Those who worked for the beginning of the marina business in Turkey in the late 60s witnessed their dreams come true in Çeşme in 1974. So, we went back to those years and delved into the details of Setur Marinas Çeşme's foundation story.

 

Turkey started to see yachts for the first time in the mid-60s. Foreign sailors, curious about the precious coasts of the Aegean such as Çeşme, Datça, Marmaris, Kuşadası and Bodrum, were organizing daily tours from Greece. The maintenance and repair need of the yachts were fulfilled at the boatyards in Bodrum, where tırhandils and gulets were built. These first visitors were the inspiration for those who wanted to start marina business in Turkey as a new field of tourism.

 

 

The first step was taken with the Inter-Ministerial Planning and Technical Commission for Marinas established in 1967. The construction of marinas was also envisaged in the Second Five-Year Development Plan. Several marina locations were identified under the Ministry of Tourism in the late 1970s and development plans were prepared by the State Planning Organization. It was decided that TURBAN, a subsidiary of the Tourism Bank of Turkey, would undertake the investments.

 

The first marina construction began in mid-1968 in Kuşadası, where Turkey's first Tourism Information Office was also opened. The stones of the main breakwaters were laid, the inner dock blocks were laid and the construction of the T-shaped pier was completed within two years. However, due to lack of funds, the contractor company STFA had to withdraw from the project. It would be 1973 before construction could resume.

 

 

Turban Bodrum marina, the foundations of which were laid in the same years, would not be commissioned until 1976, and Kuşadası would not open until 1977. The popularization of yacht tourism in Turkey would only be possible with the enactment of the "Regulation on the Development of Yacht Tourism" in 1983.

 

Amidst all these initiatives, the construction of the Altınyunus Hotel and marina in Çeşme had started in 1972. The hotel and marina were ready to open just two years later. Çeşme Altınyunus Marina opened its doors in 1974 as Turkey's first marina and also the first private sector marina. Although with a small office and a staff of 3-4, the marina business had finally started in Turkey. Çeşme Altınyunus Marina would be the place where many sea lovers would take their first steps into sailing over the years, as it was intertwined with the hotel.

 

 

Acquired on February 28, 1978 by Koç Holding, Çeşme Altınyunus Marina has always been the favorite of Setur Marinas because of this special story. The marina has evolved over the years and has been renovated many times.

 

According to the September 1979 issue of News from Us magazine, the marina had reached a capacity of 40 to 60 boats that year. Arriving boats could be directly served with water and electricity. There was a yacht club, a snack bar called "Tersane-Kaptan Kahvesi", model rooms and shops in the marina. There was also all the necessary equipment for the water sports of that time.

A green breakwater was added to the Çeşme Marina in 2014. A 60-ton mobile lift arrived in 2015 with the boatyard project, and all electricity, water, fire and security camera systems of the marina were renewed. The red breakwater was constructed in 2017 and the last phase of floating pier and dock work was carried out in 2021.

 

We will continue the story of the Çeşme Marina with the stories of those that lived through those years. However, we cannot complete the story of Setur Marinas Çeşme, which has been in continuous service for 48 years, without mentioning the names of Selçuk Yaşar, Turkey's first marina investor, and Altuğ Duransoy, who served as the marina manager for many years.