A small coach winds its way through the mountains on its

way to the coast. The fourteen passengers on board are fascina-

ted by the views and are having a lively conversation. Is this

really Turkey? So green, so pure?

It doesn't have much in common with Western Europe.

Small whitewashed houses, a colourful cart, piled high with

bales of cotton, and cars that deserve a place in a museum. It is

different and exciting, but the real journey has sti l l to start

- a sailing cruise along the coast.

Descending into the harbour town of Bodrum, the coach

passes through the bustle of a market. On display are colourful

c lothes , sp ices , exot ic vegetab le s , copper l anterns and inge-

niously painted plates. Chickens and birds are

in pr imit ive twis ted cages , shoeshine boys

offer their services and an ice cream vendor catches your eye.

A sailing cruise along the Turkish coast.

offer their services and an ice cream vendor catches your eye.

You wonder if ‘kahramanmares dondurmasi’ is Turkish for ice

cream? This is undeniably the East!

Slowly the coach turns onto the quay and there she is

- the ‘Meltim’, with her bright varnished deck shining in the

sun. The crew are lined up alongside the gangway in their spotless

whites.

They shake hands. “Welcome to Turkey !” the bearded

captain exclaims and introduces himself as Nedim. The cook is

Bilge, and Savas and Bayram are the shipmates.

The engine is already running and whilst a few final boxes

of vegetables and fruit are quickly loaded on board the cook

negotiates with a fisherman who has came alongside.

Nedim shows his guests to their cabins which turn out to

be much better than expected. The varnished wood and the

shining copper give one a feeling of a bygone age. Nedim advises

to unpack only your ‘casual clothes’. “Before we leave, I’d like to

invite you for a welcome drink on deck.”

A cabin with a view.

The cabins are not luxu-

rious, but are surprisingly

comfortable. All cabins have

a nice double bed, sheets

and blankets, a wardrobe

with a drawer, reading

lamps and a mirror.

Most cabins have an upper

bunk, although we never

book more than two people

per cabin. Passengers

travelling alone will in

principal share with

another passenger. If you

have any objections to that,

we shall endeavour to make

a reservation for single

occupancy which would

not incur any additional

charges.

Under the awning a number of delicious little snacks

are on offer - Goats cheese, melon in honey, fried whitebait.

A magnum of champagne, which Bilge opens very carefully,

raises a smile all round.

The jazzy label and the silver paper around the neck

suggests that the bottle is from a party shop. Bilge notices

everyone's reaction and hurries to explain that this is the best

Turkish champagne, a real Kavaklidere.

The doubt remains until after the first taste. “You would

like some more, sir?” “Oh yes, please!” Meanwhile, Nedim has

rolled out a sea chart and everybody has a look. With his finger

he draws a line over the map. “We can do what you like, but I

would recommend going to Yedi Adalar. That's not too far for the

first day.” There is room for democracy here but nobody seems

inclined to make use of it.

Once Nedim has explained that this is the name of seven

sma l l i s l and s wh i ch l i e i n a w ide and open bay, “whe re y ou

Along the south-west coast of Turkey and to a number of Greek is lands. Every yacht sails her own course.

small islands which lie in a wide and open bay, “where you

swim as if in an aquarium” , everybody is convinced.

The white sand and the light stones on the sea floor

reflect the sunlight and turn the sea turquoise. Nedim has not

exaggerated and one could go on snorkelling for hours in such

a beautiful spot.

Bilge and Bayram, his permanent right-hand man in the

kitchen take to the water armed with a harpoon. “We are going

shopping for dinner” , calls Bayram. Less than an hour later they

emerge with four perch, an octopus and two crabs.

Although everyone has mixed feelings about the wriggling

octopus, after transforming it into a salad it quickly becomes

apparent that there is plenty of demand. The dinner is special

not only because of the herbs used, but also because of the

substantial bread and the tasty wine.

The first day is over before we realise it. You simply

cannot believe that the day started with a morning departure

from Heathrow airport. The notion of time is already fading

Surrounded by crystal

clear water.

All the equipment needed

for snorkelling is available.

Next to the swimming steps

is a shower to rinse off the

salt water whilst below deck

are bathrooms with shower,

toilet and washbasin.

. E X O T I C .

D E L I C AC I E S O F T H E

T U R K I S H K I T C H E N .

The eating habits of surrounding

c o u n t r i e s h a v e s t r o n g l y i n f l u e n c e d

Turkish cuisine. We can see this in the mezeler

or appetizers served with coffee or alcoholic drinks

like raki. This ‘treasury’ of Turkish delights contains

little tomatoes, cut open like a flower, little green Spanish

peppers and very thin slices’ pastirma, strongly spiced beef.

This is the same as pastrami and is prepared in Turkey with

spicy pepper powder, cumin and garlic. Other

typical Turkish dishes, are Hünkâr begendi (‘Sultan’s

delight’), aubergine purée with cubes of veal;

yalanci dolma, steamed vine-leaves filled

with rice and raisins; Fava, mashed

Soya beans with lemon juice and

olive oil; midye dolma, cold

steamed mussels in the

shell, filled with

rice and cerkez

tavugu, cold slices

of chicken with walnut

sauce. Bon appetit!

~

~

from Heathrow airport. The notion of time is already fading

away. “Then you really are on holiday” , says Nedim and he

is right.

The wake-up call is replaced by a dive into the crystal

clear water and this is the sign for Bilge to boil the water for the

morning tea . He places the typica l Turkish tu l ip-shaped

little glasses on a nicely decorated copper tray whilst Bayram

lays breakfast on the table.

After a few minutes everyone is gathered together all with

wet hair from swimming and wrapped in towels or robes.

Beyond the bay a nice breeze is building up, around

4 knots. The sails are hoisted and a few passengers assist the

crew. We sail close to the wind and the ‘Meltim’ sets course

for the delta of the Dalyan river. As the sails fi l l with air, the

engine is switched off and everything becomes very peaceful.

Everyone has chosen their favourite spot - a sun mattress

on the cabin deck, a corner of the bench behind the mizzen or

in the cool shade of the foresail . Some engross themselves with

The sea breeze induces

a good appet i te .

Each day will start with a

full breakfast - orange juice,

fresh bread, honey, eggs,

cheese and fruit. For lunch

a fresh salad, normally

including a hot dish, and

for dinner a barbecue party

or a festive dinner. The

cook will surprise you with

delicious, authentic Turkish

meals on the aft deck.

RARE NATURAL SCENIC BEAUTY

ALONG THE AEGEAN COAST. That

the conditions for life are perfect,

especially along the coast, is not only

reflected in the cultural, but also in

the natural richness of the area.

Apart from dolphins, we can find

two kinds of sea turtles along the

Turkish coast: the big head turtle

(Caretta caretta) and the green turtle

(Chelonia mydas). The breeding

places are situated on the Aegean

coast and in eastern and central parts

of the Mediterranean. The Turkish

coast contains at least 17 breeding

places.

After copulation the female turtle

searches out a safe place on the beach

and very carefully buries up to 100

eggs there. Two months later, the

baby turtles climb out onto the sand

and during the cool of the night,

wend their way to the sea. This

happens between May and September.

The Aegean coast is also one of the

last shelters for the munk seal

(Monachus monachus). Only 500 of

this species are left in the whole world,

about 100 of which live along

the Turkish coast.

in the cool shade of the foresail . Some engross themselves in a

book, some with a walkman and others are just comfortably

lazy. The sound of the waves and the rattling of the halyards

provide a soothing background.

At the mouth of the river Dalyan are the Lycian Royal

graves and the remains of Caunos. Nedim drops anchor in a

little bay as the keel of the ship is too deep to cruise on the

delta. This activity has been noticed by the local inhabitants

and gesticulating wildly they hurry to the ‘Meltim’ to offer

their services. A shy smiling boy with a blue vessel wins the

competition.

The delta itself is a labyrinth of creeks and banks of reed

and it takes a l ittle under an hour to reach the Mausoleum

which in itself is extremely impressive, although it is a l ittle

hard to appreciate that it is almost three thousand years old.

Further on are the ruins of Caunos where Nedim points

out the changes that the Romans carried out to the original

Greek amphitheatre. By hacking out the lowest steps and the

For land lovers too.

The coast contains fascina-

ting legacies of old cultures.

Every journey offers plenty

of opportunity to go ashore,

to visit the interesting

remains of, amongst others,

Milete, Ephesus, Caunos,

Xanthos, Patara and Myra.

T H E R I C H H I S TO RY O F S O U T H - W E S T T U R K E Y.

Because of its inaccessibility, south-west Turkey more or less

developed its culture alone until the arrival of

Alexander the Great (330 BC). Of greatest

importance were the Lycians and the

Carians, nations probably descended from

the native population of Anatolia. However,

the Greek writer Herodetus tells us that,

according to legend, the Carians came from

Crete. The Carians had as their capital first

Mylasa (Milas) and later, under King

Mausolus (died 353 BC), Halikarnassos,

nowadays Bodrum. Mausolus is especially

renowned because the Mausoleum, named

after him, was one of the seven wonders of

the world. Its remains were used by the

crusaders of St. John in the 15th century to

build an impressive castle in Bodrum

harbour. The Lycians lived in the beautiful

area south-east of Caria with their capital

Xanthos, of which the ruins are very

impressive. Although there was much Greek

influence, the Lycians developed their

own a rch i t e c tu re and s cu lp tu re ,

especially the high tombs, the oldest

ones dating from 600 BC. Other important

Lycian cities were Pinara and the harbour town Patara.

stage, they were able to transform the theatre into an arena.

In his sometimes faulty English, Nedim tel ls us how

people lived in this town so long ago. On the weatherbeaten

pavements he sets the scene, where salesmen displayed their

goods and mothers with their children went shopping, and

manages to captures the time and occasion perfectly.

Once back on board the anchor is immediately lifted

and we are on our way to Disbilmez for a picnic supper on a

beautiful sheltered beach. The sun sets slowly on the horizon

and colours change from ochre to red.

As we draw nearer the coast the outlines of the passing

countryside become more distinct and the snow on top of

Baba Dagi seems little by little to be covered with a thin

layer of gold. Once the ship enters the quiet bay, the sun has

almost set.

Savas and Bayram jump into the tender and set off to

the beach to find the most perfect spot. Bilge marinades the

It takes about seven weeks to sail from Assos to Kemer. However, why not enjoy just a part of it for a week or two?

the beach to find the most perfect spot. Bilge marinades the

siskebabs and prepares a Turkish version of a Salad Nicoise.

Nedim serves the raki whose strong aniseed taste takes

some getting used to, although beginners are allowed to add a

lot of water and ice! It is well after midnight as the last person

tumbles contentedly into bed.

“Captain. Where will you take us today?” “Up north again,

my f r i end. Tomorrow you wi l l go back to England.

So tonight we will have dinner in a very good restaurant - and

I will show you a sunken city - very special.” A delightful

prospect.

Somewhere during the late afternoon Gümüslük comes into

sight. Fishing boats are on the beach.

The anchor hi t s the bottom and hundreds of l i t t le

si lver-white fish are scattered. Under the water are the remains

of the city of Myndos and you can see where the houses were

and even the cart tracks used to be.

The farewell party outside the beach cafe belonging to

The course of your

choice.

It takes seven weeks to sail

the area between Assos and

Antalya. If you have the

time you could, of course,

experience the whole trip,

but more than likely, you

will choose just one part of

the journey (the minimum

is a week). The yacht

departs from and returns to

Turgutreis, Bodrum,

or from near Marmaris,

with several

different itineraries available,

including the Greek is lands.

As far as it is possible, your

preference for a specific area

will be taken into account.

All of our ships are very well designed and as a result of their

stability are equipped to meet all weather conditions whether it be for

sailing or cruising.

There is plenty of room on deck, where sun mattresses await. On the aft

deck is a long table, surrounded on one side by a bench, where all meals are

usually served.

In the cabin/saloon, there is a cosy bar.

THE FLEET

6 Person 8 Person 12 Person 14 Person 16 Person

Length 11.0m 17.0m 21.0m 23.0m 23.0m

Length o.a. 14.5m 20.0m 24.4m 27.0m 27.0m

Width 5.1m 5.8m 6.0m 6.3m 6.3m

Tonnage 30 ton 45 ton 50 ton 80 ton 80 ton

Engine 135 hp 135 hp 125 hp 280 pk 80/360 hp

Sail area 95m2 200m2 205m2 250m2 250m2

Mast height 13m 17m/19m 17m/19m 18m/20m 18m/20m

Rigging mainsail mizzen mizzen mizzen mizzen

foresail mainsail mainsail mainsail mainsail

j ib fisherman- fisherman- fisherman- fisherman-

sail sail sail sail

j ib jib jib jib

foresail foresail foresail foresail

Cabins 3 4 6 7 8

Toilets 3 4 6 7 8

Showers 4 5 7 8 9

Frehswater-

Reservoir 1,500 ltrs 2,300 ltrs 3,000 ltrs 4,000 ltrs 4,000 ltrs

ph: www.brigittevincken.com

The farewel l par ty outs ide the beach cafe be longing to

Ali Özyanik is unforgettable. This is in part due to Ali himself

who challenges all of his ‘special guests to a ‘Turkish dance’ .

Smal l meta l castanets between his f inger t ips increase

the song-like music. However, when everyone joins up at the

table again for dessert the exuberant atmosphere becomes

melancholic. The trip is over, that is reality.

“My friend” , mumbles Nedim through his beard, “one

year is nothing. It goes with the wind. You’ll soon be back.”

SCICSAILING, SAILING CRUISES IN COMFORT, TELEPHONE +31 (0)33 4220055, E-MAIL: INFO@SCICSAILING.EU,

WEBSITE:WWW.SCICSAILING.EU. REGISTERED OFFICE : 18 CANTERBURY ROAD, WHITSTABLE, KENT CT5 4EY,

REGISTERED NUMBER 3229959.