EMYR 2011–Cyprus, Famagusta and on to Lebanon

After a brilliant sail from Karpas gate we arrived in Famagusta at 6 pm. We had the option of anchoring in the outer harbour (very smelly due to the commercial traffic) or rafting up with other boats along side in the commercial port. The harbourmaster had done a brilliant job clearing 400 metres of quayside of all commercial ships to accommodate us – all done with less than 24 hours notice, brilliant. We decided to go alongside and rafted up against a very expensive 55 foot Nauticat, needless to say they were very attentive as we came alongside!

Within five minutes, after we had ‘dressed’ the boat with bunting we were invited aboard ‘Endeavour’ for the traditional ‘landing’ beer. Although we were all very weary, we had another great, fun evening. The following morning we were all called to a skippers and crew meeting with our group leader to discuss the next stage of the journey – to Lebanon. It was a very serious meeting! Verner explained that we were entering an area that was in ‘crisis’ and that we had to follow very strict rules to ensure we stayed out of prison (or worse!). Firstly we were not allowed to enter Southern Cyprus waters on our way across – the two coastguards Northern Turkish and Southern Greek had recently had another big bust up and if we strayed South, we would end up in a Greek jail! We were given a way point to stay North of and were also given instructions for when we got close to Beirut, in Lebanon. The Lebanese coast is controlled and patrolled by the UN and should we be approached we were given strict orders of what to say. Following the meeting, we had a walk into Famagusta old town, which is very picturesque and well worth a longer visit on our return journey if we get the chance. We managed to find a lovely coffee shop and patisserie, where we mulled over all of the instructions with a cup of coffee, and Helen bought some essential supplies for our overnight crossing.

We had an amazing sail over to Lebanon. We expected it to take about 21 hours and had allowed plenty of time as we thought we would have to motor sail all the way, and didn’t want to thrash the engine. In the end we sailed for a good 14 hours, and even had to reef the sails to slow down because we were terrified of reaching the Lebanese waypoint too early and being challenged by a warship! The rally is starting to get really interesting now we are sailing into what they politely call ‘Crisis zones’. A few boats were approached by UN warships on route to Lebanon, and had to declare their intentions. On arrival, the Lebanese army were being very efficient and wanted to search each boat in turn on the fuel quay before we were allowed to enter the marina - 55 boats, 20 minutes each, a very long wait. We were all told to anchor in the bay outside the marina and wait to be called in to the fuel berth for checking. Luckily after about 6 boats the army saw sense and decided to check us after we were moored up. We were called in and managed to fuel up before mooring, but we all had our passports confiscated, and the boat was searched by army personnel. There is a strong military presence everywhere, and they are all heavily armed with big machine guns. It all makes the adventure a bit more exciting!!

The marina is run by and for rich Christians, and is also very smart, with a huge sports complex and fantastic swimming pools attached. All of the EMYR boats are moored together bow to stern and side by side like cattle in a pen though; makes for a cosy chat with your neighbours!

After all the excitement of the overnight sail and the eventful mooring procedures, all we wanted to do was sleep, but as the rally motto states, sleep is optional, so we piled on to a coach and were taken the 15km into downtown Beirut for an evening visit.

There has been massive investment from some very wealthy Arabs, and the new shopping area and banking districts are very smart indeed, and modern, but perhaps a little soulless. You don’t have to go far to find bombed out apartment blocks and there is a very sharp contrast between the high end designer shops and smart restaurants, and the poorer areas. As part of the demolition and rebuilding after the war, they have unearthed some magnificent Roman ruins, and have preserved them beautifully, and in a way that makes them very accessible. We only saw a fraction of the city, but you really get the impression that this could take off as a tourist destination if only they could stay at peace for long enough. There is no government at the moment, so Justin thought he might apply for the job!! We were given some free time at the end of the evening (although by this stage we would probably rather have been in bed!) so we had a lovely Lebanese meal in a local restaurant with some of our friends – a great end to a very tiring couple of days.