Cruise Highlights
The original itinerary for this late season cruise was modified due to bad weather. While guests enjoyed all the sights we originally planned to visit, timelines were adjusted to maximize safety and comfort during the trip.
Day 1 - Göcek Harbour - Gemiler Island
- After introductions and time to get settled, we lifted anchor and left Göcek harbour for an exciting week exploring the Lycian coast.
- We made the 3 hour trip to Gemiler Island without incident and anchored next to ancient ruins for our first night at sea.
- After some time for swimming and water sports, Sue led the group on a walking tour around the island.
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Day 2 - Gemiler Island - Kalkan - Kaş
- We lifted anchor about 6AM for the 5 hour journey to Kalkan, eatting breakfast enroute.
- Alan, an experienced boater, helped Oktay re-set the GPS so it now provides even more useful information for planning routes.
- After a short break for swimming in the spectacular turquoise water of an unnamed cove that used to be a fish farm, we continued eastward toward Kaş, positioning ourselves perfectly for scuba diving on Day 3 of the trip.
- Sian and Sally hiked around the small, rocky island we anchored against, one of seven in the area.
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Day 3 - Kaş
- We started the day anchored at the 7 islands outside of Kaş where we met the Nautilus crew for scuba diving. Jason, Belinda, and Catherine, all experienced divers, dove for several hours, wrapping up their session exploring a sunken plane. Many thanks to the incredible team at Nautilus Diving for sharing their fantastic underwater photos for use on our website!
- Due to the length of the dive session and anticipated high winds, Captain Oktay moved Arkadaslik from the exposed anchorage at the 7 islands to the more protected area at Bayındır Bay.
- Late in the afternoon, everyone took the water taxi into Kaş for sightseeing and shopping. The bouncy trip over rough water on the water taxi made us appreciate the comfort and security of cruising on a much bigger boat!
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Day 4 - Kaş - Sunken City of Kekova - Demre - Gökkaya
- We made our way out of the protected bay near Kaş after sunrise and headed 2 hours east in relatively calm water until we reached the Kekova region, where we cruised slowly past the Sunken City of Kekova just after breakfast.
- Then we headed to the small harbour at Demre where guests toured the sites of Myra, the Saint Nicholas Church, and the interpretive centre at Andriake while the crew cleaned and reprovisioned the boat.
- After the excursion was complete, we returned to the Kekova region and anchored at St. George's Bay for the rest of the day. Swimming, friendship, and laughter ensued!
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Day 5 - Gökkaya - Simena Castle - Kalkan
- Today was a whirlwind day, a race against the weather.
- We started with a short cruise to the foot of Simena castle, where almost everyone climbed to the top for a bird's-eye view of the Kekova region. Then we celebrated the accomplishment with "the best home made ice-cream in the universe".
- By 10:30AM, we were underway again, heading westward, back towards Kaş and Kalkan.
- The bad weather (rain and high winds) hit as we neared Kaş, but Captain Oktay was prepared and kept us all safe and sound as he deftly piloted the boat to Kalkan. This is a trip that is normally done over two days, and we did it in a single day!
- We anchored securely at Firnaz Bay for the afternoon and night. The winds were roaring around us, but we enjoyed the protection of the nearby mountain, so it almost felt like "much ado about nothing".
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Day 6 - Kalkan
- It is unusual to spend an entire day in one place during our cruises, but extremely high winds during this late season journey made this a wise decision. We stayed in Fırnaz Bay until mid-afternoon, then headed into Kalkan harbour for the evening.
- Everyone enjoyed some time exploring the charming seaside resort town before heading out to dinner together at the Blue Marlin Restaurant.
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Day 7 - Kalkan - Butterfly Valley - Ölüdeniz - Tarzan Bay
- The winds dropped and the sea was surprisingly calm as we left Kalkan harbour as the sun was rising and made our way back towards home.
- Swells prevented us from stopping at Butterfly Valley, but Captain Oktay took the boat into the mouth of the valley so everyone could enjoy the view before continuing onwards to Ölüdeniz.
- Paragliders hurled themselves from the top of nearby Mount Babadağ while we anchored at a small cove just outside the Blue Lagoon at Ölüdeniz for a few hours.
- Our last leg of today's journey was a 2 hour stretch to Tarzan Bay, where we stayed overnight. (Sadly, no one took advantage of the "Tarzan ropes" hanging from the trees surrounding the bay.)
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Day 8 - Tarzan Bay - Fethiye
- After breakfast, we lifted anchor for the final leg of the journey. It poured rain as we anchored in Fethiye harbour, but slowed to a drizzle as we said our goodbyes and everyone left the boat for the next leg of their Turkish adventure.
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