A Tussock sailing cruise
Sailing with Tussock is, without any doubt, a unique holiday. As soon as the yacht puts out to sea, your worries melt away as you experience that feeling of complete freedom and relaxation. 
The captain welcomes you aboard, the chef indulges you with tasty meals and the crew is always there to pamper you. On a Tussock cruise there is always something exciting going on, you are close to nature, you can make new friends and, above all, have lots of fun. For 25 years Tussock has been sailing along the south west coast of Turkey and more recently, the Greek islands. Every year, as they sail from bay to bay, our passengers are pleasantly surprised by the sailing capacities of our yachts; traditional wooden gulets, built in our own shipyard, with rigging specially designed for the fleet. With Tussock's professional crew at the helm, it is therefore not surprising that Tussock is a regular winner of the Bodrum Cup at the annual Bodrum Regatta, held each October. Around 80 classic yachts participate in this race.
Tussock Cruising
This year, Tussock Cruising celebrates 25 years of wind in the sails. Established in 1983, Tussock is a Dutch/English organisation with small offices in the UK, Holland and Turkey. As we own our fleet of classic wooden yachts, we do not charter from the market. All our yachts sail along the south west coast of Turkey and some of the Greek islands.
The Tussock fleet
Tussock has its own fleet of nine classic wooden yachts. Our smallest yacht is suitable for a maximum of six passengers, the others for a maximum of 8, 12, 14, 16 and 18 passengers. All yachts have cabins with en-suite facilities and are equipped with everything you need for a successful sailing holiday, including snorkelling gear, canoes and windsurfing boards except for our six-persons yacht, which has no surfboard or generator. As we also own our own shipyard, all our yachts are always in a good condition and look the same as the one pictured in our slide show, they only vary in size but the shape remains the same. Again, the exception is our six-persons yacht, which is a classic wooden trandihil.
A new look for Tussock
Last year Tussock asked trend forecaster Gunther Gunnar Frank to assist with restyling the Tussock fleet. Our passengers loved the improvements that include power showers, summer blankets, lounge cushions, specially designed kilims, new table settings and new outfits for our captains and crew. New menus were also introduced.
Is there any sailing or is it all motoring?
Our aim is to sail the yachts as much as possible. All our yachts have excellent rigging, specially designed for our fleet, so we do actually sail and only motor when necessary. Also, all our fully trained captains and crew share a real love of sailing. Tussock has won the Bodrum Regatta several times, competing against 80 classic yachts to take home the Bodrum Cup. We won again in 2007 making Tussock a two-times winner in 1st place. At the end of the sailing season we also organise our own Tussock Regatta. This is an official and spectacular event between all the Tussock yachts where the fleet is divided into two categories and the captains and their crew compete to win the Tussock Cup and, of course, passengers are allowed to help.
What about the crew?
Not only do we believe our yachts are excellent, the same goes for each crew member on every yacht. Our yachts comply not only with Tussock's high quality standards, but also all crew members have the necessary papers and licences on top of being excellent sailors. Our captains, chefs and sailors are employed by us all year round (and not seasonally) and in the winter, they work on their yachts in our shipyard, making sure that their yacht is in excellent condition for the next season.
Training the crew
Winter is a great time for training and running refresher courses on such subjects such as safety, first aid, fire drill and hygiene and the general updating of services and standards. These special Tussock workshops are also an excellent time for our chefs to learn new recipes and the favourite dishes of our captains and chefs have been collated into a special recipe book available to purchase.
Where do we sail? The Greek islands? Antalya? Assos?
The Tussock sailing season is from the end of April until the end of October and each yacht sails to its own itinerary along the south west coast of Turkey and some of the Greek islands. Our sailing area is divided into approximately fourteen different routes of one and two weeks' duration, departing from Ayvalık, Kuşadası, Turgutreis, Bodrum, Cnidos, Marmaris, Fethiye and Kaş to Antalya. On 25 October 2008 there is a special 10-day cruise in the direction of Antalya. Or if you fancy sailing around some Greek islands such as Samos, Leros, Patmos, Kalymnos, Fourni, Arki, Rhodes, Symi, Kos and Nisyros our special Greek weeks are on 17 May, 14 June, 30 August and 20 September. A new two-week cruise to the Cyclades that includes Mykonos, Naxos and Amorgos will depart 31 May. Click here for a map. All our captains and crew love sailing and together with the captain you will set the course for the day, therefore you will not find fixed daily itineraries in our brochure.
Excursions
Besides the sailing, every journey offers opportunities for excursions and these trips vary in length from a few hours up to a whole day. Every itinerary is dependent on the wind and together with the captain you can make a choice of the possible excursions. However there is no obligation to join an excursion! You can also follow your stay on board with a stay ashore and Tussock can help you with hotel recommendations.
Monachus monachus
In the Aegean Sea there is a small population of seals called the Monachus monachus (Mediterranean monk seal). Since 1993, a small foundation with World Wildlife Fund support has been working to protect these animals and study their way of life. The seals' numbers are already on the increase and to support this project Tussock Cruising donates a small sum from each booking to this fund. Over the past three years, Tussock has donated 15,000 Euros.
Want to know more? Or want to join us?
Please don't hesitate to ask for our brochure via e-mail info@tussock.eu, or call us on 020 8510 9292, giving your full details and we will make sure it is sent by return post. 
If you'd like to check availability, please let us know during which period you might be interested in joining us and if you'll be on your own or with others. You can also book direct with the special on-line booking form you will find in the reservations section. We would like to point out that some dates and yachts get fully booked early in the season so, if you have a specific date in mind, we advise you not to wait too long before placing your reservation.
Financial protection
Tussock Cruising has a separate client account administered by a trustee, which is held at Barclays Bank Plc. The money we receive from you for your holiday with us will be kept in this client account until your holiday has been completed. This means that the money you pay us will be refunded to you from this account in the event of our being unable to provide your holiday due to insolvency.
Tussock Cruising UK, 42 Hacon Square, Richmond Road,
London E8 3QR, Phone +44(0)20 85109292, E-mail info@tussock.eu.
