With sails billowing and hearts set on history, the 6th Presidential International Yacht Race launched its Samsun leg from the waters off Istanbul on Thursday, sending crews into a four-day maritime marathon that mirrors the fabled route of the Bandırma Ferry, where Türkiye’s War of Independence first began.
Under the patronage of the Presidency and powered by the collaboration of Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, Youth and Sports Ministry, Samsun Governorship and Metropolitan Municipality – with backing from the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency and title sponsor DHL Express – the prestigious event is organized by the Istanbul Offshore Yacht Racing Club.
Setting off from Istanbul’s Poyrazköy coast, the competitors are locked in a high-seas challenge that spans over 400 nautical miles through the unpredictable currents of the Black Sea.
Their goal is to reach Samsun by May 18 and seize the symbolic Kurtuluş (Liberation) Cup in the very city where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk landed to spark Türkiye’s independence struggle in 1919.
The send-off was nothing short of stirring.
Hundreds of students, brought together by the Federation of Samsun Civil Society Organizations (SAMKON), gathered to cheer the yachtsmen on their journey, waving flags as vessels faded into the sea mist, bound for history.
For four grueling days, sailors will battle some of the fiercest conditions the Black Sea can muster.
On May 19, they’ll arrive at Samsun’s Tütün Pier for a ceremonial flag handover along the historic Kurtuluş Road.
The day will close with a celebratory sea parade and an award ceremony at the Büyük Sahne, where top teams will lift their hard-earned trophies beneath the glow of commemorative lights.
“This is no ordinary race,” said Istanbul Offshore Yacht Racing Club President Ekrem Yemlihaoğlu. “We’re sailing one of the top 10 toughest courses on the planet, tracing the very path that marked the beginning of our Republic. I salute every crew daring enough to take it on.”
