Kuruca Buku to Ova Buku

July 29, 2010: Kuruca Buku to Ova Buku

Sunrise Over Brazan Burun

After a day off yesterday, Dick and David were up at 0530 and pulling up the anchor at 0600. The wind forecast has the wind in the right direction for us to sail back towards where we came from two days ago.

We motor out of Kuruca Buku just as the sun rises over Brazan Burun. We set the sails and before long the wind is blowing 30 knots. We were only expecting 10, so Dick fine tunes Van Kedisi, rolling in sails and getting the boat in balance. Before we know it we are doing 7 knots right in the direction we want to go with the wind just forward of the beam. This is Mediterranean sailing at its best.

We sailed around Ince Burun (Nose Point) where the wind abruptly stopped. We had three hours of perfect sailing followed by one hour of motoring to Ova Buku. Dick reminds me that Ova Buku is actually called Hayit Buku. I check Ron Heikell's Turkish Waters and Cyprus Pilot. He says it's Ova Buku, so I'm sticking with that name for now.

Ova Buku has special meaning to us. It was seven years ago and one day where Van Kedisi and Dragonsinger, the Greer's and the Leighton's first met. David and Marian Leighton had communicated for more than a year and a half until we arranged for our two boats to meet at Ova Buku. You can read about that meeting in David's Diary for July 28, 2003.

Ova Buku is much as we remember it. The beach is as crowded as ever. We stop for a few supplies at the local supermarket. Dick and Marian are friends with Ogun who runs one of the popular restaurants on the beach. We swim and relax after our early morning passage.

We decided to go to dinner at Ogun's Place. As we head out to dinner we see a heard of goats climbing the cliffs behind the bay. When we arrive at Ogun's Place, Dick greets Ogun and just about everyone else who works at the restaurant.

Much to Dick's and our surprise, Ogun has a Van Kedisi cat. Dick's catamaran Van Kedisi is named for a special kind of Turkish cat. Van is a lake, Kedisi is a group of cats, and Van Kedisi is a registered breed of cat that swims in lake Van. These cats are white with one blue and one yellow/green eye. The Van Kedisi at Ogun's Place was a pure bred Van Kedisi, white with mixed colored eyes. There were also three kittens, although only one was white.

We sat outside under the Mulberry trees visiting and enjoying drinks. Ogun took us into the kitchen where we were shown each dish for the night. We made our selections and had a leisurely dinner as day slowly turned to night and we reflected on the seven years since the first time that we met in Ova Buku.

Dick Setting Sail