Organised for 53 years by the Turkish Offshore Racing Sport Club, Turkiye’s monumental and longest offshore yacht race, the Naval Forces Cup (known by competitors as the Southern Race or Aşşa Race), has become a symbol of Turkish yachting.
Starting from Istanbul and following different routes over the years, the Naval Forces Cup sees over 600 competitors competing on more than 50 yachts each year.
Now known as the South Race, the desire of yachts racing in the open sea to sail further than Kalamış and Fenerbahçe began in 1968 with the adventure of ‘going beyond Sivriada’. In 1971, the Turkish Offshore Racing Sports Club was established, and in collaboration with the Turkish Naval Forces Foundation (TDKGV), it continued to take its racing fleet to ports such as Erdek, Çeşme, Kuşadası, and Bodrum, with most of the stages taking place in Gelibolu.
In 1988, following a new agreement with the Naval Forces Command, the name of the race was changed to ‘Naval Forces Cup’ In order to further advance offshore racing, the race routes were expanded to include various ports such as Bozcaada, Bodrum, Neos Marmaras (Greece), Ayvalık, Foça, Güllük, Didim, Sığacık, and Turgutreis.
The number of yachts participating in the race ranged from 7 to 10 in the early years, but by the mid-2000s, it had exceeded 90.
With the same determination and spirit as in the past, TAYK, which represents offshore yachting in Turkey, will continue to inspire future generations to carry on this legacy.
TAYK was renamed the Turkish Offshore Racing Club (TAYK) in 1993 by a decision of the Council of Ministers, and in 2023, it was transformed into a sports club.
