The Turkish marine industry is millennia old, with traditions of traders, pirates and Ancient navies almost as old as recorded History itself. In fact, the world's oldest known shipwreck (1350 BC) was discovered off the Turkish coast outside the village of Kas by the Texas based Institute of Nautical Archaeology, precursor to the fleets of the Dorians, Romans and Ottomans that sailed in her wake.

Today, gulets bearing remarkable similarities to those Ancient craft still ply Turkey's Aegean coast. Diesel engines have replaced lateen sails and sun worshippers the Ancient cargos of oil, copper and glass. But designs, materials and construction techniques have changed only slightly over the centuries. Traditional boat building can be found throughout the length of Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean shores but the greatest number of boats and boat yards are still found in Bodrum, home to Turkey's Aegean charter fleet. Visitors cannot help but be impressed by the majesty and sheer volume of gleaming Wooden Yachts (gulets) that crowd every meter of harbor wall, the majority of which are Bodrum built.

Since the time of its most famous resident King Mausolous (4th Century BC) Bodrum has been an important local boat building center. King Ptolemy of Egypt had warships built here in the 3rd century BC in the area now occupied by the present day marina. There are now over thirty boatyards in the immediate Bodrum area and many more on the surrounding Peninsula.

There are many reasons for choosing to spend a holiday afloat. The delights of the thing itself: the special combination of wind and wave and the serenity of sail, the sense of privacy and self sufficiency, the intimate communication with nature, one's companions and one's self are all heightened afloat. But there are many places where fresh winds, sparkling waters and abundant sun make for ideal boating. Why choose Turkeys Aegean coast? The reason is not so much the Sailing itself, which after all, can be enjoyed in many places, but what happens after the anchor is dropped: the secluded bays, intimate villages and spectacular historical sites that abound all along the Aegean coast and that make a waterborne visit to Turkey something special.

The waters of the Turkish Aegean are unique in the world, home to Ancient wonders and witness to the greatest figures of antiquity. Along this coast the Ancient Greeks founded civilization as we have come to know it. Alexander and his legions paused here to plunder the richest cities in the world. Not far from Bodrum, Anthony and Cleopatra frolicked on their private beach while Caesar gathered his fleet. Saint Paul visited regularly; founding the seven churches of Asia as John delivered Mary to her List refuge in the mountains above Kusadasi. In Marmaris Süleyman the Magnificent marshaled his forces before attacking the crusading knights in their stronghold on Rhodes and in the same waters, Nelson chased Napoleon retreating from Egypt.