Symi

From the moment our ferry entered the harbor on the island of Symi, I was awestruck. Symi is beautiful.

The harbor is sheltered on three sides with hillsides covered with square stone houses in shades of yellow, white, red and ochre. The docks are home to working fishing boats with ample room for a good number of transient sailing yachts. There are also water taxis and tour boats to accommodate the day-trippers who arrive from the nearby island of Rhodes. Our apartment has a large deck overlooking the entrance to the harbor, the mooring field and a boat yard. I can easily spend my time here lounging on the deck and watching the waterfront activity. And with no major sites on Symi, I don’t feel the pressure to explore. I am, however, quite content to be lazy and recharge the batteries before we enter Turkey next Sunday.

The green arrow shows our covered patio and then the view from the patio.

From my perch, one yacht in particular caught my eye, the Mare Nostrum, a Turkish Gulet, with accommodations for 12 passengers and 6 crew. Available for charter for only 70,000 euro or $69,000 per week plus expenses. The only way I will get on board is if they have an opening for deck hands. Perhaps a good letter of recommendation from Captain Dan from my days working on the Onrust will do the trick.

Here’s a link for anyone interested in chartering the Mare Nostrum:

https://www.luxurychartergroup.com/yacht.php/gulet-mare-nostrum-44/