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This article appeared in the Spring/Summer edition of World Cruising Club Magazine
Cruising Southern Turkey’s Lycian Coast.  Click on the link below to view the full article online.

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A “Blue Voyage” on a Turkish gület along the Lycian Coast is more than worthy of its listing in 1000 Places to See Before You Die. Popular for it turquoise waters, Greco-Roman ruins, rugged landscape, sun drenched beaches and great food, we found that a few weeks meandering down this stretch of the Mediterranean Coast was a wonderful way to wind up our 7,000 mile cruising season on Moonshadow, which started in Thailand a the beginning of the year. Fairly protected from full force of the prevailing Aegean winds known as the Meltemi, and offering numerous marinas, municipal harbours and cozy anchorages, this stretch of Turkish coastline is a cruiser’s delight.

Marmaris 36º 51’ N 28º 16.7’ W

We spent a week in the Marmaris Netsel Marina, adjacent to the town, catching up on boat chores by day and enjoying the lively town by night. Netsel is a modern, full service marina with a variety of services on site, including an excellent supermarket, and a host of yachting related businesses within walking distance. We found the locals to be friendly, helpful and efficient, and in just a few days managed to trim down our “to do” and “to get” lists.

Situated at the head of a well-protected natural bay, the once-sleepy fishing village of Marmaris has exploded into a budget tourism mecca. A stroll through the town’s bazaar was truly a sensual delight, and at night we joined the crowds along the Haci Mustafa Sokak, also known as “Bar Street” where the doof-doof music pumping out of the nightclubs can be felt and heard all the way to the marina. But to enjoy the best of the Lycian coast, we headed for the quiet anchorages and small villages.

Turunç Bükü 36º 46.5’ N 28º 15.1’ W

Leaving the hustle and bustle of Marmaris town behind, we found anchorage in a small inlet called Turunç Bükü, just outside of the Bay of Marmaris. The beach was lined with holiday resorts, but we were relieved to have a quiet, if not a bit rolly evening away from the big city lights and all-night revelry.

Dalyan 36º 47.9’ N 28º 36’ W

The following day we motor-sailed east in light air and anchored behind Delicada (Dalyan) island just to seaward of the Dalyan River bar. When we arrived, the area was buzzing with day tripper and river boats, and the long brown-sand beach was crawling with sun worshippers. A local guide came by and offered us an all day tour of ruins at Kaunos, the town of Dalyan, the fresh water lake and some mud baths for US $200. We declined, figuring we might be able to do it ourselves in our dinghy. By sunset the place transformed into a ghost town and we were the only boat left.

The anchorage was not particularly well-protected but the meltemi had been quiet and we did have a relatively comfortable night, only rolling a bit after the sea breeze died and before the land breeze filled in from the opposite direction, keeping Moonshadow more or less in line with the gentle swell.

Setting off early the next morning in the dinghy, we dodged the Caretta caretta (loggerhead turtles) that were hanging out near one of their favourite nesting sites, Iztuzu Beach. We easily negotiated the shallow waters over the bar and made our way up into the Dalyan River delta. Inside the bar there was plenty of water and we found navigation through the wide reed-lined tributaries quite easy. The bright red Turkish flags flown high from the sterns of the local boats were visible above the reeds for quite some distance, giving us rough bearings to where we were headed.

Our first stop was at a fish farm blocking an entire tributary of the river. There was a small visitor’s dock to which we tied up. From there, it was a short walk to the ancient Roman city of Kaunos. In its heyday, Kaunos had many things going for it; a high hill for the fortification, a well protected harbour, fresh water from the river, timber from the pine trees growing on the surrounding hills and plenty of flat, fertile farm land. Historians speculate that Kaunos failed because the harbor silted, leaving it three kilometers inland, and because the inhabitants were plagued by malaria, which was evidenced by reports of the yellow cast of their skin.

The ancient amphitheatre was mostly intact, as were Roman baths, the agora (central square/market) and a few other buildings on the site. We decided to get a bit of exercise and hiked up to the ruin of the fort. The path was scarcely more than a goat track, unmarked and slippery with loose rock. At the top we were rewarded with a commanding 360º view of the marshland, the sea, and the picturesque village of Dalyan further inland. From this vantage point I made a mental map of how to make our way to town through the maze of tributaries and fish traps.

We made our way back down to sea level and wound our way by dinghy up to Dalyan. Just across the river from the village are some spectacular Lycian tombs carved into the face of the cliff. After a few photo ops, we continued upstream till the river opened up into a huge fresh water lake. A full throttle run gave our outboard a much needed flush out. We returned to Dalyan and enjoyed a traditional Turkish lunch on the riverfront, while gazing out at the tombs and turtles dodging the constant parade of tourist boats chugging up and down the river.

Ekinçik Limani 36º 49.5’ N 28º 33’ W

That afternoon a light Meltemi filled in and we decided not to tempt fate, so after our delightful day’s excursion, we moved north up the coast a few miles to a lovely and more protected anchorage in a bay called Ekinçik Limani. We found good holding in 17 meters, well away from the charter boats and gülets. The anchorage was very calm, quiet and well worth the four mile battery-charge run.

Fethiye Körfezi 36º 40’ N 28º 54.3’ W

A pleasant day’s sail in light airs took us to a large bay called Fethiye Körfezi about 20 miles southeast. This bay is a lovely cruising ground as there are numerous islands and a variety of picturesque, deeply indented coves providing fine shelter. It is also close to the charter hub of Göçek, and many of the coves were chocker with yachts and gülets. We found a very pretty, pleasant and uncrowded spot to anchor on the north side of a small privately-owned island called Domuz Ad, and tied our stern to an olive tree on the rocky shoreline.

Snorkeling in the warm, clear water I saw remnants of ancient amphora (a ceramic vase) embedded in the rocky bottom. After my last dive I surfaced to a loud racket. On shore was a donkey screeching as if to protest to my presence. The next day a French yacht tied up next to us and was also subjected to the verbal abuse of the disapproving donkey. I didn’t feel so bad.

Port Göçek Marina 36º 44.9’N 28º 56.5’ W

In need of a few provisions, we called into the Port Göçek Marina which is owned by Swissotel and run by Camper and Nicholsons. It is a first class marina with superb facilities, beautifully landscaped grounds and a host of amenities. Göçek is a friendly little village situated at the head of the bay, surrounded by pine forest inside a backdrop of mountain peaks. An impressive array of supermarkets, cafes, restaurants and chandleries are all within walking distance to the marina. No wonder it’s become a popular place to base a yacht or winter over.

Göçek is also the kind of village where weddings are a public affair. We visited on a weekend, so on both Friday and Saturday evenings we were treated to some wonderful live Turkish music which was part of two wedding celebrations. We walked into town on Saturday evening, and the whole village seemed to have come down to party and dance with the bride and groom at a small waterfront amphitheatre. On Sunday we shopped at the local market on the edge of town, about a 20 minute walk from the marina. In a large area shaded from the mid day sun by tarpaulins, there was a huge selection of house wares, hardware, clothes, toys, fresh produce, herbs and spices. The breads, local cheeses and olives were simply divine-perfect for provisioning!

Fethiye 36º 37.5’ N 29º 05.7’ W

With a good breeze, we sailed twelve miles south along the coast and anchored off the town of Fethiye within range of an unsecured wireless broadband signal from a nearby hotel. Fethiye, once the ancient town of Telmessus is situated at the foot of a pine tree covered mountain on the edge of a large but well protected bay. While most of the town’s buildings are Ottoman Empire or more recent architecture, there are still ruins of a Crusader castle on the hill above, with a few Lycian tombs carved into the solid rock faces of the cliffs just below.

On our first visit to town, we were greeted by a large and curious sea turtle basking near the quay where the fishing boats were tied. After a stroll around the town center, we were impressed by the friendliness of the people, the laid back bohemian vibe and low volume of tourism. Fethiye is the kind of place where a week can pass you by before you know it. It did for us. That night we returned to town for a meal out to celebrate Merima’s birthday and ended up on the pedestrian-only “bar street” sipping drinks, puffing on a nargileh (sheesha pipe) listening to some great music and chatting away with some friendly Turks at a convivial little joint called the Car Cemetery Bar.

There is quite a nice shopping bazaar in the middle of town, and on Tuesdays, there is a huge local market. In this part of the world, market day much is more than just a shopping trip. People come from villages and farms for miles around to buy, sell, eat, drink tea and mingle in a casual atmosphere. We found it a great place to stroll, people watch, check out the interesting items on offer, and pick up a few goodies.

One morning our daily walk took us to the head of the bay, where we had noticed a large ship yard building traditional wooden power boats and gülets. We were greeted by the manager of the yard and invited to have a look around. I counted no less than nine vessels under construction and a hundred craftsmen on site. All of the boats were being fabricated of exotic African hardwoods in the traditional fashion, strip-planks fastened to laminated ribs. With the exception of some small power tools, very little of the building process appears to have changed since the days of Noah. It was fascinating to see these boats in their various stages of completion, with craftsmen meticulously hand forming and fitting each piece. While the yard itself was about as basic as it gets, the end result, a spectacular gület which was just launched, was something to behold.

Departing Fethiye, the coast to the south is lined with rugged mountains plunging into the sea. We tried to find a spot just outside of Ölü Deniz (36º 32.9’ N 29º 06.8’ W), a magnificent land-locked lagoon about 15 miles from Fethiye. The area attracts a lot of tourists and the nearby anchorage was full, so we hovered around awhile checking out the beautiful beach and the dozens of para gliders descending from Mt. Baba, which towers 2000 meters above the lagoon. We later found a good calm spot to anchor behind a nearby island called Gemiler Adasi, which was covered in ancient ruins.

Gemiler Adasi 36º 33.4’ N 29º 03.9’ W

Gemiler anchorage was fine until late in the afternoon when it became a Grand Central Station for gülets. They were coming and going all through the night, revving engines, making lots of noise and dropping their anchor rodes over ours. A bit of swell started to work its way around the island late in the evening, so we departed the next morning as soon as our rode was clear.

In light air we motor-sailed south down a beautifully rugged stretch of coastline about 30 miles to the little town of Kalkan. From seaward we could see deep gorges slashing the mountain sides, cliffs pockmarked with caverns, sea caves and many areas of relatively recent rock fall, all evidence of Turkey’s geological activity.

Kalkan 36º 15.7’ N 29º 24.8’ W

Once a quiet little Greek fishing village, Kalkan has now been taken over by tourism. It still has a lovely charm about it, with plenty of nicely restored old Greek and Ottoman buildings, narrow cobbled lanes, and colourful splashes of bougainvillea. The harbor is small but well protected, and adjacent to town. Kalkan has a reputation for its very trendy shops, restaurants and cafes catering to upscale tourists and visiting yachties. We were fortunate to arrive by mid day and find space to med-moor. During the high summer season, the municipal harbour is chock-a-block with visiting yachts and usually full by happy hour. While we had a nice outlook facing the village, we were squashed in a “boat canyon” between a massive gület and a large charter yacht, with our fenders close to bursting. After two days we longed for a bit of privacy.

Kastellórizon, Mandraki Anchorage 36º 09’ N 29º 35.95’ W

A leisurely two-hour sail took us to a quiet anchorage off the desolate and rocky little isle of Kastellórizon. The easternmost of Greece’s Dodacanese island group, Kastellórizon the most distant island from Athens. While its nearest bit of homeland is Ródhos, about 70 nautical miles to the west, Kastellórizon lies just one mile off the coast of Turkey. The island has had a tumultuous past, but from all appearances it is once again on the rise, thanks to tourism. For this reason, the local officials turn a blind eye to visits by yachts cruising on a Turkish transit log, and allow them to anchor or tie up for a day or two and drop a few Euros into the local economy.

Kastellórizon’s attractive natural harbor is lined with stately and colourful Greek mansions surround by dry, rocky backdrop. It reminded us a bit of its charming Dodacanese cousins, Sými and Khálki. The biggest difference is that there were so few tourists that they went almost unnoticed. It is quiet, quaint and an ideal place to escape and forget about the real world for awhile. Arriving by yacht and med-mooring to the narrow quay, one can literally step off their pasarelle to a table at one of a half dozen or so little tavernas and cafes lining the narrow waterfront.

Opting for a bit of peace and quiet, we anchored just around the corner from the entrance harbor at a nice little anchorage called Mandraki. We took the dinghy ashore and found an old stone pathway that led around the edge of the castle-crowned hill to the village. Along the pathway there was a rather precarious stairway-no handrails-leading up to what it purportedly the only Lycian tomb in Greece, carved into the solid rock cliff face. This was our first opportunity to view one of these up close and examine the detail and the perfection of the carving of lines, angles and flat faces.

In the town of Kastellórizon many of the grand old buildings lay in ruin as a result of wars, earthquake and abandonment in times of misfortune. Drawn by the solitude or a desire to return to family roots, some have been lovingly restored as private homes or hotels, and quite a few more are work in progress.

The next morning, with the sun still low, we took the dink around to the southeast corner of the island where we found the Grotto of Perastá (approximate position 36º 07.4’N 29º 33.75’ W). We weren’t exactly sure of its location, but I was able to identify the opening from a photo in a tourist brochure. The entrance to the grotto is only about three meters wide and barely high enough for the dinghy outboard to clear the opening above. Driving in for the first time, we felt like we entered the mouth a whale ready to swallow us up. The small entrance leads into an immense room. Light reflecting through the water at the opening casts lovely dancing rays in various hues of blue on the cavern walls. As our eyes adjusted to the light, we could make out the silhouettes of the stalactites growing out of the ceiling above. Occasionally when a large swell would come into the grotto compressing the warm and humid air, the room would turn misty for an instant. The grotto of Perastá is very impressive, and worth the effort either with your own dinghy or by arranging a boat from town.

Later that morning we hiked up to the monastery of Ayíou Yeoryíou (St. George) toú Vounioú. Situated on a high plateau in the middle of the island, the complex dates back to the 16th century. The walk started behind the town, up a winding stone path and stairways. At the head of the cliff, the path straightened out and narrowed into a rough and rocky track bordering a goat pasture. George may have slain the dragon, but left the snakes, as we saw a few slithering into the cracks in the rocks as we approached.

Arriving at the monastery, we were disappointed to discover the main entrance was fenced in and locked up. Around the back however, there is a gaping hole in the wall through which we could walk into the main courtyard and check out some of the open rooms and crumbling structures. In typical Greek fashion, while all ancillary buildings were crumbling around it, the Orthodox chapel was in good nik. A peek in the window confirmed that it was quite well maintained and the locked door had protected all the religious artifacts inside.

It was a clear and calm morning and the walk back to sea level rewarded us with outstanding panoramic views of the harbor and village, the Turkish mainland and surrounding islets.

Kaş 36º 11.8’ N 29º 38.4’ W

The next morning we made the short trip across to mainland Turkey and the town of Kaş. The meltemi had been at rest for a few days, and Kaş Limani (bay) was exceptionally calm. Instead of going into the municipal harbor and being jammed in with other yachts like keys on a piano, we anchored Moonshadow in the bay just outside the harbor and took a long stern line around a rock on the breakwater, keeping our bow pointed into the gentle swell.

Kaş is a lovely little holiday town with a central area jammed with shops, galleries, cafes bars and restaurants. A large and very intact ancient amphitheater overlooks the bay and in the high cliffs behind the town are a number of Lycian tombs which are attractively illuminated at night. The actual top of the mountain is shaped like an alien space man lying on his right side. On Fridays there is an excellent fresh produce market on the edge of town under awnings stretched between the trees in an old olive orchard. We came back with big bags of excellent fruits and veggies costing just one to two New Turkish Lira (US $ .70-$1.40) each.

We arrived just after the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims, if they are able, abstain from food and drink during daylight hours as a show of empathy for those less fortunate. In some places they actually fire gun shots or light off fireworks to wake people up early enough to eat breakfast before the Morning Prayer at sunrise, and again after sunset to let people know that they can tuck into their evening feast. While we enjoyed listening to the “call to prayer,” the gunshots took us a bit of getting used to.

Üçağiz Limani 36º 11.7’ N 29º 51.1’ W

Further down the coast we stopped in a lovely little area collectively known as Kekova. The Island of Kekova is long and narrow, lying just off the coast, protecting a stretch of coastline and a number of charming little bays. We anchored in the calm and shallow Üçagiz Limani (Bay) near a small fishing village with the same name. The mainland and islands around Kekova area are dotted with ancient ruins and sarcophagi.

We headed ashore for a stroll around the village of Üçagiz. While it is touted as an unspoiled fishing village, most of the restaurants that dominate the waterfront have sprouted long, rickety and rather tacky looking jetties that are meant to attract yachts and gülets to their dining tables with offers of free water, electricity and Internet. The village itself was nondescript, but is situated on the site of the ancient city of Teimiussa. We enjoyed an afternoon exploring the interesting ruins on the east end of the town over looking the bay.

Early the next morning, before the tourist boats had arrived, we took the dink across the bay to the hamlet of Kaleköy (36º 11.2’N 29º 51.6’ W). Kaleköy sits on the ancient city of Simena, part of which rests a few meters underwater thanks to a major earthquake a couple millennia ago. One can still see building foundations and a sarcophagus just above and below the crystal clear water, particularly with a mask and snorkel.

Kaleköy cascades down a steep hillside to the sea from a small but attractive castle which is a remnant of the Crusades. While it also has restaurants with jetties, they have done a better job with the aesthetics than their neighbors across the bay. We had a nice walk through the rocky paths of the village up to the castle where we enjoyed the commanding views of the bays, islands and surrounding countryside. One of the interesting features of the castle was its rather petite amphitheatre, with seating for perhaps 100, carved entirely out of the face of the stone hillside. I’m not sure if it was because it was early in the day or late in the season, but we had the entire place to ourselves.

Most of the homes in Kaleköy appear to be very old and are built of stone with terracotta tile roofs. Colorful flowers, basil and oregano growing on or around many of the cottages add to the charm. Dotting the rocky hillside are thousand-year-old olive trees, with wildly contorted trunks, that are still yielding fruit. The locals were very friendly and one young Turkish girl selling pareos attached herself to us, acting as our tour guide and telling us a bit of the local history in her excellent English.

Setur Finike Marina, Finike 36º 17.6’ N 30º 09’ W

The next morning we lifted the anchor for the last time of the season. We motor-sailed in light breezes and flat waters the last 18 miles to Finike, a small farm town that is barely given a mention in the Lonely Planet. Many yachties choose to winter over or leave their boats here due to its mild climate, laid back atmosphere and reasonable berthing fees.
As we approached the Setur Finike Marina, we felt the first few raindrops in many months, reminding us that winter was approaching and it was time for us to head home to New Zealand for the southern Hemisphere summer.

Officialdom

Turkey has numerous ports of entry along its coast and is most welcoming to foreign yachts. Check in/out is an easy and straightforward process. One must visit the Port Authority, Customs, Immigration and Quarantine, all in a prescribed order. All the information you need to check in/out should be provided by the marina. We found all the officials to be friendly, helpful and professional. A three month visa-on-arrival is granted free to most nationalities, but some nationalities, such as U.S. citizens, may be required to purchase a visa stamp for €15. Visiting yachts will be issued a transit log good for six months, which may be renewed, and it surrendered upon departure. Foreign vessels may remain in Turkey for up to five years. Check-in is not required at each port visited, but most marinas or municipal harbours will request to see your transit log and passports.

Pilotage

Cruising Guide-Turkish Waters Pilot by Imray
For current information on ports of entry, formalities and other cruising related information, visit Jimmy Cornell’s web site www.noonsite.com.

Charts: C-Map CM93 is adequate but does have numerous inaccuracies. Always supplement electronic charting with up-to-date paper charts, a depth sounder and a good set of eyes.

Weather: We used a combination GRIB files from SailMail, daily reports broadcast on the Mediterranean Cruisers Net, Olympia Radio (Greece) who broadcast regular maritime forecasts on SSB (see Turkish Waters Pilot for schedules and frequencies), and of course, personal observation.

Tourism

Lonely Planet guides for Turkey and Greece.

Currency

The official currency is the New Turkish Lira, or YTL. ATM’s are available in tourist areas, and most merchants accept credit cards. The Euro is widely accepted.

Communications

Internet is widely available, and most marinas have wireless broadband available. Many cafes offer free broadband to patrons. Cell phone coverage is excellent, but expensive if you are roaming. If you plan to spend more than a few weeks in Turkey, you can get a local SIM card for your phone, but you must register it with the Turkish Government in Ankara. Most cellular service providers will fill out all the required paperwork, but you must bring your passport when making the application.

About the Author

George Backhus was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a teenager he followed the travels of sailor Robin Lee Graham, the youngest person at the time to sail solo around the world. Graham’s regular articles appearing in National Geographic magazine inspired George’s dream of some day sailing the world and visiting far away places.

He purchased his first yacht in 1981 and spent much of his free time sailing and racing on the San Francisco Bay. Honing his sailing skills over the next ten years, George eventually earned a U.S. Coast Guard Master’s Licence and worked part-time as a sailing instructor at a leading Bay Area sailing club.

George “punched out” of a successful marketing career in corporate America in 1994, purchased Moonshadow, a Deerfoot 62 cutter, and set out in pursuit of his lifelong dream. Along the way, he began writing newsletters to friends and family back home, describing the amazing places he visited, his incredible experiences and the unique cruising lifestyle. Now 14 years into his planned five-year circumnavigation, he has sailed more than 60,000 miles and visited 30 countries, and taken up permanent residency in New Zealand along the way. He has written numerous articles that have appeared in the popular Northern California Sailing Magazine Latitude 38, and his bi-monthly “sailor’s logs” appear in the highly respected cruising web site SetSail.com.

George’s Kiwi partner Merima joined him on the voyage in 2005. They spent two years cruising Australia and Southeast Asia before heading to the Med via the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. They plan to spend a couple more years cruising the Med before heading across the Atlantic in the ARC Rally, closing the loop on their circumnavigation. Moonshadow is not new to the ARC. She sailed in the inaugural event in 1986, and was the first monohull to finish.

In addition to bluewater cruising and yacht racing, George is an avid SCUBA diver and spear fisherman. He and Merima enjoy travel, hiking, attending musical and cultural events, reading, cooking, wine and international cuisine

The Lycian Coast is situated on the southwest corner of Turkey where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean. A “Blue Voyage” on a Turkish gület along this coastline is listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die, popular for it turquoise waters, Greco-Roman ruins, sun drenched beaches and great food. We experienced all this on our leisurely two week do-it-yourself meander down the coast.

A Turkish gület

We left the hustle and bustle of Marmaris town behind and found anchorage in a small inlet called Turunç Bükü, just outside of the Bay of Marmaris. While the bay was lined with holiday resorts, we were relieved to have a quiet, if not a bit rolly evening away from the big city lights and all-night revelry.

The following day we made a short hop east and anchored behind Delicada (Dalyan) island just to seaward of the Dalyan River bar. When we arrived, the place was buzzing with day tripper and river boats, and the long brown-sand beach was packed with tourists. A fellow came by and offered us an all day tour of ruins at Kaunos, the town of Dalyan, the fresh water lake and some mud baths for US $200. We declined, figuring we might be able to do it ourselves in the dinghy. Thankfully by sunset the place went into ghost town mode and we were the only boat left.

We took a short dinghy ride over the bar and up into the marshland at the mouth of the river to get a feel of the place before it got dark. The anchorage was not particularly well protected but the weather had been very settled and we did have a relatively comfortable night, only rolling a bit after the sea breeze died and before the land breeze filled in from the opposite direction, keeping us more or less in line with the gentle swell.

We headed out early the next morning dodging the loggerhead turtles hanging out in the shallow waters of the Dalyan River bar. Once over the shallow bar, there was plenty of water and we found navigation through the wide reed-lined tributaries fairly easy as the local boat’s large red Turkish flags were visible for quite a distance, giving us a rough guide as to where we should be heading.

Our first stop was at a fish farm blocking the entire fork of the river. There was a dock to tie up, and from there it was a short walk to the ancient Roman city of Kaunos. In its day, Kaunos had many things going for it; a high hill for the fortification, a well protected harbor, fresh water from the river, pine trees growing on the hills for timber and plenty of flat farm land. The speculation is that Kaunos failed because harbor is now 3 kilometers inland due to silting, and it is reported that many of the people living there had a yellow cast to their skin from the endemic malaria.

The ancient theatre was still in good shape, as were Roman baths, an agora and a few other buildings on the site. When we visited the theater, they were setting up for some sort of musical event to be staged that evening. We decided to get a bit of exercise and hiked up to the ruin of the fort overlooking the city and sea. The path was little more than a slippery rock goat track, and totally unmarked. We finally made our way to the top for a commanding view of the marshland, Mediterranean Sea, and the picturesque village of Dalyan further inland. We also sorted out how to make our way there through the maze of tributaries and through the fish traps.

Merima found a bit of shade in the ancient theatre of Kaunos

Overlooking Dalyan

We made our way back down to sea level and found our way by dinghy up to Dalyan. Just across from the village are ornate Lycian tombs, carved into the face of the cliff. Some of the lower tombs had apparently been removed by pillagers leaving just square holes in the cliffs, but the ones higher up remain intact and were quite impressive. We continued upstream till the river opened up into a huge fresh water lake. I’m sure the dingy outboard appreciated a full-throttle run and a good flushing. We returned to Dalyan and enjoyed a traditional Turkish lunch on the riverfront, while watching turtles dodge the constant parade of tourist boats chugging up and down the river. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and we were happy to have a chance to see a bit of ancient Turkey.

Lycian tombs

The breeze had come up a bit and we decided not to tempt fate, so after our day’s excursion, we moved north up the coast a few miles to a lovely and more protected anchorage in a bay called Ekinçik Limani. We found good holding in 17 meters away from the charter boats and gülets and it was very calm, quiet and well worth the four mile battery-charge run.

We next headed to the large bay of Fethiye Körfezi about 20 miles southeast. This area is a lovely cruising ground as there are many islands and picturesque, deeply indented coves providing good shelter. It is also close to the charter hub of Göçek, so there were plenty of yachts to fill up all those coves. We found a very pretty, pleasant and uncrowded spot to anchor on the north side of a little island called Domuz Ad, and tied our stern to an olive tree on the rocky shoreline.

We began to notice that when we were cooking that the flame was very smoky and left black soot on our pots and pans, not to mention a foul odor that made us feel a bit queasy. After a bit of thought, we recalled that the gas cylinder we were using was filled in Suakin, Sudan. This was the place where the diesel repeatedly clogged our Baja filter, the gasoline we purchased clogged the dinghy carburetor and had to be discarded, and now the LPG had to go! We changed over to our back-up cylinder and nicknamed the town that had a perfect record for bad combustibles “Sewer-can.”

I went for a snorkel in the warm, clear water and saw remnants of ancient amphora embedded in the bottom. After my last dive I came up to a loud racket. On shore was a donkey screeching his disapproval as if I was encroaching on his space. The next day a French yacht tied up next to us and once again was greeted by a loud protest from this donkey, so I didn’t feel so bad.

After a few relaxing days on the hook, we decided to head into a marina and get some LPG, groceries and do some laundry. We made our way north to the head of the bay and the lovely little town of Göçek. We popped into the Port Göçek Marina which is owned by Swissotel and run by Camper and Nicholsons. It is a first class marina with excellent facilities, many nice amenities and beautifully landscaped grounds. Göçek is a friendly little village situated at the head of a bay, surrounded by pine forest and with dramatic mountain peaks looming in the distance. An impressive array of supermarkets, cafes, restaurants and chandleries are all within walking distance to the marina. It is the kind of place where one might want to base their yacht or winter over.

It is also the kind of Turkish village where weddings are a public affair. We were there on a weekend, so on both Friday and Saturday nights we were treated to some wonderful live Turkish music as part of the wedding celebrations. We walked into town on Saturday evening, and the whole village seemed to have come down to party and dance with the bride and groom at a little amphitheatre-like area on the waterfront. On Sunday there was a great local market on the edge of town, about a 20 minute walk from the marina. In a large area, covered in makeshift tents, there was a huge array of house wares, hardware, clothes, toys, fresh produce, herbs and spices, breads, local cheeses and olives. Perfect for provisioning!

The market at Göçek

With a good breeze, we sailed south down the coast about twelve miles to the town of Fethiye, which was once the ancient town of Telmessus. Fethiye is situated on one side of a large but well protected bay, surrounded by high, pine-covered hills. While most of the town’s buildings are of recent architecture, there are still ruins of Crusader castle on the hill above, and a few Lycian tombs carved into the faces of the cliffs just below.

On our first visit to town, we were greeted by a large sea turtle playing near the quay where the fishing boats were tied. After a stroll around the town center, we were impressed by the friendliness of the people, the laid back vibe, and low volume of tourism. Fethiye is the kind of place where a week can pass you by before you know it-it did for us. That night we returned to town for a meal out to celebrate Merima’s birthday and ended up on the bar street sipping drinks, listening to some great music and chatting away with some friendly Turks at a convivial little joint called the Car Cemetery Bar.

A turtle playing near the quay in Fethiye

There is quite a nice shopping bazaar in the middle of town, and on Tuesdays, there is a huge local market. In this part of the world, market day is an event, and it is apparent that people come for miles around to buy, sell and socialize in the casual atmosphere of the market. We found it a great place to stroll, people watch, check out the interesting items on offer, and pick up a few fresh fruits and veggies.

One morning our daily walk took us to the head of the bay, where there was a large boat yard building traditional wooden power boats and gülets. The manager of the yard was most welcoming. He chatted with us a bit and invited us to have a look around. When we visited, there were no less than nine vessels under construction and a hundred craftsmen on site. All the boats were being fabricated of exotic African hardwoods in the traditional fashion, with wood planking fastened to laminated ribs. With the exception of some small power tools, not much of the building process appears to have changed since the days of Noah. It was fascinating to see these boats in their various stages of completion, with craftsmen meticulously hand forming and fitting each piece. While the yard itself was about as basic as it gets, the end result, a just launched gület, was something to behold.

After another night on the town in Fethiye, we decided to get back out and find a quiet little anchorage down the coast. Departing Fethiye, the coast to the south is spectacular with very rugged coastline and mountains soaring 2000 meters above sea level. We tried to find a spot at Ölü Deniz, a magnificent land-locked lagoon about 15 miles from Fethiye. The small anchorage was full, but we hovered around awhile checking out the beautiful beach and the dozens of para gliders dropping down from Mt. Baba which towered above the lagoon. We found a good calm spot to anchor behind a nearby island called Gemiler Adasi, which was covered in ancient ruins.

Gemiler anchorage was fine until late in the afternoon when it became a sort of Grand Central Station for gülets. They were coming and going all through the night, making lots of noise and dropping their anchor rodes over ours. A bit of swell started to work its way around the island late in the evening, so we decided we’d make an exit the next morning as soon as our rode was clear of the gület’s.

We headed south down a beautifully rugged stretch of coast line about 30 miles toward the little town of Kalkan. From seaward we could see deep gorges slashing the mountain sides, cliffs pockmarked with caverns, sea caves and many areas of relatively recent rock fall.

Once a quiet little Greek fishing village, Kalkan has now been taken over by tourism. It still has a lovely charm about it, with plenty of nicely restored old Greek and Ottoman buildings, narrow lanes, and splashes of bougainvillea everywhere. The harbor is small but well protected, and right next to the town which is notable for its very upscale shops, restaurants and cafes catering to the tourists and visiting yachties. We were lucky to get in by mid-day because every night the harbor was absolutely chocker-block. While we had a nice outlook facing the village, we were literally squashed between a massive gület and a large charter yacht, with fenders compressed. We enjoyed some day and evening strolls around town, a meal out and a few drinks at one of the rock-and-roll bars, but after two nights we were ready to move on.

Our next stop was the island of Kastellórizon. Kastellórizon is actually the last of the Dodacanese islands and the furthest Greek Isle away from Athens. Its nearest bit of homeland is Ródhos, 70 nautical miles away, but lies just a mile off the coast of Turkey. Kastellórizon has had a tumultuous past but from all appearances is once again on the rise, thanks to tourism. For this reason, the local officials ignore a visit by yachts cruising along the coast of Turkey, and allow them to anchor or tie up for a day or two and drop a few Euros into the local economy.

With its beautiful natural harbor lined in beautiful old Greek mansions and surround by dry rock landscape, Kastellórizon reminded us a bit of Sými or Khálki further north in the Dodacanese. The biggest difference is that there are so few tourists that they can go almost unnoticed. To say that it is quaint is an understatement. If one arrives by yacht and med-moors to the low quay, one can literally step off their pasarelle and be seated at a table at one of the half dozen or so little restaurants lining the rather narrow waterfront quay.

Kastellórizon

Craving a bit of and privacy after being in a harbor, feeling like we were the black key stuffed among the white keys on a piano, we decided to anchor just around the corner from the entrance to the town harbor at a nice little anchorage called Mandraki. We took the dinghy ashore and found an old stone pathway that led around the edge of the castle-crowned hill to the village. Along the pathway there was a rather precarious handrail-less stairway, leading up to what it purported to be the only Lycian tomb in Greece, carved into the solid rock cliff face. The tomb is of course empty, but it was interesting to view one of these up close to see the detail, not to mention the perfection of the carving of lines, angles and flat faces.

The only Lycian tomb in Greece

In the town of Kastellórizon many of the grand old buildings lay in ruin as a result of war, earthquake and abandonment, while quite a few have been lovingly restored as homes and hotels, and a surprising number are work in progress. We ran in to some cruising friends from the Indian Ocean/Red Sea trip and enjoyed a lovely Greek seafood meal at a small taverna on the quay that evening.

The next morning with the sun still low, we took the dink around to the southeast corner of the island and managed to find the grotto of Perastá. We weren’t exactly sure of its location, but I was able to identify the opening from a photo in a tourist brochure. The entrance to the grotto is only about three meters wide and barely high enough for the dinghy outboard to clear the opening above. Driving in for the first time, we felt like we were entering the mouth a whale ready to swallow us up. Once inside the room opens up to an immense size, and the light reflecting through the water at the opening casts lovely hues of blue dancing lights on the cavern walls. As our eyes became accustomed to the lower level of light, we could make out the forms of the stalactites above. Occasionally when a large swell would come into the grotto, compressing the warm and humid air, the atmosphere would fog up for an instant. The grotto of Perastá is quite impressive and frankly, puts the Blue Grotto of Capri to shame.

Inside the Grotto of Perastá

After spending some time underground, we decided to get a bit of exercise and hike up to the monastery of Ayíou Yeoryíou (St. George) toú Vounioú, situated on a high plateau in the middle of the island and dating back to the 16th century. The walk started behind the town, working up a long winding stone path/stairway. Once above the cliffs, the path straightened out and narrowed into a rough, rocky track bordering some goat pastures. George may have slain the dragon, but left the snakes, as we saw a few small ones slithering into the cracks in the rocks as we approached.

From the main entrance, the monastery appeared to be fenced in and locked up. Walking around to the back, there is a large hole in the wall through which we could walk into the main courtyard and check out some of the open rooms and crumbling structures. In typical Greek fashion, while all was crumbling around it, the Orthodox chapel was intact. In fact it had been well maintained, and the door was locked, protecting all the religious artifacts inside.

It was a clear and calm morning and the walk back to sea level rewarded us with many outstanding panoramic views of the harbor and village, the Turkish mainland and surrounding islets.

View of Kastellórizon from the monastery of Ayíou Yeoryíou toú Vounioú

The next morning we made the short trip across to mainland Turkey and the town of Kaş. The meltemi had been at rest for a few days, and Kaş Limani (bay) was exceptionally calm. Instead of going into another “sardine can” harbor, we anchored Moonshadow in the bay just outside the harbor and took a long stern line around a rock on the breakwater, keeping our bow pointed into the gentle swell through the shifty breezes.

Kaş is a lovely little holiday town with a central area jammed with shops, galleries, cafes bars and restaurants. A large and very intact ancient amphitheater overlooks the bay and in the high cliffs behind the town are a number of Lycian tombs which are illuminated at night. The actual top of the mountain is shaped like a sort of eerie space-man looking creature lying on his right side. On Fridays there is an excellent fresh produce market on the edge of town under awnings stretched between the trees of an old olive orchard. We came back with big bags of excellent fruits and veggies that cost just one to two Turkish Lira (US $ .70-$1.40) each.

A week or so previously was the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims, if they are able, are meant to abstain from food and drink during daylight hours as a show of understanding for those less fortunate. In some places they actually fire gun shots or fireworks to wake people up early enough to eat breakfast before the Morning Prayer at sunrise, and again after sunset to let people know that they can tuck into the evening feast. While we’ve enjoyed listening to the call to prayer, especially if the Imam has a good singing voice, the gunshot thing took us a bit of getting used to.

Heading further down the coast we stopped in a lovely little area called Kekova. Kekova is actually a long island lying just off the coast, protecting a long stretch of coastline and number of lovely little bays. We anchored in Üçağiz Limani (Bay) near a small fishing village with the same name. The mainland and islands around Kekova area are dotted with ancient ruins and sarcophagi.

After we anchored, we headed ashore for a stroll around the village of Üçagiz. While it is billed as an unspoiled fishing village, most of the restaurants that dominate the waterfront have sprouted long, rickety and rather tacky looking jetties that are meant to attract yachts and gülets to their dining tables with water, power and sometimes even Internet. We found it rather off-putting, and couldn’t understand why someone would want to tie up and be beholden to a restaurant when there was a huge free anchorage with shallow depths, good holding room between you and your neighbor. The village itself was rather average looking, but is situated on the site of the ancient city of Teimiussa. We enjoyed wandering around and climbing on some of the interesting ruins on the east end of the town over looking the bay.

The next morning before the tourist boats had arrived, we took the dink across the bay to the hamlet of Kaleköy. Kaleköy sits on the ancient city of Simena, part of which is a few meters underwater thanks to a major earthquake a couple millennia ago. One can still see building foundations and a sarcophagus just above and below the crystal clear water.

Kaleköy cascades from a small but attractive Crusader castle down a steep hillside to the sea. While it also has restaurants with jetties, they seem to have done a better job of the aesthetics than their neighbors across the bay. We had a nice walk through the rocky paths of the village up to the castle which of course has commanding views of the bays, islands and surrounding countryside. One of the interesting features of the castle was its small amphitheater, with seating for perhaps 100, carved entirely out of the face of the stone hillside. I’m not sure if it was because it was early in the day or late in the season, but we had the entire place to ourselves.

View from the castle at Kaleköy

Most of the homes in Kaleköy appear to be very old and are built of stone with terracotta tile roofs. Colorful flowers, basil and oregano are growing on or around many of the homes adding to the charm of the hamlet. Dotting the rocky hillside are thousand year old olive trees, with wildly contorted trunks, that are still yielding fruit. The locals were very friendly and one young Turkish girl selling pareos attached herself to us, giving us a bit of a tour and telling us a bit of the local history in her excellent English.

An old stone home in Kaleköy

A thousand year old olive tree

As we approach Finike, one of the popular wintering over ports for yachties, we’ve run into more and more cruising friends and enjoyed sundowners on one of the small rock islets in the bay with friends from Cap d’Or, Fidela and Raconteur.

The next morning we lifted the anchor for the last time of the season. It was as slow process as it came up from a muddy bottom and had to be washed down. We motored and motor-sailed in light breezes and flat waters the last 18 miles to Finike, a small town that is hardly given a mention in the tourist guides. As we approached the Setur Finike Marina, Merima and I got a bit teary thinking that this was the last cruising we’d be doing for awhile. We were a bit sad thinking about leaving Moonshadow, especially after the incredible year that we’ve just spent in our transit from Southeast Asia to the Med, and some of the wonderful and amazing places we’ve visited since January along our 7200 mile track. On the other hand, we felt the first few drops of rain since last April in Oman, and we’ve had to pull out the duvet as the nights become cooler. It’s time for these birds to fly south for the winter!

Moonshadow will be in dry storage in Finike till we return to her next May. We’ll be flying home to Auckland in a few days. Merima has been welcomed to come back to work for the summer by her previous employer and is excited to see her old work mates and dust off her pre-cruising skill sets. I’ve been invited to work on a book project which should keep me out of trouble for a few months. We’re both looking forward to summer in New Zealand and life for awhile as “earthlings.”

We arrived in Turkey at the Milta Bodrum marina on the morning of August 5th after a ten mile hop from the island of Kós in Greece. The marina staff was most accommodating, finding us space without a prior booking, sending a pilot to guide us to our berth and hand us the bow mooring line, and another attendant to catch our stern lines. This was such a contrast to our experience in Greece, where yachties seem to be more of an irritation.

Milta Bodrum marina is truly a five star facility, with a yacht club, beach club, gym, haul-out facilities, a row of marine related businesses, WiFi, power, water, and of course, high prices and high density. Most of the marinas in the Mediterranean use med mooring and are quite crowded, and since there are no marina fingers between boats, one is often touching fenders with their next companionway neighbors. On more than one occasion we caught the smell a bottle of raki (the Turkish drink of choice, an anise flavored brandy similar to the Greek ouzo) being opened one or two boats down. Not exactly the sort of space and privacy we were accustomed to. The other interesting thing is that mooring rates are based upon the space the vessel occupies, in other words, overall length x beam x the rate per square meter, which probably works in our favor since we are narrow for our length. In any event, we enjoyed a bit of marina time where we could give Moonshadow a much needed tidy up, catch up on some minor repairs and maintenance, and walk the docks to see who and what was around.

View of the Bodrum Marina from the castle

After a big bubble bath for the boat, the next order of business was to repair our working jib after our little Míkonos mishap. I contacted Seagull Sails in Bodrum and the following day, Yener, the owner came out to have a look at the sail. He told me that he had been taking some time off to recover from a back injury, and that his staff were on holiday, but that if we would assist him in the loft, we could repair the clew and replace the UV patches on the leech and foot of the sail.

The next morning Merima and I reported for work at his loft, a short walk from the marina. Yener and his friend Alain from France greeted us and we began work on the sail. The both of them were aging hippies who enjoyed classic rock and blues music, and telling stories of all of their worldwide adventures and exploits during their misguided youths. As a teenager, Yener designed and built his own sailboat up on the Black Sea, and then took off to sail the Aegean Sea. Finding the weather and bohemian lifestyle in Bodrum more to his liking, he settled there. Alain has traveled the world, working along the way at jobs from lumberjacking in California to going on the road with some of the world’s top rock-and-roll bands. He’s now settled into life as a charter boat skipper-a suitable match to his affable personality and free spirit. Working about three half-days, we got the sail back in good shape and made fast friends with Yener and Alain.

Merima at work on the jib

We all shared a few inexpensive and good lunches at the Bodrum Offshore Yacht Club and a few rakis in the evenings on Yener’s boat, Yener in the marina, now forty years old and still looking great, while swapping lots of jokes and sea stories.

Enjoying a raki with Yener on board his boat.

We discovered that Bodrum had one of our favorite grocery stores, Carrefour so made a trip up there to get some provisions. While not the best stocked Carrefour we’d been to, it did have one very unique feature. When they were excavating to build the store, they discovered an ancient tomb in what would be a corner of the building. The tomb has been preserved for all to see and appreciate as they peruse the bakery section of the store.

An ancient tomb in Carrefour

The Bodrum Offshore Yacht Club looked to be a bit of a happening place at night so we tried a dinner out there. Totally unfamiliar with Turkish wines, I asked our waiter for a recommendation. In a rather cheeky move, he picked the most expensive bottle on the menu at about $100 US. I was tempted to ask him to describe to me in detail the characteristics of the wine, but thought better of it and suggested we’d try one of the house wine selections. It turned out to be just fine and was a fraction of the price. The meal was fine, but it seems the Turkish were trying just a bit too hard on the service. At times we felt our table was in the middle of a dance floor full of whirling dervishes. It was anything but a quiet and relaxing meal, an experience we would also have at a few other Turkish restaurants. The lesson we learned: get a table way off in a quiet corner of the restaurant.

Bodrum is the home base for many of the local charter boats, called gülets. The gület is a sturdy craft based upon a traditional Turkish style sailing ship, modified to accommodate charter guests. They are hand crafted of beautiful woods in the old boatbuilding style. Most that we saw were glistening with varnished inside and out and showed exquisite attention to detail. The sizes range from about 40 feet to well over 100 feet. They usually have a large open deck area forward covered in cushions for sunbathing, and a large covered lounging deck aft with spacious cushions and pillows fit for a sultan. Depending on the size and quality of the vessel, one can charter a gület for cruising the coast of Turkey and Greek Isles for anywhere from €350 a day for an average one, to €3500 a day for something that is nothing short of spectacular, with all the mod-cons; water toys, silver service, sat-com and even dozens of “pool lights” in the bottom of the hull so that it looks as if the boat is anchored in an aquarium.

While the gület drivers were generally pretty skillful and courteous, the gület’s massive diesel engines were generally quite noisy, and they required a fair bit of horsepower to maneuver these behemoths into and out of marinas and tight anchorages. There’s nothing quite as intimidating as having one of these 100-ton monsters drop a fisherman style anchor and then back into a med-mooring space 20 feet wide when it’s easy to see that their beam is at least five feet more than that. We got used to “all hands on deck” to fend off when we heard the throaty roar of the gület’s engines and the clanging of the anchor chain paying out.

In Bodrum we were berthed next to a privately owned gület that left the marina every morning and returned around sunset. The skipper was a master at moving the boat in and out of the tight space and we never had any dramas. The owner, a boat builder, and his family, from Istanbul, were very friendly, often engaging us in conversation and even sending over a plate of dessert for us to enjoy one evening.

Somewhere in Greece, probably Pátmos, we acquired a stow-away. A rather chirpy cricket had taken up residency in the forward-most dorade vent box. Shortly after sunset each evening it would start slowly chirping, and continued on steadily through the evening. At first it was rather quaint, but then became a bit irritating, and were afraid we might disturb the next door neighbors. Whenever we would get close to the vent, it would stop chirping, only to slowly resume when we went back to bed. I tried flushing it out with water, and even sprayed some insect repellent into the dorade, with no luck. He managed to get hunkered down in the perfect position to avoid my assaults. After a week or so, I finally caught the little guy wandering around in the open and quieted him down, once and for all.

During our stay in Bodrum we spotted a number of unique and interesting boats in the marina, among them another Deerfoot 62. We popped by to introduce ourselves and were invited aboard Astra for a look around. She’d recently been through a paint job and refit and was looking beautiful. We enjoyed sundowners later aboard Moonshadow with Mary and Michael, the owners from Chicago, and crew Eveline and Peter from Austria.

An interesting looking boat in the Bodrum marina

We’d gotten all we’d wanted done in Bodrum so started working our way along the Carian Coast. On the recommendation of Yener, we headed west a bit to the small hamlet of Cökertme, where he and Alain had gone to chill out for a few days. We anchored in a nearby lobe of the bay and tied the stern to a couple of trees. That evening we had drinks on Yener and a nice dinner at one of the casual little seaside restaurants in the hamlet.

Cökertme is quite a popular anchorage, and that evening the shoreline of the bay looked more like a marina without the pontoons, with boats anchored all along the edge of the bay, sterns tied to rocks or trees. We were definitely not accustomed to this “high-density” anchoring.

The following day, while we were having sundowners on Yener, Moonshadow was hit with a gust of wind and the bow anchor dragged (a first) on the weed bottom. One of the local boys in a skiff let the stern lines go before she could swing onto the rocky shore, preventing any damage, and came and found me. Merima and I hopped aboard and spent the next hour or so trying to get the Bruce anchor to bite though the weed bottom so we would be safe for the night. We’ll be looking for a better pick to anchor in the weed bottoms of the Med, and looking for mud and sand bottoms to anchor on till then.

The next day we motor-sailed about 20 miles west in light breezes to another popular anchorage called Değirmen Bükü. As we headed to an unoccupied lobe of the bay, we were hailed a Turkish military man with a gun and a whistle. The whistle was enough to get our attention and coax us into a fast U-turn. Apparently some important politico has a villa there and declares as off limits all he can see from his place when he’s in residence. We did manage to find a nice spot in the middle of another lobe with good holding where we could swing on the hook. Later in the day the most of the shoreline filled up with charter boats and gülets tied stern to. That night after a quiet barbeque on board we were kept up late by some loud Italian lager louts on a gület.

We shifted the next morning to a much quieter and very picturesque spot called Amazon Creek, where there were only a few charter boats and NO gülets. We were told the mouth of the creek is too narrow for them to maneuver. This is the type of shoreline profile we would be looking for in future anchorages. We enjoyed a couple days of solitude here, and a nice but rather expensive meal up the creek at a quaint little bohemian style holiday camp.

As we were working our way around the Dorian Promontory, we heard a call on the VHF radio-MAYDAY! MAYDAY! The call was in English, by a lady with what sounded like a Scandinavian accent. I noted the GPS position given, but we were way to far away to offer any assistance. An English speaking Turk came on and acted as a translator to the Turkish Coast Guard. The translator asked what the problem was and the lady came back “please help us, we have no engine.” I can only guess that everyone listening had visions in their mind of a stricken vessel about to be blown onto the rocks and smashed to bits. As the Coast Guard made their way to the flailing boat, they kept trying to get more information via the interpreter. When the information requested became more specific, they woman kept replying that she could not understand.

Well, as the story gradually unfolded, it seems that the “stricken” vessel was in fact safely anchored. After about six exchanges, it came out that they weren’t taking on water nor was there any immediate danger to vessel or crew. Apparently they had no sails and could not raise the anchor without the engine. They kept requesting that the Turkish Coast Guard come around and fix their engine.

I was hoping they would quickly get the “distressed” vessel sorted out so that I could call a mayday myself. I wanted to see if I could get the Turkish Coast Guard to come out and wash our decks, clean the waterline and install a new prop zinc, but by then we had arrived at our destination of Datça and had to abandon the VHF entertainment hour and prepare to dock.

Datça is a lovely little port town on the south side of the Dorian Promontory about ten miles north of the Greek Isle of Sými, where we had spent nearly a week earlier in the season. Even though Datça was a Turkish sponge fishing counterpart to Sými, the two places seemed to be worlds apart.

As we approached the harbor, a Turk wearing shorts and a cowboy hat blew a whistle and motioned where he wanted us to tie up. There was plenty of room and were able to med-moor to a boardwalk lined by quaint cafes and cozy bars. There was power and water on the quay, and the computer showed that there were no less than seven local cafes that had WiFi. We tied up, washed down the boat and decided to spend a couple days there. The local harbormaster had a very efficient system for charging berthing for visiting yachts. If you were there at 1800 hours, you paid one day’s rent. Water and power were paid on a guestimate basis depending on your size and weather or not you had air conditioning.

The following day we found that there was a Migros, which is an excellent Turkish chain of supermarkets, in town. We provisioned up there and then headed back into town to check out the local market, held every Saturday. While there wasn’t much of immediate interest to us, it was fun to mingle with the locals, examine the array of Turkish clothes, produce, meats, cheeses and olives on offer and imagine life in a small Turkish village. Some of the older Turkish women there had henna on their fingertips and palms of their hands, apparently their version of hand adornment similar to nail polish in other parts of the world.

One of the things we enjoy the most about the Turks is that they are very warm and friendly, and are happy to strike up a conversation, particularly in the marinas where we’ve been tied up in close quarters. One evening in Datça we were chatting with a few of the guys on the boat next door as they whiled away the evening sipping raki from tall slender glasses. Of course much of the conversation was about boats. Theirs was a mid 30-ish foot Bavaria, quite popular in Turkey for coastal cruising. The owner commented (tongue in cheek, of course) that one of the things he liked about his boat is that on a moonlit night, he could read a newspaper down below without the aid of cabin lights because of the amount of light coming through the decks.☻ When I inquired why the boat was flagged in the USA, he said that it was because the taxes on yachts were cheaper in Delaware than in Turkey. Come to think of it, we saw quite a few local Turkish boats flagged in the US. A big thanks goes to the Turks for helping to support our economy!

From Datça we headed south towards Marmaris where we planned a few days of marina time to purchase some spare parts and get some small boat jobs done. The course line happens to go right through the Greek island of Sými. As we went by, we fantasized about spending a few days on Sými, walking around its beautiful villages, dining at its excellent restaurants and stocking up on Greek delicacies for the barbeque like octopus, lamb chops and swordfish steaks as well as other goodies like feta cheese, taramosalata and skordalia. We had visions of topping up the wine locker with a couple dozen bottles of some of our favorites from Ródhos and Santorini. But of course we had already checked out of Greece so we would never do anything like that . . . . would we!? ;-()

Marmaris is situated on a large, lovely and well-protected bay, and the old town is quite picturesque, with a small castle on a hill, quaint old buildings, a nice waterfront area and a river lined with traditional fishing boats. The surrounding hills are covered in evergreen forest. It has two very large marinas serving the bareboat charter and gület fleets, as well as local yachts, super yachts and visiting vessels. With a pleasant year-round climate, it is a popular wintering over port for foreign cruisers. Consequently, there is a well established marine industry village a short walk from the marina. Just what we needed!

The bad news is that Marmaris is a budget holiday destination, so during the high summer season, the town is jam packed with tourists who are looking for fun in the sun-and even more fun at night. Throw in a few visits by US warships full of thirsty sailors, and you can imagine that the local watering holes really get pumping. The “bar street,” a two block stretch of beer-soaked pavement, is situated close to the waterfront and marina. All night, every night during the summer high season, it emits an eardrum assaulting cacophony of over-amplified music of every genre throughout the town. Even the Imam making his 0530 call to prayer was drowned out by the doof-doof-doof of techno music. The little speakers attached to the modest minaret of the town’s mosque were no match for the towering stacks of speakers in some of the outdoor discos of Marmaris.

We did get a nice reprieve one night when there was a power failure. All of those amplifiers and flashing lights must have overloaded a circuit, because all of a sudden at 0400 hours, the town fell unexpectedly quiet except for some pleasant unamplified Turkish music.

On our last day in Marmaris, I popped into one of the many local berber (barber) shops to get a trim. Unbeknownst to me, a visit to a Turkish barber is tantamount to a Turkish bath for the head, face and upper body. As I sat down I was offered an ice cold Coke to sip on. After rinsing my hair, the barber began meticulously trimming and cutting with scissors and a straight razor. After perfectly trimming my starboard side, he solicited my approval before repeating the same excellent job to port. He pulled off the smock and I thought the cut was over, but then he put a towel over my chest, pulled up a head rest and tipped the chair back. With a brush and cup, he whipped up a foamy lather and covered my face as if he were applying oil to canvas. He then removed it all with a fresh single-edged razor blade pressed into a small holder, pulling and pushing skin to get every last whisker. In a couple of minutes he had given me a frightfully close shave, without so much as a tiny knick. He then applied a thick balm to the shaved area to restore its moisture. Next he dipped a tiny torch into a jar of stove alcohol and ignited it with a lighter. I thought to myself that I had survived the knife only to be torched! He carefully waved this thing near my ear openings a few times, for just an instant, painlessly burning off all those unwanted hairs. Next he went at my eyebrows and nose, carefully tidying everything up with a small pair of scissors. After a shampoo and rinse of my head and face in the sink in front of me, he applied more moisturizer to my face, massaging my temples and forehead. He then massaged my neck, shoulders and arms, finishing by cracking each of my fingers. As I sat there totally relaxed, he applied product to my hair and combed it perfectly before pulling out the razor and scissors for one last final touch up. All of this for the cost of an average haircut alone back in the States.

In Marmaris we were able to find many items on our “to get” list and found the local service industry to be prompt, fairly priced and providing good quality work. In just five days we got quite a few niggly little jobs done and were ready to head off to spend the last month of the cruising season working our way down the Lycian Coast to Finike.