Under the auspices of the Presidency and with support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Presidential 5th International Yacht Races, organized by the Istanbul Offshore Yacht Racing Club in collaboration with the Istanbul Governorship and the Turkish Sailing Federation, and sponsored by DHL Express Turkey, have been announced. The AKPA Chemicals Team, achieving great success in both stages of the races, claimed the Republic Cup.
The Presidential 5th International Yacht Race, the only yacht race in the world held between two continents, saw 86 teams from 14 countries and over 800 athletes competing on the challenging Bosphorus course in Istanbul for the Republic Cup. The race began in front of Dolmabahçe Palace with a moment of silence to honor Atatürk and his comrades, where participants paid their respects by sounding their horns and waving their flags. Competitors then engaged in a fierce race against the strong currents. As sailors unfurled their sails between Ortaköy and Anadoluhisarı, the Bosphorus became a colorful spectacle.
Following the demanding race, the winners of the Istanbul stage of the Presidential 5th International Yacht Race were announced. During the ceremony at Fişekhane, attended by numerous guests including Associate Professor Dr. Metin Kıratlı of the Constitutional Court and Istanbul Deputy Governor Ünal Kılıçarslan, awards were presented to the teams that excelled in the Bodrum and Istanbul stages.
In his opening remarks, Ekrem Yemlihaoğlu, President of the Istanbul Offshore Yacht Racing Club, announced the addition of new routes for the 2025 races, stating, “We will set sail together in Çanakkale on April 23, Samsun on May 19, Istanbul on October 29, and Cyprus on November 15.” Yemlihaoğlu also emphasized the club’s commitment to raising the Turkish flag across the country and praised the sailors as the bright face of the nation, adding, “You are the devoted children of the Republic, deeply committed to national values, with hearts filled with pride. You should be the role models and heroes for future generations. We will continue to promote Turkish sailors at every opportunity.”
Following the speeches, awards were presented to the winning teams.
Special DHL Award to TUSAŞ
In the recent events of the Presidential 5th International Yacht Race, the Hedef Yelken team, representing TUSAŞ, which had been targeted by a terrorist organization in Ankara, claimed first place in both the general classification and its category. Alongside its first-place trophy, TUSAŞ was awarded the Special DHL Award by the main sponsor DHL Express Turkey, which was presented by DHL Express Turkey CEO Volkan Demiroğlu.
AKPA Chemicals Crowned Republic Cup Champion
Demonstrating remarkable success in the Istanbul stage of the Presidential 5th International Yacht Race, the AKPA Chemicals team, led by Güney Kaptan, secured the Republic Cup. Their award was presented by Constitutional Court Member Dr. Metin Kıratlı.
Overall Results by Category:
Overall IRC 0-1-2: 2nd place – ENKA Cheese (Levent Peynirci), 3rd place – KMH Racing Team-Game Changer (Oğuz Ayan)
Overall IRC 3-4: 1st place – JERAPI (Robert De Liefde), 2nd place – PAPARA ALTO (Targan Hazarhun), 3rd place – Four Points by Sheraton-Gemini1 (Berk Gürpınar)
Division Winners:
-IRC 0: 1st – ENKA Cheese (Levent Peynirci), 2nd – MESA Holding-Shak Shuka (Hasan Utku Çetiner), 3rd – Orient Express (Zeynep Atabey Taşkent)
-IRC 1: 1st – AKPA Chemicals (Güney Kaptan), 2nd – KMH Racing Team (Oğuz Ayan), 3rd – Akkök Holding (Melis Baykan)
-IRC 2: 1st – Kaya Ropes-Carina (Umut Efe Alplocak), 2nd – Tüpraş-Fenerbahçe (Orkun Öz), 3rd – Garanti BBVA Cheese (Bora Olcav)
-IRC 3: 1st – Papara Alto (Targan Hazarhun), 2nd – Four Points By Sheraton-Gemini (Berk Gürpınar), 3rd – Doğuş University Escape Sailing-Alchera (Yusuf Tunç)
-IRC 4: 1st – Jerapi (Robert De Liefde), 2nd – Ankara Sailing Club-Alesta YelkenI (Doğukan Kapıcıoğlu), 3rd – Setur Marinas-Nidec Drives-Kupa Kızı Team Atlantis (Gül Çelikel)
-Traveler A: 1st – TUSAŞ Yelken Takımı-Hedef Yelken (Hüseyin Levent Özgen), 2nd – Hedef Yelken 40.2 (Sefa Civelek), 3rd – Naval Academy Akova (Şahin Korkmaz)
-Traveler B: 1st – Moda Yelken (Güray Zünbül), 2nd – ARUNA ODTÜ (Hasret Can Ünek), 3rd – Marmara University-Silk (Ali Yelten)
-Traveler C: 1st – Piri Reis University Women’s Sailing Team (Ali Erdoğan), 2nd – Bursa Eldiven Sanayi-Hero Sailing (Ahmet Rasim Kahraman), 3rd – Shine Away (Tunay Can)
For a complete list of results and more detailed race information, visit https://sailturkey.racing
Text Credits: Engin Yuvaktas
Photo Credits: Kayihan Hasirci
Video Credits: ICARUS Sports
