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Hotel (pronounced Seeday) in the historic Sultanamet district. Allow a few days to explore this historic area, making sure to take in the Blue Mosque and other points of interest. Marinas around Marmaris, where Egret and the NAR crew wintered are: Netsel Marina, not much social but in town if you have projects; and Yacht Marine, twenty minutes away, windy, but a great social life. As in Barcelona, haul April 1st in Turkey at either Yacht Marine or Marti Marine in or near Marmaris. Marmaris is the Turkish Fort Lauderdale when it comes to supplies and boat services. Our favorite marine store is Alev, near Netsel Marina. Turkey is known for its beautiful and inexpensive stainless steel work. The Turkish craftsman who did Egret’s stainless work on the paravane installation and bejeweled her with polished stainless steel goodies is Emin Gadioglu. His interpreter’s name is Moohede (phonetic spelling) at 0555-490-2395.
A Grecian formula On leaving Turkey you can buy duty-free fuel using Sky Marine in Bodrum as your agent. Anchor off the castle. Sky Marine is in the boatyard. You will save half the cost of non duty-free fuel, but you must exit Turkey after buying it. However, the Greek islands are just a few miles away. Drag your feet in the Greek islands. They will be deserted and will welcome you with open arms. From here there are numerous options, but you should be in Rome in June to start your travels up the west Italian coast. Elba is a must on the way, and make plenty of time for the Italian and French Rivieras. They are fabulous cruising, not as expensive as the guides make them out to be and you can anchor in most every harbor comfortably. San Remo is a must-see as is taking a rental car on a one hundred-kilometer loop from San Remo through the mountains to visit the medieval villages. From here it is back to Barcelona for provisioning and a final visit before the trip to Gibraltar.
The last word While this itinerary is infinitely variable, the weather and destination timing relative to crowds and optimum weather don’t change. This was Egret’s rough itinerary and we enjoyed every minute. Our stabilizers were centered no less than 70 per cent of the time. We had no incidents. Destination people were friendly; the other long-distance cruisers unforgettable. This rough itinerary builds on itself with wonder and excitement as you move through the seasons and years. It is important not to cherry pick the obvious best. They will fall in line in time, always keeping your interest as you move along. Three cruising seasons (one abbreviated on arrival) and two winters are the minimum to extract the flavor and overall Mediterranean offering. Few stay a shorter time. The exceptions are the cruisers arriving via the Red Sea, finishing a circumnavigation as they head for the barn. No matter what your overall cruising aspirations, your first truly long distance cruise should be to the Mediterranean. From there it is a simple matter of five or six weeks until you are back III in the Caribbean ready for your next adventure. 136
circumnavigator | 2008-2009
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