About Sailing Salty Adventures

As two sailors deeply connected to the sea and the art of sailing, our mission is to explore the sea and the world from the water while sharing this journey with a wider audience. We believe that the sea is not just a route between destinations, but a way to truly understand cultures, nature, and oneself.  

Through our sailing experiences, we aim to inspire others by documenting and sharing our adventures on social media—showing the beauty, challenges, and authenticity of life at sea. At the same time, we welcome a limited number of guests aboard our yacht, inviting them to become part of this journey rather than just observers.  

By sailing together, living together, and learning together, we pass on real seamanship, practical knowledge, and the joy of sailing in a personal and meaningful way. Our mission is not only to travel the world by sea but to create genuine connections, share experiences, and inspire others to follow their own salt-water dreams.

Captain Serdar Erturk

My journey with sailing began in İzmir, the city where I was born and raised. Near our family home was a small sailing club, where a close friend invited me to join an Optimist summer school. That simple invitation changed my life forever. What started as a childhood course quickly became a lifelong passion to explore the sea.

After completing the course successfully, I received my own Optimist dinghy. I learned how to care for it, rig it, train with it, and compete in small races. As I grew, I transitioned from Optimist to Laser, training almost every day and actively participating in sailing experiences until university. Sailing became not just a sport, but a way of life.

Our family life was always connected to the sea. We owned different boats over the years—from a 420-class sailboat to a folding sailing canoe, fishing boats, and small motor yachts. Like many sailors, each boat always felt “just a little too small,” leading to the next adventure and the next upgrade.

After university, I bought my own sailing yacht and soon discovered offshore cruising and yacht adventures. I formed a racing team within the bank where I worked, trained crews, and competed for many years. As interest grew, training requests began coming from outside the team, which eventually led me to establish my own sailing school. I completed all national and international captaincy and instructor certifications and spent many years teaching sailing, seamanship, and navigation.

Later, life took me to Southampton, where I continued my journey—this time sailing offshore and across open seas. With my company, I entered the professional yacht delivery world, completing numerous sail and motor yacht deliveries over many years across different regions.

Today, semi-retired and sailing with my beloved wife, we are living our long-held dream: a world voyage aboard our own yacht. Along this journey, we welcome a limited number of guests to join us on board. They don’t just travel—they experience real life at sea. Sailing, navigation, maintenance, passage planning, and the rhythm of living aboard become part of their journey.

Sharing the knowledge, experience, and passion I have built over a lifetime of sailing is more than a profession—it is my life mission.

Sailing Salty Adventures is an invitation to be part of that story.

First Mate Secil Kilic

My story began on the Bosphorus in Istanbul.

I grew up with the sea as a constant part of my life — and long summer days spent by the water. Even as a child, I had my own small boat and canoe. There was always a boat, a dinghy, or a skiff in front of our home, and every summer holiday was spent at the dock, living alongside the sea.

From those days on, one thing has always been clear to me: I cannot live without the sea.

Over time, this connection turned into curiosity, and curiosity turned into sailing. Sailing was never just a sport for me — it was the natural continuation of my relationship with the sea. I completed my training, bought our boat, and yet I always felt the same pull: the desire to go farther, to sail toward distant horizons.

Along this journey, I was fortunate to find my life partner — someone who carries the same spirit and shares the same love for the sea. Standing side by side with my husband, sharing the same dream, I knew it was time. The time to truly set sail.

Today, our boat is our home, and the sea is our road. This life asks for patience and commitment, but it gives back strength, clarity, and freedom. I know this journey not as a dream, but as a lived reality. And I want to share that reality with those who take the sea seriously — with people who want to learn, to experience, and to truly taste life on board.

Because some stories are meant to be told. And some journeys are meant to be shared.