CAN A FAMILY LIVE ON A BOAT FOR 12 MONTHS? THE GÖKTAN FAMILY STORY

I'm in Bodrum in March. It's late afternoon.

The sun is about to set. On the "T" dock of the Municipality Marina in front of the Castle, 3 sailing friends are waiting for me aboard the SY/ INSULAM (Azurre 40).

The Göktan family has left their house and home since 2017, living only on their boat.

A lifestyle we see many examples of around the world, but rarely in our country.

The decision was made a few years ago.

A HOUSE TAKES US NOWHERE, A BOAT TAKES US EVERYWHERE.

They said, and chose to live on their boat.

The Göktan family consists of mother, father and their daughter.

So, when you could be living comfortably in a house, where did this idea of living 12 months on a boat come from?

Right, cruise with your boat during summer months, moor at the marina, come and go from your house, isn't that enough?

THEY CAME FROM HEYBELİADA AND ANKARA

Father Mert is from Heybeliada. Son of a naval officer. His childhood on the island, deeply immersed in the sea.

His father retired in 1974. In 1977, he started a housing complex construction project with 22 sailor friends by the sea in Bodrum Gümbet.

The construction was completed in 1979. In 1980, the family moved to Bodrum Gümbet.

Mert has been living in this region ever since.

His wife Aslı is from Ankara. She also came to Bodrum in 1998 with a girlfriend to do business.

Things didn't go very well. Her girlfriend returned to Ankara.

Meanwhile, Aslı met Mert.

No leaving Bodrum.

LOVE, WORK, HAPPINESS IN BODRUM

And a happy ending.

They got married and have been involved in the real estate business until today.

They still continue the same business.

In 2002, their daughter Ada was born. As life flowed on and they lived happily by the sea in Gümbet, the years began to pass.

When the passing years brought their daughter Ada to 7-8 years old, along with her education, the need arose for her to engage in a sport.

Sports, but which one, how?

THEIR DAUGHTER ADA, WHICH SPORT SHOULD SHE DO?

Home, work, on the waterfront, intertwined with the sea.

Then hand it over to Era Sailing Club.

Ada finally started sailing training.

FIRST WATERCRAFT: A DINGHY

Meanwhile, the family acquired a dinghy which they named "ADA" and started going out to sea at every opportunity, rowing.

On holidays and in their free time, they went to Ada Boğazı for years.

Meanwhile, their daughter Ada's sailing life began to occupy an important place in their lives.p>

Mother Aslı found herself immersed in the sailing sport over time, attending training sessions and races with Ada, and eventually became a referee.

DAUGHTER BECAME A SAILOR, MOTHER BECAME A REFEREE

As the years passed, Aslı gradually started refereeing yacht races instead of optimist races.

Eventually, the love of the sea became a passion for the family.

The family witnessed that everyone had a desire to live at sea amidst all this hustle and bustle.

Everyone is pursuing such a lifestyle, this topic is always discussed.

But according to them, the realization rate is quite low.

SHOULD DREAMS BE POSTPONED?

"We had such a dream too, but we always postponed it. When Ada goes to school...when we retire...we'll do it.

For us, living at sea while working is not an option.

"Let's retire first, then we'll engage with the sea," everyone says.

Over time, we had losses among family members and relatives.

These losses caused a light to turn on in our thoughts.

WHY ARE WE WAITING, IS LIFE THAT LONG?

Why are we waiting?

How much time do we have left?

Will we be able to stay healthy while fulfilling this passion in the future?

We started asking ourselves these questions seriously.

We had some financial expectations that would be resolved over time, but in the end, we decided not to wait.

TAKING ACTION

We took action.

We did it - sold the house, bought the boat.

What if we can't do it?

"If we can't do it, we'll sell the boat and move back into a house," we said.

With these thoughts, these back-and-forths, we finally put our house up for sale in May 2017.

The house sold in August.

HOUSE IS GONE, NOW TO FIND A BOAT

We started researching intensively, searching for a boat.

An opinion from everyone, a view, our minds were completely confused.

We're consulting with friends who do this, asking questions.

We need to choose a boat according to our available budget.

Finally, in January 2018, we found and purchased this boat.

WE BOUGHT THE BOAT, HOW WILL WE USE IT?

At that time, we knew nothing about boats.

We only had our desire to live and cruise at sea.

We completed inspections with our friends and purchased our Azurre 40 model boat, which was built in Bursa.

When we bought the boat, we didn't know how to start the engine.

In fact, we didn't even know where the engine was located.

We were moored at Yalikavak Marina at that time.

After settling on the boat, we went out to sea several times with our friends.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE WHO SAID 'GET IT, WE'LL TEACH YOU'?"

Due to the busy schedules of those who promised to teach us, we set the training aside.

We were on our own and we knew we had to figure this out sooner or later.

In those days, we started going out to sea and sailing more frequently with what we learned from our marina neighbors, marina staff, and Ada's sailing knowledge.

We were practicing a lot. We read, researched, and applied it at sea.

We have been happily living on our boat ever since.

LIVING ON A BOAT IN BODRUM CENTER

Now, we are moored in Bodrum center.

We are living in the most precious location, right in the middle of the sea, in front of the castle.

We go to work and our daughter goes to school from here.

LAW DREAMS BUILT ON A BOAT

Ada is attending 10th grade and wants to become a lawyer in the future.

The Göktan family has allocated the largest cabin on the boat to Ada.

Her comfort, peace, and convenience are very important to the family.

Ada doesn't feel any deficiency in studying or living on the boat compared to a house.

But you can't help saying "Home Was More Comfortable."

The parents say: "If Ada had been against something like this, if she hadn't liked it, we definitely couldn't have done it.

In a few years she'll go to university and she'll have an unforgettable 3-year period in her life."

SO, ARE THE SPACES ADEQUATE FOR PERMANENT LIVING?

To our question about space adequacy, Mert says:

"The spaces are sufficient for us.

Actually, the spaces used in a home are also limited.

I realized I had been using only 30 m² of space at home for years.

Our boat is 50 m².

Everything depends on what you want from life, what you expect.

We've adapted with love and we're happy.

THE COMFORT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOME AND BOAT

Even when the weather conditions outside are harsh, boat life brings us peace.

In our opinion, there's no difference in comfort between home and boat.

We're happier on the boat than we were in home life.

A small space isn't difficult to tidy up and clean.

Our boat is like being in the center of the market. Whatever we need, we buy it and cook it."

CAPTAIN ASLI, LET'S SEE A MEAL IN YOUR GALLEY

Since the topic has turned to food and cooking, we ask Captain Aslı about a meal she practically prepares in her galley.

She makes us " Cauliflower Kısır Recipe."

Ingredients:

Small cauliflower

1-2 onions

1.5 tablespoons tomato paste

4-5 spring onions

2 cloves of garlic

1 handful of mint, parsley, basil

2-3 gherkin pickles

Pomegranate molasses

Lemon

1 teaspoon black pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes

And salt

Preparation:

I sauté one onion thoroughly in a pan. Then I add tomato paste into it.

I separate the cauliflower into florets and process it in a food processor or kitchen robot. It immediately reaches bulgur size anyway.

Then I add the cauliflower bulgur to the pan and continue sautéing with the sautéed onion with paste. For 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After turning off the heat, I transfer it to a bowl and add greens, peppers and pickles.

For the sauce, I mix olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, cumin, sumac and red pepper flakes and pour it over and mix well.

(By the way, nobody realizes it's bulgur-free and made with cauliflower)

SO WHAT DID THE FAMILIES SAY ABOUT THIS DECISION?

The Göktan family continues their life on the boat happily.

Aslı's family was initially worried about them living this way. Then they got used to it.

Since there was no such thing as "Selling a House and Buying a Boat Instead" in Mert's sailor father's book, they couldn't tell him about their decision.

The father, who had been ill for a long time, passed away on February 23rd without seeing his children's boat and their new lifestyle.

SUMMER CRUISES ARE SHORT BUT FREQUENT

The family also makes short-term voyages and vacations departing from Bodrum during the summer months.

In fact, last summer we witnessed their trips to some locations in the Gökova Bays.

The boat in the aerial photographs of the bays in our article belongs to them.

They need to not stay too far away from both their work and Ada's social life.

As we finished our interview and left them happily on their boat,

the sun was setting behind the hills between the boats in Bodrum harbor, painting the surroundings in red.

Lives, lives and more lives.