Kuşadasi

The sail up to Kuşadasi from Didim was very good. Initially west with very little wind but then as we rounded the headland and turned north, we were able to sail. We took a look at the island of Nisís Agathonísi as we went past because it has some bays on the south of the island that could be reasonable bolt holes to shelter from the meltemi.

However, our destination was further north so we continued on up the Turkish coast.

Dilek Peninsula (Turkey) in front of the hills on Samos

The Greek island of Samos is very close to the Turkish coastline here and there is a narrow strait, less than a mile wide, between the two. On the head of the Dilek Peninsula to the south of the strait is a small bay known as Port St Paul. Apparently, on one of his trips up the Anatolian coast to preach the gospel, St Paul stayed in this bay, resting is oarsmen overnight from the hard slog against the northerly meltemi winds.

Stenó Sámou or Dilek Bogazi (depending on whether you’re naming the strait in Greek or Turkish)    

There is a current of up to 4 knots which runs through the strait and with high ground on either side the wind can get funnelled causing overfalls on the water.  However, our passage east through the strait, aided by a 2 knot current, was uneventful.

Kuşadasi

Once through the strait we continued another 10 miles northeast towards Kuşadasi. Navigation was very easy; just follow the cruise ships into the harbour. Kuşadasi is a bit of a sprawling tourist town and is also an important stopping point for the cruise ships.

Güvercin Adası, Kuşadasi

We continued past the picturesque Güvercin Adası (Pigeon Island) with its Genoese castle to our right, the cruise ship dock, and then on into the marina. Marinas aren’t our preferred place to stop but it’s the only safe place to leave BV whilst we take a look at ancient Ephesus. The ruins of Ephesus are apparently unmatched by any other Mediterranean archaeological site except Pompeii and so that’s why we shared the harbour with several cruise ships during our stay here.

Kuşadasi, Turkey