Gulet
Encyclopedia
A gulet is a traditional design of a two-masted wooden sailing vessel from the south-west coast of Turkey
, although similar vessels can be found all around the eastern Mediterranean. Today this type of vessel, varying in size from 14 to 35 metres, is popular for tourist charters. For considerations of crew economy, diesel power is now almost universally used and many are not properly rigged for sailing.
The origin of the Bodrum type schooner vessels falls to a nearby date, to the beginning of 1970’s. These types of vessels have come up as a result of the need to carry tourists, who have come in numbers to the Aegean region and especially to Bodrum and Marmaris at the end of 1960’s, to nearby bays. The first samples of the vessels called as Bodrum Gullet are seen in those years with the addition to meet that demand of chambers and seating on the back of the deck to the chamberless Gullet used in fishing or sponging till those years.
word gulet is a loanword
from French
gouëlette (present-day spelling goélette), meaning "schooner
". The French word is probably a diminutive form of goéland, meaning (and etymologically related to the word) "gull
", ultimately of Celtic
origin.
Galleon construction in Bodrum was interrupted in the middle of 19th century, however the boat construction continued for use in fishing, sponging and especially for commerce with the islands (till the years 1935-1936). Construction of Bodrum type Gulet started to meet the demand in parallel to the development of tourism in the beginning of 1970’s. This development caused the growth of the boat construction sector as well and especially the successful schooner examples made by the local boat masters increased the interest in such types of boats.
In schooner construction, the frames are placed from the head to the end, the board form is created with the measure of the eye, the side coatings are hand made and the shell is finished. The finishing of the shell is one of the most important stages where the tradition is kept for both the traditional/local boat masters who do the construction without a plan and almost all of whom have learned from the famous master Ziya Guvendiren of Bodrum as well as the constructors who produce accor5ding to the international standards like RINA or Lloyd. With the finishing of the shell, the construction of the deck and the chambers is completed after the celebrations that symbolize the “seamanship” of the wood.
The schooner, the construction of which takes 9 to 12 months according to the method employed, is launched to the sea over skids oiled with melted suet. The schhoners constructed in shipyards away from the sea, sledged through narrow straits with the help of skids and brought to the shore make up scenes that in turn make Bodrum matchless.
The Bodrum schooner that is pulled on land for maintenance each year continue sailing in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas with its aesthetic silhouette gained with its large back deck, spacious chamber design and low board.
The preliminary doubts on the seaworthiness of the Bodrum schooner and the claims that it is a vessel type “bulky, unable to speed, not suitable for setting sails” and “traveling only with the engine power” have disappeared with the boats that are built in the last 20 years and have proven themselves in the Bodrum Cup Wooden Yachts Races. The investment approach to boat construction has changed in time, construction of other types of boats other than Gulet have started and this sector specialized from boat design, materials, construction techniques and construction teams have turned into one of the most important economic sectors in Bodrum.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, although similar vessels can be found all around the eastern Mediterranean. Today this type of vessel, varying in size from 14 to 35 metres, is popular for tourist charters. For considerations of crew economy, diesel power is now almost universally used and many are not properly rigged for sailing.
History
There are differing opinions about the history of Gullet that take the Turkish name “Gulet” from the Italian word guletta. There is still controversy about whether or not the schooner, which has long been used as a sweeping net, trawl net or sponging vessel in Turkey in the Aegean and Mediterranean shores and as a freight vessel in the Black Sea, whether or not it originates from the fisher vessel guletta (goelette in French) that has come up with the evolution of the word galer for the old Italian naval vessel, whether it resembles the American Gullet used in ling fishing in the Grönland banks or the clippers carrying goods from India or Australia to England in the periods of colonization.The origin of the Bodrum type schooner vessels falls to a nearby date, to the beginning of 1970’s. These types of vessels have come up as a result of the need to carry tourists, who have come in numbers to the Aegean region and especially to Bodrum and Marmaris at the end of 1960’s, to nearby bays. The first samples of the vessels called as Bodrum Gullet are seen in those years with the addition to meet that demand of chambers and seating on the back of the deck to the chamberless Gullet used in fishing or sponging till those years.
Etymology
The TurkishTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
word gulet is a loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
from French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
gouëlette (present-day spelling goélette), meaning "schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
". The French word is probably a diminutive form of goéland, meaning (and etymologically related to the word) "gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
", ultimately of Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
origin.
Boat construction in Bodrum
The boat construction in Bodrum is not a process that started solely with the construction of Gulet. A long construction process has been there starting from antiquity times to the Ottoman times (although with certain interruptions) due to the geographic and historical position of the place. The insufficiency of the war hardware such as cannons and shells for the war vessels built in Istanbul within the structure of the main docks founded in the period of Fatih opened the search for new production facilities in the second half of the 18th century and new shipyards have been constructed in various regions at the end of that century. In the shipyard opened in Bodrum together with those in settlements like Sinop, Gemlik, Rodos, Fatsa and Amasra, galleon construction was started in the beginning of the 19th century.Galleon construction in Bodrum was interrupted in the middle of 19th century, however the boat construction continued for use in fishing, sponging and especially for commerce with the islands (till the years 1935-1936). Construction of Bodrum type Gulet started to meet the demand in parallel to the development of tourism in the beginning of 1970’s. This development caused the growth of the boat construction sector as well and especially the successful schooner examples made by the local boat masters increased the interest in such types of boats.
Bodrum Type Schooner
As the schooner construction methods in Bodrum are observed, it is seen that the basic construction approach has not generally been subject to great change. Other than the use of electrical equipment, laminated materials, high power engines and similar high technology products, the schooner construction starts with the construction of the iron spine and continues with the use of traditional weights. The only dimension that changed in the weight usage is the use of heavy metals in the vessels constructed with high quality using high technology instead of stone used as weight material in the traditional method. Although the essence of the weight changes, the spine still filled in with the traditional method form the basis of both the balance of the vessel and the construction of the ribs, frame and curves.In schooner construction, the frames are placed from the head to the end, the board form is created with the measure of the eye, the side coatings are hand made and the shell is finished. The finishing of the shell is one of the most important stages where the tradition is kept for both the traditional/local boat masters who do the construction without a plan and almost all of whom have learned from the famous master Ziya Guvendiren of Bodrum as well as the constructors who produce accor5ding to the international standards like RINA or Lloyd. With the finishing of the shell, the construction of the deck and the chambers is completed after the celebrations that symbolize the “seamanship” of the wood.
The schooner, the construction of which takes 9 to 12 months according to the method employed, is launched to the sea over skids oiled with melted suet. The schhoners constructed in shipyards away from the sea, sledged through narrow straits with the help of skids and brought to the shore make up scenes that in turn make Bodrum matchless.
The Bodrum schooner that is pulled on land for maintenance each year continue sailing in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas with its aesthetic silhouette gained with its large back deck, spacious chamber design and low board.
The preliminary doubts on the seaworthiness of the Bodrum schooner and the claims that it is a vessel type “bulky, unable to speed, not suitable for setting sails” and “traveling only with the engine power” have disappeared with the boats that are built in the last 20 years and have proven themselves in the Bodrum Cup Wooden Yachts Races. The investment approach to boat construction has changed in time, construction of other types of boats other than Gulet have started and this sector specialized from boat design, materials, construction techniques and construction teams have turned into one of the most important economic sectors in Bodrum.
See also
- The Blue VoyageBlue CruiseA Blue Cruise, also known as a Blue Voyage , is a term used for recreational voyages along the Turkish Riviera, on Turkey's southwestern coast...
- The Turquoise CoastTurkish RivieraThe Turkish Riviera is a term used to define an area of southwest Turkey encompassing Antalya, Muğla and to a lesser extent the provinces of Aydın, southern İzmir and western Mersin...
- Marinas in TurkeyMarinas in TurkeyMarinas in Turkey refer to Turkey's ports of call for international and local yachtsmen equipped with modern services routinely expected in recreational boating industry, and they are presently found either in or near Istanbul or İzmir, the two largest port cities of the country, or in or near...
- Tourism in TurkeyTourism in TurkeyTourism in Turkey is focused largely on a variety of historical sites, and on seaside resorts along its Aegean and Mediterranean Sea coasts. In the recent years, Turkey has also become a popular destination for culture, spa, and health care tourism...