Serenity 70 is ideal for discovering secluded spots on the Mediterranean coastline
Two high-profile terrorist attacks and a failed attempt at a coup meant that 2016 was a bad year for Turkey. Tourists got the jitters and visitor numbers – especially at the top end of the holiday market – went crashing through the floor. Things since then have been slowly picking up, I am told by Ali Yuceulug of Serenity Yachting, as I board a traditional wooden three-cabin gulet for an end-of-season sojourn round the islands and bays of Turkey’s southern coast. Certainly, as we drift away from the port at Gocek, into the warm haze of an October afternoon – glass of wine in hand and with temperatures still nudging upwards of 25°C – prospects for next season look decidedly rosy.
There is nothing new about a gulet trip, which has been a popular option for years with numerous holidaymakers – families, in particular – but there is clearly a minefield of choice to navigate before you even set sail. First up is the boat itself. Ali has eight boats under his aegis (of varying shapes and sizes), most of which are chartered on a regular basis to clients of luxury tour operator Red Savannah. ‘Why Ali?’ I ask Ed Granville, who heads up all boating operations at Red Savannah. ‘He’s consistent and trustworthy,’ is his response, before explaining that, in a market full of cowboys, Ali’s boats and staff are a cut above the competition. I feel confident that Ed should know, partly on the basis that he religiously attends the annual yacht-charter show in Marmaris to inspect the quality of the gulets, and partly because my own experience on Serenity 70 delivers everything that has been promised.
The second navigational minefield is the itinerary. Both Ed and Ali have an in-depth knowledge of the region, advising clients according to the length of stay, number and age of passengers, and time of year, as to which route (and there are many) would be best. And Ali is flexible, too, on dates. He is happy to bypass the Saturday to Saturday changeover mayhem in high season when marinas are full to bursting, and willing to offer shorter itineraries if required.
Serenity 70 is one of Ali’s smaller gulets, perfect for a single family or – and this is by no means unheard of – a couple. Three crew look after the guests and there are water toys galore (paddle boards, kayaks, wake boards, donuts and waterskis) for endless non-sedentary entertainment. In July and August, when the coastline heaves with boating parties, I can imagine these being an essential part of the fun. In September and October, however, there is something so mellow about the near-deserted bays and coves that the razzmatazz of engine noise seems at odds with the peace.
Our route from Gocek took us south west, exploring an unblemished coast of heavily forested hills and cliffs, which plunge steeply and sharply into the sea. The water is deep and dark, fringed near the rocky shoreline with patches and patterns of startling, translucent blue. We drop anchor regularly to swim or to sunbathe. We go ashore to walk, guided by Captain Mustafa who knows the mountain paths as well as he knows the sea. And we eat – Turkish mezze in the main, supplemented with fresh bream, bass and squid – either under the stars (though the autumn nights are decidedly cool) or in the warmer lee of the fly bridge. For hot summer nights, the cabins are air conditioned, or there are deck-top mattresses for alfresco sleeping; off-season, open portholes and a fresh sea breeze do the trick.
Kayakoy was abandoned by its largely Greek residents in the Twenties
While others might continue west in the direction of Dalaman, Marmaris, Bodrum and the Greek islands of Symi and Kos, we headed south east. We paused near the more touristy region of Olu Deniz to explore the haunting, hillside town of Kayakoy (abandoned after
the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923) and, later in the day, the tiny island of St Nicholas, just off Gemile, with its crumbling Byzantine chapel ruins. These, however, are typical booze-cruise waters, largely servicing the package holiday crowd at Olu Deniz. We moved hastily on.
An early morning weighing of the anchor and cranking of the motor (gulets, it should be noted, have sails but rarely – if ever – use them) had us cruising towards the coastal village of Kalkan, our end point. As the sun came up we passed the golden ribbon of beautiful Patara Beach – all 16, barely tainted kilometres of it – rounding the corner at the end to exquisite Firnaz Bay for a final breakfast on deck. While nearby Kalkan has long since embraced tourism’s inexorable spread of houses, apartments, hotels and villas (though mercifully, at its heart, preserving much of its original character), Firnaz, for the time being at least, remains one of those picture-perfect, unsullied Mediterranean bays – the type you dream of on cold winter nights when darkness is closing in.
Ways and Means
Pamela Goodman explored the Turkish coast aboard Serenity 70 as a guest of Red Savannah (01242-787800; redsavannah.com). It offers a portfolio of gulets operating along the southern Turkish coastline, which have from two to eight cabins. Prices for a week’s charter on Serenity 70 range from £7,745 (low season) to £11,295 (peak season).
