KAFTAN is the classic Turkish gulet done properly: 28 metres of varnished mahogany and teak, launched in 1998 and refreshed in a 2022 refit, built for the kind of slow, sun-soaked week that the coves and islands of the eastern Mediterranean were made for. For eight guests who want warmth, space on deck and a relaxed, traditional way of cruising rather than speed and gloss, she is a genuinely good-value choice.
Her charm is all in the way she is finished and used. The decks are broad and layered in the gulet tradition: sun pads spread across the foredeck beneath the rig, and a long aft deck shaded by an awning where a solid teak table is set for lunch after lunch. These are the true living spaces aboard, open to the breeze and the anchorage, and a week on KAFTAN is spent far more on deck than below, moving between sun and shade as the day turns.
Below, the interior is warm and timeless. A single open salon runs across the main deck, lined in rich mahogany with a small bar, cushioned seating and bright windows that frame the passing coast. It is a snug, welcoming room for a rainy hour or a late evening, and just forward a compact, well-equipped galley lets the crew turn out generous Turkish spreads and fresh fish without ever being far from the party.
Accommodation is simple and comfortable rather than grand, which suits a yacht of her character. Four double cabins are lined in the same glowing timber, each with its own ensuite, a reading nook and the soft light of a deck hatch overhead. A group of friends or two families settle in easily, and the cabins are a cool, quiet retreat for the afternoon and for restful nights at anchor.
On the water she is unhurried and easy. She carries a full gulet rig for sailing when the wind serves, and a reliable Caterpillar main engine for the calms, cruising at a gentle nine knots. This is cruising measured in anchorages rather than miles: a morning swim off the stern, a hop to the next bay before lunch, an afternoon ashore in a fishing village, then back aboard as the light goes golden over the pines.
A crew of four looks after eight guests, handling the sailing, the cooking and the hosting so the week stays genuinely restful. A traditional wheelhouse helm in gleaming woodwork keeps the captain close to the action, and the whole yacht is sized for easy, informal days rather than ceremony. Her home waters are the Turkish coast and the Greek islands, a coastline of sheltered coves, clear water and quiet harbours that rewards exactly this kind of slow, shallow-draft cruising.
KAFTAN is not trying to be a modern superyacht, and that is her appeal. She is a warm, characterful and well-kept classic gulet, offered at a price that opens up a crewed Mediterranean week to a wider group, the right boat for guests who want sun, sea and simplicity above all.
