| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/04/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 61 |
| Copyright: Other |
Finding your sea legs makes sailing a breeze
Gulet cruise offers rest and relaxation
It was the week before departure that I started to have second thoughts.Will I find my sea legs or will I have to wave goodbye to the boat if things get choppy? Do I want to be stuck with a group of strangers on a boat in the Mediterranean for two weeks?
Fortunately, my fears were proved unfounded. The traditional gulet cruise attracted a band of friendly singles and couples, mainly in their 30s.
I can’t pretend that everyone was the best of friends for the whole period. Tempers sometimes frayed as we spent a huge chunk of the day on a boat just 24 metres long. But each evening as we sat on deck, anchored in a beautiful bay, waiting for the cook to serve one of his fine mediterranean meals, it was hard to find fault with the holiday.
Days were spent swimming, snorkelling or just lying in a hammock. And if we weren’t doing that, we were shopping. Turkish traders rolled up every day in their sea-bourne shops. Bargain offers included jewellery, clothes and carpets.
The highlight of the trip was a walk into the mountains to have lunch with a Turkish family. It was strange being on dry land. Every time we stopped to admire the olive trees and gorges of the Turkish countryside, we found ourselves swaying strangely, as we had got so used to the motion of the boat.
Lunch was superb. We lost count of the number of courses as the cook’s charming children whisked our bowls away as soon as we had finished. They refilled them with fresh vegetarian delicacies – chilled tomato soup, cucumber and yogurt, aubergines with garlic, all mopped up with bread.
Other cultural highlights included a visit to Simena castle, built by the Crusaders and a stroll around the Roman amphitheatre and Lycean rock tombs of Myra. There was plenty to do for those who wanted to learn more about the ancient history of the region. Added to which our tour guide gave us nightly lectures about the political ups and downs of 20th-century Turkey.
Night times were not always for sleeping, judging by the number of holiday romances. The party atmosphere really got going once the crew had cleared the dinner plates away and the boat became a floating nightclub. The captain let us commandeer the ship’s stereo for a session of techno, Madonna or the Beatles. There were also opportunities to go drinking and clubbing on the mainland. We found bars in tiny bays in the middle of nowhere. And then there was our last-night club crawl in the massive tourist resort of Marmaris, where we turned into Brits abroad, dancing on the tables.
On the final day, no-one wanted to leave the boat -there was even last-minute talk of pooling credit cards and buying a gulet. E-mail addresses were swapped and promises made to meet up over holiday snaps. And the result of those holiday romances?Well -Êthere are no engagements yet – watch this space.
Lazy days: much time is spent relaxing on the boat or swimming and snorkelling
Gulet holidays
Factfile
GUlet holidaysSample product: Explore Worldwide’s Lycian Seatrek cost £765 in the peak season for 15 days, including flights, transfers, one night in a three-star hotel and all meals.
Land ahoy: the gulet cannot moor in shallow water