TURKEY IS TOPS! Our 2021 ASA Sailing Trip

EXTRA OBSERVATIONS

Following are some personal observations.

Sailing in Turkey’s Gulf of Fethiye is quite different from sailing in Spain, Italy or Croatia, our other playing grounds.

There are only two cities on the Gulf where sailors can provision, Fethiye and Göcek. A Migros supermarket boat will deliver groceries and local merchants offer fresh vegetables, fruits and even fish.

Marinas and restaurants will offer you the possibility of docking your boat using mooring lines that run to mooring blocks at the bottom of the water but if you need to anchor outside of these facilities, you will have to drop your anchor, back up and bring stern lines to the shore to secure your yacht. Because this practice of attaching stern lines to trees causes quite a bit of damage, the local authorities are installing small bollards along the most popular shorelines.

As we have learned from experience, with this anchoring maneuver, there is always the risk of snagging someone else’s anchor and you are either the show or you are watching another unfortunate sailor’s show.

Even though Turkey is not yet a very popular sailing destination for Americans, it sure is with Europeans and anchorages can become quickly crowded in the afternoon. This trip was in May-June and I can only imagine how busy this place must be in July and August.