Flotilla sailing adventure

How about a Flotilla Sailing Adventure

Shortly after receiving Mike Hendra hilarious account of the G&S concert he sent me the following. Lyn & I have been to the Gocek and Fethiye areas and can confirm that they are great places to visit and the sailing is amazing.

Hello!

With the email from Easyjet advising of the opening of the 2012 summer air fares, my thoughts turned again to Budget Sailing’s Turkey Annual Spring Flotilla. The first flotilla of the year has become somewhat of an annual event and now even has some regular attendees.

We have enjoyed the event twice and apart from counting Wilma, Hasan and Aziz, the owners of the company, as friends, we have also shared both trips with two other crews who have also become friends. On both trips we met new crews as well so we have had the benefit of catching up with old friends as well as making new ones.

On our spring adventures we have enjoyed good weather with the days warm and sunny, enough to make a good sunscreen and hat necessary. Evenings have been cooler but comfortable, with a shawl or light jacket needed if out after 9.

However, unlike summer where it can be a bit too warm in bed, sleeping in the cooler nights of spring is very comfortable. Sailing weather has been variable and I am not a purist, so if the wind is light I resort to diesel power, as a result so we do about 50/50 sail motoring but others do better. At the beginning of the season the water is pristine and at about 22º is comfortably swimmable without being like a warm bath.

The Gocek area offers both exciting sailing with lovely bays and good anchorages to relax in. History seeps from the pores of every rock so there is a lot to see and the towns are both historical and touristy in the nicest of ways. We have travelled to the west of Gocek in the Marmaris direction and east towards Kalkan and beyond to Kekova but there is plenty of sailing and sightseeing without leaving the Gulf of Fethiye. Fethiye has a fantastic fish market and an amazing vegetable market on Fridays, neither should be missed. Gocek also has a lovely Sunday morning market that covers a whole range of goods from fresh farm produce to “genuine fake” designer gear so this one should not be missed either.

Flotilla crews usually eat together in the evenings which give the ladies a chance to look just a little more glamorous than when sailing. However, Turkey is more laid back than Greece, where they really can be glamorous, so thus a little more casual. We try to have at least one barbeque during the flotilla and a joint meal on the lead boat with everyone adding something to the feast. This aids socialising and makes things a bit more fun keeping eating costs down a bit as well. We also carry basic food on board so if necessary we can stay aboard and feed ourselves.

My booking in made, so now I am writing this as an invitation to other potential flotilla crews to join us. So start now looking forward to a spring holiday then shake of the winter blues, come to the warmth of Turkey and join is on the 2012 Annual May Spring Flotilla.

Mike Hendra

mikehhendra@gmail.com

Tel +442083371568

http://www.budgetsailing.com