6-day Sailing Itinerary from Göcek
Gocek is a fantastic place to sail and offers a different sailing experience to Greece and Croatia – there aren’t many massive marinas, so you’ll find yourself in remote anchorages or on a restaurant jetty in a secluded bay each night. Often there is no charge for the mooring fees as long as you eat in the restaurant in the evening, and some places will even throw in breakfast for free!
Our six-day itinerary of the area includes a few nights in the Gocek bay area, but we’re also heading up and down the coast to see the best parts of the cruising ground and to give you plenty of sailing time – this itinerary clocks in at 100 nM, which means an average of 15-20 nautical miles a day. That translates into around 4 hours of proper sailing a day, which leaves plenty of time for exploring your start or end points, lounging around at a beach or bar somewhere at lunchtime, or just generally taking a leisurely pace.
It’s six days (not seven) because you normally only get on board at 4pm on Saturday, and are required to be back at the marina on Friday evening (before checking-out on Saturday morning – which, assuming that you buy food and pack provisions on the first Saturday, and set off on your voyage first thing on Sunday morning, means six days of wonderful sailing.
Day 1. Gocek to Gobun (Kapi Creek) – 7 nM
Welcome on board, Skipper! Make sure everyone is on-board and the provisions are safely stowed, and we’ll make way. Today is the shortest leg of our trip, so you can take your time to feel your way around the controls, fully brief the crew (and get them practicing their tacking and gibing), and potentially even practice a ‘Man overboard’ drill.
We’re darting around the Gocek Bay area – what a delightful place to sail – you’ll likely be tacking and beating up the prevailing summer winds as we make our way to the best place in the area: Gobun bay, which is better known to the locals as Kapi Creek. If you arrive in the afternoon, you’ll find olive groves to meander around, you could be tempted in to take a dip or, if you’re keen to explore, you can summit the nearby hillside (it takes about an hour) to get stunning views across the bay area.
After the sun sets, the local restaurant (which you can only reach by boat) will sort you out with a fine meal, and you’ll be able to find fellow-sailors to compare plans or swap your best sailing adventures with. Or just sit and get to know your crew. This is the life!
Day 2. Gobun (Kapi Creek) to Ekincik – 28 nM
From the shortest leg to the longest leg, today we’re getting our sail on and heading out of the Gocek Bay area (but don’t worry – we will be back later in the week!) and beating our way up the prevailing winds, northwards up the Turkish coastline to Ekincik.
Ekincik itself is a pretty ex-fishing village with a brilliant beach, and it’s another tranquil and beautiful place to spend the night, but the main reason we’re here is so that you can get yourself set up for tomorrow – there are full and half-day boat trips which leave from Ekincik and head to take in the remarkable (and highly recommended) ruins of ancient Kaunos, the thermal mud baths at Dalyan (which they say take ten years off the age you look), or the natural wilderness of Iztuzu Beach – better known as Turtle beach, and the home of over 300 nesting couples of sea-turtles during breeding season.
Speak to one of the locals about arranging a tour and you can set off on one of their traditional riverboats tomorrow morning (you’re not allowed to sail to Dalyan in your own boat as you need a special permit).
Day 3. Ekincik to Asi Koyu – 11 nM
After testing the crew yesterday, and to give you time if you chose to head on one of the tours, today we’re only hopping a short distance from Ekincik to another pristine and tranquil bay, Asi Koyu. It’s just a lazy hop southwards down the coast, and you’ll be sailing back past the Iztuzu beach, so be sure to watch out for sea-turtles.
Asi Koyu is a bit of a hidden gem – though you suspect that it’s one of the most beautiful and unspoilt beaches or bays in Turkey precisely because it is so far off the beaten track for land-lubbing tourists (there’s no main roads that head here, so getting here without your own boat is not easy).
There’s a beach bar, but it’s a romantic place to just sit on deck and relax under the stars. If you haven’t yet sampled Turkish wine yet, then here is as good a place as any to give it a try: wine was invented in Turkey, and they’ve been making it for over 6,000 years, so they know a thing or two about it!
Day 4. Asi Koyu to Tersane Adasi – 21 nM
Today is another beautiful day for sailing (every day is a beautiful day for sailing!) We’re sticking on our course from yesterday and heading back southwards to the Gocek Bay area, likely running or reaching along with the prevailing summer winds, to the island of Tersane Adasi.
Nowadays, it’s an oasis of peace and calm, but Tersane Adasi (and the Gocek Bay area) was once the headquarters of the Ottaman Navy! ‘Tersane’ literally means ‘dockyard’ in Turkish, and this island is where they built all their finest ships. You can still spot hidden signs of this ancient former life, particularly if you’re able to snorkel.
Interestingly, the history of Tersane island goes back further still – it is regularly name-checked in Ancient Greek literature (when it was called ‘Telandros’) and it is believed to be the final resting place of the heroic Glaucos, who fought in the battle of Troy!
Day 5. Tersane Adasi to Cold Water Bay – 16 nM
Our next port, Cold Water Bay, is so called because there are natural water springs that flow into the bay – though thankfully not too much colder, if you’re a swimmer. Ships used to come here to fill up their water supplies as it was quicker (and often safer) than going into a harbour.
To get there, we’re heading out south past the Fethiye headland, and you’ll find the destination tucked just around the other side. If you have time, you should sail a little further south to check out the famous Blue Lagoon – an stunning lagoon which you have to see to believe (Google it).
If you’re feeling energetic, then there’s the curious ghost town of Kayakoy located a short walk above Cold Water Bay: the largely Greek population that lived here were forced out of their homes as part of a Greek-Turkish people swap in 1923. None of the Turkish people who arrived in exchange wanted to live in Kayakoy, so consequently the whole village of 500+ buildings was abandoned, and is now a creepy tourist attraction.
Day 6. Cold Water Bay to Gocek – 17 nM
It feels like we’d only just started, but somehow today is the last day of our trip already. You’ll moor the boat up back at base tonight, and disappear back to your normal boring non-sailor life tomorrow morning. Sigh. But worry not, because we still have another fine day of sailing ahead of us, the sun is shining, and this voyage is not done yet!
From Cold Water Bay, we’re sailing back towards the Gocek Bay area - so you can maybe check out another couple of idyllic places you liked over there, go exploring for places to stay over at next year, or go in search of the ultimate background to a team photograph – before sailing onwards to Gocek, and all it’s pretty sea-side restaurants. Moor up the boat pretty much where you found her, and then it’s time to high-five the crew for (another) job well done!
If you haven’t yet been out to Gocek yet then it is totally worth a stroll – there are lots of restaurants and bars along the long waterside promenade and there is a jovial holiday atmosphere – particularly with all the sailors back in town at the end of a great week of sailing.
Hopefully you’ve also had a great week of sailing, and you’re leaving here with a multitude of happy memories, a sun tan, and better friends than you arrived here with. Many people who sail in Turkey once end up sailing here year on year, so maybe we’ll see you again next summer? Otherwise, check out PlainSailing.com for more inspiration of places to sail. Have a safe trip home, and hopefully see you online soon :)
