The first to cross the Sahara
The first person to go to the North Pole (Spitsbergen)
The first Turk to complete a two-time round-the-world trip.
Between 1970 and 1976, he completed his first circumnavigation of the globe, crossing the Atlantic Ocean at the age of 20. He holds the title of the second Turk to complete a circumnavigation of the world by sailboat (the first being Sadun Boro). Due to having trained numerous sailing instructors, he is known as the "Teacher of Teachers" in Turkish sailing.
She founded the first women's sailing team in Türkiye, competed against 315 boats in the ARC 2005 sailing race, brought Türkiye a second-place finish, and was awarded by the Turkish Olympic Committee.

Cumhur Gökova, the child of a family of Caucasian origin, was born in Sakarya on July 15, 1950. The adventure books about the sea that he read in his childhood awakened in him the desire to travel the world at a very young age. With the support of his father, İhsan Gökova, a teacher who graduated from a Village Institute, he prepared for his world voyage.
After falsifying his age and completing his military service, he went to Switzerland for preparations. During his studies in Switzerland, he began sailing on Lake Zurich. After receiving training at a sailing school, he decided that the safest and most comfortable way to circumnavigate the globe was by sailboat. Together with an Italian friend, Gökova embarked on a round-the-world trip, first touring Europe by land between 1970 and 1972. He then sailed along the European coast, reaching as far as the North Pole. After crossing the Sahara Desert, he began his circumnavigation of the globe by sea. His journey ended in 1976.
He attended maritime schools in Canada, England, and America, and participated in seminars that gave him the opportunity to open schools abroad representing Canada. He became one of only seven people to be able to open schools abroad representing Canada. He opened his first school in Marmaris under the name "Canada Sailing Academy." This was followed by the RYA school affiliated with the Royal Yachting Association, the International Yachtmaster Training (IYT) school, and the "Private Gökova Maritime School" affiliated with the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Turkey. He has trained sailors in his school who are qualified to undertake circumnavigations of the globe, as well as producing professional Turkish captains. As of February 2023, the number of captains he has graduated reached 18,019.
While serving as the commodore of the Marmaris International Sailing Club for a period, he contributed to making the Marmaris International Race the 7th largest race in the world. He also organized the 480-mile Marmaris-Israel race, Turkey's longest race, with the support of the Turkish Naval Forces Command.
He had his first marriage with Güler Taşyar, who was also Circassian. This marriage, which lasted 25 years, produced two sons, Atilla and Tolga. He travelled across North America and Southern Europe by land with his wife and son Atilla. Both of his sons became sailing instructors.
On August 1, 2008, he married Maisa, who was 28 years younger than him and also Circassian. On October 10, 2010, he and Maisa embarked on their second round-the-world trip on their boat, "GÖKOVA." The journey, which began in Marmaris, ended there on April 10, 2012.
In 2018, his youngest son, Muhammed Gökova, came in second in his group at the European Optimist Championship held in St. Petersburg.
In 2022, their eldest sons, Tolga and Atilla Gökova, set a new Turkish Tour record in the Duo class with a time of 13 days and 15 hours. This record surpassed the previous record of 16 days, becoming the new course record.
Currently, Cumhur Gökova continues his favorite job as a captain instructor in Marmaris.