sailaboutvic
Well-known member
deleted posting , enough said
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This summer, I, for one, wouldn't venture into the Eastern Med or leave a boat there unattended.
Why take a risk when you don't have to?
Do you smoke?
To the nay sayers, perhaps one should be really concerned about keeping a yacht in Turkey and as for using it, as a group your consensus seems to be it's not worth the risk.
As one poster mentioned, do you actually have any experience of the situation here or are these 'advisors' just armchair experts?
The reality is, nothing has materially changed in south west Turkey for at least the last ten years, save there are now parking restrictions as there are too many cars, because the people have discovered the miracle of debt!
We have lived near Marmaris for ten years and have run a business here for the last six. It is completely safe, we never even hear of theft or assaults. Small groups of males collecting on street corners at night have no agenda, they are just meeting with friends in what was once a normal manner in the UK. A simple and pleasant place to live much like the UK was 40-50 years ago.
We are responsible for 12 yachts and our owners and charter guests alike had no 'run ins' with Syrian refugees/immigrants last year. One owner travelled north this year and reported they saw nothing but EU patrol boats. Immigration this year is a trickle compared with last year. We have a Syrian family settled in the village and they and their children are charming, and have been helped by the locals in a lovely way.
The only tangible local effect of the migrant crisis is hotels, restaurants charter boats and related businesses are enjoying a catastrophic drop in business, possibly over 50%, and are closing down and/or culling staff. Add that to reduced prices because of competition and the situation is dire, many will go bankrupt this year (fortunately we won't as we had planned for it).
As another poster suggested, living in the UK during the Northern Ireland conflict with IRA bombings in London & Birmingham made absolutely no difference to our daily life, and this is how I would view the situation here. Diyabakir near the Syrian border where the conflict is, as the crow flies, is 450 miles away. As you can't carry guns and bombs on planes (which go via Istanbul anyway) it is 900 miles by road. Like driving from London to Venice
As one of our charterers said last year when asked for holiday feedback, he expressed "I'm more concerned about Muslim fundamentalism in the UK than here in Turkey". Yes, they are almost all Muslims, and are little different to the vast majority of people in the UK except by religion, and from what I have witnessed and experienced much more family minded, genuine and generous people. As has been said, women with too little clothing away from the beach need to accept some responsibility.
There are political issues here which are not ideal, but the UK can't profess to be whiter than white, for example, the disgraceful banking crisis and lack of government action thereafter, and every other corrupt officials story we hear reported about almost daily. Maybe that's not true either.
It is so disappointing to read from people spouting about something they have little or no direct knowledge of with an 'I'm all right Jack' attitude, perhaps based on religious prejudice or what they have heard from a politically driven media. As the man who came to our stand at London boat show said, he wouldn't come to the eastern Med because he didn't want to be sailing in waters with dead bodies floating by, and definitely wouldn't come to Turkey as its full of f***ing Muslims. Call ourselves a charitable Christian nation, we should be ashamed.
Then of course there is the weather. You'll be telling us it's snowing here next. LOL
Sad to hear about the many bankrupts.
Why do the Turkish media love to blow things out of proportion ?
Then of course there is the weather. You'll be telling us it's snowing here next. LOL
Any thoughts?
I flew back home on Thursday from Marmaris. I have just had an email from the marina following an initial email from me saying all is quiet now.This is another body blow for Turkey and the Turkish people. I love Turkey and have many Turkish friends however I feel I made the right decision to leave 3 weeks ago. (No chance of a coup in Greece is there !)
Literally just sailing passing kos, on my way to rhodes to check out of europe before heading into turkey. I'm not changing any plans at this time!I flew back home on Thursday from Marmaris. I have just had an email from the marina following an initial email from me saying all is quiet now.
I have already contracted for next year so no decision till next April may time needed. We will be out again on September as planned.
Main worry will be If the reinsurers pull the plug on Turkey
I
Literally just sailing passing kos, on my way to rhodes to check out of europe before heading into turkey. I'm not changing any plans at this time!
Any thoughts?
Main worry will be If the reinsurers pull the plug on Turkey