These days sailors and sailing enthusiasts are at home in Turkey, on the shores near the ancient town of Marmaris. The local marinas and the local yacht club are preparing one of the main racing events of the year and are hoping to fine weather as teams from around the world will be fighting to take home the 23rd annual MIRW prizes.

In an interesting turn of events, the yacht charter market is currently undergoing an odd development: more and more tourists are choosing the shores of Greece over the sunny shores of Turkey.

While the European Union countries are struggling with the credit crunch and with looming signs of economic crisis, it seems that countries outside this region, such as Turkey have become viable alternatives for countries that used to be classic vacation destinations.

This event is widely regarded as one o the largest in the Eastern Mediterranean and this is why people in Turkey in the sailing business consider it to be the signal for the start of the official summer yacht charter season every year.