TURKEY’S SOUTH COAST ..................................... by Nigel Morley and Julie Smart

            One of the most striking features of the south coast of Turkey is the remarkable number of mediaeval castles and other ancient ruins visible from the sea:  a less welcome one, perhaps, is the spread of holiday  villages and apartment blocks along so much of the shoreline between Iskenderun and the Gulf of Antalya.  The area is fascinating historically and culturally, and for the yachtsman there is still plenty of unspoiled scenery;   the Arab and French-influenced area round Iskenderun, where mountains and forests look across to salt marshes and the fertile Cukurova plain beyond;  the spectacularly rugged Cilician coast, dotted with castles, that stretches from west of Mersin almost as far as Alanya;  and finally, the lovely Gulf of Antalya which marks the eastern end of the more familiar Aegean cruising grounds. 

            East of Antalya there are no facilities for yachts as such, though work has started on a marina at Mersin.  Good shelter can be found at the commercial and fishing harbours in the central part of the coast (Bozyazi, Aydincik, Tasucu and Mersin), and this area has a number of attractive anchorages too.  Unfortunately none of these offer good all-round shelter, and it is as well to be prepared for the sudden wind shifts which can occur even in seemingly settled weather.  It is also stiflingly hot and humid on the south coast in high summer, so spring is the better time to cruise the coast.  Like its Black Sea counterpart, Turkey’s Mediterranean coast isn’t ideal for cruising, but if you like to avoid the crowds and explore some less well known facets of Turkey’s history and culture you won’t be disappointed.

275 words