Heading off piste - east of Anamur

We've decided to go east from Finike in search of the real Turkey, away from the charter boats and tourist gulets. We are going in search of places with a bit of local colour that don't see many visiting yachts. Do they still exist? Our first main stopover - Alanya - is a big package holiday destination, and Russians or Germans make up 20% of the population. Not exactly a good start to our quest.

View from Alanya's castle

On the plus side, it has a stupendous castle perched high on a headland and some interesting Ottoman boatsheds, and we make the most of the marina’s swimming pool.

Ottoman boatbuilding sheds at Alanya

Leaving Alanya, we anchor overnight in the little fishing harbour of Gazipasa which is sheltered under the lee of a craggy headland scattered with the ruins of ancient Selinus. We are the only yacht in the harbour. Two large fishing boats are tied to the quay, and the only sound is of frogs croaking in the marsh beside the river.  A couple of diggers have finished work for the day. They are constructing a new marina here.

Anamur Burnu

When we round Anamur Burnu the next day, the sun appears and the rugged coastline flattens into a long sandy beach backed by the Taurus mountains. We pass the picture-book castle of Manmure Kalesi and reach Bozyazi.

Trawler berthed astern of us at Bozyazi

We moor up with the fishing boats alongside a high quay owned by the fishing co-operative. It's a working place littered with lines and nets.  We’re told the dusty roadside café nearby sells beer but you have to bring your own glass. We haven’t been there an hour before a guy called Onur arrives and offers to take us to his restaurant for a meal. We arrange a rendezvous for the next evening.

On the dolmus - Galatasarai vs Fenibahce football derby tonight

After a short trip the next morning on the local dolmus, we visit Manmure Castle which we'd seen from the sea.  Recep, who is an enthusiastic rose grower gives us a guided tour of what is the most complete castle in Anatolia.  And there's an obligatory stop to smell his roses and take tea. 

Apart from a TV crew setting up for a show, we are the only visitors.

With Recep in his rose garden

 Back at the harbour a trawlerman comes in with a full load of tuna. It’s clear from their beaming smiles that the fishermen are elated by their huge catch.  It was all they could do to fit the lot into a transit van.

Looked so good, we decided to buy a couple for tea!

When we take their photo, they generously offer us a plate of tuna steaks - which go down well pan-fried for lunch next day.

Finally we get some wind and coast under the genoa down to Aydincik, another small harbour given over to fishing boats, dominated by a fine mosque. There’s just room for us to anchor in the middle, and we feel like some strange migratory bird that’s landed unexpectedly in a duckpond.

That evening a wedding party (with the bride in a classic meringue-shaped white dress) poses in the bandstand on the quay for photos with Makarma in the background. In the morning when we go ashore in the dinghy, shouts of welcome guide us to the nearest landing steps.  We go in search of a Roman mosaic floor which is said to depict how the ancient harbour looked, but the gates are locked and we have to settle for a glimpse from the distance. 

The wind picks up mid morning and the downwind sail under genoa to Ovacik is uncomfortably rolly.  On the way we’re approached by a cutter belonging to the Coastguard. As they draw close we’re uncertain what to expect but we needn’t have worried.  Over the VHF they explain they've come over to bid us welcome and wish us a good day before they gun their engines and roar away down the coast.