Back aboard Malua

I arrived back in Marmaris in mid-April to find Malua under the gum trees where she had spent the northern winter. The cockpit cover had kept the leaves out and, more importantly, there had been no water ingress or mould below. After washing off the dust I set about rerunning the halyards and lines, polishing the topsides and preparing Malua for another season.

The damage to the keel sustained in Palma was repaired with epoxy and the antifouling was still in good condition. While waiting to launch I joined a marina tour to Ephesus, Hierapolis and the white limestone terraces of Pamukkale.

Back in the water

Launching day involved a long wait while enough room was made between a large motor cruiser and the gum trees for the travel lift. Malua was finally lifted into the water at about 7:30 in the evening, the last boat launched that day. The reward was a convenient berth close to the facilities.

With the engine running and the shaft alignment looking good, all that remained was to bend on the sails, inflate the RIB and provision. I was next to an American yacht who had replaced his anchor with a larger one so I offered to take his 30 kg. The 2008 expedition could begin.