Finally I have an hour or so to bring you all up to date on our travels. We have, as always, been going flat out with our whirlwind tour with not enough time to appreciate all the wonderful sites we visit.

I cannot remember but I think in the last blog entry we were in Beirut. It is a beautiful city and the country side is mountainous and very lush. It has all sorts of possibilities if ever they find peace in the country. There was and is much fighting in Tripoli right now. The very best thing that happened to us there was on June 05th Andrew and Lindsay had another little boy named Callum to bother his big brother Eamon. We can't wait to get home to see him. This is the worst part of traveling the seven seas.

We left for Haifa on the sixth and arrived on the seventh and right away did a half day tour of the city and the Bahia Gardens then had an evening party with what else but more dinner drink and dancing. Sleep is not compulsory!?

The next morning on the bus and off to Galilee. We stopped at Nazareth and saw the Basilica of the Annunciation. Very touristy. Then on to the sea of Galilee and to the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. This place is very touristy as you have to enter through a huge gift and bric-a-brac shop. The Golan Heights above the Sea of Galilee was most interesting from present day history with the Israelis controlling the area after the 1983 war with Syria. We had lunch at a kibbutz in the Golan. Then two more biblical sites which again were very touristy. They were the Mount of the Beatitudes and the loaves and fishes.

On the eighth we begged off a half day tour and the evening dinner out with an Israeli family as we hit the wall as it were and Marian was not feeling that well. I should tell of our arrival to Israel as we had to go to specific way points and were intercepted by the Israeli gun boats and checked out. Their concern was that another yacht not belonging to the rally could slip in with us thus being able to sneak into the country. They are very security conscious here.

We left next for Ashkelon which is just a couple of miles north of the Gaza Strip. I'm sure you all know more than we do about what is happening as no one has the time to watch or read the news. We do know that there were loud explosions to the south of us!! Anyway it did not slow us up one little bit. On our arrival there was a fire boat spraying all around us and when we got to the docks there was wonderful jazz playing and kegs of cold beer and snacks for us to devour after yet another all night passage.That evening we had another great party with fire works and a small orchestra playing great music with singers that had great voices. Great party.

Up and at em early for a trip to Masada and the Dead Sea. Masada is amazing having held out against the Romans for years. Next the Dead Sea where we all went for a swim or should I say a float! It is a very strange feeling just floating around with no possibility of sinking. It made for some funny photos.

On the 13th, in the morning this time, we all left for a 124 mile run to Port Said. We have two extra guests on board as their boat was left in Ashkelon. Bridget and Gerry. We arrived off the Port on the morning of the 14th and all the boats formed up in a circle with all our dress flags up. Then the Suez Canal was shut down to commercial traffic and we all proceeded down the canal to the Arsenal Basin which is a military base. This took over an hour and we must have looked a pretty site. We never get to see the local news and press in the countries that we visit but they are always there wanting to do interviews and take lots of pictures. We seem to be fairly big news in most countries. That evening the buses picked us up and off we went for a city reception of local dancing etc. There are a lot of guns, police and military here. On the buses we have armed guards with automatic weapons and a couple of bags of extra stuff which no one really wanted to know about. Also a military escort of motorcycles and Jeeps with armed troops. Where ever we go in Egypt it was the same with all the side roads blocked by the military so that we were unimpeded and could just go speeding by. This is impressive on a three hour drive to Cairo!! This we did the next day visiting in this order the Mohammad Ali Mosque, Cairo Museum which you could spend weeks exploring, the Bazaar "Khan Khalili" which is huge, then into modern Cairo to play with Feluccas,which are the sailing boats of the Nile, racing as sailors do against each other having a few cool ones then onto the Meridian hotel overlooking the pyramids. What a great site!! But this is not all as we had a swim then off on the bus to another major dinner!! Wow I hope we survive! Up for a leisurely breakfast then over to the pyramids. They are huge! Marian and I walked through a four foot tunnel to the center of one. I don't think we would advise it as there was not much air and it was hot. We did the touristy thing and rode a camel from the pyramids down to the Sphinx. Again an amazing site that gives you goose bumps when you see it. I feel this is the most impressive and interesting site of our tour. We left for Port Said in the afternoon and stopped at a small marina half way down the Suez where we can stop when we transit the canal probably in a few years time, although there is a possibility we may go there next spring? More to follow.

On the 17th we had a free day in Port Said and just wandered around. That evening we had a gala dinner with lots of entertainment of singing and dancing. We have seen a few whirling dervish performances but tonight the dancer was just amazing going on for at least 20 minutes with the most elaborate costume we have seen. The venue for this dinner with all the dignitaries was around the swimming pool of a big hotel right at the beginning of the Suez Canal. While all the entertainment was going on there were huge freighters going by on the canal. Quiet a sight.

The 18th found us all queuing up again to transit the canal the same as when we came in with again the canal being shut down for our departure. This leg is 136 nm and is the final leg of the rally. Again entering Israeli territory we had procedures to follow and the military boats intercepting us. We arrived in Herzliya which is just a few miles north of Tel Aviv and a very modern marina with restaurants and shopping mall attached. We ordered a new main sail here and it will be ready when we return in August. Also have arranged to leave Kilkea II here at the marina and have her looked after and washed by a local service company.

Now it is the 20th and the last day of the EMYR. There has been lots of talking, drinking and exchanging of boat cards but there is one more final dinner, flag ceremonies and dancing. We all made it!!

Well just to prove that we are not totally wrecked eight of us have organized a tour to Jordan for four days. We were driven to the border between Israel and Jordan and went through all the customs procedures and were picked up on the Jordanian side by our guide. He wanted to show us more Crusader castles and Roman ruins (bones and stones!) but we have seen enough right now and gave them a quick drive by. So it was a drive south through the valley of the moon to Petra. This is the place Indiana Jones was filmed, I think the last of the episodes. The evening we arrived there was a walk through the Siq which is a very narrow cut through the rocks to a central area with a huge rock carving actually a grave they call The Treasury. All this was done lit by candles in bags all through the Siq so we had some strange shadows playing on the walls. We sat in the center to listen to local music. Not sure what instrument but one of the old ones played in ancient times. It was interesting to sit there listening and looking up at the stars above the canyon rim and see a satellite go cruising by. An amazing feeling being in such an old place with ancient origins and seeing the modern world going by. Hard to explain. The next morning we were up early and spent the whole day walking and hiking around this ancient city that had 38000 inhabitants. They carved these amazing caves with facades of building on the outside. These were their graves and they must have spent their whole lives planning these places. It is not just a few they are all over the place which would cover many square miles. We did not get back to the hotel until after 7 pm. A long day and it was hot!! The next morning we drove down to Aquaba on the Red Sea where it was really HOT 45C!! We had lunch and visited the yacht club where some of us may go some day. In the afternoon we went to Wadi Rum in the middle of the desert for a Jeep ride through the area ending up watching the sundown sitting up on a ledge overlooking the desert drinking wine etc. Then is was off to a tent camp. It was hot, dirty and not something any of us would ever do again but it was an experience that we will long remember. So a drive the next day back to Israel through some interesting country.

We had Monday off to ready the boat and get our things ready to go back to Vancouver on Tuesday. This was a good plan but as I have said it is very hot here and when we got to the airport the flight was delayed four hours and even though they had seats empty they were weight limited so we could not get on.... Oh well here I am back on the boat which we moved this morning to a more secure place in the marina. This is good as no one knows we are still here so no parties tonight and I can finally catch up on our adventures. Our plan is to go home until the 10th of August living on and enjoying our power boat then going to Ireland for Marian's Mum's 90th birthday party. After that we will visit new friends Jens and Valerie in Frankfurt before getting back here the end of August and returning to Turkey and having more friends and family join us for some fall cruising as the weather will be better then.

It appears that I started an entry the other day that I thought I had lost!!!

Israel

Hello again,

Well I'll try to catch up on our adventures. After leaving Beriut we went to Haifa where we were met on the way in by gun boats and other naval vessels who checked us all out before allowing us to proceed to the harbour. Lots of talk on the radio as we even had code words to give them if we had any problems. They really want to know who is entering their waters.! In Haifa we were rafted together as their marine facilities are limited but not their friendlyness. We stayed a couple of days and explored the town which had just been shelled .... and then a day visiting some of the area of the Sea of Galaly, the Golan Heights, Jordon River etc. most all of which were Christian sites of places Jesus's miricals.

Beiriut

Iskenderun Turkey Friday May 25th,

We arrived here at 0830 after another night passage. We do not find this any problem as Marian and I can switch off and get enough sleep so that when we arrive we feel OK. We stern tie all the boats and it is done by groups of which there are six. We belonging to the bigger boats dock first. Each group has an arrival time so that there is not a huge crunch and then those who are here first help the others tie up. This takes a couple of hours and many beers to complete. We hope to survive the rally!!

We spent the day swimming and drinking too much then out for the rally dinner. These dinners we have at each port are put on by the local governments and are formal affairs which means jackets and ties for the men and smart dresses for the ladies. Most except for the pirate party in Cyprus are outdoor gatherings at historic sites in the cities we are visiting. The meals are all amazing with many courses and much wine and drink. There are always presentations to be made and a few speeches then dancing to local bands or groups until the wee hours of the morning. This makes for a long day so that when we do get back to the boat we just drop only to have the alarm go a 0700. Then it is up for coffee and on the buses at 0800 for a tour of the historic sites in the area we are visiting. Turkey is just a mass of ruins! You can go anywhere and see old, real old, towns and villages going back thousands of years. Just trying to get the time line of all the different periods is difficult as civilizations go back to 1000 BC and much more! In Iskenderun we went over the mountains (over six thousand feet) across a plain to the ancient city of Antioch and visited museums and St Peters church which is reputed to be the first Christian church then through Roman tunnels which were carved through solid rock. We are lucky to live in this time and not as a slave chipping away at rocks for twelve years. Always on the these tours we stop for lunch which is all prepared and waiting for us. These are always good with the local meses and main courses with always a beer. Marian is even getting to like beer! Mind you the temperature is in the mid thirties and promises to get warmer as we now will start moving south. We can not go any further east in the Med as we have run out of water to cruise on!! We look at the map of the world and wonder how in the heck did we get here.

On the 27th in the evening we left for Lattakia in Syria arriving around 10 am. Again helped docking all the boats, we stern tie here with anchors or lazy lines to central anchors, which takes a few hours. Then with all the formalities completed with customs etc, it was time for a shower then the rally dinner and finally to bed around midnight. We were off on the buses early 0730 to visit Crac des Chevaliers which is a well preserved crusader castle in good shape then out over the desert to Palmyra. This is half way to the Iraq boarder in the middle of the desert and was once the main city of the caravans on the silk road. It is a huge site and must have been spectacular in its day and a great relief to the travellers arriving form the east. Then it was off to Damascus, three hours away. We stayed in a 5 star hotel with all the trappings and we realized that Marian and I have not slept ashore since before Christmas! We are really getting to be boat people. Just enough time for a shower then off the most beautiful restaurant yet with whirling Dervish dancers and local music and dancing. The dinner was great.

30th We did the city museums which are again amazing along with visiting the grand mosque and souks. Another 3 hour bus ride where we discussed politics with the guide. Interesting!!

31ST Again buses to Aleppo 3 hours away to the north east. Lovely ride through the mountains then to the huge citadel in the middle of the city lunch and the souks which are big shopping bazaars then back to the boats.

June 1st. Saladin's castle then Ugarit where the Alphabet was first started and found in the graves under the homes. Then back to the boats and off to Lebanon in the late afternoon for the 105nm sail. We have to be careful with all the problems over here and have specific positions to round so as not to bring patrol boats down on us. There is a lot of naval presence with a number of German ships under UN control along the Lebanese coast. So far no problems. Arrived here around noon the 2nd. The marina here is a private club with huge swimming pools and restaurants and is Christian. There is a huge rift here between the Christian and Muslims as you all know. The thing is there are so many different factions of both. We are trying to understand the situation but everyone you talk to has a different slant on the history and solutions. We are also here at a time when there are problems and open fighting going on as well as car bombs and bus attacks happening. Beirut is a huge city though and we have not seen any problems although when six of us went to dinner in the city it was obvious things were not right as we were the only patrons in a very exclusive restaurant and there was little or no traffic on the street. On the way back to the boats there were many military moving on the highways as well as road blocks manned by the military.

Today is Tuesday the fifth. We have to look at the calender to know. The saying here is that sleep in not compulsory and it sure is true!!! We have not been getting enough so that today we cancelled on the tour and slept in. One can only see so many rocks and ruins. We have a big rally dinner tonight then will be off to Haifa tomorrow which is another 100 mile sail and we are told that the Israel navy will be intercepting us with lots of harassment. Just what we all need after being up all night. Actually it is not too bad as Marian and I switch off and manage to get enough sleep. We are getting good at averaging 5 hours a day.

Lebanon is a very beautiful country and Beirut a beautiful city but we do not feel that safe here and will be glad to move on. If they get their political problems fixed we would love to come back as the people are all very friendly and kind.