BODRUM, TURKEY, Sept. 7, 2005 – Sailors, captains, and sporting enthusiasts alike are charting courses to set sail across Turkey ’s turquoise waters for this year’s Bodrum Cup, Oct. 15^th – 21^st. The Bodrum Cup, an international yacht regatta and annual tradition, brings together Bodrum’s charter fleet with private wooden yachts from around the world, as one of the only and most elite competitions exclusively for classically constructed wooden vessels. Not only for skilled yachtsmen, the regatta also extends the cruising season for novices, who can stow away as passengers or join the crews for the last adventure of the sailing season.

Held in the third week of October since 1989 and organized by the Era Bodrum Sailing Club, the Bodrum Cup was originally intended to promote sailing activity among charter yachts and draw attention to the preservation of wooden crafts. Now it also signifies the close of the maritime season in this alluring resort town. The end of each day during the regatta is an unforgettable vision, as all the participating yachts anchor side by side, and the horizon fills with the sails of as majestic wooden fleet. To participate, a crew need only submit a $200 fee and regatta form to the Organization Committee. To experience the rush of the race and nightly shore-side festivities, arrangements can be made for individuals to set sail aboard a participating yacht beginning at $450 per person double occupancy, inclusive of meals and onboard accommodations.

The highest award given out during the event is the Bodrum Cup, presented to the yacht with the least penalty points among all those competing in the categories of Traditional Yacht Classification (high displacement cruising yachts built with the traditional materials and methods). The Bodrum Cup Regatta Pennant, the most prestigious of the honors bestowed, is awarded to the overall winner of the race, with permanent pennant possession granted to the yacht which earns a Bodrum Cup hat-trick. Additional prizes are conferred in specific rigging and design categories as well. 

Spectator favorites at the illustrious regatta are the Oct. 18 Best & Fanciest Dressed Team contest and the Vintage Wooden Yacht Prize, which honors a wooden yacht of traditional or classic construction built 50 or more years ago (provided that at least two yachts in this category participate in the regatta) presented during the awards ceremony.

The Opening Ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 15, with the “Circle of Love” official starting race at 4:00 pm the following day, Oct. 16, 2005.  For more information, a complete schedule of events and participation forms, visit http://bodrumcup.com/2004/en/index.asp or call (+90) 252 316 2310.        

Turkey, the site of two wonders of the ancient world, is a present-day marvel – the cradle of civilization, the very center of world history and a modern Westward-looking republic. It is a country of fascinating contrasts, where antiquity is juxtaposed with the contemporary, the familiar with the exotic; where sun-swept beaches beckon less than an hour away from snow-capped mountains, and everywhere visitors are treated to the extraordinary warmth of the Turkish people.

For information about travel to Turkey, call 1-877-FOR-TURKEY 
or contact the Turkish Culture and Tourism Offices in New York at 212-687-2194 
or in Washington D.C. at 202-612-6800 or in Los Angeles at 323-937-8066
and visit www.tourismturkey.org 
or www.kulturturizm.gov.tr