Motorsailers
A very typical - and perhaps the most romantic way - to sail the Mediterranean waters of Greece and Turkey is done by cruising on board motorsailers. These traditional and endemic fishing boats are nowadays newly built - according to the conventional beautiful lines of these vessels, but with the addition of total luxury and comfort. Whereas in Greece these classical cruise ships are called motorsailers or caiques, in the adjoining waters of Turkey the same vessels are called gulets, goulettes or gullets.Gulet motorsailers
The real gulet motorsailers originate from Bodrum in Turkey, where along this Turquoise coast, it was a political writer who discovered the luxury of the motorsailer cruises when he was exiled from Istanbul to Bodrum. The judges who sentenced him erroneously thought that the Carian coast would be a fitting punishment. On the contrary, this stretch of the Turquoise coast together with the Dodecanese of Greece proved to be a true paradise, with lots of translucent blue bays: the term blue voyage was born! Note, that blue voyages and blue cruises are used for exactly the same vacations on motorsailers.
Since the gulet motorsailers are characteristic of only a part of the east Aegean, it is along the Carian coasts that you will find the most luxurious and beautiful specimens, that are - very noteworthy - also cheaper than the Greek versions!
For this reason it is recommended to concentrate on the Dodecanese and Eastern Sporades in Greece and on the Lycian, Ionian and Carian coasts of Turkey:
- Larger selection of motorsailers available
- Relatively cheaper than the Greek equivalent
- More comfortable and luxurious
Another limitation is the range that these Turkish motorsailers can cover; the Ionian, the Cyclades and the North Aegean (north of Chios) are unfortunately well out of reach.
