1 - 30 November 2019: We met Phil and Donna (and Donna's brother) onboard their Nordhaven trawler - Beyond Capricorn on 2 Nov. Beautiful boat, they are new owners and it is really looking good. We then had them aboard for sundowners (G&T of course). Donna took the nice photo of a sunny Odelia from their boat. They are staying in DMarin so we may stop by and see them.

We anchored Odelia off Gocek on Sunday morning so we could go shopping and to make it easy to celebrate Tsipy's birthday on Monday. She is going to the Hamam (Turkish bath for a massage and treatment) around noon, followed by dinner with Hava, Fatoush, and Nazif somewhere in town. Many of the restaurants are closed for the season now, so we will go where is open.

The Hamam was great, Tsipy really enjoyed it and wants to go again. We had dinner at Lotus and Fatoush was able to join us. There is a large regatta in town with over 60 boats, so all the remaining restaurants are busy and so was Nazif in the shop. We decided to remain in Gocek until Thursday. Our friend Ersol and a friend of his are coming from Izmir for a visit and it is easier than coming to Boynuz Buku.

Our friend Ersol and Mujde arrived and we spent Wednesday night at anchor in Gocek before returning to Boynuz Buku on Thursday. We had a lovely dinner on board and they helped us continue Tsipy's birthday celebration.

We've been swimming every day and the water is cooling off rapidly. Most of you will not believe that Tsipy (my little coldie) is still enjoying it. 12 Nov, I dove, cleaned the props, checked the zincs, and cleaned the bow thruster.

We have decided to winter the boat in Karpaz this year. The crossing from Israel is getting to be too long and tiring and we need to have the boat hauled and painted next season. The marina there is much cheaper and includes haulout and anti-fouling.

We departed at 0600 Wednesday, 20 Nov and arrived about 1530 on the 21st. The weather predictions were for great weather and we experienced even better conditions. The entire trip was less than 8 knots of wind and waves less than 0.4m (most of the time, just ripples). We were welcomed into the marina by our friends Oykan and Mehmet and we are berthed at the beginning of C dock next to Tai-Pan. Our thanks to our crew, Hava and Yacov were great, you made the crossing easier and more fun. Yosi sent us a great photo of Odelia in our new home.

Dov came and picked us up on Friday afternoon and took us to his house for a late lunch/ early dinner. Dov did a tremendous job renovating the house, building new furniture, clearing the land, and building a new green house, smoker, and chicken coop. It was great to see them again and the dinner was outstanding.

Hava and Yacov left today (23 Nov) for Israel. Once we prepare the boat for the winter, we will follow them. I hope to leave here before the end of Nov.

29 Nov, we finished preparing the boat for our trip. We leave here on Monday 2 Dec for Israel and will be there for about 5 weeks. Today, we went to Dov and Alona's for a late lunch/early dinner. Great food as always. The photo was taken in the late afternoon when it started to get cool.

1 - 31 October 2019: Since Tsipy left for the holidays, I have been assembling the solar panels. I bolted each pair together and then installed the mounting brackets. Taner helped me move the panels once they were bolted together (they are 1.7m x 2m). I installed the cabling and laced them together using nylon lines.

I was able to remove two of the old solar panels (about 1 hour apiece) and then decided to paint the rest since they will be under the new panels. I hope to get the second coat of paint on today (5 Oct) but its raining, so I am not sure. Nir returned to the bay and his owners and guest are flying out today, so if I can get the top painted, he can help me lift the panels onto the flybridge on Sunday or Monday.

The rain stopped so I was able to get a second coat on the top on Saturday. Sunday morning I went into town for the market and picked up Ron. Nir, Denis, and Ron helped me mount the solar panels onto the flybridge top after lunch. Sunday night, Ron and I went into town for dinner at the Kebab Hospital. I took Ron into town Monday morning so he could go to Fethiye and see how his boat work is doing. I was able to find wood to upgrade the access panels on the radar arch. I will install t-nuts into the wood slats and then use machine screws instead of the current sheet metal screws to mount the panels. I was able to connect all the wiring and even on a cloudy day, I was getting 30+ Amps in the afternoon (22A at 1630) so I am really pleased with the performance of the new panels.

It is raining again today (8 Oct), so no outside work today just some cleanup and work inside. Tonight is the start of Yom Kippur, so I will fast and stay on board until sunset Wednesday. I will add some photos once the rain stops. As promised, I added two photos of the new solar panels on the flybridge top. The mounting brackets from Nasuh worked perfectly and I am pleased with the performance of the new panels. Today is sunny and they completed the battery charge to 100% while carrying the full daytime load, great news!

Tsipy and Hava returned on 16 Oct, delayed a little trying to find their driver at the airport. Now all is well on Odelia. On 19 Oct, Yair came to visit with two friends (Natalie and Etty) from his kite surfing classes in Gokova. They had fun seeing the bay, the boat and the beautiful sunset.

30 Oct, Hava, Tsipy, and I took the dinghy over to Tomb Bay for lunch. Hava and I have calamari (fried for her and grilled for me) and Tsipy have the Meze plate with fresh village bread. Good food and the weather was beautiful. On the 31st, I lifted the dinghy, scrapped, sanded, taped, and applied bottom paint. I painted it on the dinghy lift while I floated around on noodles with the paint tray on a float. Tsipy held the paint still and refilled it for me. I used a special flexible paint made for inflatables. Hope it helps to reduce the critter growth.

1 - 30 September 2019: Another Israeli boat anchored near us on 2 Sep. We met Itzik and his son Nir and friends Ellie and Pinchas. They came aboard for drinks and then departed on 3 Sep.

We finally confirmed a spot in Skopea marina for Tsipy while I am traveling to the US. We will relocate there on 4 Sep in the evening. That gives me a day to organize the boat before I leave on Friday morning. Tsipy will be aboard until I return on the 21st. She will depart for Israel on 25 Sep for the holidays. Looking forward to seeing my brother and his family.

I returned to Gocek late on the 22nd. I really enjoyed my stay with my brother, it was great to reconnect and to visit his family. It had been 5 years since I was there last, so lots of changes. I drove back to San Francisco and flew back on Turkish Air, great flight but long (12 hours in the air, then a 5 hour layover, and and 1.5 hour flight to Dalaman).

I picked up the new solar panels from Orca and loaded them aboard. We will depart the marina on Monday (23rd) for Boynuz Buku. Nir on Blue Desert is already there, so we will anchor near him.

On 23 Sep, we arrived in Boynuz Buku and anchored near our normal spot. Banu and Taner are in our place and will depart for Gocek tomorrow. We will probably move to get a little more shelter from the wind. Mea and Deniz came by for sundowners this evening. Mea is heading to Marmaris tomorrow for 3 days off. Tsipy is preparing to leave on Wednesday, doing laundry, and preparing salad dressing and homemade mayonaise. It is supposed to rain on Wednesday morning, so we may take Tsipy in on Tuesday evening to stay with Fatoush to avoid getting wet on the way to the airport.

30 Sep, I am continuing work on the boat; fixed a fuel leak on the generator, repaired a few cabinet doors, and am now working on the new solar panels. Nir invited me over for dinner on Erev Rosh HaShana. Mea made a clever honey bowl by carving out an apple and then arranging sliced apples for dipping. Bravo! Dinner was great and I enjoyed the company. Banu and Taner came back to anchor beside me, not sure how long they will be here since they have guests. I will add some photos of the panels once I am ready to mount them.

1 - 31 August 2019: We are still in Boynuz Buku. Banu and Tanner on Asya anchored nearby, we have known them for a few years and they joined us for a sundowner. Our friends, Cem, Birem, Derin, and Ediz left on 3 Aug. We had a wonderful time while they were here; enjoying dinners, drinks, sunsets, and several games of Mexican train. Cem helped me repair an electrical problem and cleaning the bottom. It was great to see them again and we already miss them.

I finished the topside work on the dinghy: painting the interior and adding a trim line and the new name to the console. Salih made the engine cover. I still have to paint the bottom but will do that after a couple of weeks. We spent 6 Aug in town, picking up our temporary residence permits and having some work done by Erdinch and Salih. I also had to replace one of the fill valves on the dinghy. We met Golan and his family on his power cat, first seeing him in town and later visiting them in the bay.

Speaking of dinghies, this morning (7 Aug) one the flying dinghies took off in front of us in Boynuz Buku. Here are some photos. Today is head day, I rebuilt the mid-cabin head, replacing the seal. It is really hot, over 100 F, so I plan to spend most of the afternoon in the water.

Shlomi and Hani and their family visited us for a few days, coming out with their boat Nathalie and anchoring near us. We had a great time with all the kids and grandkids, especially Tsipy (my big kid). Ami and Uri came out with their new yacht M and anchored across the bay from us and joined us for sundowners. Since Shlomi and Hani are leaving on the 12th, we went into Gocek on Sunday the 11th for dinner with them at Kabob Hospital. Ami and Uri joined us for a great meal.

13 Aug, we met Mike and Denise on Jomani and went over for drinks with some of their fellow boaters from Fethiye. We met Ray and Jane and Howard and Regina onboard Jomani. On 14 Aug, we invited them over for sundowners on Odelia. They arrived in a slightly overloaded dinghy. Banu and Taner came over and we had a nice evening on the front deck. I took a moon anchor light shot over one of boats near us.

15 Aug, we met the Zommers, a nice family from Spain and Israel, they came over for sundowners on the 15th and departed on the 16th. Originally from Argentina, Lily and Fabian now live in Madrid, with married daughters in Israel (Ani and Hudi) and Barcelona (Sofi and Axel). We hope to see them again.

18 Aug, Liat and Assaf from the Herzliya cruising club arrived on a charter and anchored nearby. They brought their two daughters Yam and Reef and another couple Efrat and Adam (Assaf's brother). We had them aboard for sundowners before they continued their sail. It was great to see them, even if Yam didn't want her picture taken.

21 to 23 Aug, our friends Ofer and Yolanda on Alba returned from the Datca area and anchored nearby. He was having problems with his batteries and I tried to help him isolate the issues. They (and their sons: Alon and Omri and Omri's fiance Sara) came over for dinner on Thursday prior to returning to Gocek. They ended up having to replace the house batttery bank.

Shlomi and Hani returned to Gocek with Yankele and Elit and visited us twice during their stay. Shlomi brought over my mail and some boat parts from the US. I removed and sent out the motor for my dive compressor for repairs, they ended up replacing the condensers, brushes, and bearings. I reinstalled it on 28 Aug and will refill my dive tanks this week.

I am preparing for my trip to the US. I leave on 5 Sep and fly via Istanbul to San Fransisco. I will drive from there to Lewiston. It has been a long time since I've been in northern California and Nevada so it should be a nice drive. Kathy made my annual physical appointment and I made my dental appointment so I will be able to take care of my medical requirements while I am there. I sure that they believe that an Amazon and eBay avalanche has hit them with all of my boat parts arriving in the last few weeks. I am looking forward to visiting my brother and his family.

1 - 31 July 2019: We are still in the bay, I finished the varnish work on the rails and taped and sanded the toe rail for painting. I will paint next week and that will complete the painting on Odelia. I am leaving the dinghy painting for later. Next week it goes in for the first service on the new Yamaha engine (10 hour breakin period). I will remove the chaps while it is out of the water and have Salih reinforce the front corners that are worn from the dinghy docks. After cleaning the tubes, I will remove the front seat, gas tank, and cushions; paint the entire insides white; and then add a blue trim line. The vinyl lettering for Odelia and the dinghy will arrive with Moti and Jackie on the 18th. We met Ofer, Yolanda, and Maayan at Tomb bay for dinner, nice spot and good food.

Today is the 4th of July, America's 243rd birthday. I dressed Odelia with signal flags and a large US flag on the bow. Our friends Ofer, Yolanda, and Maayan returned to celebrate with us. Nazif and Fatoush aren't able to make it out this year. She looks good dressed for the holiday.

I finished painting the toe rail on 8 Jul, cleaned up the tape, and rebedded the life line supports on the 9th. I took a break on the 10th, just a little prep work on the dinghy. I lifted it out of the water and removed the old scupper. Tsipy and I installed the new scupper on 11 Jul, bedding it in Sikaflex, repaired the transom, and cleaned the bottom.

Our friends Cem, Birem, Derin, and Ediz returned on the 14th and anchored next to us. On 15 Jul, I took the dinghy in for it's 10 hour break in service and removed the chaps for some repair work by Salih. We cleaned the dinghy tubes once we returned to the boat. I picked up the new rub strips for the forward cleats from Nasuh and installed them on the 16th. Birem's mother, brother, and his daughter Daphne came in to visit. On the 17th, I took Ediz and Daphne for a tubing session, lots of splashing and fun.

We picked up Jackie and Moti from Gocek on the 18th. We had an early dinner at Kabab Hospital and then came back to the boat for swimming and relaxation. We invited Birem and her family for cake to celebrate Daphne's 8th birthday. On the 19th we took the dinghy over to Tomb Bay for drinks and a swim before returning to the boat for Shabbat dinner. After dinner, we invited Cem, the kids, and Shokran (Birim's mother) over for dominoes. On Saturday, we swam, used the kayak, and reinstalled the dinghy cover.

I will continue work on the dinghy after they depart.

1 - 30 June 2019: We are still in Boynuz Buku, enjoying spending some time with Nir and his crew on Blue Desert. While he is here and can provide transportation to and from the city, I decided to replace my dinghy motor. My Mariner engine was giving me problems and the cooling system in the head was starting to leak. After shopping around the city, I ordered a new Yamaha 40hp outboard from Erdinch. It arrived Saturday (1 Jun) around 1400 and they completed the installation that day. Cesur (shown in the photo) did most of the work with help from Erdinch. The new motor is really quiet and smooth and I really like it and the new digital instrumentation. I also ordered new covers for my fenders from Salih, they are in a heavy terry cloth and match the tan colors of my sunshades and cushions. We borrowed a power washer from Nir and I washed the carpets from the three staterooms. They had a lot of dirt, sand, and grit embedded in them. We are now looking for someone to cut new carpeting for us.

From 4 to 8 Jun, I finished sanding, filling, priming, and painting the pilothouse doors and frames with two component primer and paint. They were totally exposed to the sun and varnish just didn't last under the relentless UV attack. I reassembled the doors on Saturday and they look good. I used the excess paint to give a second coat for the swim platform. I added some photos.

Semona came on Sunday with her guests on a charter boat. They rafted to us and spent an hour or so. We enjoyed meeting her son, family, and friends. Nir returned with Blue Desert after his guests departed and is now anchored on our starboard side.

This week, I had planned to sand the underside of the railing and wet sand the upper sides in preparation for varnishing. Instead I decided to tape off and paint the Lauderdale Blue trim line on the bottom of the side skirts. We decided that we needed more color on the side, especially with the now white doors and frames. I have ordered two vinyl names similar to one on the transom and will put them on the sides of the flybridge. I added two photos showing the new trim lines.

I still have the rails to varnish and some touchup painting on the toe rail, forward cleats, side power entrance points, and a repair on the aft toe rail. The final painting project is the dinghy, it needs to be repainted white and I will add Lauderdale blue trim to match Odelia. I am also planning to wet sand and polish the bow anchor protection plate. Bob and I installed it during our first year in RI and it has pitted badly over the years. Boat ownership is boat maintenance in nice places. This summer shows the validity of that quote.

14 Jun, our friends Ami, Orna, and Uri anchored between Blue Desert and Odelia. They have a new boat (for them); a Dominator 68 and it is beautiful inside and out. They are still learning the boat and making upgrades. The photo shows their boat with Blue Desert in the background. They joined us for G&T's on 15 Jun.

There is a Baglietto 1650, just like Yosi's Lisa, docked at the restaruant in Boynuz Buku and this week a San Lorenzo just like Lisa 2 anchored next to us. They reminded us of Yosi and the times we have spent with him aboard. I added the photos and sent them to Yosi. Nir is getting ready for his summer cruise to Italy, he and Mea (his new stewardess) took us out to Kapi Creek for dinner. Great place and food was good but expensive.

I taped off and painted trim lines on the Nera satellite dish to match the new blue trim lines on the side skirts. I finished varnishing the topsides of the front hand rails (2 coats). I still have to sand the bottom sides and put on at least one coat of varnish to protect the wood. I also need to sand and varnish the aft hand rails (around the aft deck) and do the touch painting noted above. We are expecting some friends this week. Dan on Gasha Nosha and Ofer and Yolanda on Alba should be arriving in the next few days. On the 21st, Tsipy made me a lemon pie for my birthday. We had a quiet celebration here.

On the 26th, Dan and Gila from Gasha Nosha arrived and rafted to us for two nights. They left early Friday morning for Fethiye (too early for photos). They plan to leave their boat there for a few weeks until their next cruise. Tsipy used their Standup Paddleboard to tool around the bay and it was great to see our neighbors from Herzliya. On the 29th, Ofer, Yolanda, and Maayan came on Alba and rafted to us. We had G&Ts on the front deck and enjoyed swimming, eating, talking, and a game of Mexican Train. It was great to see them.

1 - 31 May 2019: On 9 May, we celebrated Israel's 71st year of independence at Yosi and Ruti's apartment overlooking the celebration sail by and the Israeli Air Force flyover. We had a great time and wonderful food. For desert, Tsipy and Rebecca decorated a watermelon cake. Here are some photos of our visit.

We are fast approaching our departure for the summer. I have completed all the preparation and we are looking for a good weather window. It looks like the 14th will be a good day. Right now, our friends Yakov and Yair are coming with us, with two others still hoping to come. That will make an easy trip with 2 hours on and 6 or 8 hours off during the night.

We left Israel on the 14th with Yacov, Yair, Amnon, and Revital as crew. The first day and most of the second day was perfect, smooth seas and light winds. Around 2200 on Wednesday, the wind picked up to about 25-30 knots and the seas were about 1 to 1.5m. We slowed down and changed course to reduce the rolling and approached the coast (see the photo of our plot). We were then able to go west along the coast to Gocek. The winds were light until the morning and then picked up to around 15 knots just as we entered the protection of Fethiye bay. We checked into Turkey in Gocek, then moved to the city marina for a washdown and rest. We visited Nazif (Fatoush is with her mother while she recovers from surgery). On Friday morning, we moved out to Boynuz Buku. Once settled, we swam, kayaked, and relaxed. Sundowners under the zula was followed by a delicious Shabbat dinner on the aft deck. It is great to be settled into our summer home.

On Saturday, we took Revital and Amnon into town so they can fly home. I picked up parts to repair the watermaker and on our return, Yair, Yacov, and I repaired the watermaker (some brittle tubing and new connectors). On Sunday, we returned to Gocek for shopping at the open air market and to drop off Yair for his return to Israel. Monday (20 May), Nir on Blue Desert arrived and anchored near us. We had dinner together on board Odelia on Monday and on board Blue Desert on Tuesday. Tsipy enjoyed zipping around on one of their Seabob's. On Thursday, Yacov left early in the morning for the ferry from Fethiye to Rhodes and caught a flight home from there. He was delayed by the fires in Israel but arrived around midnight.

Friday (24 May), we celebrated Shabbat on board with Nir, Gail, and Rafik. Tsipy tried out Nir's exercise shoes aboard Blue Desert. We have really enjoyed being with them. Photos above.

1 - 30 April 2019: The weather finally improved and we were able to install the hardtop panels onto the bimini frame. My friends: Nir (Blue Desert), Steve (Funair), and Amir (Lady Sheia) helped me lift the panels onto the frame and then Steve helped me do the initial installation. We screwed the port panel down to the frame and then screwed the starboard panel to the port panel. We finished the initial installation by screwing and Sikiflexing the panels to the radar arch.

On 3 Apr, I borrowed a Bosun's chair from Nir to finish the installaton. Tsipy helped me and we were able to screw down the sides and front of the panels to the outside rail of the frame. I finished the electrical installation on 4 Apr and did some touch up with Sikaflex and epoxy. During the installation, the positive connector for the port array somehow disconnected, so I had to run a new cable inside back to the arch. On 7 Apr, I painted the top of the radar arch, the join to the new top, and did some touch up painting on the hardtop panels.

I think it is a great job and really want to thank Miki (for helping me build the panels and using his shop); Miki, Alon, Ronnie, Hanan, and Evyatar for the delivery to the boat and lift to the upper deck; and Steve, Nir, and Amir for helping with the install; and Tsipy for help with the bosun's chair and screwing down the sides and front.

14 Apr, our friend Ken took a beautiful photo of the sun setting between the buildings over Odelia. Our friend Nir (Blue Dessert) came by on the 21st and let Tsipy try out his electric scooter. She had a great time zooming around the lagoon.

On 19 Apr, Tsipy, Lushi, and I drove to Givat Ela for Pessach dinner with Moti, Jackie, and their familes. We had a great weekend, the Seder was great, conducted by Tony (Jackie's father) and attended by their children and grandchildren. We returned to Herzliya on Saturday night after Shabbat. No photos from this Seder. We had the second Seder on our boat on the 25th. Jackie, Moti, Didi and Mashka and their kids came for the dinner. See the photos of the evening.

We are still planning to depart in mid-May and I am looking at the weather patterns now.

1 - 31 March 2019: The dealer delivers the plywood to Miki but the first two shipments were not AA plywood, so we didn't start work on the new hardtop for the bimini until 24 Feb. His shop is in Rehovet and he had some great tools including a table saw with a moving trundle and even a digital readout for the rip fence guide. It made the wood cutting easy and we finished the cutting early on the first day and I then glued and screwed the lap joints and reinforcing strips along the edges. We need good weather since I have to work outside of the shop. On the second work day, I fiberglassed reinforcements for the lap joints and epoxied the top sides of both panels. Tsipy helped by mixing the epoxy to reduce the time to coat the surfaces. We returned the next day to epoxy the bottom sides of the panels. After a short weather delay, we returned on 6 Mar to sand and recoat the bottom sides of the panels. Today (7 Mar) I finished sanding and applied the second coating on the top sides of the panels. The panels are now waterproof and glossy.

Miki delivered the panels to the boat on 16 Mar with his truck since each panel is 1.8m by 3.2m. Once the weather cleared I sanded and painted them with two coats of Tamaglass paint. I installed the solar panels using Sikaflex adhesive and screws. In the coming days I will connect them and secure the wiring before mounting them up on the bimini frame.

Purim was the 21st and Tsipy made costumes for us. I was Moses, complete with staff and the ten commandments. Tsipy was Tsipora (Moses' first wife). The party was a Noa and Eyal's home. Food was delicious and we had a great time.

1 - 28 Febuary 2019: I got some good weather and was able to finish sanding and preparing the toe rail, bow pulpit, and swim platform for paint. Today (5 Feb) I finished most of the painting. I still have a few areas to paint (around the cleats and chocks used for mooring ropes). I will get to those areas once we are out of the marina and at anchor.

Gadi, Roger, Steve, and I went to Itzhik HaGadol in Yafo and had a truly outstanding meal. They have Wagyu beef (same species as Kobe beef without the daily message and beer). The steaks were the best I've had in Israel and one of the best all time. Definitely worth a return visit.

On 10 Feb I painted the fuel tanks and underfloor areas in the engine room. We are still waiting for the bilge paint. The weather looks like it will be improving, so I am going to start work on the flybridge. I have two projects up there: one is to strip the paint from the louvers on the cabinet doors and repaint them and the second it to build a hard top for the bimini and remount the solar panels.

I stripped the paint and varnish from the flybridge and aft deck cabinet doors on 13-14 Feb. I still need to sand them prior to painting. Miki ordered the plywoord for the new bimini top and I plan to start on it this week (17 Feb) at his workshop.