"Gezgin Korsanlar (Wandering Pirates)", which came together in 2006 to organize their own boat races independent of institutions and borders, is celebrating its 17th anniversary.

 

Sena Bayraktar, Setur Marinas Yalova Front Office Representative

 

Going out to sea on a sailboat, sailing wherever the wind blows, getting rid of boring, restrictive rules, and always existing in a free and original way is the main philosophy of the boat enthusiasts known as Wandering Pirates. This is a group that has no board of directors, no chairman, no clubhouse, where everyone is the chairman, everyone is a board member, and you can only get involved by saying "I too am a Wandering Pirate". As you can see, the essence of the organization is the absence of an organization. They grew over time by organizing trips, helping each other, taking people without a boat out to sea and became Turkey's largest amateur maritime platform.

 

 

"Theoretically, the wave that washed ashore in Caddebostan could have touched the rocks of the island on which the Statue of Liberty rises in New York" says one of the pirates. "Today, if you want to travel the world by land, you will find borders, walls, barbed wire and barriers everywhere. None of these obstacles exist at sea. You can leave Kadıköy on a boat and reach Gibraltar, America, Australia, the oceans and even the poles without encountering any obstacles. In order to enjoy this freedom to the fullest, we declare ourselves "pirates" and prevent the rules from restricting us, just like those in the villages who call themselves lunatics."

 

Since the Wandering Pirates are more in number in the Marmara Region, they mostly organize their activities in Istanbul and Yalova. Organized entirely on a voluntary basis, the rallies, fairs and meetings are open to everyone. In other words, there are no limits to this as well.

 

 

The first Wandering Pirate race has a very sympathetic story. The members of the group take a principal decision in the internet mail groups that were just starting to form at the time: Each boat will start at the time of its own choosing and will record its own finish time. Here is the race course. Moda Bay - Kınalıada - Moda Bay. The boat that spends the longest time at sea will be the winner. The race is over and the winner is announced: Everyone.

 

The "Traditional Wandering Pirate Yalova Rally", which they usually organize in April, was organized as the "Mehmet Özharar Yalova Rally" between 2016-2020 in memory of Mehmet Özharar. They sail their boats in a line to commemorate the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on November 10 and to celebrate the founding of our Republic on October 29.

Until 2020, the Wandering Pirates hosted expert sailors at the Wandering Pirate Chat Meetings at least once a month during the winter months. These experts include world-renowned names such as Rod - Lucinda Heikell, Tony Curphey and Tolga Pamir. The breakfast event, which was organized every year until the pandemic, and the World Barbecue Day event in December are some of the activities they organize to get together and socialize.

 

 

They are present in many parts of the world, even though their activities take place predominantly in the Marmara region. There is a network of Wandering Pirates from America to Scandinavia and even South Africa. They are on many social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Telegram and Zello. They share maritime news and developments, consult each other on technical issues, and help everyone as much as they can. They even have a radio channel. Seafarers who wish to do so can DJ on this radio: gezginkorsan.org/radyo

 

The Wandering Pirates enjoy not only the sea but also contributing to social projects. For instance, they take special care of children in Yalova under the protection of the state. One night at the Yalova Rally, they are guests of the marina with their boat, and the next day they have breakfast together with the children, their caretakers and teachers. They take the children out on boats and answer their questions to familiarize them with boats and boat life. After all, helping others is in their nature!

 

The pirates, who had difficulty gathering for a while due to the pandemic, opened their booths at the CNR Eurasia Boat Show in December 2022 and held their first organization. They now have brand new projects in mind. Rallies to commemorate our valuable seafarers, Hello to Winter, Summer and Spring events, and solving the shelter problem of amateur seafarers are their first priorities.

 

The Wandering Pirates became an inseparable duo with Setur Marinas over time. In their words, "the marina's location, ease of transportation, social facilities, advantages it provides and the smiling faces of its staff" cause them to frequently turn their routes to Setur Marinas Yalova. To be honest, we are quite fond of hosting them. We are looking forward to seeing them on the horizon again.

 

Photographs: Gezgin Korsan (Wandering Pirate) Archive