this month on board.

The Friday gathering on the 23rd was really great. Nir and Hane returned from their sail and Gadi, Israel, and Yosi returned after missing a couple of weeks. Vered was able to come for the first time this fall. Steve returned to Israel on Thursday and was able to attend. Shmulik was the only one able to come every week since our return. I added some photos of the group.

1 - 31 August 2016: We moved back to Gocek City marina on 2 Aug. Our new house battery bank was supposed to be delivered on 3 Aug but it was delayed until 4 Aug. When we lifted the anchor in Boynuz Buku, the wildcat jammed twice, so when I arrived I removed the windlass wildcat and chain stripper for some repairs by Nasuh. We are also having Salih make us two new mattresses for the forward cabin and a new mattress cover for the mid-cabin.

3 Aug, with Baran and Emir doing the heavy lifting, I removed the old battery bank and staged it to the aft deck for pick up. We had a wonderful meal at the Kebab Hospital with Hava, Mike, Linda, Fatoush, Nazif, and Baran. The new batteries were delivered on 4 Aug. Baran and Emir returned to bring the batteries into the engine room. After I installed them, we remained in the marina overnight to fully charge them. Salih returned with the mid-cabin mattress with a new cover.

We returned to Boynuz Buku and claimed our original anchorage for a few days of rest and relaxation before the next project. On 6 Aug, we met some new boat owners from Israel. Sharon and Mika bought a Lagoon 44 (Mikon) and were doing a test sail. We hope to see them again next week when they return with their children. We took the dinghy into Gocek and brought back the new matresses for the forward cabin. Mike and Linda are out of the water having their seacocks repaired so we invited them out for Shabbat (12-13 Aug).

15 Aug, Hava is returning to Israel today, so we took her back to Gocek for the shuttle bus to Dalaman. We really enjoyed having her onboard. I picked up my seacock tool from Nasuh and visited Mike and Linda on the hard to assess a 220V installation for his boat. When we returned we heard Hebrew from a nearby boat and Tsipy swam over to introduce us. Ofer, Yolanda, Ma'ayan, and Alon are on a Amel 54 and stayed near us for a couple of days. We exchanged boat visits on the 15th and then had dinner onboard Odelia on the 16th. Shlomi and Hana came out from Club Marina to join us. It looks like Mike and Linda will complete their work on the 17th or 18th and will then come out to anchor near us. I will help him with a 220V installation.

We refueled date on 20 Aug, checked out of Turkey in Fethiye and returned to Boynuz Buku for the night. We left on 21 Aug for Cyprus with Effy and Yaniv on board. The crossing was 32 hours. It got a little choppy off Paphos for an hour or so but otherwise it was really great weather. We checked into Cyprus at the Limassol Marina and Ocean Marine delivered the new ice maker. We left Cyprus on 23 Aug and crossed to Haifa for check in.

We passed one of the new Israeli submarines when we entered Haifa and as we left one the Saar missile boats was returning. I was able to get a photo of the sub but the missile boat photos weren't good. We left Haifa for Herzliya, arrived about 1330, and were met by Yosi, David, and Ofer.

It is good to be home again. We are settling in and reconnecting with friends and family. Ilan and Judy invited us to dinner on our return so we wouldn't have to cook. It was great to see them again. We had a nice parliment gathering on Friday: Gadi, Shmulik, Cecilia, Israel, Yehuda, Yosi, Brian, and Mike came to welcome us back.

Since school was out, we had lots of visitors durng the last week of Aug. Noa and Eyal with their five kids, Didi and Mashka with three, Moti with his grandson, Shira, Lushi, Ruti, Israel, and Itzhik all made a visit. It was good to see them after a few months, the kids have really grown.

1 - 31 July 2016: We relaunched Odelia this morning after one week at D-Marin boatyard. I repaired some fiberglass areas and repainted the boot stripe to repair the damage from last year's fish farm incident. Blues sanded and repainted the bottom and serviced the dinghy and the life raft. All the work went well and we are glad to be back in the water.

We moved back to Boynuz Buku and are at anchor near our favorite spot. On the 4th, we dressed Odelia in her flags and had a small party on board in celebration of our Independence Day. Our friend Ersal, Aisha, Patricia, and Christine came for drinks and snacks at sunset.

I removed the flybridge top and the dinghy cover and took them to Gocek for replacement and repair but it is the end of Ramadan and most shops are closed until Monday. I will return then to get them started on the repairs.

Varnish work is complete, I tried to follow my instructions from the "Bob the Varnishman" and I think it looks great. I added new rub rails on the aft side railings where my winter cover abraded the rails. I ordered five more rub rails; two small ones for the sunshade supports on the forward rails and three for the aft rail (also abraded by the winter cover). I am taking advantage of a good stainless steel worker here in Gocek recommended by Ami.

My water maker died last night, it kicks the circuit breaker when the high pressure pump is turned on. I tried to troubleshoot it today without success and OML, the US company, was bought out by Parker Racor and no longer supports my watermaker.

We relocated to an anchorage off Gocek on the 11th and I called in a local repairmain and although we couldn't communicate very well, he was able to fix the problem in less than one day. It was a bad condensor on the high pressure pump motor that caused the circuit breaker to trip. Less than 150 Euro for the parts and labor and we have water on Odelia again. Fatoush, Google, and Tugce came for a visit and late lunch.

We stayed in Gocek for the night and met Hava at the Kabob Hospital. She is staying with us for a visit. On 12 June, Salih brought the new bimini cover, two sunshades for the aft deck, and the repaired dinghy chaps. Nasuh came out to assess a new bracket to stop the dinghy from swinging while underway.

We returned to Boynuz Buku on the 13th and are back at anchor in Hava's bay, fitting since she is here visting us. On 20 June, Nasuh's crew brought the rest of the rub rails and finished up the new bracket for the dinghy and it looks and works great.

22 June, Mike and Linda of B'sheret came from Fethiye for the weekend. Their boat is undergoing some repairs there. After they left on Sunday, Mike (South Africa Mike) came in with his twin brother Chris and Christina (from Patricia's boat). Hava and Tsipy noodled over for visit and they came by in the evening for a drink.

I have been chasing water leaks in the watermaker for the last few days, I think if may be fixed now. Next month I am getting a new house battery bank delivered to complete this year's planned work.

1 - 30 June 2016: We left Herzliya on 31 May at 0730 for Fethiye. We had a bit of a mishap in Herzliya, I snagged a mooring line for one of the light boats near the marina office. I had to dive down and clear my prop before checking out. Check out went smooth and we were on the way by 0730.

The weather was as predicted, light winds and less than .5 m waves for most of the trip. Both Isramar and Predictwind showed a local weather pattern near the Turkish coast. We ran into about 3 hours of 10 - 15 knot winds and short choppy waves late on Wednesday. Once through that it was smooth sailing again.

I also had a problem with my Autopilot on Wednesday. I tried to shift control from the flybridge to the pilothouse and the system locked up and said it couldn't communicate with the interface and that I had to go through the entire installation set up again. I tried a short reset without any success but a longer reset (5 minutes off) allowed it to reboot and all was well again. Thanks to Miki for that suggestion. I was relieved since I was not looking forward to 19 hours of hand steering.

Miki and Hanan trolled for fish on Wednesday afternoon and at twilight caught a nice tuna. After landing it, we put the lure back in and on the second strike lost the lure. We enjoyed the fish for three delicious meals (thanks to Chefs Hanan and Miki): two seviche style and one fish meatball.

We arrived in Fethiye at 1030 with a welcoming pod of dolphins at the entrance to the bay. We anchored near the marina to do our check in. After a walk in town, visits with the authorities, and a trip to the market and Turkcell; we returned to the boat so Miki could grill some steaks.

We moved to Gocek on Friday morning. Our "normal" spot was occupied, so we anchored in "Hava's bay" a little closer to the restaurant. Hanan and Breana swam the shore lines in and we are secure for a week or so. We will probably move to our spot when Bob and Suzi arrive. Friday was Yacov's Birthday, so we celebrated his birthday on Shabbat Evening. Miki made Spaghetti Bolonaise and Tsipy made her famous Lemon Meringue Pie.

On Sunday we took the dinghy into Gocek for shopping. Alon, Hanan, and Miki left that day by taxi to Antalya for their return flight. Yacov left on 9 Jun via the Fethiye - Rhodos ferry and from there home. Breana is still aboard and looking at options for work in Turkey or training to work on yachts. The whole crew was wonderful throughout the trip and we will welcome them back anytime.

Bob and Susi arrived late of the 12th, their flight from Barcelona was delayed and they missed their connection. They caught the last flight out and arrived at 0030 in Dalaman. The taxi brought them out to Boynuz Buku around 0200. The first few days were dedicated to getting some much needed R & R. We made pasta one night along with Tsipy's famous pesto and arabiata sauces.

16 June, we went into Gocek for a visit and had a walk around the town, it continues to grow. We visited Nir and Polly of Blue Desert (they are also from Herzliya marina) and we had a wonderful dinner on board. On Friday, Mike a friend from Marmaris, anchored nearby. He stays in Finicke marina during the winter and is cruising this summer in the area. We had him over for drinks and Shabbat dinner. Breana and Nir came by and joined us for dinner.

On Wednesday we came into the Gocek city marina for a few days while we made a land trip to Ephesus, one of the best preserved Roman ruins in Turkey. We really enjoyed the new museum in Selchuk prior to seeing Ephesus.The site itself was spectacular with lots of restorations ongoing.

On Friday 24 June, we hauled the boat at D-Marin for bottom painting and maintenance. We should be relaunched on 1 July. On Saturday, Bob, Susi, and Breana headed to Dalaman for their flights. We will really miss them but are looking forward to a few days alone.

1 - 31 May 2016:

30 May: We have leaving for our summer cruise to Turkey on 31 May. Old hands Alon, Hanan, and Yacov and two new friends, Miki and Briana, are making the crossing with us. With this number of crew, the watches will be short with lots of time to rest. We plan to head straight to Fethiye and do our check in there. It will be about a 50 hour crossing. After check in on Thursday, we will move over to the Gocek area and anchor in our favorite spot in Boynuz Buku.

We are hosting Bob and Susi in mid-June but are otherwise actively seeking visitors for the summer and crew for the return.

On 12 May, we participated in the Israeli Independence Day sail. On board we had our friends: Israel & Alina, Yehuda & Rachel, Linda & Mike, Nir & Hani, Steve, Mike, Wayne, and Hava plus Yardena and Zion from Tsipy's family. It was a beautiful day with about 80 boats from our marina participating. The Israeli Air Force flyover went right over our heads. It was a great two-hour test run for us in preparation for our summer cruise. After the cruise we had a late buffet lunch and Tsipy's brother Itzhak joined us.

1 - 30 Apr 2016: On 1 Apr, we had the Friday gathering at Mike and Batsheva's apartment in Tel Aviv. Later that week we went to M25 and had another memorable meal.

On 10 Apr, we had three girls aboard. They were visiting the marina and asked to come aboard for a photo. Shaked is recovering from cancer and Noa and Michal are two of her friends. That evening we went to Qiryat Ono to meet with our nephews and nieces. They met regularily, but this evening was to say shalom to Etty. She returns to NJ on the 11th. We also got to celebrate Roi's birthday.

On 16 Apr, Mike brought his mother Shoshana and some friends for a visit. They brought kubana and jachnun and we had some great food and a nice visit. Shoshana grew up in the Yemenite village near Tsipy's family. We are trying to coordinate a visit with three Shoshanas: Tsipy's aunt, Batsheva's mother, and Mike's mother.

Pessach (Passover) was in Jackie and Motti's home in Givat Ella. The Seder included Jackie parents, two of their children (Netta and Liat), Timor and Yuval (Liat's husband and child), Lushi, and us. It was a great meal and a wonderful long weekend. We stayed in the north through Tuesday night. On Sunday and Monday we did some traveling and touring and on Tuesday, they had a family gathering and meal.

1 - 31 Mar 2016: Steve, Wayne, Mike and I went to M25, one of my favorite meat restuarants located in the Shuk HaCarmel. We had a great meal. The shot below was Steve enjoying the Porterhouse steak all the way to the bone.

Purim is this month and Tsipy has been busy making costumes for our Purim party. We had a wonderful Purim party on the 24th. We invited all our nephews and nieces and our grand nephews and nieces early (from 1600 to 1830 or so). There was around 40 people on board for the early party. After most of the kids left, Tsipy's brothers and sisters plus some of our friends came for a longer party. All the costumes were fantastic, and we enjoyed seeing everyone.

1 - 29 Feb 2016: Winter maintenance continues. I have installed the new vacuum pumps and replumbed and rewired the toilets. Once the weather imprves, I plan to remove the teak from the foredeck.

On 19 Feb we had a farewell party for our friend Ken. He is retiring from Noble Energy and headed back to Colorado. Unfortunately, his wife Linda (and Jesse the wonder dog) missed the party. We will miss him and hope to see them in Turkey this summer. Included are some photos of the party. Scot, Lin, Jenny, and Kool from his office attended, along with our friends from Funair: Steve and Bob. Most of our regulars for the Friday knisset attended: including Yosi, Israel, Yehuda, Nir, Hana, and Amose.