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A fantastic way to explore the Bodrum peninsular and coastline is provided by gullet cruising offering attractive wooden motor sailing vessels giving shipboard adventures and new sights everyday.
Turkish Gulets are hand crafted by local pine which creates spacious airy cabins and generous alfresco living with cushioned seated areas.
Traditional boat building can be found along the shores of Turkey but the main area can still be found in Bodrum which has over 30 boatyards situated on the peninsular. This is shown from the mass of Gulets displayed in Bodrums harbour and marina which is a spectacular sight to be seen.
Bodrum has been an important local building centre for the Gulets since the time of King Mausolous (4th Century BC) but now many of the boats seen today are modern replicas of much older crafts and make ideal charter boats for tourists.
The boats can take anything from 9 months to 2 years to complete but when they are ready they undergo a traditional Turkish christening ceremony at the waters edge. However this ceremony is not celebrated with champagne but the slaughtering of a sheep or cow in accordance with the muslim customs and the blood is smeared on the bow of the gulet ensuring good luck and safe voyages. Once in the water a properly maintained gullet can last for 30 years.
Every year Bodrum has an International yacht festival (The Bodrum Cup) just for wooden boats. The objective of the Bodrum cup is to encourage and expand the use of sails among Turkeys majestic fleet of wooden charter yachts known as “Gulets”
Turkish Gulets are hand crafted by local pine which creates spacious airy cabins and generous alfresco living with cushioned seated areas.
Traditional boat building can be found along the shores of Turkey but the main area can still be found in Bodrum which has over 30 boatyards situated on the peninsular. This is shown from the mass of Gulets displayed in Bodrums harbour and marina which is a spectacular sight to be seen.
Bodrum has been an important local building centre for the Gulets since the time of King Mausolous (4th Century BC) but now many of the boats seen today are modern replicas of much older crafts and make ideal charter boats for tourists.
The boats can take anything from 9 months to 2 years to complete but when they are ready they undergo a traditional Turkish christening ceremony at the waters edge. However this ceremony is not celebrated with champagne but the slaughtering of a sheep or cow in accordance with the muslim customs and the blood is smeared on the bow of the gulet ensuring good luck and safe voyages. Once in the water a properly maintained gullet can last for 30 years.
Every year Bodrum has an International yacht festival (The Bodrum Cup) just for wooden boats. The objective of the Bodrum cup is to encourage and expand the use of sails among Turkeys majestic fleet of wooden charter yachts known as “Gulets”
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