I traveled to Turkey for the first time in 1998 and immediately fell in love with the land and her people. I returned the next year and the year after that, increasing the frequency from a single summer trip to a summer and fall trip and onward to three and four per year. Since that time I have explored near the entire length and breadth of the country. It was here in Turkey at the age of 42 that I first felt the true sense of belonging of which Maugham writes:

"Perhaps some deep-rooted atavism urges the wanderer back to lands which his ancestors left in the beginning of history. Sometimes a man hits upon a place to which he mysteriously feels that he belongs. Here is the home he sought, and he will settle amid scenes that he has never seen before, among men he has never known, as though they were familiar to him from his birth. Here at last he finds rest."

In 2004, after reading about the wonders of a Blue Cruise, I arranged a vacation for three in consultation with a broker. We rented the gulet Aquarius; the following year we repeated the process. I was convinced that a gulet cruise was by far the best means to explore this ancient and modern coastline. Falling in love with the sea and sailing, I then began to charter the yacht alone, just the crew and me. In November of 2007 I purchased my own boat and the crew and I formed the Turkish company, RHU YATÇILIK which stands for Rue, Hasan and Uğur.

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Captain Uğur Akyıldız was born in Istanbul in 1972, He graduated from Istanbul's Deniz Lisesi, the Turkish Naval High School which serves as the national military high school training cadets for the Turkish Naval Academy. In the navy, he served for 2 years as a member of the elite Su Alti Taarruz (underwater attack force) whose missions include the acquisition of military intelligence, amphibious assault, counter-terrorism and VIP protection.

He came to Fehtiye in 1997 on a vacation, stayed, began working as a deckhand, bosun and chef on charter yachts and earned his yacht captain's certificate in 2005.

Asfiye's lines and proportions are beautiful and inside you will find interiors like few yachts in Turkey. For the 2009 season we will add further enhancements such as a built in bar on the rear deck, separate outdoor sound system and a built in entertainment center and bookcases in the saloon. On other yachts the level of finish, detail and quality of service we provide can only be found among those letting for 4 and 5 times our charter fee, yet Asfiye is priced at the most reasonable amount of 1500 € in peak season. Four couples are able to charter her at a price equivalent of less than $500.00 per person per day.

It is our goal to provide you not only with a beautiful ship but to become your Turkish holiday specialist. Our American sales office, Asfiye's crew and I are uniquely qualified to plan not only your sailing holiday, but to devise a complete land and sea vacation; suggesting itineraries, airline reservations, hotels, restaurants and sites of interest all at a pace that affords a maximum of enjoyment and a minimum of rush. There is something for everyone in Turkey and we look forward to welcoming you as our guest.