The Itinerary
Day 1
Help Beach - Ölüdeniz - Gemiler Island
We headed out to Ölüdeniz after breakfast and enjoyed lunch anchored off the world-famous beach, watching paragliders launch from the top of nearby Mount Babadağ. After lunch was cleared, we made our way to Gemiler Island, where Sue, Brian, and Steve hiked around the island in record breaking time.
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Day 2
Gemiler Island - Kalkan - Aquarium Bay
Captain Oktay lifted the anchor just after 6AM and we made our way to a bay near Kalkan through reasonably calm seas. After breakfast, everyone visited Kalkan town for a little while. Then we lifted anchor and continued eastward, passing Kaş and the Greek island of Meis / Kastellorizo to anchor at a beautiful bay called Aquarium Bay for the night.
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Day 3
Aquarium Bay - Sunken City of Kekova - Simena Castle - Gökkaya
We departed Aquarium Bay just as the daily boat tours started to arrive and made our way to the Kekova region. Captain Oktay slowed the boat and we cruised past the Sunken City before turning around and anchoring in front of the castle village of Simena. Some of the group hiked to the top of the castle, others wandered though the winding village walkways, with plans to meet up for ice-cream at Ankh Cafe late in the afternoon. Sadly, the much-hyped ice-cream was not available this late in the season. Can you say "disappointment"?
Fortunately, there is always ice cream available on Arkadaslik, so we were able to enjoy it for dessert after anchoring in San Lorenzo Bay, a beautiful small cove with a small castle in the Gökkaya region, our final destination for the day.
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Day 4
Gökkaya - Demre (Myra and the St. Nicholas Church) - Üçağız - Tersane Bay
After breakfast, we headed to Demre for a land tour featuring visits to the site of ancient Myra and the St. Nicholas Church. Returning to the boat in late afternoon, we made our way to Uçağz to fill Arkadaslik's fresh water tanks, then anchored in a bay with extremely clear water and the ruins of an ancient basilica on the north west end of Kekova island.
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Day 5
Tersane Bay - Kaş - Kalkan
Lifting anchor after breakfast, we made our way to Kaş for a quick visit to town, followed by lunch in a nearby bay. The water got a bit rough by mid-afternoon, but out 2-hour journey to a bay near Kalkan was uneventful.
We spent the evening anchored in a bay near Kalkan, celebrating Steve's birthday with delicious chocolate cake.
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Day 6
Kalkan -Şovalye Island - Summer Harbour Bay at Tersane Island
This was our longest day of cruising as we made our way from Kalkan to Şovalye Island, where we anchored to watch the aerial performance of the Turkish Stars over Çalış Beach. The trip was smooth, but 6 hours is one of the longest trips we've ever done in a single stretch. It was worth it though, the performance was amazing - and we had the best seats in the house!
When the show was over, we made our way into the Göcek Islands region, anchoring in Summer Harbour Bay on Tersane Island for the evening.
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Day 7
Summer Harbour Bay - Hamam Bay - Sarsala Bay
The day started out cool and cloudy. After breakfast, we made our way to Hamam Bay for some hiking and swimming, with the "bonus" of watching a photoshoot of a nude woman amongst the ruins of the ancient stone bath. (The sailor and chef seemed to enjoy today's show even more than yesterday's Turkish Stars aerial display! I'm sure they were impressed by the photographer's camera gear and skill at posing the young woman to best advantage.)
Late in the afternoon, we cruised a short distance to Sarsala Bay in preparation for Wendy and Danny's early morning departure.
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Day 8
Sarsala Bay - Göcek Harbour
The crew awoke to bid farewell to Wendy and Danny, who were collected by a taxi at 6AM. After everyone else woke, breakfast was served and we slowly made our way to Göcek Harbour for final farewells.
Sue and Captain Oktay escorted the group to their hotel, while Chef Ozan and Sailor Barış started preparations for our next group of guests.
Goodbyes are always sad, especially when we've enjoyed a fun and exciting week together. We hope our paths will cross again when this group returns to Turkey to explore the ruins of ancient Ephesus!
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