Thursday, July 22, 2010

Sail Turkey's Lycian Coast

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Lycian Coast, Turkey

Hard living on Turkey's Lycian Coast    Photographer: William Abranowicz/Art + Commerce

It's not quite as stunning to look at as the Seychelles. The marine wildlife isn't as impressive as what you'll find off Tonga. But you want more on a sailing adventure than pretty views and leaping dolphins. You need to get off the boat. Frequently. "Think about taking a road trip in the Southwest," says Anthony Sandberg, founder and owner of Berkeley-based OCSC Sailing, which offers trips across the planet. "You don't just sit in the car." Go ashore in southern Turkey and you'll be walking into Byzantine churches, chatting with rug makers, and forking into plates of aubergine. And the sailing? About perfect if you hit the ideal weather windows in spring and fall: soft morning breezes, then blowing a steady 15 knots from the northwest in the afternoon. On a two-week OCSC "flotilla" trip—eight to 12 catamarans and single-hull ships following the same rough itinerary, so you have backup if you need it—you start in Orhaniye and cruise east for some 250 miles, wrapping the Datça Peninsula and hugging the crenulated, cliff-lined coast to the forest-backed port of Göcek. From $1,500 per person; ocscsailing.com

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