The history of amateur sailing in Turkey begins in 1965, when Sadun Boro, together with Oda Boro, set off on a round-the-world voyage on their boat Kismet. Many amateur sailors who set sail after him added beautiful pages to this history, and their stories are memorialized in the Sadun Boro and Amateur Sailors Monument in Kalamış, Istanbul.

Sadun Boro's sailing voyage around the world, which started from Istanbul on August 22, 1965, was the occasion of many firsts in Turkey. For perhaps the first time in the history of modern Turkey, it was realized that borders could disappear, that anything was possible, and almost everyone, one by one, learned a lesson from this voyage and came closer to a dream. Like Boro's voyages, his successive books also ignited the passion for amateur sailing in Turkey.

Sadun Boro's round the world voyage and subsequent sea voyages were considered such an example of courage in the conditions of the time that it would take 21 years for a second sailor to do what he did. Tanıl Tuncel's voyage around the world is extremely important in this respect. It can be said that Tuncel's voyage around the world on his boat Kelebek erased the last reservations in the minds of sailors, removed all obstacles and opened the door wide open. From this point of view, it is particularly meaningful that the title of Tuncel's book about his world tour is "The World is Really Round".

Just two years after Tanıl Tuncel, two different teams embark on the same adventure. Haluk, Christina, Deniz and Derin Karamanoğlu set off on a round-the-world voyage on Deriska and Eralp Akkoyunlu on Yosun. While Deriska completed her voyage in 1993, Erkan Gürsoy's Barış set off that year to become the 5th Turkish boat to sail around the world. Within two years, both Yosun and Barış reached their destination.

In 1992, Osman and Zuhal Atasoy embarked on a trip around the world that made a lot of noise. The journey lasted five years, but it took 10 years to prepare the book "Uzaklar". Published in 2004, the book became a bestseller and had an impact similar to Sadun Boro's publications. Thus, our amateur seafaring began to have not only important stories but also an important library.

From the 2000s onwards, a succession of amateur sailors set sail around the world. Selçuk Karamanoğlu, Rahmi M. Koç, Ekrem İnözü, Levent and Ayça Kirişçioğlu, Hakan and Sophie Öge, Türkan Yöney and Kerem Tayla, Alim and Hattaya Sür, Mehmet and Elaine Selis, Özkan Gülkaynak, Cumhur and Maisa Gökova, Haldun Karagöz, Selim Yalçın and Nadire Berker, Nurettin and Ebru İşletici, Elif and Mustafa Yurtbulmuş, Selim Ekmekçioğlu and finally, in 2022, Zehra and Hasan Şirin put their names on the top of our amateur sailing.

In the meantime, in 2010, businessman Mustafa Aksoy, himself a sailor and sailing around the world on his boat Betame, came up with an idea. He suggested building a statue for Sadun Boro and all amateur sailors and engraving the name of each sailor on it. He also offered the necessary support for the construction of the statue. Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts graduate, researcher and writer Ersal Yavi prepared the project. With the help of the then Mayor of Kadıköy, Selami Öztürk, the monument was constructed. The figures on the monument were sculpted by sculptors Ali Yaldır, Derya Ersoy and Zafer Dağdeviren, while the metalwork was created by Ekrem Uzunoğlu. Thus, on May 28, 2011, the Sadun Boro and Amateur Sailors Monument was unveiled in Kalamış.

Since then, the plaque of each sailor who completed the round-the-world voyage has been added to the monument. As of today, in addition to Sadun and Oda Boro, reliefs of 21 crew members adorn the monument. We believe that the next relief will be of Fatih Aksu, who completed his round-the-world voyage with Blue Horizon in May 2019.

No matter how many times you sail around, the magic of the world never diminishes. Who knows how many more sailors dream of seeing Sadun Boro and his name on the Amateur Sailors Monument.

The sailors whose names are on the monument:

• Tanıl and Anette Tuncel / Kelebek (1986-1991)
• Haluk, Christina, Deniz and Derin Karamanoğlu / Deriska (1988-1993)
• Eralp Akkoyunlu / Yosun (1988-1995)
• Erkan Gürsoy / Barış (1993-1995)
• Osman and Zuhal Atasoy / Uzaklar (1992-1997)
• Selçuk Karamanoğlu / Turquoise (2000-2003)
• Rahmi M. Koç / Nazenin IV (2004-2006)
• Ekrem İnözü / Anouk (2004-2007)
• Levent and Ayça Kirişçioğlu / Yol (2004-2007)
• Hakan and Sophie Öge / Mardek (2004-2007)
• Türkan Yöney and Kerem Tayla / Katama (2005-2008)
• Alim and Hattaya Sür / My Chance (2003-2008)
• Elaine and Mehmet Selis / Zarafet (1995-2009)
• Özkan Gülkaynak / Kayıtsız III (2006-2009)
• Cumhur and Maisa Gökova / Gökova (2010-2012)
• Haldun Karagöz / Amanin (2012-2014)
• Selim Yalçın and Nadire Berker / Keyif (2016-2018)
• Nurettin and Ebru İşletici / Koza İzmir (2016-2019)
• Elif and Mustafa Yurtbulmuş / Balıkçıl (2014-2019)
• Selim Ekmekçioğlu / Murat Reis (2017-2020)
• Zehra and Hasan Şirin / Kandiba (2015-2022)