Turkey is a sailing- and boat-lover's paradise with its vast shores spread out along the Aegean and Mediterranean and therefore it should come as no surprise that while the autumn season is the month of the most prestigious boat shows and races in the world, the same can be said for Turkey, which in Istanbul and in popular summer resort destinations in the south, a series of exciting sailing races, boat shows and even fishing tournaments are about to take place.

Boat Races

Bodrum's 'Famous Cup'

One of the most exciting sailing events to take place in Turkey, the Famous Cup, will be held from Sept. 24-25 in Bodrum. This will be the 11th edition of this popular race held by the Milta Bodrum Marina and the Bodrum Offshore Sailing Club and is a fun annual event that draws out the biggest crowds of spectators because a number of participants just happen to be the rich and famous, joined by professional sailing teams of course. As a result, a number of popular figures from the television, film and music industry, sports and journalism worlds and even politicians have since become amateur sailors and the crowds come out annually to watch them compete among the pros followed by an even more captivating awards ceremony. There will be a race held both days of the weekend starting at noon from the Bodrum Marina and on Sunday; the Marina Yacht Club will host an awards ceremony at 8 p.m.

Istanbul Sailing Club 56th Year Fleet Cup

This competition organized by the Istanbul Sailing Club in Fenerbahçe, celebrates their 56th year of sailing. An impressive fleet will take off at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 24, head to Kocaeli and return on the following day.

The Bodrum Cup

To rival them all is the Bodrum Cup, an annual race held in the third week of Oct. in which more than 100 wooden yachts take place in this four-day competition. Many of the participating vessels in this regatta, which will be held this year from Oct. 17 to 22, are Turkey's famous gullets, which are traditionally sponge diving boats that are comfortably furnished with sofas, sun beds and kilims. These are the vessels that are predominantly used in Turkey's Blue Voyage cruises. Those interested can also take part in the competition aboard some of the boats participating. The regatta takes place in five legs starting with an opening ceremony on Monday, Oct. 17. The regatta commences on Saturday evening with a party and a prize ceremony.

Boat Shows

In Europe, September is the month of boat shows, with the recent Cannes Yachting Festival, which took place between Sept. 6 -11, being the ultimate destination for boat-lovers. This summer's tour of boat shows will not only continue in the heartland of Europe with upcoming shows in Southhampton, Genoa and ending the season in Monaco. But no to be overlooked are two very important boat shows drawing widening international attention that will take place in Istanbul between Tuesday, Sept. 27 and Sunday Oct. 2, at the Ataköy Marina and Tuzla Viaport, on the European and Asian sides of the city, respectively. Traditionally held indoors and considered the biggest meeting of sea-lovers in Turkey and the second largest indoor boat show in the world, this year, the Ataköy CNR Eurasia Boat Show moves "on the sea".

Ataköy CNR Eurasia Boat Show

From Sept. 27 to Oct. 2, the Ataköy Mega Yacht Marina will be hosting this grandiose affair which not only has some of the world's most prestigious boats and yachts on display but also is a fair for all sorts of maritime vessels and accessories. Over 300 brands of yachts, sailing vessels and accessories will be on display as well as a number of world and Turkey premieres by luxury boat brands such as Princess, Absolute, Fairline, Galeon, Prestige, Sea Ray, Numarine, Dufour and Mercury to name just a few.

As this fair serves as a showcase for the newest innovations in boat-building and maritime accessories, it is a huge draw for both foreign and Turkish boat-lovers alike. A whopping 35,000 attendants are expected to come out for this fair, including professionals in the sector from Bulgaria, Russia, England, Spain, France, Greece, Iran and Italy to name a few and it has seen high interest from boat-lovers especially from Middle Eastern, the Gulf and North African countries. The most exciting part about this fair moving to the sea is that participants will have the opportunity to test drive boats they are interested in purchasing.

The fair will also have a number of sideline attractions, including live music performances, jet ski and fly board demonstrations, model boat races, training on optimist boats, canoe racing and even a chance to try your hand at fly fishing. The fair will take place in a 7,000-square meter area on land and with a 300-boat mooring capacity at the Ataköy Mega Yacht Marina. Tickets for the event are available on Biletix and cost TL 50 ($17) for three-day entry and TL 30 for single-day entry with visiting times between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily.

'Boat Show Eurasia' at Tuzla Viaport Marina

On the very same dates of Sept. 27 to Oct. 2, the Boat Show Eurasia will be taking place at the Tuzla Viaport Marina. At Tuzla, the boats on show will be between 5 and 45 meters in length with over 200 domestic and international brands on display. The number of visitors is expected to surpass 20,000. Over 30 boats will be premiered at this fair which has drawn in professionals in the sector from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, England, Ukraine, Libya, Russia, Germany, Tunisia, Croatia and the Turkic Republics. Brands such as Marin, Mengi Yatçılık, Gena Yatçılık, Bavaria, Jeanneau, Sirena Marin, Top Leisure, Amel Yacht, Es-Line and Selah will be on display showcasing vessels such as motorized yachts. sailboats, speedboats, jet skis and of course mega yachts all that have a whopping total value of TL 800 million. One of the most exciting highlights is set to be the hybrid boats that will be on display and are a new wave of fuel saving and electricity operating vessels.

Fishing Tournaments in İzmir

For fishing lovers there will be two exciting fishing tournaments coming up this month and next. The first is the Teos International Fishing Tournament, which will take place between Sept. 22 and 25 for the first-time ever in the seas of İzmir's Sığacık near the ancient city of Teos with an award prize of TL 30,000.

The Alaçatı Fishing Tournament will then take place between Oct. 6 and 9 in Turkey's popular windsurfing destination also located in Izmir and will be offering up a TL 50,000 award. Then, from Oct. 27-30, the popular Big Fish Alaçatı Tournament will also take place. Each will have competitions held over two days followed by a Happy Hour and an Awards Ceremony on the final day. Definitely a great time to be had by all and the ultimate experience for fishing-lovers to discover more about Turkey.