In May 2007 Rex and Lynette Harrison and three other couples ventured to Turkey to sail on a traditional Turkish gulet, although not without some trepidation given that the vessel was something of an unknown quantity. The wooden vessel had been booked by Mariner Boating Holidays and proprietor Trevor Joyce was held “hostage” on the yacht for the first four days to ensure all went according to plan. The brochure said large air conditioned cabins with private facilities, plenty of outdoor living area and a first class crew.

Embarkation was in the port of Bodrum. The crew had travelled overland from Istanbul on an escorted trip which included Gallipoli, Troy, Assos and Kusadasi. Their minibus stopped on the quay near the stern of the yacht and once everyone was on board the “wow” factor began to set in. The classic 26 metre craft was immaculate. She was skippered by her part-owner and the crew, particularly Saban the chef, turned out to be a highlight of the whole exercise. Nancy Weaver spent a lot of time in the galley gathering Turkish cooking secrets.

“I was astounded that we were not served the same dish during the 12 days of the charter and the quality of every meal was five-star”, said Ingrid Campbell. More importantly Ingrid who is not a sailor approached the cruise with more than a little apprehension and she expressed the view afterwards that the yacht, the crew and the trip were without fault.

Although the gulet had no sheet winches the sailing enthusiasts on board insisted that Ali and his crew hoist the main and headsail and they reached comfortably along at 7 knots across the prevailing 12 knot westerly on a flat sea.

First stop was Mersencik, a protected anchorage and then the next day Knidos, an important city in ancient Greece famous for the fact that what is thought to be the first stone statue of a naked woman, the statue of Aphrodite, was found here.

Beyond Knidos came the town of Datca, where the shopping frenzy in the quayside carpet bazaars began in earnest. Carpet shopping in Turkey is a must do even though the financial reality may be that there are better deals here in Australia, but it is the experience that adds an unforgettable dimension. “You like to see it my very special carpet, no need to buy – just to look. Sit down, sit down, would you like tea or cold drink. I make it for you special price. Is this carpet normally $1,000 but for you I make $700” and so it goes on. I have been to Turkey twenty times and I am still to come home without a Turkish carpet.

Just east of Knidos is the Greek island of Symi and the decision was made to visit to draw into relief some of the differences between Greek and Turkish culture. Well of course there are no mosques, the shops have bacon, the language and architecture are different, the coffee is the same as is the slow Mediterranean life style. The biggest difference really was the cost of things. A good restaurant meal in Symi cost about 50 Euros a head and the same meal in Turkey cost 50 Turkish Lira – the killer was the exchange rate between the two currencies; 1.8 lira to 1 Euro to 1.6 Aud. After Symi Rex and his crew took all meals on board!

Then it was off to Dirsek, which means elbow in English and not surprisingly the bay had a big right hand bend in it, which closed the entrance and ensured calm water within. Ali expertly dropped the anchor, backed into the shore and one of the crew tied the stern line to a stout bush on the beach. This technique was used several times through the trip and ensured that the boat did not swing in the night. The scent of thyme and oregano wafted down the slope as the increasingly relaxed crew enjoyed yet another culinary masterpiece from the chef extraordinaire.

And so the twelve days on board became a sumptuous blur of bays with strange names, small coastal hamlets and three meals a day overlooking the ever changing shore, where the big surprise was in fact the Turkish people who were very hospitable, humorous, honest and conscious of international opinion. The Turkish version of Islam is very moderate and it seems that not many modern Turks visit the mosque more than a couple of times a year even if they do practice the teachings of the Koran.

The tectonic plates of Christianity and Islam have over the centuries undergone some serious upheavals along these shores and a recent example of this conflict was evident in a small town along the way, formerly called Telmessos and now known as Kaya Kou and which was once inhabited by Greek Christians. Today the town stands deserted after Kamal Ataturk evicted all the Greeks from Turkey when he founded the modern republic. All is forgiven these days, however, because Turkey and Greece are both members of NATO and pretty soon both may also be members of the EU.

More information on sailing a gulet in Turkey from Mariner Boating Holidays 99661244 or on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it