Hello.

I’m Kelly, newest crew member aboard AURA.

I’ve spent the last 10 days on board and as the resident guest blogger for May, I’m going to share a snapshot of my time with Kim and Simon, taking in the sights of Turkey and Greece and refining my sailor speak.

Kim and I met through work about five years ago and after too many camping trips and nights out to count, it’s fair to say that I’m okay with hanging out in confined spaces with these two lovely people.

This trip has taught me a lot about myself. When growing up people would often tell me things like, ‘Kelly swears like a sailor.’ I took it as a term of endearment. As luck would have it, my extensive sailor vocabulary has led me to my true calling in life. I’m pretty sure I was born to be on a boat.

Being an official sailor puts me in the prime position to offer advice for those lucky folk that do have the opportunity to come aboard this gorgeous vessel (ship, yacht, boat)…

Top five tips for boat survival

For the lucky friends and family who do get the opportunity to come aboard, Kim and Si thought it would be a good idea to share a list of my learnings.

Here’s my top five tips for boat survival:

1. Get to know the lingo.

Fender – noun

The blue bouncy things that hang off the boat for decoration.

“Kelly drop the fender off the side of the boat.”

Fender is not a brand of guitar.

Port Hatch – noun

The windows located in the boats deck above Kim and Simon’s bed. Can be used interchangeably with ‘port light’, as Simon sees fit (normally to confuse Kim), but should be referred to as a ‘hatch’ at all other times. Oh and they should be closed when it starts to rain.

Head – noun

A porcelain repository. Can be used interchangeably with toilet.

“Kelly, don’t leave water in the head.”

Tip for young players - you must not leave water in the head (toilet) while in transit. Learnt that the hard way.

Chafing – verb

To wear away or irritate by rubbing of friction (not to be confused with chafing of the nether regions).

Chafing is bad. It is enough to send Simon into a tail spin. He has a range of devices that he uses to avoid chafing and gets very irritated when his ropes are chafed :-)

2. Bring essential survival gear

Onion chopping goggles proved to be a necessity.

3. Wear appropriate attire at all times

You’re on a boat – enjoy.

4. Be prepared to use hand sanitiser, often

A rule enforced by Simon if you’re unlucky enough to bring a cold onto the boat (like me for the first 3 days – sorry guys).

5. Socialise with the locals

Invite the owner to have a drink but beware of the Raki!

Sights and scenes from Turkey

I’m so grateful for the chance to experience life on the water and see some of the most stunning destinations. It’s truly been a pleasure to crew on AURA and spend time with great friends.

Oh and here’s a sum up of the sights we’ve seen this week:

Gocek – this is a cute village about 12nm from Fethiye

Yassica Adasi - great BBQ and beautiful sunset – washing hair off the back of the boat is optional.

Sarsala Bay – Another amazing bay surrounded by steep mountains. Historically significant with tombs located in the hills.

Kapi Creek – you know you’re in a good place when the barman lines up a complimentry tequila shot at 2pm (plus one for himself) … this is a cute fishing island with a relaxed vibe and plenty of goats. We spent two nights here on separate occasions… if anyone gets the chance to see this place – stay for dinner, order the calamari and tell Moammer that I said hi :-)

Karacaoren (aka Crazycat Café) – they have turtles, the best lamb casserole and killer views of the full moon. The pictures don’t do this place justice. At dinner we met a Swiss sailor called Florienne who has been visiting this spot for 25 years. He said it hasn’t changed a bit. Si also pulled out Crystal (aka dive hooker). Not much to see but Si had a smile on his face.

Fethiye – this is the most picturesque city. We moored at the Yacht Classic Hotel and in the spirit of tip 5 (socialise with the locals) we took a ride into town with the restaurant manager (the awesome Ozcan) for a grocery shop. On the way back he took us up through the hills for a birds eye view of Fethiye and a chance to see the ancient king tombs and mosques.

Rhodes – Our departure from Kapi Creek included action man (aka Simon) dive into the water as we were leaving to free our lazy line that was wrapped around our keel. Very Indiana Jones!!! On the trip over we experienced +35 knot winds on the nose but we made it safely to Rhodes. After a bit of sightseeing, we had my farewell dinner at a great restaurant and got to try some Greek cuisine…which does not appear to be too dissimilar to Turkish cuisine :-)

Thanks guys ;)

Kelly … signing off, over and out...... AURA is standing by on 16