An int’l relation works best at sea
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FETHİYE - Inspired by a book he read when he was a child, Alim Sür grew up dreaming about sailing around the world with his own boat. He is fulfilling his dream, and not alone, but with his wife, Hattaya. During the trip, they see parts of the world, which only makes them hungry for more
If you want to help couples who are having problems in their relationships, maybe you should put them on a boat together and let them sail around the world.
"We live, sleep, work and sail together in a small space, but we are totally dependent on each other, so arguing is not an option," says Hattaya Sür, laughing.
"When we are on land, it can sometimes be different," adds her husband, Alim, with a wry smile. It seems that they are genuinely happy together and work as the perfect team aboard the Turkish registered, 33-foot, British-built catamaran "My Chance."
Wed for 11 years, the couple met and married in Singapore. Their modest vessel waits in one of Fethiye’s marinas, so unassuming that it is hard to imagine her battling against the winds and waves of the world’s vast oceans. But this yacht, steered with the unquestionable competence of Alim and Hattaya, has made for some breathtaking voyages of personal discovery.
Years of dreaming
In order to understand how this all came about, we must look back 40 years, to a time when a young man read a book that subsequently changed his life. The book was "Before the Wind," by Sadun Boro, and the young man was Alim Sür. Boro’s adventures made Sür dream that he, too, would one day be able to sail around the world, and 35 years later, his dream came true. He spent his youth sailing with his brother, as if in preparation for the big event.
During the intervening years, he traveled abroad and on one of these journeys, met and married Hattaya, who came from a maritime family and "had sailing in her blood." She has since become highly qualified in many aspects of the sailing life, particularly the use of long-distance and VHF radio. Alim is obviously and understandably proud of his wife’s achievements. "Not only is her Turkish better than mine, she took all her exams for navigation and sailing here in Turkey and passed when many others failed," he said.
Together, in 2003, they set off from Fethiye to circumnavigate the world on "The Milk Run," a term used for a sea journey that heads forever in a westerly direction. Their adventures took them to some far flung and exotic destinations, led them into dangerous situations with pirates and enabled them to see parts of the world that only made them hungry for more.
They finally returned to Fethiye on June 14, 2008, when Alim started to write a book about their adventures. While on their travels, he had a regular column in a Turkish yachting magazine called "Naviga" and had many regular readers, including one businessman who was so captivated by Alim’s narrative that he too bought a boat and, guided by Alim and Hattaya’s practical experience, is making his own voyage of discovery. They join him on his yacht every few months to complete another stage of his round-the-world expedition.
Chased by pirates
Asked what the highlights of their journey were, Alim and Hattaya both replied the best part was seeing the mysteries of the Galapagos Islands, a place they have every intention of visiting again. The worst experiences were the three times they were chased by pirates in Yemen, in Sri Lanka and off the Galapagos. On all three occasions, they managed to escape being caught and can now even laugh about the experiences, which were, at the time, very frightening.
The pair has every intention of making more circumnavigations, taking in different countries. Alim and Hattaya particularly loved South America and both admit that they are now happiest when leading their nomadic lifestyle. Just two of the 15 or so Turkish nationals who have completed this heroic feat, they hope that they will have many more years of adventuring to come.