It is well known that Rahmi M. Koç continued to write under all conditions, whether in ocean conditions or in calm weather, during his travels. He writes about the sea and thinks about the sea. Because he cares about sharing his passion for the sea. In the text below, this time Rahmi M. Koç takes a look at sea manners. He puts the subtleties of living together at sea, the tricks of boat life, on paper in his unique, ironic style, and he creates a rare maritime manifesto.

Whether you call it "sea etiquette", "sea forms of politeness" or "sea code of conduct", maritime and yachting has its own subtleties and principles that must be followed.

These are not laws, and as far as I know, they are not listed one under the other. If you do not comply with them, no one will say to you, "What a rude person!", "What an ill-mannered man!" or "Who does he think he is because he has three pennies?".

Many yachts have been built and many have been imported in our country in the last 4-5 years. Despite this, the number of yachts in our country is still lower than other countries. As yachting progresses and develops, some rules have to be imposed by the official authorities, both for yacht owners, captains and sailors.

I'm not a sailor by birth. I was not born by the sea. There is no one in the family who can be considered a sailor. However, I love the sea, find it very relaxing, and have started collecting information about the sea. I listed these according to myself.

While there may be those who agree with me, there will also be those who disagree, perhaps saying, "He is being arrogant.". The purpose is to have a few joyful moments.

It is possible to easily divide yachting into two categories:

Marina yachting is an ecole of its own. In this kind of yachting:

Yacht owners, captains, sailors, cooks, guests and clothing styles are also unique. Especially in this type of yachting, the boat must be fancy and stylish rather than sailor-like, its kitchen and ice machine must be well-functioning, its bar must have plenty of liquor stock, and it must be in the best strategic location of the marina. Marina yachters (both the men and women) have a rich wardrobe. They change dresses every day and chat with the boats next door. With a drink in hand, they watch those passing by. The aim of this type of yachting is for the yacht to be large and comfortable. The one who has the largest yacht has the right to overlook at the others sarcastically. However, they are obliged to take others under their wing due to both their needs and height differences.

The sailors and captains of the marina yachters cook good food, give good service, know how to provide drinks to keep their guests entertained, and take their guests swimming for the day.

This type of yachting has beautiful boutiques. There are stores specialized in this field, especially in Italy and France. Whatever you buy, the colors blue, white, red and yellow dominate and are always decorated with images of anchors, ropes, compasses, pennants and ships. One of them was even selling toilet paper with a rope on it. Like an anchor is coming towards the end.

Since marina yachters use their yachts as their social activities and summer homes, they treat the employees in the marina very well, they do not object to wages and prices (and they tip generously) as long as their phones work, their water runs, and their electricity is not cut off.

In contrast, sea yachting is completely different. Their yachts are smaller but seafaring. The owners, and generally the captains, are people who know their job and stop by the marina on their way from one place to another. Since the budgets of these types of people are generally limited, they continue their maritime activities with great sacrifices. Apart from the owner, they usually have one or two sailors and they share their fate with these people. They prefer the sailor boss to the marina boss because he gives equal treatment even though he pays less. Sea yachters consider marinas as places to stay to meet their needs for a certain period of time, and as soon as that work is done, they go to a quiet bay, even if it is in the evening. For them, tranquility and being with themselves are their greatest luxury and foremost desire.

The real yachters are very simple and preferably do not wear new clothes. For them, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt sufficient at the marina. They mostly use their financial means to make their boats more seaworthy and better. The stores where these types of yachters shop are places that sell yacht equipment rather than boutiques.

Foods are simple, sometimes dry, sometimes heated dishes. They also like drinking, chatting and visiting another real yachters. They draw nets and love to eat from the net they cast the night before.

 

 

And there are racing sailors as well. These guys spend the whole year renewing their boats, equipment, strategies and teams in order to get better results in the summer races. I see their boats in our Küçüksu; some change their keel, some the mast, some the propeller. Of course, sailboat for them is like the clothes in our wardrobe. Their boats change their outfits according to each wind angle and speed. Cranes and ropes are the expense items that are not noticeable at first glance. Yacht racing is an expensive pleasure.

Whether it is a marina yachter, a sea yachter or a racing yachter, the thing they all have in common is cleanliness. Yachters are generally clean, or they sincerely desire to keep their boats clean. The difference in cleanliness comes from the fact that some yachts are cared for more meticulously than others for sure. If the sailor has a beard, dirty shorts, and bare feet are dirtier than shoes, the yacht owner cannot expect a sparkling clean boat from him.

 

Marina and Anchoring Manners

 

Source: Varan 2 Nazenin III, Rahmi M. Koç, 2004