On many occasions we made our way up to the top of
the bay where there was a stand alone centre come
club on the other side of the bay. In the early
afternoons sailors of all shapes and sizes would meet
and ‘mega blasting’ would commence. Sitting on the
fringes I joined in but they were PDQ (Pretty Damn
Quick).This all made for great fun and indulgence in an
area of windsurfing I hadn’t really dabbled in. It is a
great laugh and pushes your limits… just differently.
The final thing to say about sailing in the bay was just
how many beginners, children and girls w ere
windsurfing. Although none of this should be a surprise
I would estimate that 60% of the sailors were female.
If this was to do with the week fair enough but all in all
I thought what I saw was very encouraging for a sport
that I cherish a lot.
Kitesurfing
Sorry but I have to mention it! The Middle East isn’t
the windiest spot in the world and to keep our ‘brine
time’ up, we have been learning to kite. This reason
coupled with the ease of travel ability, we came to
Alacati armed with our kite kit.
It definitely felt like the poor brother
of windsurfing but if you’re
competent then this is a good
The final thing to say about sailing in the bay
was just how many beginners, children and
girls were windsurfing
option to match up with windsurfing. It can be hard to
find places that offer both kiting and windsurfing. If you
are a newbie, the lessons looked good and controlled
with top instructors. The only group it probably isn’t for
is those who are up and running but not super
confident with upwind work.
Out and about
ASPC itself has a well stocked bar along with a good
restaurant serving a variety of food. There were a
couple of other restaurants tucking in behind and
around the other centres so you can take your pick.
The entire peninsula is worth exploration with Cesme
offering the same style as Alacati but on a bigger
scale. Just off the coast of Cesme is the Greek island
of Chiros. Some say that this closeness has given the
area a unique Turkish/Greeky feeling. Day trips and
charters in and around the island are possible making
a novel ‘no wind’ alternative. We had a ‘scooter’ (70TL)
and utilizing the mandar (the internal radar belonging
only to men – can be intermittent!) We found quiet
bays to swim in followed by freshly caught calamari
and freezing cold Effes. The area in and around
Alacati/Cesme had a good feel to it and it is a popular
holiday home destination for residents of nearby Izmir.
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