It was time to say goodbye. At 7.30 the key turned and the engine started. Günsu and Berfin were still asleep as we travelled, while Derin drank her coffee, lost in thought. We were heading for Gerenkuyu in Yalıçiftlik to collect the car and drive to the airport.
The worst part of a holiday is its ending, especially when it means seeing someone you love leave. We sent our Derin back to Istanbul.
We continued by boat to Karaada. The water was clear, with a light breeze, and the biting black flies I remembered from earlier visits had disappeared. After lunch we moved on to Gümbet.
Just outside Gümbet we found a quiet place to moor stern-to. The sea was clean and cold, but beautiful. Then it was time for Berfin to leave as well, and a deeper sadness settled over the boat.
It was a quiet night. For the first time on this journey we slept in the cabins; the weather was beginning to cool.