Göcek and Fethiye Bay
Turkey · a week from Göcek · about 67 nautical miles
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Göcek is the most sheltered cruising ground on the Turkish coast. Its gulf is a maze of islands and deep, pine-fringed coves, most with a restaurant jetty or a rock to tie a line to, and Roman, Lycian and Byzantine ruins line the shore. Distances are short, so there is time to swim, explore and eat well every day. This loop crosses to the market town of Fethiye and the church ruins of Gemiler Island before winding back through the Göcek islands.
Where the charter boats are
Most charter companies on this coast are based in Göcek, a small yachting village with several marinas side by side, about half an hour from Dalaman airport. A few fleets sail from Fethiye, across the gulf. This week starts and ends in Göcek.
Main bases: Göcek. Marinas: D-Marin Göcek · Marintürk Göcek Village Port · Ece Saray Marina, Fethiye
When to go
- The season runs from April to the end of October.
- May, June, September and October are the best months: warm water, steady breezes and quieter bays.
- July and August are very hot and the bays are busy with gulets and day boats, so arrive early and book restaurant jetties ahead.
- April is quieter and cooler, and spring can still bring a strong southerly blow.
Weather
Summer is hot, dry and settled. The Göcek bays are sheltered, with a steady afternoon breeze out in the open gulf.
Meltem
from the west
The summer afternoon breeze, usually force 3 to 5 in the gulf and lighter inside the bays. It dies away in the evening.
Lodos
from the south-west
Strong and wet, mostly in spring and autumn, bringing swell and rain. Bays open to the south-west become uncomfortable.
Poyraz
from the north-east
Cool and dry, mostly outside the summer season. Gusts can come down off the hills around Göcek.
Forecasts
- Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) marine forecasts at mgm.gov.tr.
- Navtex and VHF safety broadcasts from the Turkish coastal radio stations.
- Your charter company's check-in briefing and the marina office's daily forecast.
Sea temperature: Around 21 °C in May, 27 to 28 °C in August, 24 to 25 °C in October.
Where you moor
marina
Göcek and Fethiye have full-service marinas with lazy lines, water, power and fuel.
town quay
In the bays, restaurant jetties take the place of town quays. Mooring is usually free if you eat there; call ahead in summer.
buoy
Some bays have official mooring buoys with a fee. Follow your charter company's briefing on where to use them.
anchor
The local way: anchor in deep water, reverse in and take a stern line to a rock, a tree or a ring ashore.
Filling up: water, power and fuel
| Port | Type | Water | Power | Fuel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Göcek | Marina | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Charter base: start and finish. Several marinas with fuel stations, shops and restaurants. |
| Cleopatra's Bath | Anchorage | – | – | – | Anchor and stern line. Very busy with day boats in the middle of the day. No facilities. |
| Fethiye | Marina | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Ece Saray Marina has a fuel berth; expect a queue on busy days. The municipal quay is closer to the market. |
| Gemiler Island | Anchorage | – | – | – | Anchor and stern line in the channel, or a restaurant jetty on the mainland. Check locally for landing fees and opening hours for the ruins. |
| Sarsala Bay | Town quay | – | – | – | Restaurant jetty with lazy lines at the head of the bay. Ask about water and power when you call ahead. Watch for the fish farm near the entrance. |
| Tersane Island | Anchorage | – | – | – | Sheltered cove with ruins ashore. Anchor and stern line; space is limited. |
A sample week
Saturday: Saturday is check-in day. Most crews fly into Dalaman, about half an hour away by road. Boats are usually ready from late afternoon: do the boat briefing, stow the shopping and spend the first night in the marina, a few minutes' walk from Göcek's waterfront restaurants.
Sunday · about 7 nm
Göcek → Cleopatra's Bath
A short first sail south through the islands to Ruin Bay, where the walls of a Roman bath house, known as Cleopatra's Bath, lie half under the water.
- Snorkel over the sunken walls of the bath house
- Look for more ruins along the shore
- Evening swim off the boat in the calm
Overnight: At anchor with a stern line ashore. Day boats crowd the bay until late afternoon, then it turns quiet.
Monday · about 12 nm
Cleopatra's Bath → Fethiye
Out of the islands and east across the gulf to Fethiye, a busy market town with Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliffs above it.
- Climb to the rock tomb of Amyntas above the town
- Buy fish at the fish market and have a restaurant cook it
- Wander the lanes of Paspatur, the old bazaar
Overnight: Marina berth in Ece Saray Marina, or stern-to on the municipal quay along the waterfront.
Tuesday · about 14 nm
Fethiye → Gemiler Island
West out of Fethiye bay and round the headland to Gemiler Island, also called Saint Nicholas Island, covered in the ruins of Byzantine churches.
- Climb the covered stone passageway to the church at the top of the island
- Walk or take a taxi up to Kayaköy, the stone village abandoned in 1923
- Swim in the clear water off the island
Overnight: At anchor with a stern line ashore in the channel behind the island, or on a restaurant jetty on the mainland shore.
Wednesday · about 18 nm
Gemiler Island → Sarsala Bay
The longest day of the week: back north-west across the open gulf and into the Göcek islands on the afternoon breeze, ending in Sarsala Bay on the western shore.
- Swim from the jetty in clear, deep water
- Dinner at the restaurant at the head of the bay
- Paddle along the pine-covered shore
Overnight: On the restaurant jetty with lazy lines, or at anchor with a stern line ashore in one of the side coves.
Thursday · about 10 nm
Sarsala Bay → Tersane Island
A gentle day among the islands, ending at Tersane, where the ruins of an old shipyard and village stand by the water.
On the way: Lunch and a swim among the Yassıca islands, with their narrow, turquoise channels.
- Walk among the ruined stone houses of the old village
- Snorkel along the rocky shore of the cove
- Enjoy a quiet last night at anchor
Overnight: At anchor in the cove with a stern line ashore. Space is limited, so arrive early.
Friday · about 6 nm
Tersane Island → Göcek
A short morning sail back to Göcek, with time for a final swim in a quiet cove on the way.
- Final swim in a quiet cove
- Refuel in Göcek before the Friday queues build
- Last evening on Göcek's waterfront
Overnight: Back in your Göcek marina by Friday evening for the check-in inspection.
Friday evening and Saturday: Be back in Göcek by Friday evening, refuelled, for the check-in inspection. Saturday morning is check-out, usually by nine.
Navigation and mooring
- The normal mooring in the bays is anchor and stern line: drop the anchor in deep water, reverse in and take a long line ashore. Carry a long floating line.
- Restaurant jetties usually let you moor free if you eat there. Call ahead in July and August, and expect staff to help with lines.
- The afternoon breeze in the open gulf can reach force 5 or 6. Make the crossings to Fethiye and Gemiler in the morning.
- Day-trip boats and gulets crowd Cleopatra's Bath and Gemiler from late morning to late afternoon. Arrive early or late, and slow right down among swimmers.
- Waste water must go in the holding tank. Pump out at the marina stations and keep the records the charter company gives you.
Provisioning
- Supermarkets in Göcek village, a short walk from the marinas. Charter companies can arrange delivery to the boat.
- Fethiye has a big weekly market on Tuesdays, and a fish market where the surrounding restaurants cook the fish you buy.
- In summer, small boats tour the bays selling bread, fruit, ice cream and Turkish pancakes.
Rules and fees
- Every charter yacht needs a transit log, arranged by the charter company with the crew list before you sail. Carry passports aboard and check the current rules.
- The Göcek and Fethiye bays are a special environmental protection area. Use the holding tank and pump out at marina stations; pump-outs are recorded on the blue card waste system, now largely run through an app. Discharging waste water brings heavy fines.
- The skipper needs a recognised licence. Some bays have no-anchoring zones and paid mooring buoys: follow the charter company's briefing.
A planning guide, not a navigational publication. Maps are simplified and distances approximate. Always use official charts, the current pilot book, local notices and the latest forecast, and follow your charter company's briefing.