Life on the gulet boat
As noted earlier, the gulet is called the Ariva 3, and is about 77 feet long and 25 feet wide. It has four passenger cabins, a broad foredeck with mats for lying in the sun, and a large cushioned seating area on the aft deck, where meals are served. The gulet has a crew of three: Shahin, the 64-year-old captain and part owner; Loqmin the 32-year-old (English-speaking) steward; and Nevraz, the 20-year-old chef. Shahin and Loqmin have been working together on the Ariva 3 since it was launched nine years ago.
Life on the gulet was relatively simple. Most mornings we would depart early from wherever we had anchored, to travel while the sea was still calm. We were awakened between 6:30 and 7:00 by the sound of the engines and the deep rumble of the anchor chain being wound in.
While we motored, the family sat either on the foredeck in the sun, or under the tarp on the aft deck. Loqmin usually brought some chocolate cake and juice as a pre-breakfast.
During the 1-4 hours of motoring, we would do schoolwork, play backgammon, and read. Eventually, we would drop anchor in some bay, and Nevraz would prepare a big breakfast (eggs, olives, tomato & cucumber, feta cheese, bread and honey). Loqmin served us at the table on the aft deck, under the shade.
We found out that Loqmin is the oldest of eight children, seven of them boys, and is very used to feeding, playing with, and disciplining kids. He adored and coddled Tallulah, but had a slightly more Turkish toughlove relationship with Zola. He insisted that Zola clean his plate, try new foods, and generally behave better than India normally expect. It was probably good for Zola, but created drama at pretty much every mealtime.
After breakfast, we would have activities which depended on where we were. Three mornings, India and I left the kids with Loqmin and went for nice trail runs on shore. One morning we did a family hike, bashing through the trailless scrub up the side of a thousand-foot island peak. On the other mornings we swam, snorkeled and kayaked.
Sometime between 1-2pm, Loqmin served us a big lunch: meat or fish, rice, salads, bread. The food was very good, but came more frequently and in greater quantities than any of us were used to.
We would usually move again in the afternoons, motoring for an hour or two until we found a calm anchorage for the night. If we were lucky, Tallulah would nap. One afternoon we actually put up the sails (!), and cruised silently at 3-4 knots for a couple of hours.
In the late afternoons we would have more on-shore activities (usually a hike), or I would go windsurfing. By dusk we were all back on the boat.
In the first three days, the crew never switched on the television in the main sitting area. During the last four days, however, we all used it (more than India and I would have liked) to occupy the kids with Turkish cartoons and soap operas. Nevraz, who started working on boats at age 11, seemed to particularly enjoy the first-ever Turkish sreening of “Lost Fish Nemo” alongside our kids.
After dark we would have another large meal, with wine and some attendant Zola-Loqmin drama around cleaning his plate. Then we would play Liar’s Dice and backgammon with Loqmin and Zola for a couple of hours until the kids were ready to sleep. India was a dominant force in the dice game.
Overall, the gulet was a great experience. We were more physically active on shore than I thought we would be(runs, hikes), and the blue water and the rugged mountains were spectacular. We were able to read a lot (Zola got through Harry Potter # 7 in about five days, I was able to read the NYT on line in detail through my BlackBerry),and we spent a lot of time swimming and talking. Playing backgammon and dice in the evenings was unexpectedly fun for all of us.
To tell the truth, though, five days on the gulet would probably have been better than seven. By the end of a full week, all four of us were ready to have more control over our activities and over our dietary habits. Zola left the boat feeling great about it all, but it was tough for him at times (including when he fell, fully clothed, into the ocean while he was fooling around on the ladder, after having been pushed in earlier in the day by his mother and by Loqmin in succession).
We are definitely growing closer as a family, and the gulet accelerated that process. Now we are on to Naples, Italy to finish the first leg of our trip.