Dear Friends of EMYR 2008,

There are now 80 yachts from 17 different countries with 237 crews registered for the Rally. Still there is a waiting list for 13 yachts and we believe that few of the registered yachts will cancel their participation due to some reasons until the rally start and we will be able to invite the most of the yachts on the waiting list.
We are in contact with all the marinas in Turkey and the other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean and all our friends are working to make the EMYR 2008 another wonderful event.
The Rally Manual for 2007 is still on our web site www.emyr.org and Dave and Kath are updating part of it currently. The complete new EMYR2008 Rally Manual (Rally Bible) will be posted on our web site by the end of March. The final hard copy version, which will include a list of participants and their group assignments, will be available to each yacht at their joining port. This contains about 80 pages of important information for Rally participants. In the manual, there is a section on the history of the Middle East and a summary of the places that we will visit on the tours under each port. Don’t miss the 2 subsections that have the passage/harbor information, routes, harbor plans and pictures.  Most of your questions can be answered by reference to our newsletters and the manual, both of which are posted on the web site, and we ask you to do this rather than send e-mails to the committee. Please reread the December 2007 newsletter since it contains valuable information that is not repeated here. The committee will be happy to respond to your questions but most can be answered from reading the website.
The start of the Rally will be at Ataköy Marina and there will be 11 yachts including SYMashona Kath & Dave the Committee Members who will lead the rally down the Turkish Coast.  Part of the committee will be in Ataköy Marina to meet the group and wish them safe sailing to the southern coast of Turkey.

GROUPS: We have organized the Rally into six groups based on LOA (length over all) which implies relatively similar performance. The ‘preliminary’ group lists are posted already on our web site and it will be updated with the cancellations and the new entries. At all harbors/marinas, mooring will be assigned by group. Please see the Rally manual which describes this.

NORTH CYPRUS: At Girne, three of the groups will be in Delta Marina at the commercial harbor at Girne, where they will find electrical power, water, internet and very good WC facilities available. Unfortunately it is about five km from the Old Harbor and Castle where the rest of the rally will be berthed, although it is in the city. Marina Manager İlkin Kalıpçıoğlu has reported that bus transportation will be provided for the rally before each social event and taxis will be available for hire for return journeys. Hasan will visit Girne on 19th March 2008 to meet Dave, Gülden & İlkin and to discuss the details of EMYR visit with the local authorities.

SAFETY: Foremost in the minds of the Committee Members is the safety and enjoyment or the Rally participants. Therefore, the Committee is watching the political/security situation in the entire Middle East very closely. We monitor the travel advisories of the British Foreign Office and the U.S. State Department. We are on an automatic distribution list of the U.S. State Department and will be advised immediately by e-mail of changes in the security situation of the countries we will visit. At the present time our assessment is that the political/security situation is stable and will allow us to continue with our preparations for the Rally. We will however, continually monitor the situation and make adjustments accordingly. We remind each owner/skipper that they are individually responsible for the safety decisions concerning their yacht.

BERTHING; With 80 (eighty) yachts participating in various legs of the Rally, berthing will be very tight at many of the marinas we visit and some will require having two tiers of yachts at the quay. This will require walking across other boats to access the quay, will limit the shore electrical power and water available to yachts and will strain the onshore shower, toilet and laundry facilities. Much good humor, tolerance and patience will be required! Also, it is recommended that you have a stern anchor available for use if at all possible. The use of generators should be limited as not to cause nuisance to other yachts.

N. CYPRUS: We have only one problem and very important. Marina in the middle of the city is full and always very difficult to find spaces for half of the EMYR fleet. We will find more information after our meeting on 19th March 2008 at Lefkoşa – Nicosia.

SYRIA : All looks fine and arranged for the rally visit according to Maissa & Raed, Marina Operators and our representatives at Lattakia.

LEBANON : Anita Khoury has reported that it is safe to have the tours even to Balbeek and Jean Philippe El Khazen has informed us that there is no risk at all to sail to Jounieh at the moment.

ISRAEL: You all hear the news but we believe that it is safe enough to keep the program as it is announced. Haifa Carmel Club Commodore Azi Bilik, Ashkelon Marina Manager Hillel Reshef, Herzliya Marina Manager Amir Tzinder are organizing everything nicely as usual for our visit.

EGYPT: If you wish to leave your yacht at Askelon Marina in Israel and travel on other people’s yachts for the last 2 legs of the Rally (to and from Egypt), there will be transportation available when we return to Herzliya to take you to Ashkelon (30 miles) to retrieve your yachts. If you are not planning to go to Port Said, please let us know as soon as you make that decision, so that we can plan ahead. Our Port Said representative and friend Nagib Latif has reported that all is arranged and Magdi Osman, the tour operator has organized even better program for this year.

JERUSALEM & JORDAN TOUR: After the final Rally dinner in Herzliya, we will have the opportunity to have a day tour to visit Jerusalem as an EMYR Group. The EMYR Yacht crews, individually or in groups, can organize Jordan Tours. Descriptions of Jerusalem and Jordan Tours will be on the website under ‘tours’. We were kept waiting for several hours at the Jordanian/Israeli border due to the complicated visa procedure to cross the border on the way to Jordan and on the way back to Israel year before. This year, therefore, we will not organize the Jordan tour for the entire Rally Group. If they wish, smaller groups may organize their own tours with the help of Herzliya Marina and tour operators that they will have available at the marina. Kath on Mashona has written a guide to independent travel in Israel and Jordon that is announced on the EMYR web site.

INSPECTION of the radar reflectors, flares, VHF radios, life rafts, navigation lights will be done in Kekova, Finike & Kemer marinas by the group leaders. All the above items should be in proper working order.

REMINDERS!!

□ Shirt sizes: Please e-mail the Rally secretary with shirt sizes for crew (S, M, L, XL, XXL) if you have not already done so.
□ Passport Information: Faruk Günlü, Rally Secretary at Göcek has all crew passport information. Please inform him if there are any changes in your crew passports.
□ Reservations: If you are planning to arrive at a port before the designated Rally date, stay longer than the Rally date or return after the Rally, you must have reservations, and pay the agreed fees. Some marinas will have special rates for yachts returning after the Rally depending on the length of your stay. Please contact the marina managements individually. Their contact addresses are on the EMYR web site.
□ VISAS: If you are arriving at a country before the designated Rally date, staying longer or returning after the Rally, you must have the appropriate VISA that you obtain on arrival, except for Syria and Lebanon, where you must obtain the visa from the embassy in your own country. If flying into or out of any country to join or leave the rally, you must have a valid VISA for that country.
□ Pets: There have not been any problems in past rallies for pets on board yachts. Please keep a valid vaccination certificate for each pet on board. The immigration officials in Girne may request that you keep your pets on board whilst in Cyprus. Having pets on board will not necessarily mean you will get preferential berthing positions.
□ Money: After İskenderun, American dollars are necessary for payment of the tours and fees, and the availability of ATMs is limited although Euro becomes more popular in the region after each year. Please be sure that you all have enough dollars with you in cash. See tour/fee information attachment to determine how much each person and boat will need.
 □ Dress: Some events on the Rally are ‘formal’, requiring jackets and ties for the men, and dreses for ladies.and don’t forget the pirate costume!
□ Fuel: Refuel when entering harbors and marinas if possible. Note that updated fuel prices for most of the harbors will be provided at the briefing at Kemer.
□ Fire extinguishers: With so many yachts moored in so tightly, the hazards of fire are unthinkable. Please be sure that you have adequate fire extinguishers on board and that they are current and in working order.
□ Grey or black water: Some harbors/marinas are absolutely stringent about no dumping of grey or black water overboard. Be prepared with holding tanks, or else there must be NO washing dishes, showering, washing decks with soap or emptying toilets overboard in these harbors/marinas. There are restaurants and facilities available. Detailed information will be provided prior to arriving at these sensitive harbors.
Boats not complying with this rule may be asked to leave the rally.
□Meetings: There will be a mandatory meeting at Kemer at the City Hall for all participants. Also, there are group meetings before each passage.
 □ Passages: There are NINE (9) overnight passages after Kemer. Do you have adequate crew? We realize that this is an ambitious schedule of passages and tours but it is necessary in order to not inconvenience the local fishing boats and yachts owners, who have to give up their berths for the Rally. Tired crew can lead to short tempers and intolerance and would defeat the purpose of the Rally. Keep smiling!!
□ Provisioning/Spare parts: Please remember that there will be large numbers of participants using the facilities, shops, restaurants and chandleries so plan your activities accordingly and please be patient. Have your yacht stocked with supplies before leaving on the Rally.Spares may not be available at some ports.
□ Arrivals/departures of this number of yachts will require patience and tolerance. We must all act to make this a wonderful experience for ourselves and everyone else. It is an incredible opportunity for us! Be happy!!
□ Other websites that you may want to check include:
www.israeli-marinas.co.il     www.syrianyachtclub.org     www.atcl.org    www.gemyatdelta.com
A list of medically qualified people (doctors, nurses, dentists etc.) can be very useful during the rally in case of emergency. Please inform the Rally Committee if you or any member of your crew who is qualified would be willing to be added to the list.
The Rally Commodore Teoman Arsay may change the beginning part of the program from İstanbul to Ayvalık Marina and we will confirm the below schedule for the Rally Yachts that they will be in İstanbul for the start.

EMYR Rally Coordinator, Umut Tepedelenlioğlu has moved to İstanbul New Pendik Marina as a marina manager and unfortunately had to leave Kemer Marina. This is good news for us as we have a new base at Pendik Marina – İstanbul and also another new friend Cüneyt Koşu, became a manager of Kemer Marina.
Hasan Kaçmaz will have a meting with the EMYR Sailors at Kemer Marina next week and there will be one other EMYR sailors meeting will be held at Yacht Marine - Marmaris.
There will be last Newsletter to be announced in April 2008 before the rally starts at İstanbul and we will meet altogether soon at Kemer by 12th May 2008. There is a new section on the EMYR web site for the frequent questions & replies. You may find it interesting and useful.
We are confident that this is going to be a wonderful and rewarding Rally and we look forward to sharing the experience with all of you.

THE EMYR’2008 COMMITTEE

Kath & David Gerrard            Hasan Kaçmaz                 Shirley & Geoffrey Withrington     SY Mashona UK              SY IBIS II, Turkey                      SY Three Sheets, UK

                              Umut Tepedelenlioğlu                         Faruk Günlü
                                EMYR Coordinator                      EMYR Secretary