Bareboat Sailing Vacations in Gocek, Turkey

Overview

Turkey could be considered a very large peninsula, with the Black Sea to the north, the Aegean Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Turkey is inextricably linked with the water and its seafaring history spans thousands of years. The earliest culture in present-day Turkey began as far back as 6000 B.C., steadily evolving as the roots of modern civilization took hold in the Middle East. Among the most advanced of the early peoples of Turkey were the Lycians. They occupied the mountainous, heavily forested, and cliff-lined shores of the Mediterranean Sea roughly between Antalya and the Dalyan River. To the west was the land of the Carian people. Today, the Lycian Coast is one of the least crowded cruising grounds in the Eastern Mediterranean and one of the most beautiful. Pine-studded shores, sheer cliffs, beaches (some with pink sand from pulverized coral), numerous coves and bays, and ancient ruins are among the attractions of a Gocek sailing vacation.

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Sailing in Gocek

A Gocek sailing vacation on Turkey’s Lycian Coast is a cruise through a Mediterranean paradise. The passages between islands are mostly short, providing plenty of time to enjoy all the pleasures of sailing as well as for sojourns ashore to explore, sample the local cuisine, and to sit idly with a cocktail at a café to soak in the wonders of Turkey. The sailing season runs from April 15 through November 15, with an average of 10 hours of sunlight every day. Gentle and warm winds seldom exceed 15 knots. Morning sea breezes and afternoon land breezes are the norm. The only exception to the tame winds is the summer meltemi, which can blow strongly from the northwest or west-northwest, especially in July and August at its maximum. The tidal range is just one to two feet and therefore tidal currents are not a concern. Average temperatures during the cruising season range between 74°F and 80°F (23°C to 26°C). A Gocek yacht charter is well within the reach of sailors who have basic skills in coastal navigation.

Gocek Highlights

A Gocek sailing vacation is distinctly historic in character. It couldn’t help but be otherwise in a region so steeped in the past, evidence of its history just about everywhere in the form of ancient ruins and tombs ensconced amid the tall pines that line the shores and crowd the hills of the Lycian Coast. But a Gocek yacht charter is also all about the sailing. Within the bays and around the islands are some of the best cruising grounds in the entire Mediterranean Sea, with sandy beaches ideal for swimming and snorkeling, snug anchorages, and picturesque harbors where restaurants can usually be found. The waters of the Lycian Coast are so beautiful, shimmering in the bright sunlight as a gentle warm wind fills the sails, that they are responsible for the area’s nickname: Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, quite fitting for such a splendid and special place to explore aboard a graceful yacht.

Dalyan River

Near the picturesque anchorage at Ekincik is the Dalyan River. In 400 B.C., the Carian people and their neighbors, the Lycians, used the river as a major trading port. They built a grand city on the hilltops and called it Caunos. What remains of it today is one of the most important archaeological sites in Turkey. The Carians and Lycians constructed elaborate tombs, grand temples of stone for their dead, and some of the most magnificent of these in all of Turkey line the cliffs along the shores of the Dalyan River. Much of the city is intact. A theater, four temples, baths, and many other buildings and structures are among the ruins to explore, an experience that is sure to inspire the imagination. The area is also famous for its hot springs and Turkish mud baths, and its beaches are one of the last Mediterranean nesting grounds for the giant loggerhead turtle.

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Fethiye

A visit to Turkey wouldn’t be complete without experiencing the lively market bazaars that have been part of the culture for millennia. Merchants displaying all kinds of handicrafts, apparel, carpets, pottery, jewelry, and foodstuffs, to name just a few, form row after row beneath an awning-like covering at the main square in the bustling town of Fethiye, one of the most friendly and service-oriented harbors on the Lycian Coast. The freshly caught seafood is a specialty. At night, the restaurants and bars come alive with activity, and the sounds of Middle Eastern music carry in the balmy air fragrant with the scent of the pines that line the shores and hills of the coast.

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Afkule I

Beneath the crystal clear waters of the Lycian Coast lie a supremely beautiful world of colorful marine plants and myriad types of fish. Craggy rock formations, deep tunnels, penetrating caves, steep dropoffs, and other features of the seafloor create a flourishing habitat for all manner of sea creatures only accessible to scuba divers. One of the more impressive dive sites is Afkule I, a small cave teeming with red shrimp at 80 feet, and then deeper still to a huge cavern with colorful walls and filled with schools of darting fish. At the mouth of the cave, sunlight filters in with a deep blue. Scuba diving is regulated in Turkey, but arranging an organized diving expedition is easy at the town of Fethiye.

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Gemiler Island

The Byzantine period in Turkish history, 395 to 1453 A.D., was rich and storied, in part because of the mixing of many cultures from around the Mediterranean region. During this time a Christian community prospered on tiny Gemiler Island, to the south and east of Fethiye Bay. Five churches, one of them at the summit of the hills, served the citizens, who lived and conducted business in the settlement on the northern shore. Today, the ruins of the cathedrals, with fallen columns and intricately carved crosses, the homes, shops, and cisterns used to collect water, are all still in evidence. A walk on the island is a journey back through time. From the highest hill, the views of the Eastern Mediterranean are spectacular, particularly at sunset.

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