Sail Turkey.

The Turkish coast is a run of deep, sheltered gulfs with pine forest coming right down to the water and Lycian ruins on the headlands. You anchor off a beach for lunch, tie the stern line to a tree in a bay with no road access, and eat gözleme at a jetty restaurant that only opens for boats. The water is warm from May onward and clear enough to see your anchor set at 8m. It's less busy than the neighbouring Greek islands, the harbours are cheaper, and the run of bays between Bodrum and Göcek gives you weeks of sailing without ever leaving flat water for long. Right for first charterers, families, and anyone who wants swimming-off-the-boat over passage-making.

Most charters run out of the southwest corner. The Gulf of Gökova, west of Bodrum, is a long protected inlet with English Harbour, Seven Islands, and Longoz among its anchorages — sheltered, wooded, no swell. South of that the Datça peninsula splits the Gökova from the Hisarönü gulf, with the town of Datça and the ruins at Knidos on the tip. Further east, Göcek and its twelve islands sit inside a natural harbour that barely feels the open sea, which makes it the easiest cruising ground on the coast. Bodrum itself is the main charter town, busy and marina-heavy, with the castle over the harbour. Marmaris is the other big base further south. Between them you get quiet stern-to bays, town quays, and a handful of proper marinas for provisioning.

The season runs May to October. The prevailing summer wind is the meltemi, the same north-westerly that blows across the Aegean, but the gulfs shelter you from the worst of it — inside Gökova and around Göcek it's usually a manageable Force 3 to 5 that fills in through the afternoon and drops at night. July and August are hottest, busiest, and windiest; expect 30-plus degrees and afternoon breeze that can gust hard on exposed passages. May, June, September and early October are the better months — warm water, lighter crowds, wind you can plan around. Mornings are often calm, so many crews motor early and sail the afternoon. Autumn brings the odd thunderstorm but stays warm well into October.

You can book bareboat if you hold a recognised sailing qualification, skippered with a local captain who knows the anchorages, or cabin charter where you take a berth on a shared boat. Monohulls dominate the fleet — comfortable 40 to 50-footers suit most families and groups — and catamarans are widely available for those who want space, shallow draft, and stable decks for swimming. Gulets, the traditional wooden motor-sailers, are a Turkish speciality and run as fully crewed charters with a cook aboard; they're a different kind of holiday, more floating hotel than sailing trip. For a first bareboat, the Göcek gulf is the softest place to start.

Boat hire is quoted per week and varies with size, age and season. As a rough guide, a mid-size bareboat monohull in shoulder season sits in the €2,500–€5,000 range per week; newer catamarans and peak-August dates run well above that. Skippered charter adds roughly €180–€220 per day for the captain plus their food. Budget separately for fuel, marina and harbour fees, the end-of-charter clean, and a security deposit held against the boat. Turkey also charges a transit log and cruising fees for foreign-flagged charters. Provisioning is cheap by Mediterranean standards. For a firm quote on a specific boat and week, message us on WhatsApp — price on request for anything we haven't listed.

Day 1 — Board at Göcek, provision, and motor to Boynuz Bükü or one of the Twelve Islands for a first-night anchorage and swim. Day 2 — Sail down to Wall Bay (Tersane) with its old shipyard ruins; stern-to a jetty restaurant. Day 3 — Cross to Ekincik and take a river-boat trip up the Dalyan delta to the rock tombs and Iztuzu beach. Day 4 — Long sail west toward the Gulf of Gökova; anchor at English Harbour, a landlocked bay with a beach bar. Day 5 — Seven Islands and Longoz — tree-lined, calm, good for a lazy day. Day 6 — Work back east, stopping at Bedri Rahmi bay for the painted rock. Day 7 — Final anchorage near Göcek, swim, and return to base the morning of Day 8. Distances are short; you'll motor the calm mornings and sail the afternoon breeze.

Most crews fly into Dalaman for Göcek and Marmaris, or Bodrum-Milas for the Gökova and Bodrum bases. Both have summer connections from across Europe; transfers to the marinas take 20 minutes to an hour. Most nationalities enter Turkey visa-free or with an e-visa bought online before travel — check your own passport rules, as they change. The charter base handles the transit log and paperwork on arrival. Bring your sailing certificates and the crew list for a bareboat. Provisioning is easy from marina supermarkets, and there are ATMs and chandlers at all the main bases.