Day 137

Day 137
5/9/2014
The sea was forecast to resemble a rabbinical sermon: so calm it would put your average layman to sleep.
I paddled south and began a nine mile crossing to the tip of Turkey.
An unforecast west wind began to pick up just as it became clear that a tanker in the distance was coming at me head on. I used the fresh waves to surf out of the way before it was near.
A dozen sailboats were out there with me and when they got close sailors waved and smiled. I tried catching one of their wakes, but the boat was to fast.
The island off to my right apparently had an active volcano with exciting hot tunnels, but it was too far out of my way.
The wind continued to get stronger, and when I arrived in Turkey I was ready for a break.
The port of Knidos is enclosed by two ancient Greek walls, still in good repair. Above, I found two small broken down restaurants and a fence with a ticket booth. Beyond the fence lay a field of Greek ruins.
Uranus and Gaia were the first two gods and they had children. And those children grew into teenagers, and got grounded. Damned to Tartarus, the bowels of the earth, they were lost.
Gaia took pity. But it was not enough to redeem them. Their fate must never be repeated. She only knew one sort of birth control; Uranus would have to be neutered.
She freed her youngest son, Cronus, and gave him an adamantine sickle.
Cronus hid in the closet. The next time his parents went at it, and it didn't take long since there wasn't yet much else to do, he burst forth.
Uranus tried to cover himself with a pillow, but it was no match for the +5 sickle. Cronus hurled his father's severed manhood into the sea, and it landed here in this harbor.
The sea frothed and bubbled. It churned and heaved. And the goddess Aphrodite was born. She is patron to women, sailors, and men who want to get laid. Knidos was an appropriate place for me stop on my pilgrimage to the path less traveled.
But I couldn't stay there for the Sabbath since there was no way to resupply.
As I went around the corner, the east wind became a tailwind and excepting a couple shallow cave exploration breaks I made good time to the Turkish village of Le Jardi De Semra.
After I took my boat out I looked up and saw a sign that said free showers and wifi. I think Turkey is going to work out alright.

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Nautical miles paddled: 25
Current location: 36.669245,27.502314
A kind young fellow was working on a yacht in the harbor. He arranged for me to have permission to sleep there and we chatted some. The self described fanatic showed showed me his tattoo, the name of his favorite politician and religious icon.