Brothers and fellow offshore sailors Tolga and Atilla Gökova on Tuesday set a new Turkish record for traversing the four seas surrounding the country.
The Gökovas used an unpowered boat (sailboat) to complete their 1,700-kilometer tour in 13 days and 15 hours.
The route took them from Hopa in northeastern Turkey’s Artvin to Iskenderun, in the southeastern province of Hatay.
Traveling west across the Black Sea they reached the Marmara Sea, which then took them south toward the Aegean before leading the duo eastward onto the Mediterranean.
The sailors were welcomed in Iskenderun by District Governor Iskender Yönden, Mayor Fatih Tosyalı and Turkcell Deputy General Manager for Marketing Alper Ergenekon.
After finishing the journey, Atilla Gökova said they chose to set the unpowered sailing record in order to raise awareness about climate change and a low-carbon lifestyle.
“This was a difficult journey but hopefully we will inspire others to attempt and break this record,” Gökova said.
