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Meals on board are especially good and freshly prepared, including a
variety of fresh salads, fruits, grilled meats, local fish and
Turkish specialties. Afternoon tea is served with biscuits or cakes.
It is possible to board or leave the yacht in Bodrum, Marmaris,
Fethiye, Gocek, Kusadasi, or Antalya (Kemer) or nearby Greek ports.
Custom cruises to special destinations. For these tours there is a
selection of vessels for any budget.
Blue Voyage Discovery
Discover Turkey's Turquoise Coast on a yachting holiday unlike any
other. Board a gulet (hand crafted wooden boat built to a
traditional Turkish design) and escape the rigours of everyday life
to spend your days soaking up endless sunshine, napping, reading and
relaxing, swimming in crystal waters, snorkeling, fishing and
windsurfing, visiting ancient sites, whilst your crew tends to your
every need.
This popular sea adventure began quite by mistake when a political
writer Cevat Sakir Kabaagacli was exiled to Bodrum for publishing a
story about army fugitives. The judges who sentenced Cevat Sakir to
a number of years in the remote port knew nothing of its lifestyle,
which as Cevat Sakir discovered was something like paradise. He
settled down and adopted the name “Fisherman of Halicarnassus”,
writing stories about the town and its locals, in particular, the
fishermen.
On his regular outings with fishermen, he gradually got to know the
various coves and bays in the Gulf of Gokova. When visiting
intellectuals from Istanbul dropped in, Cevat Sakir took the
opportunity to introduce them to the fisherman’s way of life.
Together they constructed a theory of culture which embraced the
cultures of all the people who lived in Asia Minor. Cevat Sakir’s
tours of the Gulf of Gokova became famous and were given the name,
“Mavi Yolculuk” or “Blue Voyage”. Cevat Sakir inspired this voyage
of exploration – the source of enjoyment for many thousands of
people for almost 60 years!
During the Blue Voyage, the places you visit are the wealth of
civilizations. Any cruising ground that you choose is rich with
historic sites, ancient cities and unique rock tombs.
Only Blue Voyage will give you the chance to discover countless
hidden coves, undiscovered bays, sun drenched sandy beaches and
isolated villages, the private beach of Cleopatra, Oludeniz, the
rock tombs of Kaunos, the eternal fires of mount Olympos, Myria rock
tombs, the archeological remains of ancient civilizations, that had
also remained under sea. The experience of seeing breathtaking
panoramic views of a sea which flows into shades of green and blue
or the sun slipping down towering mountains and slowly disappearing
into a golden hazed sea can only be described as priceless.
During Blue Voyage you can go beyond the ordinary. Most of us live
in large cities where the city lights dull the brightness of the
stars. On the Blue Voyage you can see the stars very clearly. If
your Blue Voyage coincides with the full moon, it is exceptionally
beautiful in these parts.
When there is no moon, you are in for another treat, Phosphor scene.
It is the phenomenon created by tiny creatures invisible to human
eye. In the pitch dark when moving in the water, it glitters when,
for example you are rowing. At the point where the oar touches the
surface of the water, there will be circles of light. The drops of
water splashing from the oars will drop on the surface of the sea
like a shower of stars.
Swimming on a pitch dark night is an incredible experience, like a
narcissistic pleasure. Now imagine you will be lying on the deck and
alone with stars while the sea is quite choppy with in the gulf or
imagine visiting fishermen's villages isolated by the bay during the
day.
What is gulet
The classic Gulet blends practicality and tradition in a relaxed
style that embodies the Blue Voyage. Best known for its rounded aft,
low-to-the-water profile and roomy hull, was once used by fisherman
and sponge divers to transport their catch. Over the years Gulets
have evolved from traditional fishing and cargo vessels into their
present profile of a broad beam and wide deck. These days, Gulets
are associated primarily with charter and various designs have
emerged, all of which come under the collective description of
wooden Gulet.
The original Gulet has the rounded aft, but as design limits the
number of cabins which can be built in, the “Ayna Kic” (flat-backed)
style of Gulet is becoming increasingly popular as a charter vessel.
Each of Gulets have been hand-crafted in Turkey and took almost a
year to build. Constructed mainly in the shipyards of Bodrum,
Bozburun, Marmaris and Istanbul, and along the Black Sea Coast,
these boats are equipped with motors as well as fully functional
rigging.
These 18-27 metre boats, 5-7 meter wide have 4 -10 private wooden
cabins with bathrooms for up to 20 people. Gulet cabins are popular
as they are all about the same size, and each one has either a
double berth, or a double berth lower and single upper
(bunk-berths). Every cabin has a wardrobe for hanging clothes and a
number of drawers. There is also room for stowing bags and bulky
items. All cabins have their own ensuite bathroom with a pull-out
shower hose attached at the basin. In the cabin you are provided
with bath and hand towels, linen and a blanket. Cabins have 12 volt
electricity. The electricity on most Gulets runs at 12 V / 24 V.
Please consider this if you wish to bring battery-operated or
electric shavers, videos, portable PCs, etc. You are welcome to
bring your hairdryer too, but the best way to dry hair in these
parts is the natural way – under the sun!
Electricity at the ports is 220 volt.
The living areas of a Gulet consist of an indoors saloon (some have
an encloseable aft area instead), and aft deck for dining and
lounging in the shade of a sun awning and a forward deck with
numerous sunbeds which can be shaded by a canopy when the yacht is
not sailing.
All yachts have a bar where you will buy all your alcoholic and sof
drinks for reasonable prices, lounge/ dining area, music system,
sundeck and sunbeds.
The rear deck of the Gulet is the lounge and dining area where you
will be served freshly prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner meals,
including grilled meats, fish dishes, salads and fruits and Turkish
specialities. All meals are suprisingly good, healthy and nutritous.
Dinner on the aft deck is usually the highlight of the day: a long
leisury meal sitting under the stars and listening to the water
lapping at the hull of the Gulet.
Gulets are excellent watersports platforms with windsurfer, fishing
and snorkelling equipment, canoe for your pleasure. If snorkeling is
one of your favourite pastimes, we suggest you pack your own set of
gear, then you won’t need to adjust the mask size every time you
wish to explore the depths.
All yachts have a tender with either oars or an outboard engine.
Those yachts that offer optional waterskiing have a powerful
outboard engine, while the outboards of others are designed purely
for getting to shore and back.
All yachts are equipped for safety, have a VHF radio, a stereo
cassette player and a selection of cassettes. Many of the newer
vessels have a cellular telephone, TV, video player and CD player.
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