Testimonials


IN THE WAKE OF ULYSSES

By Jeff Wall

Seventeen years had passed since my last cruise around the Ionian Islands in the Bombay Grab, a 45’ Taiwanese built ketch owned by a great mate named George Middleton, and 30 years, and some, from the halcyon days of youth and three years afloat in the Mediterranean on our fondly remembered iroquios catamaran Pyewacket.

We had purchased Pyewacket from Patrick Wentworth Boyd; our worthy mentor who ran the brokerage arm of the yacht agency Camper and Nicholson in the UK.  Patrick actually owned the vessel and fitter her out.  At his suggestion we three novice sailors left the Isle of Wight and traversed France, firstly through the Brittany Canals from St Malo to Lorient thereby avoiding the difficult passage around the Ushant and then down the Biscay coast entering the Gironde Estuary at Royan.  From there it was an exhilarating sail on the flood tide to Bordeaux and through the many locks of the Canal du Midi to Sete.  If my memory serves me correctly it was there, in this small basin that I recall Alain Colais berthing his huge spidery trimaran single handedly, under sail, in a very stiff breeze.

The Balaerics, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Italy followed and then  across the Tyrreanean Sea to Corfu on the western coast of Greece.  We returned to Gouvia Bay in Corfu at the end of that summer after some months in the Aegean Sea and the islands of the Dodecanese, Cyclades and Saronic Gulf.  Leaving Pyewacket afloat the impercunious crew returned to London to work and to replenish the cruising kitty.  At that time the concrete quays were in place but only a few itinerant yachties and local caiques sheltered there.  Taki’s and George’s tavernas, a baker and small grocery store serviced what was then the isolated village of Kondokali.

So to the present..... read more.


LOG OF 'SADIE' - TURKEY 2008
By Gordon Ried

Friday 23 May - Booked into the UNLU hotel in central Gocek. This hotel has recently been renovated and is very comfortable with full range of facilities. We found the staff friendly and the restaurant excellent value. The hotel is about 100 metres from the ferry wharf and Skopea Marina.

Saturday 24 May - Morning spent shopping and locating a friendly supermarket that would deliver our boat supplies to the Sunsail Base. 
Although we were scheduled to board the boat at 1600 we were asked to remain at the office while a group filmed the boat’s interior. As this process appeared to be dragging on we decided to board and let the film people move around us. In the end the film group did not turn up.

 

As it was getting late and we had our dinner booked for 1930 it was agreed with the base that our briefing would take place on Sunday morning at 0930.Having the briefing on Sunday allowed us to unpack in comfort as well as stack the fridges.

Dinner was at the CAN Restaurant at the end of the ferry wharf in Gocek and we had our usual large salt crust baked grouper. Once again the meal was superb and we booked for our return on Friday June 20th.  Read more...

 

 


LOVE IT ON A GULET
By Jo Robinson

I felt I was embarking on a Homeric Odyssey when I stepped onto the beautifully timbered gang plank connecting the stone wharf to what was to be my new home for two weeks. For a fleeting moment I imagined I could hear the tom tom sound of the war drums and the crack of the whip keeping the oarsmen in time.  Perhaps my passion for Sunday afternoon movies would hold me in good stead for our forthcoming voyage.

“Welcome! Welcome!” bellowed a bronzed, heavily-moustached Turk who introduced himself as Ozden, our Captain.  Our bags were collected by Memhet, another crew member, leaving us simply to negotiate the narrow gang plank to the large aft deck where our hostess Adelet, had prepared some light refreshments.

We had experienced a bareboat sailing holiday further north in Turkey before, but this was certainly different.  On the advice of Charter World’s Brook Felsenthal, we had decided to try the traditional timber-built sailing Gulets which are being revived as charter boats.  Read more...