Akin Öngör
Yacht:Only Now
Length: 34.6m
Year: 2012
Location: BodrumWhat’s in store for this summer?
We love to cruise the Mediterranean. I’ve
sailed all over the world, and don’t think
anywhere can beat it. I briefed Tansu Yachts
tobuildmetheperfectMediterraneanboat
and they delivered – the living spaces, open
areas on the bow, stern and flybridge are
totallyinlinewiththeclimaticconditionsof
theMediterranean.Eachyear,wegenerallyleave from Bodrum in May or the beginning
of June and sail over to the Greek Islands.
We love to spend time around calm and
tranquil islands like Amorgos, Schinoussa and
Paros. We meet up with friends there and
continue on to Mykonos (we’re huge fans) in
June and continue west
How long do you spend on board each season?
Around five months. It’s a full programme!
We’ll also visit Corfu, Montenegro and Croatia.
We tend to spend August on the Dalmatian
Coast, before heading back to the Ionian and
the Aegean in September. We get some late-
season sun back in Turkey, before dropping
the anchor outside our home in Turkbuku Bay,
near Bodrum. Every other year we’ll do Sicily,
the Aeolian Islands and then up to Portofino.
We love Italy – the people, the food and thewine. As a vineyard owner and producer of high
quality organic wines, I can appreciate it
What’s been your biggest adventure?
Back in 1999, I ordered a Frers-designed 32
metre sailboat from CNB. While waiting for it,
the yard organised for me to cross the Atlantic
ina23metresailboat.Therewerefiveofuson
board and it took 21 days to reach Antigua.
I loved it so much I decided to continue, so got
holdofa39metresailingboatcalledVaimiti
in which we crossed the Pacific in about
80 days. I wrote a book about the journey,
Ia Orana. It was the most magical experience
–swimmingwithhammerheadsharksinCosta
Rica,catchingmarlinsinthemiddleofthe
ocean, visiting the Galápagos and diving in
remote atolls. I hope people reading this get
the opportunity to do it some dayOwner of Firebird
Length: 27m
Year: 2016
Location: NorwayHow was Norway?
We had a fantastic season ski touring
in the Lyngen Alps. Temperatures at
the beginning of the season were
well below freezing and some of our
favourite spots
required navigating
through ice to get
to shore. We also
had to ski over
floes to even get
to the tender for
pick-ups. But as the
snowpack settled,
some of Lyngen’s
best skiing became
accessible and our
guests successfully
summited and skied
Daltinden (1,533m)
and Tafeltinden
(1,395m) for some
of the best spring
skiing to be found on Earth. As well as
the Lyngen Alps, we’ll also be taking
the Sail+Ski programme to a new level
by taking Firebird to Svalbard to ski the
glaciers there in May/June 2019What’s in store this summer?
At the beginning of May we’re heading
back to the Adriatic for an exciting
charter season that will take in the
history and diversity of the Dalmatian
Coast, cave diving on
Zakynthos and sea
cliff climbing. Our
summer’s almost fully
booked, but we have
one week available in
June due to a last-
minute cancellation.
In between, I’m
looking forward to
spending some time
on board with my
family and getting
some sun after our
winter adventures.
We also hope to
take part in the
Oyster Regatta in
Palma in September/October. I was
thrilled to hear the company was back
on its feet and in the hands of Richard
Hadida, a true entrepreneur and
passionate sailorPHOTOGRAPHY: MARC PARIS; BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY; GETTY IMAGES; MIKE JO
NES/WATERLINE MEDIA
Map – Jing Zhang101