Moving between Turkey and Greece by private yacht?

[Toutvabien]

What sort of experience are cruisers in the E Med having when sailing between Greece and Turkey? It used to be quite expensive and time consuming but I am hoping that this may have changed, for example is it yet viable to cruise SW Turkey and to include some of the numerous Greek islands in the itinerary?

My previous experience was around ten years ago and then one had to effectively commit to either sailing Turkey or Greece, even if avoiding the Greek bits was quite a challenge when on passage between two Turkish harbours.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Assuming the boat is EU registered, VAT paid, has a valid DEKPA, crew are all EU residents, and it's a leisure boat (ie; not charter), the legal situation is:

1. Each time it leaves Turkey (planning to arrive in Greece), it should hand in its Turkish transit log, and crew should obtain exit stamps from Turkey in their passports.
2. On arrival in Greece, a Schengen crew list should be presented to immigration (http://www.jimbsail.info/system/files/Greek%20Entry%20Form.pdf), usually represented by Port Police.
3. The boat is not required by Greece to notify its return to Turkey (although EU rules may require this).
4. A boat arriving in Turkey from Greece must arrive at a port of entry, obtain a transit log, and the crew must have valid Turkish entry visas/stamps in their passports

Anecdotally, a few boats don't notify their exit from Turkey, nor their entry to Greece, nor their re-entry to Turkey. This would break legal requirements.

I don't know if any doing this have been caught, and if so, what sanctions were threatened or imposed. That's the problem with anecdotes . . .

 

[Toutvabien]

Thanks very much Jim, that sounds very similar to the process that applied in the past. I would not really want to be checking in and out every few days so we will stick to Ouzo or Raki in sequence rather than rotation.

 

[charles_reed]

Thanks very much Jim, that sounds very similar to the process that applied in the past. I would not really want to be checking in and out every few days so we will stick to Ouzo or Raki in sequence rather than rotation.

Go to Crete where you can get both - legally and with no bureaucracy involved!!!

 

[RichardS]

Go to Crete where you can get both - legally and with no bureaucracy involved!!!

I'm confused Charles. What has Crete go to do with Turkey?

Richard

 

[Tony Cross]

I'm confused Charles. What has Crete go to do with Turkey?

Richard

Nothing. He's talking about raki and ouzo. I can recommend the former, ouzo is best used for cleaning toilets - as is Retsina....

 

[NornaBiron]

Anecdotally, a few boats don't notify their exit from Turkey, nor their entry to Greece, nor their re-entry to Turkey. This would break legal requirements.

I don't know if any doing this have been caught, and if so, what sanctions were threatened or imposed. That's the problem with anecdotes . . .

We were hit by a dragging Turkish yacht in Symi last summer. The damage sustained was enough for us to consider an insurance claim. The skipper had not checked out of Turkey or into Greece, he had visas but they hadn't been validated and he didn't have a passport stamp.

When he started to quibble about the amount of damage sustained by us we informed him that we would then have to go through our insurance and would need a police report about the incident. He became very agitated and coughed up for the full amount of loss to avoid a Port Police visit.

There are many yachts anchored around Symi which have entered Greece illegally, make sure you stay upwind of them!

 

[NornaBiron]

Go to Crete where you can get both - legally and with no bureaucracy involved!!!

But Turkish raki and Cretan raki are very different beasts. Turkish is more akin to ouzo whilst the Cretan variety is otherwise known as Tsipouro throughout the rest of Greece and, IMO, is similar to deisel!

 

[RichardS]

Nothing. He's talking about raki and ouzo. I can recommend the former, ouzo is best used for cleaning toilets - as is Retsina....

But Turkish raki and Cretan raki are very different beasts. Turkish is more akin to ouzo whilst the Cretan variety is otherwise known as Tsipouro throughout the rest of Greece and, IMO, is similar to deisel!

Ahh, I see.

And yet, there is something about time and place. I've tried Ouzo and Retsina in the UK and I find both undrinkable. However, sitting in a taverna up in the hills watching the red evening sun go down over Kephalonia, and they both taste just fine!

Richard

 

[Toutvabien]

Raki in Crete is an amazing concoction altogether, it used to be sold(in the late 1970's) in small 25cl or 50cl carafes in the less salubrious cafes of Crete for very little money and had the capacity to reduce large groups of hippies, and many more respectable travellers to gibbering wrecks.

Very different to Raki in Turkey which as has been pointed out above is the same as Ouzo.

 

[Tony Cross]

Raki in Crete is an amazing concoction altogether, it used to be sold(in the late 1970's) in small 25cl or 50cl carafes in the less salubrious cafes of Crete for very little money and had the capacity to reduce large groups of hippies, and many more respectable travellers to gibbering wrecks.

Very different to Raki in Turkey which as has been pointed out above is the same as Ouzo.

Sold? Any decent Cretan taverna will give you raki after your meal. They say it aids digestion but it's really to render you insensible so you don't argue about the bill....