BLUE CRUISES GENERAL INFO
Information About Gay & Lesbian Friendly Blue Cruises in Turkey

General Rules for Weekly Blue Cruises:
-This is not an exclusively gay cruise. Potential of gay
tourism in Turkey is not so big for frequent gay
cruises, unfortunately. We organize this cruise in
cooperation with other non-gay boat operators or boat
owners, but we choose the gay friendly ones as much as
possible. Therefore it is a coincidence if there will be
other gay or lesbian clients joining the same cruise,
same day with you. Other participants comes from various
travel agencies and are mostly western tourists.
- Captain and the staff organizes the meal times
based on general desire of the participants as much as
the daily program allows.
- The captain can make changes with the route
because of weather conditions, technical problems and
for the safety of the guests.
- Although the captains may be flexible to make
his guests happy, principally no changes are made in the
itinerary for the personal preferences of the
participants.
- It is not allowed to bring drinks to the boat
from outside, which are provided with reasonable prices.
This is the same for all gullet cruises in Turkey.
- The cabins will be cleaned during breakfast
time. There will also be a general cleaning in the mid
week.. Unless there is a special situation, the bed
sheets are used weekly.
- The yacht remains insured by the owner during your
charter, however we advise all charterers to consider
cancellation and curtailment insurance. You may also
consider Personal Accident or Medical Insurance plus
Personal Effects Insurance, which is generally not
included in the Charter Fee
Yacht Standards.
- The cruise yacht are traditional wooden Gullets,
built in the South Western Aegean region. Their size may
be 17-30 meters, with 4-10 cabin capacities. All yachts
have life jackets and life boats.
- In accordance with the capacity of the guests,
the yachts have a dinner table, sun beds, awning for
shadowing and a lounge.
- There will be enough number of basic fishing and
snorkeling equipments and pallets for the guests' use. -
There will be water tanks, refrigerators and deep
freezes for the meals and drinks.
- The cabins can accommodate 2 guests. There are
usually one double bed in them. Please ask for single
bed availability, specifically
- Every cabin has private shower and WC, porthole,
a small wardrobe, bed sheets, blanket, towels and 2
pillows.
- There will be minimum 2, maximum 5 staff,
depending on the size/capacity of the boats.
- 12 V and 24 V electric system is available on
boats. 220 V supply can be available while anchored at
the harbors.
- The yachts are insurance. Personal travel
insurance is additionally recommended
We will need to know the following information before
making you an offer:
Blue Cruise or Blue Voyage
What is Blue Cruise
Blue Cruise ("Mavi Yolculuk" in Turkish) is a
term used for recreational boating tours along Turkey's
spectacular southwestern coasts, with connotations in
tourism and literature. The term was first introduced
into the Turkish literature by a handful of Turkish
writers of fame. These writers were Cevat Sakir
Kabaagacli -alias The Fisherman of Halicarnassus, Bedri
Rahmi and Sabahattin Eyuboglu as well as his large and
prominent circle of family and friends, especially
artists, Azra Erhat, the translator into Turkish of
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and others united around the
literary revue "Yeni Ufuklar" (New Horizons) in the
1950s and especially as of the 1960s.
"Blue Cruise" became a byword within Turkey's tourism
industry and the tours defined within the term are among
the most popular leisure and tourism concepts in Turkey.
The term itself is derived from the title of a
celebrated 1957 book (re-edited after further tours, for
the first time in 1962 and then in 1979) by Azra Erhat.
A full Blue Cruise is generally admitted to start in
Dydima, or even Kusadasi, although the tours are often
launched with departure from Bodrum, and they usually
come to an end with Antalya as the final port of
destination. In general parlance, the term may also be
used to refer to shorter tours as well, as long as they
take place along southwestern Turkey's shores.
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. On a week or
two week cruise, travelers sail 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.
Wherever you may come from, and however old you may be,
after a week or two afloat 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.
What alternatives exist in blue
cruising ?
For the type of Blue Voyage we offer, you don't have to
hold a skipper's license, nor do you need to be an avid
sailor. For private charters we provide you with a
traditional wooden yacht with crew. If you cannot get a
group together so as to take your own yacht, you still
have the opportunity to join one of our weekly cabin
charter cruises. You might even like to go for something
racier, like a standard-sized bareboat with an
English-speaking skipper.
Most of our yachts are of the traditional wooden
variety, built either in Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye or
the western Black Sea region.
Which season is best?
Between the end of July and the beginning of September,
Turkey is extra busy with the height of summer bringing
thousands to the coastal regions. July and August days
are long and hot and the nights are warm. June, the
beginning of July and all of September offer a better
combination, with warm days and cool evenings. The water
in September can be especially warm in places. The
months of May and October offer excellent sailing
conditions and the opportunity to go trekking or
fishing.
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, fish, snorkel, windsurf, sunbathe, take a trip
ashore or just read under the shade of the sun awning.
The accent is on relaxation and recreation.
Your friendly, attentive crew will consist of a captain,
a cook and either one or two seamen. Their job is to
ensure that you are comfortable, well fed and
entertained.
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 tour.
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, certainly 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
suncream, 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 pique (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.
During the Blue Voyage, the places you visit are the
wealth of civilizations. Any cruising ground that you
choose is rich with historic sites, ancient cities and
unique rock tombs. Only Blue Voyage will give you the
chance to discover countless hidden coves, undiscovered
bays, sun drenched sandy beaches and isolated villages,
the private beach of Cleopatra, Oludeniz, the rock tombs
of Kaunos, the eternal fires of mount Olympos, Myria
rock tombs, the archeological remains of ancient
civilizations, that had also remained under sea. The
experience of seeing breathtaking panoramic views of a
sea which flows into shades of green and blue or the sun
slipping down towering mountains and slowly disappearing
into a golden hazed sea can only be described as
priceless. During Blue Voyage you can go beyond the
ordinary. Most of us live in large cities where the city
lights dull the brightness of the stars. On the Blue
Voyage you can see the stars very clearly. If your Blue
Voyage coincides with the full moon, it is exceptionally
beautiful in these parts.
When there is no moon, you are in for another treat,
Phosphor scene. It is the phenomenon created by tiny
creatures invisible to human eye. In the pitch dark when
moving in the water, it glitters when, for example you
are rowing. At the point where the oar touches the
surface of the water, there will be circles of light.
The drops of water splashing from the oars will drop on
the surface of the sea like a shower of stars.
Swimming on a pitch dark night is an incredible
experience, like a narcissistic pleasure. Now imagine
you will be lying on the deck and alone with stars while
the sea is quite choppy with in the gulf or imagine
visiting fishermen's villages isolated by the bay during
the day.
Click here for
variety of regular blue cruises we offer
Click here for the map of the blue cruise destinations in
southwestern Turkey
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