Cruise Highlights
Day 1: Fethiye - Tarzan Bay
We left harbour shortly after our guests arrived. High winds thwarted our original plan (head to Gemiler Island for the night) and Captain Oktay decided to stop at a closer bay for a more comfortable journey for our guests. We searched for a suitable anchorage in Turunç Bay, but ended up doubling back and spending the rest of the day at Tarzan Bay.
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Day 2: Tarzan Bay - Kalkan - Kaş
We lifted anchor at sunrise, heading out on a six-hour journey to Kalkan. The sea was exceptionally calm and the trip was uneventful. We anchored for a few hours in bay that once housed a fish farm outside of town.
Late in the afternoon, we continued eastward, anchoring in turquoise water at a small series of islands located between Kaş, Turkey, and Kastellorizo, Greece. This is where we spent the rest of the day.
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Day 3: Kaş - Sunken City - Simena
After breakfast, Nicolas, Tom, Helene, and Emmanuel headed out for scuba diving adventures with Omer and the team from Nautilus Diving. Beatrice and Gabrielle remained on the boat - relaxing and soaking up the sunshine.
The divers returned in time for lunch, then we lifted anchor and headed towards Turkey's spectacular Kekova region.
Captain Oktay slowed the engine and gave us a wonderful view of the Sunken City of Kekova, then navigated across the channel and anchored at some rocks in front of Simena Castle.
Sue and our guests hiked to the castle then everyone met at Ankh Cafe for some homemade ice cream and beer. All-in-all, it was a wonderful day.
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Day 4: Simena - Demre - Kaş
We arrived in Demre harbour in time for breakfast and then headed out for a land excursion to ancient Myra, the St. Nicholas Church museum, and the interpretive site at Andriake. It was HOT!
Returning to the boat after the tour, we spent some time watching sea turtles swim around the boats anchored in harbour.
Once Arkadaslik's fresh water tanks were full (Demre water is very slow!), Captain Oktay lifted anchor and we started our return journey, anchoring at Bayındır Bay outside of Kaş for the night.
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Day 5: Kaş - Kalkan
After breakfast, we headed into Kaş for some sightseeing and shopping, then returned to the boat for the two-hour journey to Kalkan.
As nobody was interested in going into town, Captain Oktay headed to Yeşilköy where we spent the rest of the day, oogling at sailing yacht Meira (priced at over 12000 Euro per day).
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Day 6: Kalkan - Butterfly Valley - Ölüdeniz - Gemiler Island
It was another early start on day 6 of the trip as we lifted anchor at sunrise and made the 5-hour journey to Ölüdeniz, making a slight detour to see Butterfly Valley enroute. Paragliders filled the sky!
A small mechanical problem kept us at Ölüdeniz slightly longer than planned and necessitated a visit by Duran, Arkadaslik's mechanic. He easily sorted out the problem and we were back on track late in the afternoon.
We had originally planned to visit Gemiler Island during the afternoon and then head to a bay closer to Fethiye for the night, but the delay caused us to re-assess the itinerary. Not wanting our guests to miss all that Gemiler Island has to offer, we chose to stay overnight and return to Fethiye the next morning. This allowed those who wanted to, time to hike around the historic island and everyone had the chance to enjoy the water. We also had the chance to celebrate Helene and Nicolas' and Beatrice and Emmanuel's 26th wedding anniversaries with cake. Happy anniversary guys!
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Day 7: Gemiler Island - Fethiye
Breakfast was served enroute as we made the 3 hour journey back to Fethiye. Just as we were rounding the peninsula and turning north, Chef Ozan caught a huge tuna so we spent a bit of time unsuccessfully trawling the area for more fish.
Captain Oktay made a quick stop at Samanlı Bay, allowing everyone a final swim before returning to Fethiye harbour where we said sad farewells (au revoir) to our new French friends.
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