Turkey

We meet at 18:00 at the Marmaris yacht marina. We check in on the yacht and buy groceries, then head to Çiftlik, where we’ll have dinner at a restaurant in a secluded bay.

Passage Marmaris — Fethiye.
We have breakfast and sail towards Fethiye — an ancient city that is now a modern resort. It is also home to the largest yacht marina on the Lycian coast. In Fethiye we stroll around town and have dinner at one of the colourful local restaurants. There is also a fish market here: you can always buy fresh fish or prawns and ask the waiter at a restaurant you like to cook them for you. With the fish you can order drinks, a side dish and dessert.

Today’s plan is a visit to Gemiler Island.
Gemiler Island is a true open-air museum. It is also called St Nicholas Island: legend has it that the saint fled here with his followers to escape Roman persecution. Here we’ll find the surviving ruins of a once Roman and later Byzantine settlement. You’ll see the remains of four Christian churches from the 5th–8th centuries and a few frescoes. On the hill there was a vaulted gallery connecting two churches, which offers a breathtaking panoramic view. In the evening we’ll climb up to the lighthouse to watch a stunning sunset, and at night we can swim and watch bioluminescent plankton, just like in tropical seas.

After breakfast we continue on to Göcek, the sailing capital of Turkey. On the way we fish, stop for a swim and sunbathe. We’ll stroll through the streets and have dinner at one of the excellent waterfront restaurants specialising in traditional meat dishes.

We sail to Ekincik, where we’ll stay for two days. We’ll go on an excursion to Dalyan — home to the ancient city of Kaunos and Lycian tombs — see Turtle Beach and, if you like, bathe in the mud baths. In Dalyan we have dinner at the “Pineapple” restaurant, which serves the most delicious seafood, while sea turtles swim right by the promenade. On the way we’ll buy the freshest crabs at ridiculously low prices. We’ll go ashore and head to the ruins of Kaunos to see the surviving mosaics, baths and amphitheatre. By boat we’ll get close to the Lycian tombs carved into a sheer cliff — as old as the Egyptian pyramids.

We sail unhurriedly towards Marmaris. On the way we’ll drop anchor in a bay with clear water: we’ll snorkel or paddle on SUP boards, have lunch and sunbathe, and in the evening arrive at the Marmaris marina.

We leave the boat by 9:00.