If you haven’t already noticed, I’m a big fan of sailing. Ok, it’s fair enough to say that I’m slightly addicted to these types of adventures. Each day, on the water, sunbathing, relaxing, swimming, paddle boarding. Not a worry in the world except to pick out a bikini.

Ok truth be told, I am yet to a) learn to sail or b) get my boat licence, but that’s where MedSailors comes in. MedSailors is a skippered sailing company where all you need to do is turn up. They organise the boat, the linen, the food, the sailing, the skipper and the route. Literally, you only need a flight to get to your country of choice. They currently run sailing trips from May through to October in Croatia, Turkey and Greece. I secretly want them to start sailing in Italy along the Amalfi coast (hint, hint, nudge, nudge). Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to spend a week with MedSailors sailing the Turkish coast with the gorgeous Chessie King.

 

 

THE BEST SUMMER HOLIDAY

As summer in the Uk was pretty dismal this year, I was in desperate need of a Vitamin D top up before the Winter encapsulated our bodies! MedSailor’s run trips in Turkey till mid October and it was still so hot there! We averaged 32 degrees each day which in my mind is absolutely perfect. Chessie & I were booked onto the Attila yacht with skipper Charlie, and 7 other passengers Brits and Aussies. The yacht was brand new this season and was super sleek and shiny. The yacht had 5 sleeper cabins, slept 10 people and had three bathrooms. Like most small yachts, the rooms aren’t very spacious but you don’t spend much time in your rooms. You can sleep up top in the hammock or move your mattress to the deck to sleep beneath the stars (yes please).

THE SAILING ITINERARY

The sailing route has been handpicked by the experts so you get to experience the best of what the Turkish coast has to offer. This includes secluded bays, sunken cities, a bay full of turtles (YES THIS IS TRUE), fortresses to explore, cliffs to jump off, idyllic towns to explore, secret garden bars and THE BEST swimming spots to float away your day.

 

 

MY SAILING VILLAGE

My favourite town of the week was Kas, the best swimming spot was Butterfly valley and the best overnight in a secluded bay was Turtle bay (for obvious reasons mentioned above). Our group started a “peak & pit” conversation over dinner every evening where we would share our highs and lows of the day. Every day there were so many good bits, it was hard to just pick one. We were making up silly pits like “I was bitten by a mosquito” or “I wanted to swim more” as it was so hard to pick out anything that was bad about that day. Peaks were very individual but often included “today’s swim spot, today’s amazing lunch, swimming with turtles.” But a lot of the peaks of the week highlighted “how good our crew was” and “how amazing our skipper was” which is a great testament to the MedSailors crew.

THE DAILY GRIND

Our day usually unfolded like this: wake up and dive straight into the refreshing water. Charlie would serve breakfast of some type of eggs on deck as we set sail for our first swim spot. Then the anchor was dropped and we spent the morning diving for treasure or a morning yoga paddle board session. We managed to rustle up the energy for some on deck exercise sessions, some long distance swimming and some yoga. Then we would set sail to our lunch time swim spot as a yummy turkish lunch of mixed salads and meats was prepared for us. After lunch we would sun bake, read or sleep on deck as we ventured onto our final spot for the evening in a secluded bay or marina.

THE BEST BITS

As you can imagine, it’s all very very exhausting. My favourite elements about holidaying in Turkey are the crystal clear waters, the deliciously fresh food and how cheap everything is! The food, the drinks, the shopping. Your holiday pound/dollar stretches much farther than it’s bordering neighbours as Turkey is still using the Turkish Lira. Plus the locals are super friendly.

OUR SAILING CREW

A big shout out goes to our super cool crew: Emily, Tom, Cassie, Emma, Chloe, Luke and Olivia – you all made our trip so much fun!! A big shout out for Siona our crew manager who always made sure we were ok. And to Charlie, our skipper. He went above and beyond to make everyone feel so welcome, and didn’t bat an eyelid out our random requests of “no carbs for lunch” and “can we just stop the boat and jump in the water here please!”

And last but not least – my mermaid partner in crime Chessie. Thanks for being my bunk buddy, workout buddy, photographer and entertainment for the week! You are the best!

If you’re looking to book a fuss-free fun-filled sailing holiday, look no further than MedSailors. First, pick your destination from Turkey, Greece or Croatia. Invite your friends or you can go solo and you are set for one amazing week of summer.

You can read about my MedSailors trip in Greece earlier this year and my post for how to pack for a sailing holiday. Head to the MedSailors website as they have early bird deals for next year. Have you been on sailing holiday?

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Phoebe Greenacre was a sponsored guest of the MedSailors September 2015.

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