Athletic team breaks Türkiye tour sailing record using wind power

HATAY

Drawing attention with a low carbon footprint, a team of professional athletes from Fenerbahçe Doğuş Sailing broke the Türkiye Tour Record, organized by the Turkish Sailing Federation (TYF), by sailing across Türkiye in 10 days, two hours and 47 minutes with only wind power.

This record attempt, which is also in the World Sailing International Records category, consists of three categories: Solo, two-person and team.

The professional team included Ateş Çınar, an athlete with four Olympic experiences, Fenerbahçe Doğuş Sailing School Director Barış Koncagül, Evren Koncagül and Doğukan Kandemir.

The team set sail with their boat named "Nox" on Jan. 3 from Artvin-Hopa, the easternmost point of the Black Sea. The 1,600-mile sail stretched from one end of Türkiye to the other, all the way to Iskenderun-Hatay. The route was monitored live in real-time with a GPS device on the athletes’ boat.

The tour, which included points such as Sinop, the Bosphorus Strait, the Dardanelles Strait, Marmaris Cnidus Lighthouse and Cyprus Victory Rocks, ended at the fishing harbor in Iskenderun.

The Fenerbahçe Doğuş Sailing branch broke a record by completing the tour in 10 days, 2 hours and 47 minutes without a break with only the power of wind. Therefore, the record, which had never been attempted in winter months before, was broken with carbon neutrality and minimum emission.

After concluding their challenging journey, the team was presented a plaque by Iskenderun District Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek.

With the Turkish coastal record, the athletes aim to contribute to the training of athletes in the Olympic branch.