My first twenty days in Turkey have certainly given me a different perspective than the last time I visited. But then again, I didn’t come to the persistent party that is the Lycean Coast. The food is terrific and comes in larger than American size portions. So it is hard to leave hungry, let alone lose weight. Conversely though, the place is filled with charter sailors. When you see them coming in you think, sometime out loud, “Please don’t anchor next to me.” I find them sort of interesting as they sail a boat for one week a year but they have the absolute latest gear from HH or Slam. I always wondered where sailing clothing companies make their money, and it is here in the Med, where apparently no one minds paying full price. Interestingly, nearly all the yachts are US flagged. Apparently Maryland makes a fair bit of money helping the Turks dodge taxes by being a flag of convenience. The other thing you have to contend with are tourist boats called Gullets. They come to every anchorage just for the day but take the prime anchoring spots. So you have to get there early.
