What can I say, I love Karacaören and Gemiler, so when I edited this week’s episode I had the pleasure of revisiting our time there.
Another bonus was that we had our mate Kevin (who we often call Kevlar because we reckon his tough exterior protects a deeply soft and caring nature) and he joined us on his Bavaria yacht, Barbara Ann. Buddy boating has the bonus of being able to share one’s travel experience and also brings stimulating conversation, laughs and, well someone else to drag the dinghy up on the beach!
Hot coals aren’t just for char grilling
They also deter mozzies (mosquitoes).
We enjoyed a very tasty dinner at Karacaören restaurant on our first evening, having been ferried across from our yachts by Can (pronounced Jan). When he ties you up to your buoy, he says to give him a whistle and he’ll bring you over to his restaurant.
My mum - who you’d have looked at and think butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth because she was an old fashioned ‘lady’ through and through – taught me to wolf whistle with two fingers. So that evening, I whistled an ahoy that resounded around the whole bay and had Can and everyone else in their yachts looking. I’d forgotten how loud that kind of whistle can be!
All three of us had lamb. Kev and I had succulent lamb chops and Baz had sizzling lamb meatballs. The traditional Turkish starter of a plate of mixed mezes, a chips and a fresh farmhouse salad with a homemade loaf of bread had preceded the lamb. We washed it all down with a bottle of two of red wine and sat chatting about all and sundry.
It was all going well until the sun finally descended behind the mountains and the mosquitoes descended on us. We began by slapping ourselves like crazed north European folk dancers. Then we asked for insect repellent spray. Nothing stopped the little buggers.
Can must have noticed our distress because a few minutes later his assistant trundled out a wheelbarrow filled with smoking embers. Soon the place was filled with the lovely smell of burning wood. Oddly, we didn’t have difficulty breathing, mainly because it’s an open air restaurant and all of the tables are lined up against the balcony with a view of the bay. After mere minutes of our smoke blanket, those pesky mozzies had gone. What a brilliant solution!
Anchor out or stern to with line ashore?
Our next stop was Gemiler Island which is approximately 10-15 minutes away from Karacaören (at 6 knots speed over 1.2 nautical miles, or 2.27Km).
Early the following morning Baz and Kev took the dinghy over to check out the options for going stern to at the island. You’ll see in this week’s video how deep the water is and how it suddenly shallows off to uneven rocks.
We’ve only gone stern to with a line ashore once, and with Kev being a solo sailor too, we figured that we’d rather anchor out and swing freely in Gemiler bay which was empty when we inspected it. Not long afterwards we were all happily at anchor in the ‘drop dead beautiful’ Gemiler bay.
The colour of the crystal clear water in that area, along with the surrounding backdrop of hills, pine trees set amongst grey rocks – not to mention Gemiler Island that’s covered in Byzantine monasteries – makes it a sailor’s anchorage dream. There's a good series of Sunflower Complete Guide books (with walks) covering the Turkish Coast. The series features the local history, legends, customs, food, art, architecture, anceient sites and beaches, as well as the practicalities of getting around and accommodation. The Kaş to Dalyan edition outlines Gemiler Bay and Island. The pics below are Amazon *links to this book, along with other reference guides for Turkey that together, give a great all round picture of the country.
Café beach bar with a view
There’s a café bar on the beach and once we got settled in all three of us headed over in Kev’s dinghy. We had rubbish that we needed to dispose of and found a group of bins just behind the beach. After a cool drink at the beach bar and sharing Kev’s plate of calamari, we had a little walk around. On one side is a pine tree lined path where we had a good view of A B Sea and Barbara Ann in the bay. On the other side is a rocky path that takes you past a few small local fishing boats and this has a view of Gemiler Island and the yachts tied stern to there.
Later that afternoon we headed back to our boats, looking forward to climbing the hill on Gemiler Island the following day and exploring the many monasteries there.
Welcome to our newest Patron
A big hello to Peter Innes-Ker, our newest patron, thank you for coming aboard with our A B Sea Patreon family.
Until next week, I wish you health, wealth and courage, as you take the actions to bring your dreams to life.
To watch this YouTube episode, just click here.
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