Why The Turks Refer to Turkey Sailing as a Blue Cruise?
Why is Turkey Sailing sometimes referred to as a blue cruise?
Blue Cruise is the term used for sailing tours along the Turkish Riviera mainly in the Turkish tourism industry and some parts of Europe. The term blue voyage or blue tour is also used. In Turkish, they say ‘Mavi Tur’ or ‘Mavi Yolculuk’. No prizes for guessing that Mavi is the Turkish word for blue.
The Turkish Riviera is a beautiful coastline that runs down Turkey’s South Western Coast along the Meditteranean and Aegean Seas. Due to the beauty of the region, it has inspired artists and writers for centuries. This part of the Mediterranean sea is technically belonging to Anatolia which is in Asia but is often thought of incorrectly as being European. The country of Turkey is of course spanning these two magnificent continents.
As far as we can tell this phrase was invented back in the 1920s by a group of Turkish poets and literary writers. The term is derived from the title of a book by an author who had been exiled to Bodrum in 1925. He began exploring the region and taking trips with his friends on local boats. He was deeply moved and inspired by the region's culture and natural beauty. The excursions became romanticized and as they got more and more well known, popularised, and glamorized, they became known as blue cruises.
A blue cruise is quintessentially Turkish and specifically relates to this part of Turkey. The blue cruise is regarded as being responsible for transforming Bodrum from a sleepy fishing village to a global holiday destination for the rich and famous. If we want to get technical, a ‘blue cruise’ should only be used to refer to a gulet sailing trip on Turkey's southwest coast but other regions and other countries have since started using the term due to the success of the region tourism wise since the ’50s and ’60s. Everyone with a love of natural beauty and an adventurous soul wanted to do a blue cruise.
The words blue cruise were used by the literary figures due to the mesmerizing color of the sea, hundreds of sparkling shades of blue and turquoise as far as the eye can see. The word Turquoise means Turkish blue. Personally, we prefer to refer to this area as the turquoise coast. The blue cruise itself is always taken onboard a traditional Turkish gulet ( pronounced goo-let) and is always for recreational purposes or leisure. A gulet is a sailing yacht, often a schooner with 2 – 3 masts for sails. These magnificent sea vessels are built for maximum relaxation and enjoyment in these stunning blue and turquoise waters along the Turkish coastline.
Turkey sailing tours can be anything from ½ a day up to 4-5 weeks long if you want to take in the entire length of the coast but are typically 3, 7, 10, or 14 days in length. No matter how many days you book your Turkey sailing tour for, you will always want to stay longer. We can guarantee that.
If you want to book a sailing trip then a blue cruise is always the right choice. Gulet cruises in Turkey should definitely be on your bucket list.
