Turkish Aegean Deep Dive: Gulets and Bays
The Turkish word gulet refers to the traditional wooden two-masted schooner developed along the Aegean and Turquoise Coast in the early twentieth century for sponge fishing, and later for coastal freighting. Since the 1970s the gulet has been reinvented as a luxury charter vessel, and the fleets based at Marmaris, Netsel Marina Marmaris, Bozburun, and D-Marin Göcek now number in the thousands. But the Turkish Aegean is not only about gulets. It is one of the richest and most varied cruising areas in the world for any vessel — a coast of more than 2500 kilometres where pine forest meets aquamarine water, where ruins of Greek and Roman cities appear at the water's edge, and where the prevailing summer wind is generally gentle enough for a relaxed reach between anchorages.
The Gulf of Gökova and the Bozburun Peninsula
The Gulf of Gökova is the largest natural inlet on the Turkish Aegean coast, stretching 65 kilometres inland from Bodrum to the head of the gulf east of Marmaris. The northern shore is the more dramatic, with the ancient city of Knidos on the far western tip — a Greek settlement with two harbours visible on satellite imagery — and the remarkable Bozburun Peninsula extending south like a crooked finger into the sea. Bozburun itself is a village of wooden boat-builders; the tradition of gulet construction is strongest here, and slipping in stern-to at the town quay opposite working boatyards is one of the most atmospherically satisfying manoeuvres in Turkish coastal sailing. The anchorages along the Bozburun Peninsula — Selimiye with its village square under plane trees, Bozburun Marina with its gulet fleet at rest — reward slow exploration over several days. The area is easily accessed from Netsel Marina Marmaris, which has 750 berths and full services including a 24-hour fuel dock.
Göcek and the Twelve Islands
Göcek, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Fethiye, is the hub of Turkish charter sailing. D-Marin Göcek has 570 berths, Club Marina Göcek a further 490, and Marti Marina Jetty and Porto Bello Marina add hundreds more — making the Göcek anchorage and marina complex one of the largest concentrations of charter yachts in the Mediterranean. The appeal is obvious: within a 10-nautical-mile radius of Göcek lie the Twelve Islands (Onikiadalar), a scatter of pine-clad islets and deep fjord-like inlets where stern-to anchorage in 3 to 8 metres of crystal water is the norm. Wall's Bay (Tersane Adası) contains the ruins of a Byzantine shipyard visible at the waterline. Yassıca islands are a cluster of low islets ideal for snorkelling in clear depths of 4 to 6 metres. The Port of Fethiye, a few miles south, has a well-equipped marina and the ancient rock-cut Lycian tombs of Amyntas above the town.
The Lycian Coast: Ruins and Rock Tombs
The stretch of Turkish Aegean coast between Fethiye and Kaş is known as the Lycian Coast after the ancient confederation of city-states that flourished here from the 5th century BC until Roman annexation in 43 AD. The landscape is dramatically different from the northern Aegean: the mountains rise more steeply, the coves are more enclosed, and the water in the inlets is a luminous turquoise fed by cold karstic springs. Kekova Roads, the lagoon between the island of Kekova and the Lycian coast, contains the submerged ruins of the ancient city of Simena — walls, steps, and building foundations visible under 1 to 3 metres of clear water from the yacht. The village of Üçağız on the mainland shore has a small quay and several restaurants serving fresh lakerda fish. Kaş, the main town of the coast, has a well-sheltered marina accessible from both the Greek island of Kastellorizo (Meis) 3 nautical miles to the south and from the open sea.
Bodrum and the Northern Approach
Bodrum is the largest marina complex on the Turkish Aegean coast, with the ancient site of Halicarnassus — birthplace of Herodotus and location of the Mausoleum, another of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — immediately above the marina. Marmaris Albatros Marina, Marmaris Yacht Marina, İzmit Yat Limanı, and my Marina Yacht Club, as well as Zeytinburnu Limanı further north, form part of a vast marina network along this coast. The Bodrum peninsula produces one of Turkey's finest wines; the local Milas and Datça olive oil is exported across Europe. From Bodrum, sailing north brings you to the ancient city of Miletus on the Meander delta — now several kilometres inland as the delta has silted — and to the temple town of Didyma with its enormous Temple of Apollo begun in the 4th century BC and never completed.
Gulet Charter: the Blue Voyage
The term Mavi Yolculuk (Blue Voyage) was coined by the Turkish poet Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, known as Halikarnas Balıkçısı (the Fisherman of Halicarnassus), who wrote about sailing these waters in the 1920s. Since then the Blue Voyage has become a tourism institution: a week or two aboard a gulet, typically crewed by a captain and cook, sailing between anchorages with daily swimming stops, evening meals at anchor, and the occasional visit to a harbour for provisioning. Gulets range in size from 15 metres carrying 6 guests to purpose-built luxury vessels of 40 metres carrying 12 to 16 in air-conditioned ensuite cabins. Costs vary accordingly: a cabin on a shared gulet can be had for 800 to 1500 euros per person per week; a private gulet charter runs from 3000 euros per week for a small vessel to 20,000 euros or more for the largest. The season runs from April through November, with July and August commanding the highest prices.
Practical Navigation: Ports, Weather, and Turkish Customs
Turkish Aegean waters require Turkish Transit Log (Blue Card) for foreign-flagged yachts, obtainable at official ports of entry including Çeşme, Kuşadası, Bodrum, Datça, Marmaris, and Göcek. The document covers a single season from April to November and must be renewed annually. The transit log is checked at random by Turkish Coast Guard patrol vessels, which are common in these waters. Weather on the Turkish Aegean is generally benign from May through October: the Meltemi arrives from the north in summer and afternoon sea breezes develop predictably along the coast. The Samos Marina and Marina Pythagorio on the Greek island of Samos, and Paloi Marina on Nisyros, are useful provisioning stops for yachts combining Turkish and Greek waters. Marina Lakki on Leros and Alemdar Limanı are also well positioned for eastward passages.
Seasons and Highlights Calendar
April and May are the quietest months: gulet fleets are being prepared, anchorages are almost empty, and wildflowers carpet the hillsides above the bays. June through August is high season: the Twelve Islands fill by noon and choice anchorages require an early-morning arrival. September through mid-October is the preferred time for experienced sailors: the Meltemi has eased, the water is at its warmest (26 to 28°C), anchorage fees drop, and the coast feels quieter and more genuine. İçdaş Limanı and Palamutbükü Liman, along with the smaller inlets of Dikili Limanı further north, see almost no foreign charter traffic outside the peak season and reward the sailor who ventures beyond the standard routes.
Explore on the Map
The Turkish Aegean coastline from Çeşme in the north to Kaş in the south spans nearly 600 kilometres as the yacht sails, passing through the Gulf of Gökova, the Bozburun Peninsula, the Twelve Islands of Göcek, and the Lycian Coast. Use our interactive map to plot the complete Blue Voyage route, identify marina options at D-Marin Göcek, Netsel Marina Marmaris, Bozburun Marina, and Porto Bello Marina, and find the quieter inlets that guidebooks rarely mention. Zoom into Turkey on the map to explore Kekova Roads, trace the Lycian Coast between Fethiye and Kaş, and compare the anchorage options along the spectacular Bozburun Peninsula.