Sailing in Turkey – The ultimate area for explorers
Sailing in Turkey – Our experiences from Cesme to Kekova
The sailing area of Türkiye is one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean (Wikipedia). From May to October 2022 We extensively explored the area from Cesme in the north to Kekova in the south on our SY Joline. We had originally planned to sail from Istanbul to Antalya, but adjusted our itinerary. According to locals, the coastline above Cesme and below Kekova is less interesting, and there are fewer good anchorages. The marinas in Istanbul are quite expensive, and the route up the Bosphorus is long and arduous.
We would like to share our experiences and tips with you here.
Travel date – Best time to travel
How were from May to October 2022 on site, after Joline had waited for us in the marina in Didim over the winter. At the beginning of the season, the nights are still a bit chilly and the water is only around 20 degrees, but that quickly subsides by the end of May. Then the temperatures are very pleasant. August can be very warm – but there's always a light breeze on the water and at anchor.
Where we sailed in Turkey
Turkish Aegean from Cesme to Kekova
Domestic travel destinations
Pamukkale, Cappadocia and Istanbul,
Procedure for clearing in by boat
To sail in Turkey, you need a transit log, which you must apply for upon entry. It costs approximately €170, including the agent's fees, which are mandatory. The transit log is valid for one year, but must be reissued through an agent every time a crew change occurs or when you leave the country. After three reissues, a new transit log must be purchased.
It's best to contact an agent before entering the country and compare prices. You'll need the usual documents: proof of ownership of the yacht, insurance documents, driver's license, crew list, and copies of your passport or ID card.
Germans can enter without a visa. The 90 out of 180-day rule applies, meaning you can stay in Turkey for 90 days within a 180-day period.
Anchoring and sailing
With a transit log, you can travel the entire Turkish coast and anchor in the bays free of charge. Some restaurants offer moorings at their docks, usually with fresh water and electricity, in exchange for a dinner hosted by the crew in their restaurant. Prices vary widely – from standard to very expensive.
In summer, the Meltemi brings northerly winds with wind speeds of 6–8 Bft. Turkey is therefore a sailing area suitable for everyone. However, it can quickly become uncomfortable if the Meltemi blows at more than 7 Bft for a few days. The unprotected areas then become uncomfortable and challenging when sailing north. Generally, the wind usually picks up around midday and reaches its maximum strength in the late afternoon. Stormy nights are rare, as are rain and severe weather.
When choosing an anchorage, the prevailing wind direction should be taken into account. There are plenty of bays that offer good protection, and these also offer ample anchoring opportunities. However, you should be prepared to anchor in some areas down to 20/25 meters, or, starting from Göcek/Fethiye, to have shore lines (floating lines) of 50 meters or more with you and deploy them. This way, you'll be prepared for all eventualities.
Environmental Protection
In Turkey, grey/black water (sewage) may not be discharged into the sea. It must be pumped out – this is usually done at the gas stations in the marinas. Pumping out is subject to a fee – approximately €12 to €20 – and must be documented on a Blue Card. The Blue Card is issued at the first marina. It is a QR code that you need when pumping out. Pumping out should be done approximately every 7 to 10 days – when you are away. This is monitored, and violations can result in heavy fines.
Residence residence permit
Anyone wishing to stay in the country for longer than 90 days, or more than 90 days within a 180-day period, requires a tourist residence permit. To apply for one, you need a berth in a marina and must be present when the application is submitted. After that, you can sail again. The application is submitted online; in addition to the berth, you also need Turkish health insurance – the cost for one year is approximately €150.
Marinas
Very exclusive – very expensive – especially in the larger destinations. Also, usually overcrowded in the summer. Turkish marinas are generally very good. We spent the winter at D-Marina Didim. The winter and year-round options were good. However, if you want to book for a few months in the summer, it gets expensive. Daily rates for a catamaran in the relevant marinas often range from €150 to over €200 per night.
An insider tip is the marina in Port Iasos. It's a very family-friendly marina, beautifully situated, and just a short distance from the airport. There are very affordable spots here for months, winter, or year-round. It's a bit off the beaten track, but taxis, dolmus, and ferries make it easy to find something to do.
Water supply
Since we unfortunately didn't have a watermaker yet (procurement issues), we had to have water from time to time. Our experiences with this have varied greatly. Naturally, there's water available in the marinas (prices range from €3 to €5 per ton). Things get tricky when you're not in the marina.
We experienced everything from cheap and good to unfriendly and expensive, or even impossible. The best service was in Cesme and Kas. Here, we could get water for a small fee and park for free while we were filling up. The worst was in Bodum, where we were charged €150 for half a day, plus the cost of water to fill our tanks. However, the half day was supposed to be a maximum of two hours, which wouldn't have even been enough to visit the town.
Water is also available at the restaurant piers. North of Didim, this option becomes increasingly scarce, but towards the south, the supply is good.
Communication
Knowledge of German is rare in the Turkish Aegean region (we had a very different experience years earlier in Side), and knowledge of English is also rare. A lot of people work with translation programs; the Turks are quite resourceful in this regard. So, somehow, communication always worked.
Costs
2022 There was very high inflation in Turkey. The euro 2021 still at about 1:8, it was in May 2022 By 1:16, and in October, it was 1:18. This made the already affordable travel destination even more affordable for us. Day trips cost about €30 per person, and a meal with drinks was available for around €10. Prices are significantly cheaper in the north and outside of the tourist centers.
People / mentality
The Turks are very hospitable, very attentive, helpful, and very sociable. They offer help gladly and without expecting anything in return. We felt very comfortable and met many wonderful people.
Safety
We felt very safe at all times, both on land and on the water. The Coast Guard is active on the water, very present, and regularly inspects boats. However, if all requirements (residence and Blue Card for sewage dumping) are met, you will remain unmolested. We often saw inspections being carried out in bays. Ours was always checked remotely. The data is available online, and we always had our AIS on, so we were identifiable at all times. Law enforcement officers are present on land in the holiday resorts, but we have never experienced them intervening or having to intervene.
The numerous gullets move quickly, often passing or crossing at close range, but do so cautiously. In the bays, you should pay more attention to fast dinghies and jet skis, which occasionally don't pay much attention to their surroundings. The same applies to some charter crews who aren't always 100 percent familiar with vessel handling and right-of-way rules. Only very few vessels transmit AIS.
Boat equipment / Marina supplies
We had solar panels installed on the bimini top at Marina Didim and equipped the boat with summer and winter covers. We also had stainless steel and woodwork made for the solar panels and the skipper's cabin floor.
All work was carried out reliably, promptly, on time, and to a high standard. Prices were agreed upon in advance and always delivered at the negotiated price. The craftsmen worked seamlessly across trades. We highly recommend Boat Outfitting in Turkey.
Obtaining spare parts is more difficult. While most marina shops carry the most common parts, the selection is often very limited, and delivery times can take several days. Floating lines are readily available from Göcek to the south. We were only able to find Yanmar spare parts in Marmaris. It's best to have electronics shipped directly; there are numerous shops for this in Istanbul or Izmir. Google helps...
Retailers
In holiday resorts, especially in bazaars, it's common to be approached by vendors on the street and invited into their shops. This is unusual and rather unpleasant for us Europeans. However, the vendors remain friendly and polite. Beware of carpet and leather goods dealers.
Restaurants
In holiday resorts, you'll also be approached outside restaurants and invited to a restaurant. Here, too, it's common for the recruiters to remain friendly and polite. This behavior has no impact on the quality of the restaurant. We ate consistently well in the restaurants – prices vary; the more touristy the area, the more expensive.
The prices are very reasonable by German standards – but seafood and fish whose prices aren't listed on the menu can be very expensive. Prices are available upon request, so you should clarify this before ordering. We've seen a table of four suddenly end up with a bill for €300. You have to be especially careful in the tourist hotspots (Bodrum). Some restaurants here will go to great lengths to rip off tourists. With one exception, the bills were correct.
As always, the most expensive places are in the front row and where the tourists are. We've consistently had very good experiences if you take this into account when choosing a restaurant. If you find a small local restaurant, the quality is often outstanding and the prices surprisingly low.
Alcohol
Restaurants fall into different categories. Local restaurants generally don't serve alcohol. Some restaurants are resourceful and allow you to buy alcohol around the corner and bring your own. Other restaurants offer alcohol (beer, wine, spirits). Alcohol, especially spirits, is generally quite expensive.
Transport
The public transport network in Turkey is excellent. Shorter distances can be covered by dolmus (Minibus) that runs regularly and punctually on fixed routes, and costs a few euros. The bus stops at hand signals for boarding and alighting along the entire route, not just at bus stops, and will even make a small detour upon request. You pay directly to the driver, usually at the end of the tour.
For longer distances there are Intercity buses – good and cheap. Here, you usually have to buy a ticket at the counter. The buses depart from the bus stations (Otogar), which can be found in virtually every city.
Taxi rides are charged by the taximeter and are also cheap – for a one-hour taxi ride we paid around €45 (airport to marina).
Rental car are comparatively expensive – we paid around €4 for 600 weeks.
Further information on Sailing opportunities in Turkey
Unfortunately, we can't list everything here, as it would be beyond the scope. However, if you have questions about a specific topic, a bay, etc., please feel free to contact us.
You can find all other articles about our experiences in Turkey here: https://blue-joline.com/tag/tuerkei/
