Winter Lay-up suggestions for Turkey?

BobnLesley

BobnLesley

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We're ashore in and very impressed by one of the Preveza yards for this winter and plan to cross the Aegean to visit Turkey next summer. The question is do we return to Preveza, or over-winter there? As with everyone, we're looking for reasonable price, decent security, reasonable flight connections to the UK, allowed to do own work on the boat, allowed to live onboard for a week or so either end. Any suggestions, for either South or West coasts of Turkey?
 
This is our first winter with the boat there but can vouch for LOTS OF WET on our last trip in October - and apparently it is also raining today.
But to be fair - it did revert inside 48 hours back to sunshine in October, and looks likely to be sunny / 20 degrees this weekend also.
Last spring we came through in May - shorts and T shirt 20 deg + sunny days.
Winds are at strongest early and late summer - even now its F2
JOHN
PS Keep an eye out yourself via www.weatheronline.co.uk under SE Med, then Turkish South Coast.
 
There are nine marinas on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey in which you might be interested. From west to east they are:

Marti Marina (36° 46'N 028°07'E) is in Keci Buku 10 miles SW of Marmaris. It is in a stunning location and the marina company runs a free mini-bus service to Marmaris but it is more expensive than many.

Marmaris Netsell Marina (36° 51'N 028°16 'E) is in the Old Port in the centre of Marmaris town.

Marmaris Yacht Marine is at Yalanci Bogaz, 3 miles SSE of Marmaris town on the southern side of Marmaris Limani. A Dolmus runs between the marina and Marmaris town every half hour in the season and every hour in the winter. There is also a free ferry run by the marina company that takes you into town before lunch and brings you back afterwards: plenty of time to visit the Mega Tansas Supermarket. When we did our sums in 2004, Marmaris Yacht Marine was the cheapest marina for our boat on this coast by quite a large margin.

Which of the two marinas in Marmaris would suit you best depends upon what you want from life in a marina. Netsell has limited room ashore and can be very noisy but has the best yachting facilities in the Eastern Med within walking distance. Marmaris Yacht Marine has a huge area of hard-standing and is in the country. There are live-aboard communities at both with a joint VHF Radio Help-Line.

There are three marinas in the Gulf of Fethiye which are all particularly convenient for Dalaman airport which is close by. However, be aware that Dalaman airport closes each year at the end of October. All three marinas are up-market and pricy. They are:

Gocek Club Marina (36° 43'N 028°52 'E) This is a very smart marina mainly populated by large motor yachts.

Port Gocek Marina (36° 44'N 028°56 'E) A modern marina protected by wave-break pontoons. It is run by Camper & Nicholson.

Ece Marina at Fethiye (36° 37'N 029°06 'E) Another modern marina protected by wave-break pontoons. There is no hard-standing whatsoever.

[Kas Marina (36° 11'N 029° 38'E) This ‘marina’ has been under construction for years and does not yet have any form of wave-break pontoons. However, keep an eye on it: it has the potential to be a useful addition to facilities on this coast.]

Finike Marina (36° 17'N 030° 09'E) A Setur marina in a small town. There is said to be a reasonable live-aboard community there but I have not personally visited it.

Park Kemer Marina (36° 36'N 030° 34'E) Under the leadership of Hasan Kacmaz, Park Kemer has held poll position for its live-aboard community for many years. It is a small marina with restaurants and discos all around it on the edge of a modern, soul-less tourist town. Still – many folk like it!

Antalya Marina (36° 50'N 030° 37'E) Another Setur marina situated in the corner of the commercial docks to the west of Antalya Town. Hasan was here before he moved to Park Kemer at which time it enjoyed poll position for live-aboards. It has been through a period of uncertainty about its future which may by now have been resolved. It is very convenient for Antalya Airport which, unlike Dalaman, stays open throughout the year. Worth a look I would say.

It is my understanding that it is not possible to fly to Dalaman or Bodrum by any means during the winter - they close completely. If you want to be able to fly out during December and February you will have to fly to Antalya. The most convenient marinas will then be Finike, Kemer or Antalya though we kept our boat in Marmaris and travelled there from Antalya by one of the excellent very cheap coach services that cover the whole of Turkey.
 
OK, it's not Turkey, but it's only 6nm from Bodrum. Consider Kos marina, one of the most pleasant marinas in Greece. 12m vessel costing around 2,400 Euros for a one year contract. Big lift, metal cradles for shore storage, the most palatial loos and showers I've yet seen.

Frequent UK flights April to late October; flights and ferries to Athens after that.
 
Comments to MedMan input: I agree that Marmaris Yacht Marine is one of the best places for lay-up and maintenance on the coast. They are unbeatable on price. I have spent two winters here and have been very pleased with service levels. The marina restaurant is the best in all of Marmaris!

In addition to the places MedMan mentions, you can also lay up in Bodrum. Here you have the very well run Bodrum Marina in town or the yard Yat Lift just 2 miles east of town. I am presently at Yat Lift and can recommend it for very reasonable prices and probably the most professional service I have seen anywhere in the world.

MedMan are wrong about the airport information: Bodrum and Dalaman are open all year, it is only the charter flights that stop during the winter. You can still fly out of these airports with daily connections to Istanbul and onward internationally (EasyJet flies to IST). In addition, there is a twice weekly flight from Dalaman to London Stansted the whole year run by Turkish Cypriot Airlines at good rates.

Welcome to Turkey: it is the best place to winter in the Med.
 
This would be my list for hard-standing winter storage with good service and nice live-aboard abilities (in my ranking order):

1. Marmaris Yacht Marine
2. Yat Lift, Bodrum
3. Bodrum Marina
4. Yalikavak Marina, Bodrum
 
We chose Kemer as it was close (50 minutes by cab - 40 euros) to Antalya Airport and its year round Thomas Cook cheapie flights (as well as facilities).
When going out for a long weekend I'd no desire to spend 6 hours on a local bus traversing Turkey. Its not tough, and cheap enough - but it takes up valuable time
Feedback form many Turkish based cruisers during East Med Rally this year leads me to think there are two main schools of thought.
You are either part of the Marmaris Mob - or alternately the Kemer crowd, and most who choose the latter tend to use the airlines more.
Good luck with your research.
JOHN
 
Yat marine may be cheap but its situation on a low isthmus between large hills makes it very, and I mean VERY exposed. Local brokers, service operators etc wince at the mention of the place. Stories of boats being grit blasted by the gravel that blows over the wall in winter storms that funnel through the gap cannot all be apochryphal, nor the tales of having to chip an inch of salt encrustation off masts and rigging before being able to work on them.

At Netsel your boat will be safe ashore, though filthy dirty by spring (road and marina grit and dust) - i& f you can find room, they are short of hardstanding.

Marti excellent (and not too dear, prices on their website), ditto Kos. Dalaman may be accepting winter flights now the shiny new terminal is open, search the airlines.
 
I don't know where "Mash" gets his information from. Clearly not from own experience. I have stayed at Marmaris Yacht Marine the last two winters and does not recognise any of the problems he mentions. On the contrary, Yacht Marine has one of the largest cruiser communities in the Med. That is clearly not only due to low prices; it is also one of the very best maintenance centers in the Med, security is excellent and marina staff is extremely helpful. I suggest you get to Marmaris yourself and listen in to the cruiser's net on VHF 69 every morning at 9.00 am (except Sun). You can then hear from the many satisfied cruisers there.
 
No-one has yet mentioned Turgutreis which is on the Turkish mainland about 15 miles west of Bodrum and 7miles north of Kos marina.
Apart from the swimming pool and the restaurant and a parade of designer boutiques it is also blessed with excellent lift out and hard standing with an array of mech/elec/paint/grp/ etc services on site and a good chandlers who will get what they dont have from Bodrum or Istanbul.
It is also 10 min (max) walk from the town full of tavernas, hardware and street markets.
Bodrum town is £1 on the dolmus and the Airport 50€ by taxi, there are also ferries to Kos.
Also on the west coast of Turkey are Izmir ,Cesme and Kusadisi which are worth looking at.
I am assuming that you will not wish to rush past the peloponnese sporades and cyclades and you and you must find time to explore the Gokova and Hisoronu Korfezis (North and South of the Datcha Peninsular).
It is much easier to go East than West on this on this coast and it may be that Turgutreis is about as far as you want to go in one year.
We are also in Preveza (P. Marine ) and having started from Turgutreis last May we have some charts that may be of use to you so P.M or look us up from 6th May.
 
We are considering Cesme for wintering ashore to save travelling south at this stage. Does anyone have any direct experience of Setur Marina there? Also, we are on a bit of a last minute dash across from Corfu on a tight schedule (2 weeks max) and are planning to use the Corinth canal; any thoughts or suggestions on route/stopovers much appreciated...
 
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