General Information on "Blue Voyage"
How the Blue Voyage Started This most popular of sea adventures began quite by mistake when a few years after the foundation of the Turkish Republic, 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 found out, was something like paradise. He settled down and adopted the name, the "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, he 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. Sakir's tours of the Gulf of Gokova became famous and were given the name "Blue Cruise", and at this point, we would like to honor its originator, with all due respect.

 

"Blue Voyage" Today

The Blue Voyage offers the best possible escape on the water: a means of forgetting the rigors of everyday life for a while and just letting go of time. During a week's time, travelers cruise along the Southwest Turkish coast, through crystal clear waters frequented by schools of dolphins and into quiet bays, the harbors of small, picturesque villages and many a historic port.

After one week in this scenic wonderland, you will become of one heart with the beauty and serenity of nature. Both body and mind will revel in this healthy, happy environment. You can either join one of our weekly cabin charter cruises or charter one of our yachts for your own group.

 

Our Fleet

Most of our yachts are the traditional wooden "gulet"s, built either in Bodrum, Marmaris or the western Black Sea region. You will find the pictures and information on some of these yachts on this web site.
Your friendly, attentive crew will consist of a captain, a cook and either one or two seamen.

 

How do we spend the time?

During the day, we cruise for a few hours and sail if the wind allows. Closer to lunch or dinner, we approach the land and drop anchor in a solitary bay, alongside a small village or off an island. At every stop, and there will be at least two per day, there is the opportunity to swim, snorkel, sunbathe, take a trip ashore or just read under the shade of the sun awning. The accent is on relaxation and recreation.

 

What shall we bring?

Our guests are advised that they will be spending most of their time in a bathing suit - so it is a good idea to bring at least two! For land trips, a pair of long, light trousers and a shirt are advisable. Evenings may be cool, especially during the earlier and later months of the year. So you are best to bring a pullover and a windbreaker.

We also suggest you pack your beach towel, plenty of sun cream, snorkels/flippers/goggles if you plan on doing lots of snorkeling and a sleeping bag if you are planning to sleep on deck.

Bed linen and towels for use in the cabins are provided by us and you should expect a set of sheets during the hot summer months and a bottom sheet and a thick cotton sheet during the spring and autumn months.

Your Turkish crew may not have a thorough knowledge of English, so you might be advised to take a small traveler's dictionary along with you for the cruise. Besides being understood more easily, it is also a great way of picking up a few words of Turkish.

We suggest you bring your belongings in a collapsible bag, rather than a suitcase, as bags are much easier to stow away, and also serve to limit how much you pack. You may like to bring a light day pack for excursions ashore.

One final word of advice: normal street shoes are definitely not acceptable on board a yacht. We suggest you to bring soft-soled shoes for getting around on deck.

 

What about scuba diving?
We offer diving tours for people who wish to explore the depths off the coast in the company of an experienced dive master. Bring your friends and make a group or join an organized diving cruise.

More about the yachts
Almost all of the cabins on "gulet"s, as these wooden yachts are called in Turkish, have one double bed. Every cabin has a wardrobe for hanging clothes and a number of drawers. There is also room for stowing bags and bulky items.

 

Most cabins have their own ensuite bathroom with a pull-out shower hose attached at the basin.

 

The living areas on a Gulet consist of an indoors hall (some have an aft area that can be covered instead), an 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 tender with either oars or an outboard engine.

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, a TV, a video player and a CD player.

A yacht's galley is always well equipped and the cook takes pride in creating tempting dishes of Turkish and international origin. Please indicate beforehand if you have any allergies and if you have any dietary requirements.

 

The electricity of most yachts runs at 12V/24V. Please consider this if you wish to bring battery-operated or electric shavers, videos, portable PCs etc.

 

If snorkeling is one of your favorite 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 depth.