From sponge boat to holiday yacht
The gulet grew out of the sturdy wooden boats that Bodrum’s fishermen and sponge divers worked from. When visitors began to arrive at the end of the 1960s, local boatbuilders kept the strong hull and added what guests needed: a wide deck, shade, a saloon and cabins. Our short history of the Blue Voyage tells the story.
Gulets are still built largely by hand from local pine, in yards such as those of Bodrum and Bozburun. Builders tell related shapes apart by the stern: the classic gulet has a rounded stern, while the aynakıç has a flat, square one that leaves room for a large aft deck.
What is on board
Life on a gulet happens on deck. At the stern is a large table in the shade, where meals are served; at the bow, cushions and sunbeds. Below deck are the cabins, usually each with its own small bathroom, and many gulets also have an indoor saloon.
Every gulet carries a tender — a small motorboat for going ashore — and most carry kayaks, paddleboards or snorkelling gear. Each of our yachts has a page listing what she has on board.
Who is on board
A gulet comes with her own crew: a captain who knows the bays of the coast, deckhands who handle the anchor, the lines and the tender, and a cook. Depending on her size, a gulet has a crew of three to six.
The crew live on board with you all week, but the yacht is yours: the pace of the days and the mealtimes are up to you, and the route is planned with the captain.
A day on a gulet
Days follow the rhythm of the sea. You wake at anchor and swim before breakfast. In the morning, while the sea is calm, the gulet moves on to the next bay, usually two or three hours away. Lunch is served at anchor; the afternoon is for swimming, snorkelling or a walk to a ruin or a village; dinner is served on deck.
Gulets carry sails, but most short hops between bays are made under engine; when the wind is right, the crew sets the sails. Most nights are spent at anchor in a quiet bay, some in a village harbour where you can eat ashore.
Gulet or sailing yacht?
A gulet is about space and slow days: wide decks, shade, a crew who look after everything, and room for families and groups of friends. A sailing yacht sails more and moves faster, but has less room on deck.
Our fleet has five gulets and one sailing yacht. The table below shows their size and how many guests each one takes.
