Turkish Gulets - the World's Best Charter Value
Chartering a gulet in Turkey offers cruising access to the same islands, history and beauty that make Greek charters so popular - at a fraction of the cost.
Greece has long received the most attention from boaters who dream of cruising in the Eastern Mediterranean. Rhodes, Mykonos, and Crete are legendary, must-visit islands in many sailors’ minds. Far fewer people have heard of the ports in Bodrum, Marmaris, and Gocek, which are the main stops on the “milk run” along neighboring Turkey’s southwestern coast. It’s a shame, really, because Turkey offers just as much history, culture, and beauty as Greece—sometimes literally within sight of the Greek Isles, and often at prices that are an absolute steal.
Turkey offers gulet charters literally within sight of the Greek Isles, and often at prices that are an absolute steal.
The gulet (properly pronounced gooh-LET) is the type of boat most readily available for crewed charter in Turkey. Today’s gulets are modern adaptations of the slow, stable, wide-beamed sailboats that moved goods among Turkey’s cities before the invention of trains, trucks, and airplanes. The newest of these wooden motorsailers are far from being high-performance sailing yachts, but they are beloved because they rival some motoryachts in terms of roominess and ease of motion. Just as sailing catamarans make great yachts for first-time visitors to the Virgin Islands, gulets are ideal for cruising the Turkish coast.
And in many cases today, gulets are an exceptional crewed charter value. While you could easily pay about €26,000 for a week aboard a top-quality, 98-foot gulet taking 10 guests in Greece, a similar investment can often get you a 118-foot yacht—meaning way more interior and on-deck space—for those same 10 guests in Turkey. These boats may literally be docked across a few miles of water from one another, with one in Greece’s Dodecanese chain and the other on Turkey’s coast, both well within cruising reach of the ancient ruins, local bazaars, and cultural heritage that make chartering in this region so memorable.
The one must-heed piece of advice I can give for booking a gulet in Turkey—based on several trips I have made to the region myself—is to work with a broker who has been aboard the local gulets within the past 12 months. Industry experts are invited each summer to Marmaris to inspect the boats, some of which deteriorate rapidly from one year to the next. It’s important that you have current information about maintenance and upkeep before selecting a gulet in Turkey.
California-based Beverly Parsons at Interpac Yachts has attended the Marmaris show all but one year since 1983. Missy Johnston at the Newport office of Northrop and Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters makes a point of personally cruising the various Turkish itineraries before or after the boat show each year. Both of them recently cruised for several days onboard a gulet with me, and I not only found their knowledge bases strong, but also their personal love for the region absolutely enchanting.
Editor's Note: Kim Kavin is an award-winning writer, editor and photographer who specializes in marine travel. She is the author of six books including Dream Cruises: The Insider’s Guide to Private Yacht Vacations, is editor of the online yacht vacation magazine www.CharterWave.com, and writes the blog at www.BrokerageBoss.com.
