Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting June 2024 - Sample Issue

SAIL INTO SUMMER

 UK to the Med via the French canals

 Discover the Solent's secret spots

BLACK FOREST BATEAU Bavaria’s all new C46 on test

 Cruising tales from Greece and Turkey

Fjord Fiesta

Congratulations to Cruising Association member Gordon Young who clinched top spot in their 2023 Photo Competition with his mesmerizing aerial photo, capturing the breathtaking beauty of Norway. The photo features ‘Måsøya, looking towards the mountains of Engeløya, Lofoten. theca.org.uk

Photo: Gordon Young

There are many who believe that enduring crowded harbours and anchorages is an inescapable part of Solent sailing. Yet there are always places to escape if you know where to look. Rupert Holmes reports

ESCAPING CROWDS IN THE SOLENT

Sailing west from Finike to Bodrum, Jules Riegal nds a window to the ancient past and a touch of tranquillity amidst the party boats, gulets and holiday crowds of the summer season

TURKISH DELIGHT

As I swam ashore with the

water beneath me, the incongruous beat of a 90s pop hit gradually increased to a shocking volume to shatter the narrow bay’s tranquillity. A towering, three-masted, pirate-themed gulet loomed into view on its track close to the row of yachts, parallel moored stern-to the sloping rocky coast scattered with olive trees and the remains of ancient buildings. Behind the huge skeleton gurehead glowering from the bow, revellers were jumping up and down, amassed on both decks, as the party ship cruised slowly past the island’s archaeological treasures, said to include the original tomb of Saint Nicholas. As the gulet dropped

stern line at Gemiler Adasi near Fethiye, spellbound by the submerged ruins of a fourth century church clearly visible through the turquoise beat towering, our

up to its reputation for beauty and charm, with a proliferation of idyllic bays, enclosed

anchor at the end of the line, music still booming, most of the people relaxing in the cockpits of their sailing and motorboats looked on with bemusement and a certain amount of resignation. A er all, nobody said that July in the heart of the Turkish Riviera cruising region would be quiet. is fragile line between peace and cacophony, and the surreal intermingling of high-season tourist shenanigans with Turkey’s tangible ancient world, were to be constant themes of our cruise westward along the country’s southern and southwest coasts last summer. e much-lauded yachting region on the cusp of Europe and Asia lived up to its reputation for beauty and charm, with a proliferation of idyllic bays, enclosed lagoons and rugged coves, and a backdrop of soaring pine-forested mountains and whitepainted hillside towns with gleaming golden mosque domes. We sailed into undeveloped

as Mediterranean sailors and traders would have done thousands of years before, and discovered an abundance of Hellenistic,

areas settled for millennia, Mediterranean sailors and traders would have done thousands of years before, and discovered an abundance of Hellenistic, Roman, Medieval and Byzantine relics, from temples, castles and churches, to rock tombs and sarcophagi, to ruins of entire ancient cities at sites such as Kaleköy near

Kekova and Knidos on the Datça Peninsula. At the marinas, towns and cities, the age-old stonework and rubble were o en incorporated into new buildings or le standing in the middle of a car park or grass verge, all adding to the distinct ambience, enhanced by the undulating, atmospheric Call to Prayer emanating from the mosques, harking back to a bygone era.

Preparing in Luxury

Cyprus in late June, checking in at Finike, and then day sail heading west along the Turkish coast as far as Bodrum, before entering Greece at Rhodes in early August.

The Gemiler Adasi anchorage, which so perfectly illustrated the contrasting aspects, was one of the first stops during five weeks’ sailing in Turkey on our 50ft Nimble Ape II Chris, and I, the plan was to cross from

the mood for a Turkish hammam, a dip in the indoor pool and jacuzzi, a visit to the on-site Beach Club or a couple of nights at the boutique hotel. The exquisite tasting menu created by chef Onur Us at the marina restaurant set the bar high for the dining opportunities in Turkey. Also, the welcome and assistance from the marina staff was always above and beyond anything we have experienced in 20 years’ sailing in the UK, Mediterranean, France and eastern US. Jeanneau, . Just my husband, is a Platinum standard marina resort

We spent a week preparing at our luxurious base, Karpaz Gate Marina. This is a Platinum standard marina resort located on the offbeat, beautiful Karpaz peninsula on the northwest coast of the island in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). It has all the berthing, safety and technical services you could need – and so much more if you are in

Turkey. Also, the welcome and assistance

BLACK FOREST BATEAU

German boatbuilder Bavaria has long had a firm grasp on what its public is after and its new C46 is no exception as Sam Jefferson discovers