A crewed sailing yacht charter out of Bodrum is a different proposition from a gulet week, and this 26-metre custom sloop is the reason to know the difference. She carries a tall rig on a deep three-and-a-third-metre keel, four en-suite cabins for eight guests, and a crew of four including a cook. She sails properly, and on the Aegean afternoon breeze that matters.
Most Turkish charter boats are motor vessels wearing masts. This one is not. The 3.30-metre draught is the tell: that much keel exists to hold a course upwind, and it is why she will beat out of a bay that a shallow-hulled gulet has to motor out of. For guests who actually sail, the difference between this and a gulet week is the whole holiday, and it is the reason to book a crewed sailing yacht charter rather than a motor cruise.
She was built in 2008 to a custom design and has been refitted since, most recently through 2026. The hull is 26.00 metres with a 6.30-metre beam, and the raised deckhouse gives a saloon with a horizon view from a seated position — unusual on a boat of this length and worth more on a wet day than any amount of teak.
Under power she has twin Volvo Penta diesels of 235 horsepower, generators of 22.5 and 13.5 kVA, a watermaker, and a full domestic fit including washing machine, dishwasher and deep freeze. A crewed sailing yacht charter should not mean rationing fresh water, and on this boat it does not.
She is Turkish-flagged, based in Bodrum, and holds full commercial survey. Her sail wardrobe is maintained rather than stowed, and the captain will use it whenever the wind allows, which on this coast is most afternoons from June onward.
The aft master carries a California king. Forward of it sits a VIP queen, and between them a double and a twin complete the accommodation. All four have their own shower and heads, all four have air conditioning, and the crew live in separate quarters with their own access — which on a crewed sailing yacht charter is what keeps a week aboard private.
Eight guests across four cabins with two of them full doubles is a rare configuration at 26 metres. It suits two families travelling together, or four couples, and it is the reason a crewed sailing yacht charter aboard this vessel books earlier than most.
The saloon sits in the deckhouse with a lounge, a dining table and a 42-inch television with IPTV and a Bluetooth system. Unlimited wifi runs throughout Turkish waters. Cherry joinery, cream upholstery, and enough glass that the interior does not feel like a below-decks space. On a crewed sailing yacht charter of a full week, that saloon is where the group ends up on the one wet afternoon, and it matters more than the brochure suggests.
Four crew for eight guests: a captain, a cook, and two deckhands. The cook provisions in Bodrum on the morning of departure and prepares every meal aboard. Nothing arrives in a box; nothing is reheated. On any crewed sailing yacht charter Aquinox represents, that is the standard rather than the upgrade.
Breakfast is Turkish and slow — menemen, white cheese, olives, honeycomb, tomatoes, and bread from a bakery ashore. Lunch is mezze eaten at anchor with the swim ladder down. Dinner follows the day: grilled fish when the fishing was good, lamb when it was not, always the vegetables from the morning market.
Dietary requirements should be given at the time of booking rather than on the day. Provisioning happens before departure and the anchorages in the Gulf of Gokova have no shops, so vegetarian, pescatarian and gluten-free menus need a day of notice, not an hour.
The Gulf of Gokova is the best eating on the Turkish coast, and almost none of it is reachable by car. That is the practical case for a crewed sailing yacht charter: the kitchens worth the trip sit at the head of bays where the mountain meets the water, served by a pontoon and nothing else.
Cokertme has a lamb dish named after the village and a row of jetties. Sedir Island has Cleopatra beach and a kitchen behind it. English Harbour is a single restaurant, a beach and a bay so enclosed it was used to hide ships. Longoz and Seven Islands are quieter again. The crew radios ahead; the table is ready when the tender lands.
A full bar, an ice maker and a deep freeze are aboard, with a cellar of Turkish wine that repays exploring — Bozcaada whites with fish, Kalecik Karasi with anything from the grill. Three or four boat-in tables in a week is the right number; more than that and a crewed sailing yacht charter turns into a restaurant tour rather than a voyage.
Bodrum has its own international airport 35 kilometres from the harbour, which makes it the easiest base in Turkey to reach and the natural start for a crewed sailing yacht charter of a week or more.
South and west lies the Gulf of Gokova: Cokertme, Sedir, Longoz, English Harbour, Seven Islands, and a reliable afternoon thermal that makes the sailing genuine rather than ornamental. North lies the Gulf of Mandalya, Didim, and the ruins at Iasos and Miletus — quieter water, and the better week for anyone who wants archaeology between swims.
Kos sits an hour away, with Kalymnos and Leros beyond. Greek crossings need a transit log and passports lodged in advance; the captain handles the paperwork. Aquinox also charters from Gocek and Fethiye if your flights suit a different base.
The tender carries a 70-horsepower outboard, which is enough to tow and enough to make a shore run quick. A canoe, snorkelling equipment and fishing tackle are aboard, and the swim platform aft puts guests in the water without ceremony. Rendezvous diving is arranged on request with a day of notice; there is no compressor on board.
Length overall 26.00 metres, beam 6.30 metres, draught 3.30 metres. Twin Volvo Penta 235-horsepower diesels; generators 22.5 and 13.5 kVA; 12V, 24V and 220V systems throughout; watermaker, washing machine, dishwasher, deep freeze and ice maker. Air conditioning in the saloon and all four cabins, running around the clock rather than on a generator schedule. Navigation and safety equipment to full commercial survey.
Low season begins at EUR 2,500 per day and high season at EUR 3,500 per day, quoted for the whole yacht with her crew of four rather than per person. A crewed sailing yacht charter normally runs Saturday to Saturday; shorter periods are considered outside July and August.
What a crewed sailing yacht charter includes varies by season and by itinerary. Aquinox sets it out in writing before any deposit is taken rather than leaving it to a footnote, and fuel for motorised water sports is charged as used.
A crewed sailing yacht charter aboard this vessel in July or August is usually committed by late winter. May, June, September and October are easier to secure, and for a boat that sails they are the better months — the Meltemi is steadier and the anchorages are not full. Send your dates and guest numbers to Aquinox Yachting for a written quotation, a provisional hold and the full inclusions list the same working day.
Eight guests in four en-suite cabins: an aft master with a California king, a forward VIP queen, a double and a twin. All four are air conditioned.
Low season begins at EUR 2,500 per day and high season at EUR 3,500 per day. The rate covers the whole yacht with her crew of four, not per person.
Yes. A 3.30-metre keel and a maintained sail wardrobe mean she holds a course upwind rather than motoring. The Gulf of Gokova thermal fills in most afternoons from June.
A cook is one of the four permanent crew and prepares every meal aboard from Bodrum market provisions. Dietary requirements should be given at the time of booking.
Kos is an hour from Bodrum, with Kalymnos and Leros beyond. Crossings require a transit log and passports lodged in advance; the captain handles the paperwork.
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