The Pulteney St. Survey

Sea Swept

by Chris Swingle

If you dream of vacationing on a yacht in the Aegean Sea, Aysegul Duru ’06 can make it happen. She’ll line up a gulet— a motor sailing yacht—that sleeps 12, equipped with snorkeling and fishing gear, windsurfs, wakeboards and kayaks. A crew of four or five, including a chef, will manage the 70-to-155-footlong ketch-rigged boat while you enjoy the water and beaches, dine on fresh-caught seafood, hit the nightclubs on shore or visit 4,000-year-old historic sites accessible only by sea. You’ll wake up in a different sparkling cove each morning.

The bill: At least $10,000 a week. For more luxurious accommodations—think five-star hotel on the water with a film screening room, gym, Jacuzzi and Jet Skis—the price can be up to $200,000 a week. One of the luxury schooners available for $90,000 a week is the Regina, which was used in the 2012 James Bond movie “Skyfall,” including a shower love scene.

Duru grew up in Turkey and is vice president of sales and marketing for Durukos Yachting, a charter and yacht-building business her father started in 1974. “I always meet people at their happiest, and we bond over my favorite topics—the Aegean, yachting, food, the ultimate summer,” says Duru who was a member of the HWS Sailing team. “I’m an Aquarius,” says Duru. “I grew up on the water.”

Duru splits her time between Bodrum, Turkey and Brooklyn, N.Y., never far from the water.

“The sea symbolizes the freedom of pursuing the infinite possibilities life offers for those who are thirsty.”