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Chartering from Göcek and Fethiye: bays, restaurant jetties and waste water rules
Short answer
From Göcek and Fethiye you usually lie to an anchor and a shore line in wooded bays or tie up at
restaurant jetties.
Waste water must not go into the sea: Turkey records every pump out on the blue card,
and the area is specially protected.
The Gulf of Fethiye and the bay of Göcek form a sheltered cruising ground of islands and bays wooded down to the water, and a favourite with British crews flying into Dalaman. Hops are short, the water is usually flat and the wind tends to fill in during the afternoon. The local habit is to drop an anchor and take a line ashore to a tree or a rock, often close alongside other yachts. Many bays have restaurant jetties with lazy lines; eat there and you can often stay without a separate charge, but ask the owner before you tie up.
The Fethiye and Göcek area is a specially protected environmental zone, and the waste water rules are strict. Black water must not go over the side: yachts pump out at shore stations or service boats, and each pump out is logged on the blue card, the Mavi Kart. The authorities check, and breaches can be expensive. In some bays anchoring is restricted to protect the seabed, and moorings are laid instead. At handover ask to see the blue card, check the holding tank level and find out where the pump out points are.
Practise lying to a shore line before the first evening: the line goes ashore in the tender while the helm keeps the boat straight. Lay out plenty of chain in case the afternoon breeze comes in on the beam, and watch where your neighbours' anchors lie. Papers and the transit log are covered on the page about chartering in Turkey. If you damage someone else's boat or property with the charter yacht you are personally liable, so your own skipper liability insurance belongs in the preparations.
Worth remembering
Restaurant jetty
lazy line, power, often free if you eat
Bay
anchor and shore line, quiet, no power
Between Göcek and Fethiye a shore line is part of the craft.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
What is the blue card in Turkey?
A card on which every pump out of the holding tank is recorded. It shows that the yacht is not discharging sewage into the sea. The base hands it over with the boat.
Do restaurant jetties charge?
Often not if you eat there, though some charge anyway or ask for money for power and water. Settle it before you tie up.
How do I lie safely to a shore line?
Set the anchor with plenty of chain, take the line to a tree or rock and keep the boat straight. Expect a breeze on the beam in the afternoon.
Related
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