The first glimpse of Kealoha

Ben and I have joined the boat in Marmarais, Turkey, where she is on the hard, having winter maintenance and up grades completed. She is very clearly well looked after and is in good hands in the yard in Marmarais where teams of workers are pouring over her. There are thousands of yachts here being worked on, the yard is very active so it is all a good sign.

Kealoha 8 is resting comfortably in her chocks after her exciting trip around the world, you can almost see that she is a proud experienced “seagoer” and as the new crew, it gives you a warm buzz. You have to sit back and appreciate the Oyster workmanship, continuous top spec. maintenance and investment, and hard graft of previous crews which have kept her that way. She is clearly a boat that is “loved”.

Hard work for a great advantage

When Kealoha is launched in a few months, she will be one of the few boats of her size to boast her own waste water treatment system, giving her an ecological advantage over many other vessels. Guests will be able to enjoy all facilities on board such as showers and toilets, whether in the most secluded bay or in the marina, knowing that the water consumed will be returned clean to the sea.

Bye bye soapy residue pumping out of Kealoha!!

An exciting sailing ground

As crew we are looking forward to sailing the Eastern Mediterranean. Even arriving in winter and winding through the roads from the airport you are impressed by the majesty of the surrounding mountainous countryside. The dark green of the pine forests contrasts with the glittering blue sea. The snaking roads are littered with stalls buckling under the weight of oranges and lemons which have been harvested freshly from the groves at the road sides. Once in Marmarais town, there is a distinct hustle and bustle, a town getting ready for summer trade. Restaurants are having boards taken down and being cleaned, the yacht chandleries are eager to attract your business. There is still a lot of local trade though, supermarkets stand side by side with covered bazaars re-iterating the East meets West culture that makes Turkey such an interesting destination to explore. There is so much ancient history scattered along the shores of Greece and Turkey, evidence and stories dating back thousands of years. We are spoiled by the dream coastline and islands only short hops away, made even shorter by the prospect of  decent winds that will carry us there all the quicker. There seems to be no box that is left un-ticked in my mental list of criteria for exceptional sailing boat holidays that I have compiled over the years.