The Very First Gulet Charter/Blue Cruise Blog

Marmaris International Yacht Show in its 27th Year

The countdown is on, and it's less than 1 week until the inception of the 27th annual Yacht Show beginning on 16 May until the 20th.

There are 53 yachts and 33 agents fromn 11 countries registered for attendance. The full list of agents and yachts is posted at www.miyc.org.

One of the features of this show will be the first ever Chef Cook-Off. Ten chefs from the registered yachts and gulets will have a live cook-off on the harbor front in Marmaris. Each chef will be given the same ingredients and 1 hour to concot the most original dish

As Southern Cross Blue Cruising together with the Yacht Show Committee are in charge of the first annual Chef Cook-Off, it's been numerous telephone calls and offers to sponsors for the cook off, ranging from kitchen equipment manufacturers to natural gas bottle suppliers and supermarkets.

The show will be broadcast on live television and is intended to become a permament feature of the Yacht Show.

When Adnan bought a beautiful villa with enormous garden 20 meters away from us and opend the Tulip Wine House, we thought `There is a God and her name is Dionysus.` With over 15,000 bottles of wine from all over the world in his personal collection, Adnan had enough of Istanbul and moved to Bodrum with his family with a business plan to market a variety of wines not available in the local supermarkets.

When he asked us to organize a wine-tasting session aimed at gulet and boutique hotel owners, we said `Sure!` Friday, 25 April from 7-10 p.m. was the night with about 40 guests including Bodrum Life magazine and the Bodrum Observer newspaper. Attending yacht companies included Aegean Yacht, Zephyria Yachting, Carpe Diem Yachting and Blue Point Yachting.

Also in attendance were our first two charter guests on Southern Cross Timer for the 2008 season who didn't need to look too far for night life!

Due to new Mugla governor implementations, gulets in Bodrum can no longer `double up` - that is, park behind one an another. This is a practice which has allowed the 300+ gulets access to the harbor until now. By the harbormaster's estimate, there will be approximately 80 gulets without a berth according to the new law.

We entertained various thoughts of appropriate bribery to pursue in order to secure a berth, including home baked brownies for the harbormaster. But his hands are tied until the Governer overturns this law.

While some gulets are protesting, some have been launched and found berths in Gumbet, Bitez, Turgutreis and Yalikavak. Southern Cross Timer is now in Yalikavak, and Captain Engin is not unhappy as it's close to his home.

With the first charter of 2008 beginning next Friday, a trial rundown for food and service on SX Timer was called for. Several discerning guests were invited, and the menu planned according to the fresh fish and vegetables in the market that day.

Turkish Wild Asparagus blossoms in April and May in the Aegean.

Ahmet (mumbling as usual that the only reason he wasn't working as the head chef of Dubai's Burc-al-Arab was due strictly to his love of the sea) produced a stunning array of village traditional mezes. They included:

wild asparagus

blanched carrot tossed in fresh yogurt with a touch of garlic

centerpiece of bedded artichokes smothered in fresh broad beans, olive oil and lemon

oven baked mackerel steaks surrounded by vegetables, adorned with bay leaves and whole black peppercorns.

traditional tart green plums and ripe strawberries

Simple but exquisite cuisine appreciated by all present.

The chef, whilst muttering about the new oven, was pleased with its performance.

It may not be the biggest or fanciest, but the newly opened Bodrum Golf Club is downright impressive. With five holes, driving range, practice putting green, pitching, chipping and bunkers, this immaculate facility also has a full service spa on its premises for the non-golfers.

Sunday brunch was breeming with low key, relaxed customers yesterday when we went for an inspection. We were greeted by a very friendly Ermin who gave us a thorough tour of all the facilities.

Yasemin ended up taking Ermin's offer to try her first swing on the driving range. An hour and a few dozen lira later, she was still eager to keep at it. An expensive hobby indeed.

We'll return to the club when we earn some more money.

With Souther Cross Timer's first charter of 2008 less than two weeks away, work on SX Timer has gone from coarse to refinded. Cushions, bedding, galley inventory and re-installation of electronics is proceeding. Can't wait to see how effective the new black-out curtains will be.

Tracy arrived yesterday as crew and chef for Dreamtime, the yacht we have managed over the winter. A long time resident of Marmaris, she has fantastic local knowledge and is an extremely pleasant person.

Last night, we all attended the local Kavalidere wine tasting at the Marina Vista hotel rooftop bar. They featured their moderately priced Ancyra line aimed at everyday buyers ready to step above the standard table wines. Here are our thoughts:

Ancrya White:

• Muscat - Extremely fruity and perfect dessert wine - agreed by all
• Narince - Moderately dry table wine. Dave liked it over our standard Angora, but Dina says she detected a very slight artificial flavor.

Ancrya Red:

• Okuzgozu - Beautiful, soft mild and medium bodied. Could not offend anyone, anytime. - Agreed by all.
• CabSav - Medium bodied, soft and blended. Tracy thought it was excellent.
• Kalecik Karasi - Tracy and Dina loved the tart bite of this wine. Dave thought it was acidic.
• Merlot - Excellent. Rob's favorite.
• Shiraz - We all thought it was sharp but perfect for a hearty meal.

Dave, Dina and Dreamtime Captain Rob

On a closing note, our feral kitten Alfonso has developed into a beautiful silver tabby with startling green eyes. Tracy took some photos.

Hand raised Bodrum feral kitten Alfonso loves to catch flies.