He Started Sailing as a Student, Now He Charts His Own Course

This time on Rüzgar Üstü we get to know an instructor. Eight years ago he was a student on a sailing course. Today he spends about 40 weeks of the year at sea.

There are sailors who did not start as children. Their stories usually look alike. First there is a first sail. Then a course. Then a threshold you do not come back from. Faruk Aydin’s story began the same way.

He came across sailing for the first time in 2018. At the time he was neither an instructor nor a skipper. He was simply a course participant. He had already left corporate life behind. So he gave his time to sailing courses.

From corporate life to the sea: the first step in 2018

In sailing, experience is not measured in lesson hours. It is measured in hours at sea. Faruk Aydın built those hours up quickly. Then he started passing on what he had learned. That is how he came to teach at sailing schools based in Istanbul.

That period gave him broad experience on the water. Because the profile of participants varied hugely. Some had never set foot on a boat. Others wanted a role on a race crew.

From student to instructor

His years at sailing schools showed him this. Teaching is not only about manoeuvres. On a boat you have to read the wind. You need shared roles and a watch system. And staying calm as you come into harbour is essential.

These things are hard to teach in a classroom. That is why the weight of the programme was always at sea. The training did not run on a fixed fleet. Whichever boat was available that day was the boat he worked on. A different boat means different gear. Which means faster learning.

2025: his own course with Rakun Sailing

In 2025 he founded Raccoon Sailing, and began working independently. The operation runs out of Turgutreis D-Marin. There he gives sailing and yachting training. He also runs race training and carries out boat deliveries.

Rakun Sailing’s approach is simple. Plenty of hours at sea, plenty of boats. Beginners cover basic sailing and yachting. Those carrying on work on boat handling and seamanship. Those preparing to race focus on trim and tactics.

About 40 weeks of the year at sea

Today Faruk Aydın spends around 40 weeks of the year at sea. Different boats, different waters. For an instructor that is a very high proportion. Because many instructors plan most of the season ashore.

Deliveries are an important part of that calendar. A boat goes from one harbour to another. A job like that is nothing like a timetabled lesson plan. The crew sets the route and the watch system in real conditions. And those are the passages that teach the most in sailing.

On deliveries there is sometimes room for one more

On suitable deliveries he takes beginner students along. He does not charge for it. The reason is simple. A few years ago he was standing in the same place. Looking for a chance to get out on a boat.

His aim is to share the time he spends at sea. Beginners gain more hours on the water that way. They get to know different boats. Most importantly, they come to love the sea. For him, that is the real outcome of teaching.

The sea keeps teaching, and I take great pleasure in sharing what I learn.

What can you learn at Rakun Sailing?

Rakun Sailing teaches at different levels. For beginners there is sailing and yachting. It also works on boat handling and seamanship. Race training is on the programme too. Add to that time on the water in different boats. And finally, real passage practice on deliveries.

Anyone looking for sailing training around Bodrum and Turgutreis can take a look at the guide page. Contact details, home base and training areas are all in one place there.