Imagine sailing the Mediterranean in a gulet/yacht that has a magnificent exterior and a 5-star hotel interior. If you charter a gulet/yacht, that’s what you’ll get. The definition of a gulet is a simple one. It is a two-masted or three-masted wooden sailing vessel that has its origins in beautiful Turkey, more precisely in the cities of Bodrum and Marmaris. The word gulet originates from the Italian word goletta which means schooner, which is a synonym for a sailing ship.
Today, gulets have found their place in nautical tourism and are popular as excursion boats, but that wasn’t their original purpose. In fact, their history is an interesting one. In the past, they were used as freight vessels in sea trading in the Black Sea, as well as fishing vessels in the Adriatic.
The production of gulets has culminated in the 1970s and these wooden vessels have become a symbol for sailing tourism in Turkey. Today’s gulets are built using the traditional plank-on-frame method, with improvements in terms of sturdiness and interior design. Modern gulets/yachts have all sorts of luxury add-ons, such as jacuzzis, flat-screen TVs, or private bathrooms.
