Serci Limani - Turkey

Serci Limani

Turkey is so rugged and mountainous.  It is completely different from anywhere we have sailed before.  When you look at the coast from the sea all you see is mountain after mountain.  You would never know that there are all these little bays hidden away in the mountains.  And as you are sailing in to a bay very often you cannot see the entrance until you are right upon it.  Its a little disorienting as it looks as though you are sailing right into a mountain!

Captain Nemo's

Serci Limani is one of those places that is difficult to see but once inside the bay, its beautiful.  One fellow and his family more or less have control of the bay.  You can just anchor and many folks do just that or you can tie up to one of Captain Nemo's mooring balls, which take up half the bay.  The fee, of course, is that you eat at his restaurant.  Captain Nemo speaks perfect English ... a character from another time.  Jovial and full of himself!  Both Captain Nemo and his restaurant were a pleasant surprise.  We enjoyed the freshest sea bass there that was cooked to perfection.

Talaria on a mooring ball

 

 

 

Once you are all settled (and sometimes before) you will be visited by a "shopping boat".  Little wooden boats that ply the water with Turks looking to sell their wares.  Honey, almonds, evil eyes or Turkish towels.  We always buy a little something whether we need it or not.

 

 

Shopping boat

 

 

 

 

 Once all settled and the "shopping" done we went for a little swim.  We were shocked at how cold the water is in this bay.  Fed by underwater springs it gives you a bit of a jolt when you first jump in. Nonetheless, its refreshing on a hot, hot summer day.  The cold water along with the afternoon katabatic winds coming down from the mountains make this a pleasant anchorage.  Even when the temperature is over 90 degrees!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another treat was watching the mountain goats and donkeys that live on the mountains.  Every evening the goats follow a well worn path down the mountain.  Surprisingly, they come to the waters edge and drink the sea water!  The water in the Aegean and Med is very, very salty.  More so than the Atlantic.  It is so salty it will burn your eyes.  If you or I tried to drink salty ocean water we would soon be dead so I could not figure out how they were able to drink that water and survive.  As I researched, I discovered that they get most of their fresh water intake from the plants they eat but they do love salt.  So they are actually after a bit of salt.  Who knew?

Goats drinking sea water

 We ended up stopping at Serci Limani twice.  The second time we met an American couple anchored here as well.  They have actually been in Turkey for several years.  They keep their catamaran here to sail in the summer.  In the winter, they have a small house in Mexico.  And the next day we met another American couple chartering a boat with their Turkish friends.  These Americans had just moved to Barcelona in 2018. Just living another life for awhile.  Such a small, small world.

Fishing boats and shopping boats in the harbor

These are the places (and people) that you miss if you stay on the "tourist" track.  They are not places you drive to or come to for entertainment. There is no big city allure, as a matter of fact, there is not much of anything here.  Just raw, rugged beauty.  But these tiny villages are little gems that add beauty and enrichment to your life.  Places to remember for years to come.