Oyster News 52 - Oyster Yachts

OWNER REPORT
58 www.oystermarine.com
Rozlyn dancing with Captain Ibrahim The orchestra, Captain Ibrahim's Restaurant, Cokertme
We sail towards the very smart Gökova Sailing Club. The grounds are manicured and the building is
elegant and modern. The jetty looks new and inviting. After a slight interrogation by the owner, who is
accompanied by four Alsatian dogs, we are allowed to tie up. The owner’s son, who speaks public
school English, assists us. We are the only boat tied to the jetty. The Sailing Club has high walls and
electric gates and we are given some exit instructions and also told on no account to touch the dogs.
Something is beginning to feel "not quite right".
Caroline and David hire a Pico sailing dinghy each and have a great time. Ray and I are keen to explore.
Certainly the walks into the hills are wonderful. We smell the pine on the wind and experience that feeling
of peace and inner calm. Further along the shore, on the waters edge, is the Paradise Restaurant. Here
the jetty is full of gullets and small yachts. We think we had better book a table for our evening meal.
It was not necessary to book. When we arrive we find that most of the tables are empty and they stay
that way. We have a feeling that this is not going to be a very good meal. A lone diner sits some way off
from us at the edge of the outdoor dining area. Out of the darkness the military police arrive, smartly
salute the man and hand over a black plastic bag that is remarkably rifle shaped, salute again and
vanish into the night. David warns us not to make eye contact.
Should we have been suspicious that the restaurant was called "Paradise" and that the menu was
priced in Euros and the bill was given in Turkish Lira, with a very unlikely rate of exchange? David is
quick at maths; he soon has the waiter stuttering and looking guilty. The meal was average and the
price exorbitant. The price is lowered and we don’t leave a tip. We should have eaten on board like the
other yachties tied to the jetty.
In the morning the owner of Gökova Sailing Club gave me a tour of his house. It was quite wonderful
with every possible convenience, a beautiful nautical drawing room, four double bedrooms with ensuite
bathroom and a sauna. Downstairs, another stylish nautical bar and outside terrace – just so lovely and
so closely guarded. Sögüt is beautiful but there is a strange undercurrent of conspiracy. She has a
secret we could not discover.
Degirmen Buku (English Harbour)
There are many marvellous anchorages in Gökova Bay and Rod Heinkel gives excellent description and
information in his "Turkish Water Pilot", but we cannot visit them all. We have a week’s time limit for
Caroline and David so we return to an old haunt. For us, probably the most romantic and also exciting
place on the Turkish coast.
English Harbour is beautiful, secluded and hidden behind many watery twists and turns from the
entrance. It is sheltered and the holding is good, which makes for a very unworried night’s sleep. There
is a naval history to this place. The English hid their gunboats here in the Second World War. There is
still a Turkish military base here, which becomes evident from time to time.
This place has magic all of its own. It is peaceful and there are only two restaurants and that is how it
has always been. They own all the land around them so the area should stay unspoilt. Tonight though,
we decide to eat on board by candlelight. David barbeques chicken and lamb chops, accompanied by
rice, fresh green salad and cold white wine.
The sky is dark and the stars are bright. The silken water reflects the half moon. By the shore, four men
walk in the shallows carrying fishing lights and spears, giving the silent shore a primeval quality. On a
Turkish boat someone plays a musical instrument and two women sing a lullaby. Perhaps it is a song in
praise of the loveliness of nature.