Ayvalık?

[dgadee]

Currently in Mytilini and wondering about moving over to Ayvalik. Any views? I will need to lift out and get a new sprayhood made, but mainly whether it's pleasant and relatively easy to travel to/from.

 

[superboots]

I know Ayvalik well. Kept my boat there 20 years ago. There is a setur marina with travel hoist and good hard standing. In recent years the marina has been full so need to check about availability. Its licensed so you can leave a foreign flag boat and go outside Turkey. Its a port of entry so custom formalities and transit log arranged locally. Road network has improved greatly - about 160 km from Izmir (allow 2 hours)( 3rd largest city which has many marine specialist companies. Regular coaches from the coach station located at the edge of town. Don't know current performance of marina technical services - wasn't good in the past, a couple of chandlers - they can order stuff they do not stock. No sail maker as far as I am aware, some canvas work but would not risk it with a spray hood ( specialists in Izmir.) . There is an industrial estate useful where marine skills overlap with shore based works, construction/automotive. Town is a gem - but keep that to yourself!

 

[dgadee]

Thanks. Very useful indeed.

 

[Irish Rover]

We were in the marina there for a week in 2021. The marina is well located 10 minutes walk from the centre of town. The marina itself is a bit old and tired looking. We didn't have any work carried out so can't comment. As @superboots says Izmir would be the nearest international airport. I wouldn't regard the Northern Argean as the best cruising grounds. Personally I think Bodrum and southwards from there is the best cruising area so if you want to stick with Setur then Marmaris would be the choice or maybe further south to Kaş or Finike.

 

[dgadee]

The "plan" is a couple of years in Turkey (spring and autumn) and then slowly back home. Istanbul this spring then further south later. Setur is attractive because you can move around, but I'll have a think about your advice. Getting to Lesvos meant each visit at the boat involved long distances and I promised the mate a bit less moving during each of our visits for a bit.

 

[Irish Rover]

I noticed today that Setur have changed the terms of the Chain campaign
https://www.seturmarinas.com/Campaign/Detail/136 6ysayda4d14lynlon6o
Only 14 days now in each marina and only 7 days in Ayvalık, Çeşme and Marmaris.
I'm tied to Kuşadası but if I was relocating and thinking about easy access I suppose Marmaris would be the choice as it's within reasonable distance of both Bodrum and Dalaman airports and also a good base for trips to the Greek Islands. For easy international access it's hard to beat Kuşadası given the proximity to Izmir Airport and Samos Island with 2 ferries daily. The only problem with Kuşadası is they've started a major shopping centre project around the marina which may take a few years to complete. Construction won't be allowed during the summer but there will inevitably be some disruption. If you do consider Kuşadası I'll be happy to help in any way I can.

 

[dgadee]

I suppose if I wanted to go further south, I could go to Istanbul and come out at Ayvalik for the summer then move on then. I contacted several Setur marinas last year and they all said they were full (except Mytilini) but no doubt something can be arranged. I will do some emailing.

 

[Irish Rover]

I suppose if I wanted to go further south, I could go to Istanbul and come out at Ayvalik for the summer then move on then. I contacted several Setur marinas last year and they all said they were full (except Mytilini) but no doubt something can be arranged. I will do some emailing.

I'm surprised to hear that. Kuşadası is definitely not full - I know of a good few boats which left last year because of increased prices and/or the construction work. There are currently a big number of empty spaces on the pontoons. The dockyard is currently closed while they're resurfacing and building a new wider lift out pool and not expected to open until April. A lot of the traditional hard standing areas will form part of the new shopping centre so the biggest issue going forward will be lack of hard standing. I doubt they'd accept you if you want to be on the hard for the summer months.
I'd well believe Çeşme is full because it's relatively small and less than an hours drive from Izmir. I don't know about the others but I'd be surprised if Kaş or Finike are full.

 

[dgadee]

I contacted them around March 2022 so things may well have changed. I usually come ashore over winter but Mytilini doesn't have a travel lift - a crane has to be brought in at quite substantial cost. To be honest I prefer not to have a berth in a marina - we usually anchor while we are on the boat and then leave it ashore until our return, but that wasn't possible over this past year since we wanted to stay in Greek waters.

 

[Irish Rover]

I may have misunderstood your previous post. I thought you wanted to be on the hard for the summer months.
If you don't want an annual berth and you're looking for winter hard stand only then you might be better looking at some of the smaller marinas. In Türkiye I'd suggest you look at Kairos Marina and Ören Marina both in one of the prime cruising areas Gökova Bay. It might also be worth trying Albatross Marina in Marmaris. As far as I know all three will quote for winter hard standing only. In Greece Samos Marina in Pythagorio definitely offers winter rates - the marina is a bit run down but relatively cheap I'm told.

 

[dgadee]

Ah! If only I knew my own mind. Thanks for those suggestions about small locations.

 

[dgadee]

Can this really be correct? Ayvalık got back and said they have no berths afloat at present, but hard standing possible. 90 days - 51,520 lira. £2,200! I thought Turkey was relatively cheap but I am obviously wrong.

 

[Irish Rover]

Can this really be correct? Ayvalık got back and said they have no berths afloat at present, but hard standing possible. 90 days - 51,520 lira. £2,200! I thought Turkey was relatively cheap but I am obviously wrong.

I don't know about other marinas but Setur in Kuşadası have been gouging us especially for the last 2 years. I renewed my contract last May and the increase in TL was over 100% from the previous year. I'm expecting another whopping increase when I renew again in a few months time. Setur are impossible to deal with - there's no point arguing with them. It's take it or leave it.

 

[dgadee]

I got back to Setur and said, are these really your prices? Have you made a mistake? No answer so Setur is obviously not in my price range. I have a couple of months contract to use up with them till end of June and then will try to find somewhere cheaper for a summer lift out when I am over there. Very difficult to plan for a country when you've not been there. I may be back with more queries in a few months.

 

[Irish Rover]

I got back to Setur and said, are these really your prices? Have you made a mistake? No answer so Setur is obviously not in my price range. I have a couple of months contract to use up with them till end of June and then will try to find somewhere cheaper for a summer lift out when I am over there. Very difficult to plan for a country when you've not been there. I may be back with more queries in a few months.

I'll be glad to help if I can.

 

[superboots]

There are always + and - when it comes picking a place to stay. If you want to stay in that area you could consider Oren nr Burhaniye located on the southern side of the Gulf of Edremit. After many years this still born marina morphed into a regular marina but still run by the municipality - so not sure its licensed by the Ministry of Tourism. When I checked, their prices were reasonable but the following year they jumped. Not sure about hoist or port of entry (doubt it) You could arrange a crane if necessary - there is hard standing. Its not well sheltered from the North or West Town is away from the tourist strip on the north side of the bay. Went to Didim this year - paid more than usual - to be expected - but convenient location for travel, good facilities . D Marine is superior to Setur for marina management and service

 

[Irish Rover]

I got a price for renewing my annual contract in Setur Kuşadası today - my current contract expires early May. I won't bore anyone with the Turkish Lira prices so in Euro my mooring fee has increased by exactly 50%. With 25% discount the new rate for my 10.4M x 4.45M powercat is €5,250. The discount is 2% per year subject to a max of 25% - I've had a boat there for 20 years. Without the discount the full price is €7,020. Don't let anyone tell you Türkiye is cheap.
By the way that price is only valid if I sign up and pay within the next 15 days. They are increasing the prices every month in line with Turkish inflation rates so God only knows what it will be in May.

 

[dgadee]

Are people leaving with berthing at that price? Seems very, very expensive for a country with such low wages - Salary in Turkey

 

[Irish Rover]

Some boats are leaving mainly those owned by foreigners and Turks not permanently resident here. For most of us who are established in Kuşadası the choice is pay or get rid of the boat.
By the way the salary figures quoted in your link are not correct. He's mixing up the gross pre tax and net rates. There was a further big hike in the minimum wage on 01 Jan and the current net rate after all deductions is 8504 TL equivalent at today's rate to €420 or $452 or £373. In any event boat ownership is well beyond the reach of most salaried workers in Türkiye. Even among the professions like doctors, lawyers etc only the very top echelons would be in the boat owning bracket.

 

[rib]

Are people leaving with berthing at that price? Seems very, very expensive for a country with such low wages - Salary in Turkey

I would question the 99% of population being Muslim too.. All be it the Turkish coast is populated with the more open / westernised guys