The Charter Connection Blog

The Marmaris Show is one of the most enjoyable Crewed Yacht Charter Shows. The rows of Turkish gulets confirm that this country is different, but one is also immediately aware of so much genuine goodwill. Boat owners and crews in Turkey really do want to encourage overseas visitors and take a genuine interest in everyone. Yes, of course shop keepers are keen to sell their wares, from carpets to ice creams, but they have learned that this can be done with kindness. Taking a cup of tea with a shop owner is often an expected part of the process, whether buying or not. This is not just a sales ploy - it is a mark of respect and friendship, and often occurs even when nothing is to be gained. Another lesson for the western world is how Turkish families look after each other, including less fortunate family members. We never saw any homeless people on the streets and no one asked us for money. American clients in particular are often initially concerned about traveling to Turkey for their vacation, but not only is this popular cruising ground one of the best values in The Mediterranean, it is also one of the friendliest.

The Charter Yacht Show started with a party in Marmaris Castle, overlooking the harbor. The setting couldn’t have been more romantic, particularly when the Turkish trio (piano, accordion and violin) started playing Carlos Gardel’s Tango, used in the film ‘The Scent of a Woman’, just as the sun set!

It takes many people to make a show successful, but Chem Boz and his New Zealand wife, Vicky, deserve special mention. They are based right in Marmaris and could not have been more helpful.
There were 55 yachts in the show. Most were locally built gulets - traditional wooden craft suited to this area. Standards, build quality, and prices vary enormously. Some of the more recent yachts have become very luxurious with little emphasis on the sailing, but we also enjoyed seeing some of the older, more original designs, such as ‘Timer’. There were also some excellent motorsailers, which are not traditional gulets but have somewhat similar lines. The 12 berth ‘Blue Capricorn’ was a particularly nice example and at around 8,400 Euros ($13,500) per week (May, September and October), plus expenses, offered excellent value for a yacht of this caliber and standard of service.

At the top end, the 12 berth ‘Mare Nostrum’ was exquisite and at around 40,000 Euros ($64,000) per week plus expenses, was priced 20,000 Euros less than some boats that were not as nice. The reason for this ‘lower’ price? The owner wanted to keep her affordable for the clients on his previous, less expensive yacht. Expect prices to rise.

For those interested in more conventional sailing yachts, there were also some nice monohulls in the 50 to 60 foot range.

Call (800 621 7855), email or request literature from the Ed Hamilton & Co website if you would like information on these yachts, or any of the many other crewed private yacht charters or bareboat charters we offer.

The show ended with a party at the upscale Maris Resort. The yacht ‘Trinity I’ provided stylish transportation to the waterfront restaurant. Incidentally this was another yacht that left an impression - a good, economical choice for those considering luxury motor yacht charters.

Following so closely after Poros, which incidentally was another fabulous show, it was very noticeable how much less expensive crewed sailing charters are in Turkey. Some comparable boats cost more than twice the price in the Greek Islands. The coast of Turkey offers wonderful cruising and some of the best archaeological sites in the Mediterranean (Ephesus, Dalyan etc.), but for those that want to visit Greek Islands, it is not difficult to cruise the Dodecanese while still starting and finishing in Turkey, and taking advantage of the lower prices. The best time to visit the area is from mid May to the end of June and from September to mid October. It’s best to avoid July and particularly August, when The Aegean can become too hot, too crowded and too windy.

Contact us - we would be happy to help you plan an Aegean vacation for this Fall!

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Yacht Charter, CREWED YACHT CHARTERS, BAREBOAT CHARTERS, Luxury Motor Yacht Charters, Mediterranean, Crewed Sailing Charters, Ed Hamilton & Co, The Greek Islands, Turkey, Private Yacht Charters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.