About Me

I was born on July 2, 1984, in Sinop, Türkiye. At the age of ten, I started sailing at the Black Sea Sailing Club.

On a sunny horizon, with waves crashing around, I saw the white Optimists sparkling on the water, and I felt a stirring inside me. The only thing I knew was that I had to be out there, on one of those boats.

That day, with the strong Northwest wind and the seawater I swallowed along the way, my journey began. Even when I was out of breath, the wind always came to my aid and filled my lungs again. Despite my allergic asthma condition and my family’s objections, the wind-filled sails gave me strength.

This passion carried me to the helm of more than 100 different boats and eventually to a World Cup Championship.

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Athlete, Coach & Leadership

• Throughout middle and high school, I never left the sea behind. During my university years, I sailed for Fenerbahçe Sports Club and later became both sailor and Head Coach at Galatasaray Sports Club.

• Between 2008–2010, I served as a National Team Coach at the Turkish Sailing Federation, and from 2014–2015, I was the Sports Coordinator of the National Teams. In this period, I led athletes representing Türkiye in Balkan, European, and World Championships—achieving significant results, including a European Championship title.

• In 2013, I competed in the Rolex Supermaxi World Championship in Porto Cervo, Italy.

• In 2016, I sailed with Ekrem İnözü’s team and became part of the second Turkish crew in history to round Cape Horn.

• In 2019, I skippered and helmed the winning team in the Corinthian Division of the Melges 32 World Cup in Barcelona, and later that year, finished third at the World Championship in Valencia.

Leadership positions I have held:

• Board Member, Turkish Sailing Federation (2016–2021)

• Vice President, Gökova Sailing Club (2015–2022)

• President, Gökova Sailing Club (2023–2025)

Family & Circumnavigation

In 2016, I married my life partner and fellow sailor, Deniz Karamanoğlu. Our son Atlas was born in 2017, and our second son Azur in 2020.

On September 29, 2021, we set sail as a family from Karacasöğüt/Marmaris to pursue our lifelong dream of circumnavigating the globe.

In 2022, we crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and in 2025, we transited the Panama Canal and set out into the Pacific Ocean.

Today, we are in Tonga, having sailed more than 15,000 nautical miles. We have now completed half of our circumnavigation journey.

Today

In 2023, I founded Mora Yatçılık Turizm Ticaret A.Ş., a yacht brokerage company.

I focus on  second-hand yacht sales in Europe, managing global brokerage operations both at sea and on land.

The adventure continues…