Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz met his readers with his new book titled “Maritime Culture and Etiquette”. The first signing day of the book was held at the Rahmi Koç Museum with the participation of many guests, including Sadun Boro’s daughter Deniz Kısmet Polat and master sailor and journalist Necati Zincirkıran.
In the book, Gürdeniz discusses the importance of Turkey’s need for seafaring from a broad perspective, with historical, social, cultural, political, military, and psychosocial dimensions, within the framework of the concepts of “Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland)” and “Earth Ship Anatolia”. In another part of the book, he guides subjects such as customs, traditions, courtesy rules, flag discipline, marina, fender culture, and sailors’ attitudes and behaviors within the scope of maritime etiquette.
Addressing many sea enthusiasts at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Gürdeniz said, “I dedicate the book to the late Sadun Boro.”
Gürdeniz, who gave information about the book to the participants, said, “I can summarize the harmony at sea in three dimensions with the assumption that we have knowledge and experience. The first with nature, the second with technology, and the third with the people. If you go to sea without these three harmonies, you cannot fight if you are on a warship, you cannot earn money if you are on a merchant ship, and you cannot be peaceful and happy if you are on an amateur sailor boat. In the final analysis, in the worst-case scenario, you will run aground.”
Emphasizing that harmony at sea should be synthesized on the axes of nature, technology, and people, Gürdeniz said, “A pleasant and happy cruise at sea is the result of culture and good manners. Knowing the maritime culture and obeying the rules of etiquette makes people at sea happier and more peaceful.
Etiquette is unwritten contracts at sea. Etiquette allows to facilitate relations between people and avoids conflicts. If you have to live together for a long time in a narrow space such as a boat, both in the port and at sea, both the owner and the crew, as well as the guests, must first know the culture of democracy and manners at sea. This information will make life easier.”
Pointed out that the real seafarer has to take care of the safety and well-being of others in addition to self-safety and well-being, Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz said that if the seafarers with limited opportunities at sea and in the port and the limitation of nature and the sea can support each other, manners and courtesy at sea undoubtedly play a major role in this success.
Gürdeniz continued his speech as follows:
“Turkish maritime has lagged in terms of culture and manners at sea. In this regard, we can talk about a certain amount of knowledge about the navy and merchant fleet in public institutions, albeit limited. However, it is difficult to talk about the experience in the field of amateur maritime. In this field, as there is no similar accumulation developed by the centuries-old sailing and maritime clubs, as well as the public institutions of the developed maritime states, a unique corrupt system has emerged, which we can call the order of chaos.”
“Maritime culture is an endless ocean”
Stating that maritime culture and manners are an endless ocean, Gürdeniz underlined that a person who loves the sea with their heart, mind, and soul cannot get away from the sea and the culture own created and said, “Let’s achieve institutionalization with the integrity of procedure, action, culture, and etiquette in amateur maritime so that future generations stay away from the disorder and chaos we experience.”
Stating that Rahmi Koç encouraged him to write the book, Gürdeniz said, “I dedicated the book to the late Sadun Boro. With its deep cultural background, its exemplary maritime manners, its wisdom in complex and difficult situations, its courage to cross all oceans with its 10-meter radio and a ‘Kısmet’ sailboat that does not even have a toilet, with its pioneering ability to circumnavigate the globe, which crowns the entire Turkish world, over the seas, we will continue to remember and remind the late Sadun Boro, the pole star of our amateur maritime navy, forever.”
“We must be aware of this culture”
Deniz Kısmet Polat, the daughter of Sadun Boro, said, “Turkey has a great maritime culture. Sadun and Odo Boro had a big dream. Yes, they built kısmet with their means. But if Haldun Simavi had not been a sponsor for them, if Necati Zincirkıran had not brought this extraordinary journey to millions of people, it would only have remained a special personal story and gone down in history. Since the day I was born, I have always grown up with the story of Kısmet. This extraordinary land we live on and the seas it meets carry us from thousands of years of Noah to today, from argonauts, Iliad legends, Turguts, and Barbaros to today. We must be aware of this culture. I thought that Kısmet added to me. I understood that the sea teaches to listen. The biggest storm destroys your ego. If you adapt, it will open up a whole world to you.”
Famous journalist and sailor Necati Zincirkıran, who took the floor after Deniz Kısmet Polat, said, “Only owning a sailing boat is not enough in maritime. Seafarer people, maritime establishments, and maritime rich people should also contribute to maritime culture in terms of culture. This is so all over the world. There is a great curiosity about the sea in Turkey. As my admiral said, along with that curiosity, the elements that will complement this manners and knowledge should also be developed. These elements should make room for maritime and marine life in books, magazines, and newspapers.”
“Maritime with Culture and Manners”
“Maritime with its culture and manners is a unique study in its field in Turkey in terms of its content and characteristics. Cem Gürdeniz discusses the importance of Turkey’s need for seafaring from a broad perspective, with historical, social, cultural, political, military, and psychosocial dimensions, within the framework of the concepts of “Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland)” and “Earth Ship Anatolia”. In one part of the book, Cem Gürdeniz explains the development of maritime culture from literature to archeology, from ship modeling to water sports, while evaluating Turkey’s maritime power and seafaring process according to historical periods. In another part of the book, he guides on issues such as customs, traditions, courtesy rules, flag discipline, marina, fender culture, seafarers’ attitudes and behaviors within the scope of maritime etiquette.”