Lagoon Owners’ get-togethers have been taking place for years and are usually organized by dealers with the manufacturer’s support. The dates are set according to local requirements (boat shows, climate, staff availability) and are spread out over the year... but then, to mark the brand’s 40th anniversary, an idea was born: “In short,” explains Thomas Gailly, brand manager, “We wanted to set up 40 Lagoon Escapades all over the world at the same time.” On paper, the project sounded devilishly attractive; in practice, it was a whole different ballgame... But Thomas managed to convince his teams. The name of the event was soon decided: Lagoon World Escapade for each country. In the end, May 17, 18 and 19 were chosen. Only Japan was forced to bring its Escapade forward by a week. In the end, the target of 40 joint events could not be reached, but there were still some 30, spread around the world, with ultimately 2,400 crew aboard 400 Lagoon catamarans gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the brand that has sold the most cruising catamarans in the world - 7,000 of them, no less! At the shipyard’s headquarters in Bordeaux, everything had been planned: Lagoon dances and cocktail parties, participative WhatsApp groups, photos and videos in real time...
Welcome to Göcek!
Of course, the Multihulls World team wanted to get out in the field, or rather out on the water. So I joined - with a short stopover in Croatia, but that’s another story - the staff of Tezmarin in Istanbul. This yacht broker is one of the main Lagoon dealers, so the team led by Osmancan Erşahin was particularly involved in organizing its own World Escapade. Together with Thomas and the Tezmarin staff, we took a late afternoon flight to Dalaman, 500 km (310 mi) south of Istanbul. There, after a short mini-bus ride, we stepped aboard. The air was warm and the wind absent. The setting looked sublime – it was already almost dark. The large bay, itself set in the Gulf of Fethiye, is perfectly protected from the open sea by a string of islands. Here you’ll discover a multitude of particularly pristine bays and coves - protected by strict regulations. It was early in the season, and I could already see a lot of boats moored “Mediterranean style”, i.e. anchor out forward and lines led ashore aft, this setup being used due to the deep depths and the management of swinging room. Osmancan tells me that it’s forbidden to tie up to the trees, and that during the summer, there are many boats who sometimes stay for a week or more in the same spot, so pleasant is the setting... We reached the small bay off the Adaia Göcek restaurant, base camp of our Lagoon Escapade. The site was, in fact, only accessible by sea. A large U-shaped pontoon could accommodate around twenty boats - there were already a good dozen. Thomas and I were welcomed aboard a Lagoon 55, which was obviously going to be much better than a hotel!
Day 1
As soon as the sun was up, participants began arriving. Some remained a little isolated and tied up to the shore, others joined us on the pontoon. I noticed older models with owners aboard, more recent charter vintages and, of course, a few luxury powercats. Virtually every Lagoon model launched since the late 1990s was represented! The Tezmarin team helped the crews maneuver. Once each catamaran was securely in place, champagne and gifts were distributed! You couldn’t ask for a warmer welcome. Thomas was a bit in 24-hour mode: he’d already been following his maxi event for some time, given that Australia had started the festivities 7 hours ahead of us. The Los Angeles Escapade, meanwhile, wasn’t scheduled to get under way for another 10 hours...
Osmancan asked me to help him set up a coherent handicapping system for the racing scheduled for the following day. I was promoted to “Race Committee President”! I drew on my experience of the Catamaranscup in Greece, where the Multi2000 rating system had proved its worth. We used the principle of gross ratings with a bonus for fixed propellers; we didn’t take into account square-topped mainsails, but we did include a penalty for gennakers and spinnakers. Once the ratings had been determined, we divided the fleet into three classes.
From 5 pm, crews registered at the Tezmarin office: the party could then begin! Just after the inaugural speeches, we all gathered on a little beach to form a human “Lagoon”. A drone took to the air to immortalize the scene. Then it was on to the famous turquoise Lagoon cocktails, a hearty dinner and... a DJ!
Day 2
Shortly after daybreak, we set off on a short coastal section of a well-known hiking trail. We wandered among goats, discovered a small local bar and then a completely isolated ruin. It was the perfect place to take a dip - the water was already over 20°C (68°F).
Water sports contests were then organized: paddleboard duels were launched for a round trip, right in front of the restaurant’s terrace. Perfect for warming up the muscles before sailing! Twenty or so competitors had signed up for the racing, and even though a good half of the crews present were pure cruisers, they were happy to play along... The start was a short distance from the restaurant, in a windier spot. The fleet set off downwind towards the large island of Domuz Adasi, some 4 miles away; the catamarans were expected to round a mark and return. Thomas, aboard a Lagoon 50, was really getting into the spirit of it all: he helped his crew hoist their big pink spinnaker and tried an option off to starboard, towards the rocky tip of the peninsula. The trajectory paid off... but only at first. The wind gradually faded, and in the end, it was the catamarans that had continued dead downwind that fared best. By 45 minutes after the start, there was no wind at all. We contemplated abandoning that leg, but then the wind shifted astern, to the north-east! The fleet was forced to tack, which justified shortening the course. A Lagoon 52 crossed the line in the lead.
Back ashore, it was time for the “Soirée Blanche” evening event, the prize-giving ceremony, dinner and live music! It was only at the very end of the evening that Thomas launched, with some success, the Lagoon Dance...
Day 3
May 19 is a special day in Turkey: it’s the commemoration of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey from 1923 to 1938. The day is also a public holiday for youth and sports. So, on the dock and aboard the catamarans, Turkish flags were flying high, and the national anthem was being played over and over on the speakers. The Tezmarin team had planned a big nautical parade, which was perfect timing! Virtually all the Lagoon boats joined in the fun, leaving the anchorage or pontoon all together. Gradually, the fleet fell into formation, with the catamarans trying to get closer to each other and begin a slow turn to starboard. Osmancan, aboard a dinghy, maintained an attentive listening watch on his VHF and gave the orders - it’s not easy sailing with 40 catamarans in a circle! It’s worth pointing out that, at owners’ gatherings, this type of figure, like the “anchor flower”, is a must for souvenir photos and videos...
Our Lagoon World Escapade comes to an end with this impressive nautical demonstration. On Thomas’s laptop, images continued to pour in from the BVI and Mexico...
Practical : Göcek Bay
Formalities: Passport valid for at least 3 months from date of entry
Getting there: The nearest airport to Göcek is Dalaman, 14 km (9 mi) away. This airport sees around ten flights a day to and from Istanbul.
Currency: Turkish lira (TRY). 1 Turkish lira = 0.030 US$
Language: Turkish - English is widely spoken in tourist areas
Weather: Göcek has a relatively warm Mediterranean climate, with an average temperature of 18.4°C (65.1°F) over the year. The coolest month is January, with an average of 10.9°C (51.6°F), while August is the hottest at 27.4°C (81.3°F). While summer is remarkably dry, the months from November to February are relatively wet. Winds are generally light, with afternoon thermal breezes. Water temperatures are quite pleasant: they don’t fall below 15°C (59°F) in winter, rising above 20°C (68°F) as early as May (26 to 30°C/79 to 86°F in August), before dropping below this threshold again only by late November.
Charter companies: There are options to charter a multihull from Göcek via online platforms such as Click & Boat, but the big “physical” charter companies are based further east, such as Dream Yacht Worldwide, based at Antalya.
