Memories of Türkiye
14th - 21st September 2024
We join our Marketing Officer, Ben Peak, on a bracing journey of discovery down the Lycian coastline of Turkiye.
As the end of September, as the first chills of Autumn arrived in the UK, we packed our kit bags for the 30 degrees of Türkiye and friendly locals for a journey of discovery down the rugged coastline that was once home to pirates, crusaders and ancient history.
After some canny wrangling by the Commodore, we were able to pick up our boats earlier than usual which allowed us to get underway on the Saturday and head out of Fethiye Bay to the isolated cove of Karacaoren and its single restaurant that looked like it had come straight out of a Pirates of the Caribbean set.
After a hearty dinner and a peaceful night’s sleep we awoke early for a beach pickup of the remaining crew followed by the longest passage of the week to Kas. With winds increasing throughout the day and a following sea a lot of fun was had by all surfing down the waves and honing our helming skills, eventually arriving to Kas Marina doing 4.5knots under bare poles!
Day 3 again saw windspeeds increasing over the day and so we made a move to our next destination, Kale Koy, a bit earlier than scheduled which gave us first pick of restaurant quays to moor up to in this idyllic spot where we were hosted for the evening by the charming Hasan and Deniz and their glorious selection of meze and grilled dishes – most recommended.
Arriving early gave us an opportunity to relax, explore the surreal swimming area where we could wade right out into the sea, through shallow craggy rockpools, as well as take a climb up to the castle above for fantastic views of the harbour below… oh and stop for an ice cream (of course!)
Having decided we were enjoying ourselves so much in the protected Kekova Roads Bay we decided to take things easy on Day 4 – hopping over to the other side of the bay to visit the sunken ruins of an ancient city and a famous blue water cave (that was home to a sizable colony of bats), before mooring up in the small town of Ucagiz for another fantastic dinner on the waters edge.
Day 5 and saying our fond farewells to the south we headed back north to the more touristic town of Kalkan – an ideal spot, we decided, to find a cocktail bar, do a bit of shopping and take in the views from the top of the hill.. infact one of the crew even found their way to the Hamman for spot of blissful restoration!
And so with our final day approaching we headed back up north to Gemiler Bay to swim and explore the site of an ancient monastery on an island in the middle of the bay that, so legend tells, is the final resting place of Saint Nicholas. Before heading to Cold Water Bay which again features a single restaurant who zoomed about most skilful on a rib helping to set up shorelines for all the boats arriving for dinner in their tiered gardens.
And so to our final day, a hop around the corner, lunch on anchor, one final dip in the warm waters and then homeward bound to the very well organised Mai Yacht Club and a fantastic final dinner in the famous fish market of Fethiye.
A wonderful trip, full of great sailing, great spots to explore and incredible Turkish hospitality – there’s a reason why we regularly return to this part of the Med!