Des Épigraphes for Halas 71: Memory on the Horizon
Among the many yachts that glide across the Bosphorus, Halas 71 is the only one whose story stretches from the shipyards of Glasgow to the front lines of Gallipoli, from the last breath of an empire to the modern pulse of Istanbul. She is a survivor first and a luxury yacht second. Still sailing, still remembering.
Built in 1914 and launched as Reshid Pasha, she was requisitioned by the British Admiralty and renamed Waterwitch. She carried troops, messages, and urgency across the Aegean. After the Armistice, she returned to Istanbul as a fleet messenger for the occupying forces. A foreign ship navigating an empire on the brink of transformation.
When the Republic of Turkey was founded, she was finally returned to her original owners and given a new name: Halas, meaning Salvation. Few ships have ever carried their destiny so openly in their name.
For the next sixty years, Halas ferried thousands of Istanbulites across the Bosphorus - students, bankers, fishermen, families, lovers - all of them held for a moment in the same quietly cinematic frame: Europe on one side, Asia on the other.
A Vessel Rescued, Then Reborn
By the 1980s, Halas was set to be dismantled. Instead, she was rescued and transformed into a private yacht, then restored once more in 2010 by the late Mustafa Koç and Caroline Koç. Today, she is one of Istanbul’s most iconic luxury yachts, hosting intimate cruises and exclusive events for guests who appreciate history as deeply as comfort.
And though many ships survived Gallipoli, Halas is the only one still sailing.
View of Halas 71 sailing in Turkish Waters
A Postcard of Origins
For Des Épigraphes, Halas 71 marks a turning point. It is our first postcard outside Paris and Rome, and our first in Istanbul: a return, a beginning, and an hommage.
For Tolga Avan, founder of the brand, this collaboration felt instinctive, a way to honour the waters that shaped his family and the city that shaped his imagination. Des Épigraphes has always balanced elegance with memory; in Istanbul, that heritage becomes personal.
Just as our colour palette once paid tribute to Turkey’s imperial past through the deep Tyrion purple of the Byzantine Empire, the Halas postcard pays tribute to its maritime soul: to crossings, arrivals, and salvations.
Still Sailing, Still Telling Stories
Halas accommodates 24 guests in 12 suites and up to 120 for private events, but her true luxury lies elsewhere: in standing on her deck at sunrise, feeling the vibration of a ship that has survived wars, reinventions, and the slow, beautiful patience of Istanbul.
Halas 71 on the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, between Europe and Asia
For Des Épigraphes, capturing Halas meant capturing a lineage: a vessel that has lived many lives, and the emotional geography of a city so dear to the brand’s universe.
Halas is proof that some stories, when loved enough, refuse to stay still.
