Turkey, Lycian coast
Fethiye and Göcek hold the largest fleet we list in Turkey, 20 to 50 minutes from Dalaman airport: the Göcek bays make a sheltered week of 2 to 8 NM hops between pine coves and restaurant jetties, with Gemiler and Ölüdeniz a day's sail outside.
YACHT TYPES
Catamarans 39 to 45 ft and sailing yachts 34 to 41 ft for bareboat; gulets are the largest share of the crewed fleet, with motor yachts for skippered weeks.
A typical week from Fethiye
Saturday to Saturday: the sheltered Göcek bays first, the open coast to Gemiler at the end, once the crew has the routine of a line ashore.
Day 1, Fethiye to Kapı Creek (12 NM). Out of Fethiye bay and into the Gulf of Göcek, to the narrow inlet of Kapı Creek, with its restaurant jetty and a line ashore.
Day 2, to Wall Bay and Tersane Island (3 NM). Two short hops in Skopea Limanı: Wall Bay, named after the old wall running out from the middle of the cove, has a restaurant with jetties; Tersane, the shipyard island, keeps the ruins of an Ottoman slipway and of a Greek village abandoned in 1923. Lunch at one, the night at the other.
Day 3, to Göcek (8 NM). Fuel, water, provisions and a marina night in Göcek town, or the anchorage off it.
Day 4, to the Yassıca islands and Sarsala (7 NM). A swim among the Yassıca islets, then south to Sarsala and, close by in Ruin Bay, the half-submerged walls known as Cleopatra's Bath.
Day 5, to Gemiler Island (20 NM). Out of the gulf and down the coast to Gemiler, St Nicholas Island, where four Byzantine church ruins climb to the summit; the Ministry of Culture site is open 9 am to 8 pm. The longest leg, best sailed before the afternoon breeze. From the bay, Kayaköy, the abandoned Greek village, is a 60 to 90 minute walk.
Day 6, to Ölüdeniz and Butterfly Valley (10 NM). A morning off Ölüdeniz, whose lagoon is closed to motor boats, so yachts stay outside; then Butterfly Valley, a nature reserve since 1995 at the foot of the cliffs, for a calm-weather stop. The night back at Gemiler or in a cove of Fethiye bay.
Day 7, to Fethiye (15 NM). Back up the coast and into Fethiye bay, under the Lycian rock tomb of Amyntas, on the berth by Friday afternoon.
Two weeks, or a one-way, take in Kalkan, Kaş and the sunken city of Kekova, 65 to 75 NM from Fethiye along the coast: too far for a relaxed week.
Practical points for a Fethiye and Göcek charter
Licences and paperwork
For bareboat, one person aboard needs an ICC or a national licence, and operators expect a VHF certificate; get written confirmation that your exact licence is accepted. Every charter sails on an electronic transit log, the Seyir İzin Belgesi, which lists everyone aboard: send passport details one to two weeks ahead, nobody else may join, and operators charge about 95 to 110 euros for it in 2026. A skipper costs about 200 euros a day, plus food and a cabin.
Wind and sea
The gulf is flat and sheltered. Outside it, a westerly of 2 to 4 Beaufort fills in after lunch, stronger in July and August at the height of the meltemi season; on this coast it rarely exceeds 20 to 25 knots. Mornings are calm, so long legs go early. The sea averages about 24 °C in June and October and 27 to 28 °C from July to September.
Moorings and fees
The routine is stern-to with a line ashore, often at a restaurant jetty that is free if you dine. Since 2026 many Göcek bays have used paid buoys and shore lines booked through the DERİA system (deria.gov.tr); the rules are still settling after a trial season, so check them with the base. Discharging waste water is banned: every boat carries a Mavi Kart, the blue card, and pumps out at marinas or service boats, with fines of about 32,000 lira.
Getting there
Dalaman airport is about 20 minutes from Göcek and 50 from Fethiye. Provisioning: supermarkets in Fethiye and Göcek, and the Fethiye weekly market on Tuesdays.
Can we sail to the Greek islands?
Only with the operator's agreement and the formalities: exit through a Turkish port of entry such as Fethiye, entry at a Greek one such as Rhodes, an agent at about 160 to 200 euros, no clearance after 5 pm, and a new transit log on return. Rhodes is about 45 NM away, so most crews stay in Turkey.
Catamaran or monohull?
Catamaran for the bays, the jetties and a family; a monohull costs less and sails better outside the gulf, but a Göcek week has little open water.
Gulet or bareboat?
A gulet comes with captain, cook and crew, so nobody aboard needs a licence, and it suits large groups; bareboat suits a crew that wants to sail. Both use the same bays.
What does Seeksail need to advise us?
Dates, cabins, licence held, bareboat, skipper or gulet, Göcek bays only or Kekova too, and we shortlist three yachts from Fethiye or Göcek with a recommendation.
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