Winding down with a following breeze

Nothing takes the stress out of life quite so swiftly as a cruise in a sailboat along a remote part of the Turkish coast, finds Guy Marks. But he could have done without Rod Stewart.
A fresh breeze wafted across the bows and softened the strength of the morning sun as I lay out on the deck. The Grandi 1 rocked gently in the calm water and lulled me so that I was teetering on the edge of sleep.

Ümit, our captain, was more alert and keen to take advantage of the conditions. This was a sailing boat after all, and the first sign of wind was a good omen.
Within moments the crew were scuttling about the boat pulling on ropes, cranking winches and hoisting a selection of the 400 square metres of sail up the 20m-high masts. The sails filled, the engine fell silent and the only sounds were those of splashing water as the wooden hull cut through the sea, the occasional flapping of rigging and the hum of wind over taught canvas. At the helm Ümit reached for the sound system and our peace was broken by the dulcet tones of Rod Stewart. "We are sailing. We are sailing..." It was ever so corny, but so appropriate you couldn't help but smile, at least the first time it was played.
We were cruising in the Aegean Sea along the Turkish coastline in a gulet, a Turkish wooden yacht. The 10-cabin hull was in traditional style, hand-built from local pine and finished with highly varnished mahogany and pale teak decks. The rigging, however, was special, and far from traditional.
It had been designed by a Dutchman and custom-made for the Tussock Cruising fleet. It was capable of powering this
27m-long, 80-tonne vessel with just a gentle breeze.
Most of the gulets in these waters have masts and sails, perhaps raising the odd jib for fun to make headway while still motoring. The Tussock yachts, however, are the only fleet of tourist gulets that actually sail from place to place.
This meant that, over the course of the cruise, our days and our route were unpredictable. We had a plan each day, but flexibility was paramount. Times and distances covered were dependent on the winds. It did not seem to matter too much where we ended up, however; there was always a picturesque secluded bay, with a backdrop of pine-forested hillsides.
This coastline, north and west of Bodrum, is remote and the hidden parts are remarkably undeveloped. It gave us the chance to see small villages and lesserknown archaeological sites off the tourist trail.
At Euromos we wandered through an olive grove to explore the remnants of an ancient amphitheatre and a Corinthian temple to Zeus. Little remained, but the stand of massive fluted columns and the eroded stone blocks scattered between the trees told that this had once been an important city.
We visited places where the guidebook writers haven’t been, such as the tiny village of Bozalan in the hilIs behind Cökertme. One of the crew had originally come from this village and took a group of passengers back to meet his family.
It has now become a regular excursion for Tussock clients. We were shown around the village, which seemed relatively untouched by modernity, and treated to a feast of local cuisine in a private family house. Some of the villagers joined us for our rooftop dinner, including an old man with a violin and a young lad with a drum.
I was amazed how genuine and uncontrived this experience seemed. We were guests in their home and welcomed like family friends.
Most of our time though, we were at sea. When there was no wind we pottered from bay to bay, stopping to swim, to snorkel or paddle about in canoes. In good winds the sails went up and we tacked back and forth, zigzagging our way along the Gulf of Gökova between the Bodrum and the Datça peninsulas. We were sailing for the sake of sailing, loving every moment of being outdoors and filling our lungs with fresh sea air.
There was nothing to do. Nothing, that is, except relax, play games or read a book, get to know the other members of the group and make new and lasting friendships.
It was the kind of enforced relaxation that puts you at ease, breaks down the barriers and de-stresses you in a matter of hours. By the time a week had passed we were like different people. Our batteries were recharged, our energies renewed.