Sherrie's Cruising Blog (Sailing Catamaran Element): Daily life in Finike and saying farewell

Deciding to winter in Finike was the best decision that our family made.

Looking back at our time there brings many happy memories. We met so many great people it was difficult to say farewell.

Throughout our eight month at Setur Marina Finike the staff were wonderful. Arifé would always have a big smile and a hug no matter what (it was a bonus that she is excellent at her job). Zia, Barbaros and Pinar were always helpful and participated in any of our holiday events to make it more exciting for the kids.

I knew the cruising community was a tight knit group but I hadn't experienced it in the Mediterranean. I chalked it up to the different languages. The group of cruisers that we met in Finike finally brought back the tight knit community feel that I had been missing and was used to. The people we met became friends/family. I am so very glad to have been a part of this community.

We shared birthdays, Halloween, Christmas, New Years Eve and Easter with them. We also got to partake in other countries special days. Most of the cruisers that wintered this year were new to Finike which made our experience that much better. No one was set in their ways and everyone was up for a new challenge. We pulled together for Wednesday coffee morning volunteering or voluntelling people to bake cakes and serve coffee. We all enjoyed the Sunday BBQ and loved hearing the radio net during the week.

Shaun and I did many boat jobs including fibreglassing, winches, engine work etc. We slowly took sticky notes off of the todo board. It seemed as though every time one was removed two more would go up. Some days we accomplished a lot and others not so much.

Paige, Jordan and I fell in love with the marina dogs Chapeau, Large (Tripod) and little. My dear friend Marita would faithfully raise money for them and make sure that they stayed healthy. Most of the cruisers would oversee their safety and wellbeing. We were sad to say goodbye but know that they would be well taken care of. As we set sail on April 30 I was told by a friend that Large was running down our pontoon barking as we left. This made my eyes leak as he was one of my favourites.

Finike will always have a very special place in my heart. The people were welcoming, the fruits and veggies were amazing and the cruisers made it awesome.

On the day we left as hard as it was to say farewell it felt really good to be back on the water. We were looking forward to making more memories, meeting new people and seeing the world.