The Pertsev Family's Sailing Holiday
When Alexie contacted us to arrange a week-long sailing vacation with his family, we immediately knew we'd become good friends. What a sense of humour!
Day 1
- When your guest shows up wearing a pirate's patch over his eye, you know you're going to have a week filled with laughter and good times!
- We headed out of harbour as soon as everyone was on board, stopping for the night at Göcek Island so Yana and Maksym could enjoy their first swims of the holiday.
Day 2
- Today we cruised around the Göcek Islands region to help everyone develop their sea legs. First stop, Summer Harbour Bay at Tersane Island, followed by Merdivenli Bay (Stairway Bay), and finally Dıs Göbün for the night. There was lots of time for swimming, kayaking, paddle-boarding and relaxing everywhere we went.
Day 3
- Our day started with a nice relaxed trip across the Gulf of Fethiye - minimal waves, very comfortable trip.
- We stopped at a cove just outside Ölüdeniz and took the paddleboards and kayaks for a tour around the Blue Lagoon. (The area is protected and boats with motors are not allowed in the lagoon.) Lots of paragliders in the air!
- The final destination of the day was Gemiler Island - also called St. Nicholas Island. We hiked around the island for a while, checking out the ruins of 4 churches built to honour St. Nicholas between the 5th and 7th centuries. Then back to the boat for more swimming and paddle boarding before dinner.
Day 4
- Captain Oktay had the engines running by 7:30AM for our trip back across the Gulf of Fethiye. Rain hit just as we arrived at Ağa Limanı for breakfast.
- The rain was short lived and the sun started shining as we made our way to Binlik Bay in the Göcek Islands for lunch.
- We spent the evening and overnight at Hamam Bay - next to the ruins of an ancient Turkish bath.
Day 5
- After a relaxed breakfast next to the ruins, the boys swung from a rope hanging from a tree next to the water, and the girls cheered them on. What fun!
- Leaving Hamam Bay, Captain Oktay raised the sail for a while, and we spent the rest of the day at Sıralı Bük.
Day 6
- Breakfast and a morning swim at Sıralı Bük and then we lifted anchor to visit the heart-shaped island at Aquarium Bay. The winds picked up, so we only stayed for a short visit before heading to the more protected Panço Koyu for the afternoon.
- Our final stop of the day was Bedri Rahmi Koyu - home to ancient tombs cut high into the hills around the bay and a fish painting by Turkish artist and poet, Bedri Rahmi. A spectacular thunderstorm hit just before dinner!
Day 7
- Our final full day at sea started with a leisurely breakfast at Bedri Rahmi Bay then headed to Osman Ağa to fill up with fresh water.
- The wind picked up again so we headed to Şeytanlı Island (Devil Island) but it was also choppy, so we didn't stay for long. The wind actually flipped the kayak over! No paddle boarding for Yana :-(
- Our final stop for the day was Bonuz Bükü, where we met the Migros boat to buy some missing ingredients for dinner before anchoring in the pine-surrounded bay for our last evening together.
- Maksym dove from the top of the swimming platform - earning top marks from everyone. Good job!
Day 8
- An early morning start to return to Göcek harbour where we'll eat breakfast before saying our goodbyes.
