The Med-Red Rally : Med Fun in Turkey

Once again this year I took part in the Med-Red Rally, an annual sailing regatta between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. This year, spring break coincided with the “Med Fun” portion of the rally, along the Turkish coast.

Here’s the website: http://www.med-red-rally.com/

And here are lots of Crocs!!

So I had the opportunity to sail in one of the places I’ve heard so much about! And it lived up to its reputation -- the Turkish coast is beautiful, the water is clear and turquoise, there are mountains, Lycean ruins (including a sunken city!), pretty bays, and Greek or Turkish islands all along the shore. The Turks were wonderful, offering hospitality beyond expectations, and the local cuisine was fantastic!





Entry to Marmaris -- Turkish gulets --
Castellorizon (Greek island on Turkish coast)
Fish market in Fethiye -- Spice shop --
Local lunch




My crewmates on the yacht were five Israeli women: the captain and four other crew. Among the crew we had new sailors, photographers, cooks, and bartenders. Those who didn’t sail cooked us hot meals twice a day, kept the coffee and wine flowing, or made a running photojournal of the trip. It was a real team effort! Our boat (and the women’s yacht club to whom it belongs) is named “Elat Hayam”, meaning “Sea Goddess”. And of course we lived up to the name!











Here is a map of the coastal areas where we sailed:



We started the trip just north of Bodrum, in a new marina at Turgutries. From there we planned to stop in a small inlet called Serce on the way to Marmaris and then continue on to Marmaris the next day. After a day of jeep tours, we would leave Marmaris and go to Capi Creek near Gocek, and then race from Capi Creek to Fethiye (about 12 nautical miles). We would stay in Fethiye two days while a tour went off to see historical areas and a canyon. Another long day of sailing would bring us to beautiful Kekova, a sunken city that is still visible in the shallow waters. Finally we would take a short (18 mile) trip to Finike, from where many of us would fly out of the airport in Antalya.


Race day was interesting: None of us had ever raced before, but I was interested in trying it. The rest of the crew were not quite as excited as I was: ten minutes before the start there was a hot breakfast served, coffee break and happy hour followed soon after, in between sunbathing and photo shoots on the bow. For all the handicap we deserved, we still finished in the top third of the group.

I participated in the jeep tour - a half-day tour through some villages and hills around Marmaris, with a stop for lunch, scenic views, and a short hike to some waterfalls. The tour guides / drivers were a lot of fun and very talented. There were many long days on board, so opportunities to get out and move around were certainly welcome.

Jeep crossing river -- the ladies' jeep -- CC overlooking Marmaris

Waterfall in the woods -- Tour guide playing flute -- Downtown Finike

The plan was to sail about seven of the ten days, with a couple of days for tours and time on land. As usual there were changes due to weather, including one very long stop in Marmaris. There was one day of racing in the middle, in which almost all boats participated (just for fun, of course!) and many social events scheduled along the way. The Turkish people were very welcoming, every marina was ready for us and they all offered help with docking and facilities.

Fethiye Marina -- Capi Creek -- Kekova -- Marmaris -- Finike

Most of the days were beautiful sunny days, although not so warm on the water. The last day of sailing (Kekova to Finike) was a miserable storm, so difficult that many boats opted to turn back to Kekova to wait out the storm. Oh, but not the “sea goddesses”, no! We braved the 40-mph winds and 60-mph gusts, and the 6-10 foot waves, and the rain and the water splashing over the boat, and the roller-coaster ride through the waves, and we spent four hours making our way to Finike to find a calm harbour and plenty of sunshine there.

Denise, Michal and Tami, Tova, Iris, and me!