How Many Passions Fit in One Life? Belemir Dedeoğlu Tells Her Story

She discovered sailing in 2021. Before long she was making solo offshore passages in the Aegean on her own boat; after building long-distance and navigation experience, she started racing. Today she races on a MAT 1180 and occasionally starts in İzmir on her own Jeanneau Sun Odyssey.

In her story, sailing is more than a pastime bolted onto a business career. It is a separate world for which she changes countries and makes time, one that shapes her decisions and even her approach to leadership.

We talked with Belemir Dedeoğlu about why she loves racing so much, how what she learns at sea carries into business, and how far a person can take more than one passion in a single life.

Which boats do we see you on today? Where is your sailing story right now?

Today I actively race on a MAT 1180. From time to time I also take part in races in İzmir on my own boat, a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey.

The sea has always been an important part of my life. At first, though, my aim was not to race but to enjoy the sea and discover new routes. I took up sailing in 2021 and soon bought my own boat and began making solo offshore passages in the Aegean. Along the way I gained real experience, especially in long-distance sailing and offshore navigation.

I started entering races so that I would not be away from the sea in the winter months and could spend time with people who share the same passion. But once I entered the racing world, I realised it was not just a hobby. Sailing is a unique sport in which strategy, discipline, teamwork and constant improvement are woven together. It quickly turned into a strong passion, and now it is an indispensable part of my life.

As a businesswoman running my own company and serving as a board member, I work at a very intense pace. Even so, my commitment to sailing is so strong that there are times I travel from the United Arab Emirates, where I live, to Türkiye just to take part in a race.

The sea gives me the thrill of competition and a sense of freedom at the same time. Where I am today, sailing is not only a sport; it is an important life experience that has shaped my approach to leadership, my resilience and my decision-making.

Meetings, travel, decisions… What is it that sometimes brings you from the UAE to Türkiye for a single race?

In my busy working life my days are filled with meetings, decisions and travel. The reason I go out on the boat at the weekend is actually very simple: I really enjoy being at sea. The sea gives me peace and a chance to rest my mind.

When I am sailing, all my attention is on that moment. Following the wind, feeling the boat and being in harmony with the sea take me completely away from the intensity of daily life.

That is exactly why I love racing. Every race calls for different conditions, different strategies and different decisions. Trying to make the right move at the right time, working in harmony with the crew and constantly improving yourself is enormously enjoyable for me.

The competitive side is strong, but what I love most at the end of a race is the quality time spent at sea and the feeling of having achieved something together.

What was the first thing you learned at sea and then one day found yourself using in business?

The sea taught me that things may not go the way you planned, but what matters is how quickly you can adapt to changing conditions.

Sometimes the best course is not the one you had in mind at the start. Sometimes the wind does not blow from where you expected.

It is similar in business. When you run a company you never have all the information, but you still have to decide at the right time. As in sailing, knowing how to adjust your heading when conditions change is essential.

Another important lesson is teamwork. However good you are on the boat, it is hard to succeed without a good crew. That is exactly the same in business.

Success is usually not the work of one person but of a team that trusts each other, communicates well and works in harmony.

Are the you who runs a company and the you on the boat really different people?

Actually, they are not as different as I thought.

In business and on the boat alike, I like focusing on the goal, working with the right people and finding solutions in the face of difficulty. Both give me the same excitement; one in the business world, the other at sea.

Maybe I feel a little more relaxed and free on the boat, but at heart I am the same person.

As for which one has changed the other more, I think sailing has given me a great deal. The sea teaches patience. It reminds you that you cannot control everything, that sometimes you have to wait, and how important it is to adapt to conditions.

Over time I noticed I had carried that outlook into my working life too.

In business, leadership is often associated with control. In sailing you have to accept that you cannot control everything. Has that changed the way you make decisions?

It definitely has.

Sailing taught me that trying to control everything is usually not possible. You can make the best preparations, plan your route and study the forecasts, but sometimes the wind does not blow from where you expected.

From that point on, what matters is not to focus on the things you cannot control, but to make the best decision with the conditions in front of you.

It is similar in business. Especially when you run your own company, you do not always have all the information. Markets change, conditions change, unexpected things happen.

Sailing taught me to decide with the information available instead of waiting for perfect conditions, and to change course quickly when necessary.

Perhaps the biggest lesson was this: being successful is less about controlling everything than about adapting to change in the right way.

I use that outlook every day, both at sea and in business.

You compete both at the boardroom table and on the start line. As a woman, are there places where these two worlds resemble each other?

Yes.

In business and in sailing alike, there are moments when people judge you by the performance you deliver rather than by what you say. Sometimes you have to prove yourself a little more, be prepared and truly master what you do.

But over the years I have learned this: whether you are at the meeting table or on the start line, confidence, preparation and consistency make the biggest difference.

In time, people look at what you do and how you do it much more than at who you are.

What would be your strongest reason for telling someone with a busy career who has never sailed to “get on a boat, just once”?

I think the strongest reason would be the chance to be alone with themselves.

On a boat you inevitably slow down and focus on the moment you are in. So when you go out on a boat, you are giving time not only to the sea but a little to yourself as well.

I believe everyone who works hard should experience that feeling at least once.

Because sometimes a few hours at sea can give a person more mental clarity than a long holiday.