sailing itinerary Turkey-Med coast

[BTalamo]

A group of 6 adults plans on a first-time bareboat charter in Turkey in June and is looking for advice on itinerary with some historic sites/tavernas etc, but not hot spots and crowds. Also would enjoy quiet coves. What is a good 1 wk itinerary that would capture the winds, not be too hot (ie have wind) out of either Bodrum or Gocek (or Marmaris) I guess. We have not yet selected a charter co. but are looking for a sloop or ketch of about 40 ft. We have 2 experienced skippers on board (Maryland, Mass., Maine coast cruising, 1 trans-Atlantic) and sufficient experienced mates. Thanks, B.T.

[JohnRPollard]

That's a nice coastline to visit. Plenty of secluded coves, etc, for anchoring. Kusadasi would be a good stop off point for re-provisioning and an easy bus-trip to the well-preserved ruins of ancient Ephesus.

The eastern islands of the greek Cyclades and Dodecanese chains are within easy reach of Ionian Turkey. In fact you might tack or gybe around some of them as you work up and down the coast. One difficulty we encountered was that a new cruising permit had to be purchased each time we cleared into one country or the other. This can get expensive and more or less discouraged us from making landfall in one country or the other depending on which permit we had at the time. However, this may no longer be the case and I'm sure a reputable charter company could apprise you of the current regulations.

All the folks we met in Turkey were welcoming and hospitable. It's a nice place to sail.