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June 15, 2008

Hi All
Happy Father's Day to all of our father friends. But special wishes to Grandpa Fraher, Grandpa Pribyl, and our son Patrick. We had a fantastic visit to Cairo with our guide Khaled. Most hilarious was our police escort from Port Said to Cario and back. We would travel in the left lane and they traveled along side in covered pick-up trucks. Each truck had at least 8 armed men. Sirens blared as they alerted traffic to our passage. The local police of the city would stop in coming traffic to the highway as we passed. When we reached the border of Port Said that patrol honked and waved good-bye as the next escort picked us up. People on the streets waved as we passed as if we were dignitaries. We visited Ali Mosque and the citadel first. Then the Cairo Museum. We spent most of our time in the King Tut exhibit and the mummies. It was most impressive and so helpful to see the artifacts and statues before visiting the pyramids. We had a better sense of how the temples might have looked. Next we had a 3 hour lunch/shopping trip at Khan Khalili Bazaar. It's fun to look but living on a boat stops the temptation to buy anything. We drove to the River Nile where we boarded five Feluccas (traditional Nile sailing boats) for a cocktail sail. Ivo from "Movimento" (EMYR boat) sailed our boat while the owner removed the sun canvas. We were quite proud when we caught up to and passed other boats. Our hotel was very nice Huge swimming pool...unfortunately we didn't bring our suits. We had a nice dinner and an excellent nights sleep. Today Mike S., Al, and I slept in while brother Mike and others went on the Papyrus Institute trip. Sleep was a luxury the three of us just couldn't give up after two months of rigorous travel. We then spent 3 hours at the Pyramids. That truly was exciting. The highlight of the day was a 30 minute camel ride by the pyramids. Al, brother Mike, and I gave in and spent $13 each and it was well spent. The camels had halters and a lead rope that our driver attached to our friend Gus' camel. To my dismay the lead fell off of the back horn on the saddle and my camel decided he was going back home. Thankfully my driver caught his lead and my bumpy trot was short lived. It was an awesome feeling riding in the desert next to the pyramids. I spent an extra $5 to crawl down inside the 2nd pyramid The tunnel went downhill about 50 meters. The tunnel was 1.5 X 1.2 meters and very musty smelling. After that 50m we had about 20m of upright passage and then another 50 meters up into the main burial chamber. That room was about 6 X 10 meter room. Our last stop for the day was pictures by the sphinx. We were "pinching ourselves" all weekend. It's so hard to believe where we are. The most bazaar sight during the trip home was looking out into the sand dunes and seeing huge ships and tankers passing on the Suez Canal. Another was women walking down the road with huge baskets or jars balanced on their heads without using their hands. Tonight we had another Rally Dinner. We had kids dancing for us ranging in age from 8-14 years. Such fun, so full of energy, and lots of rhythm. Another great meal and entertainment. Tomorrow we leave early for Hertzliya, Israel the last port of the EMYR. (134 nm)

Love Sally and Al

 


June 13, 2008

Hi All
We arrived safely outside Port Said about 5 AM and had to wait until 6:30 before we could "parade" into Port Said canal to the Arsenal Marina. Tomorrow morning we leave for an overnight to Cairo. Highlights include Mohammed Ali Mosque, Cairo Museum, visit bazaar Khan Khalili, sail river Nile with Feluccas. Our hotel is by the Pyramids. Sunday visit Pyramids then back to Port Said via Ismailia. We'll have a Rally Dinner. We'll return to Herzliya, Israel on Monday June 16 arriving on Tues. June 17.

Love Sally and Al


June 11-12, 2008

Hi All
Tom and Bev Walton on "Half Moon" drove to Ashkelon to spend the afternoon with us. They stayed for part of the Rally Cocktail party. Unfortunately they had to leave before the food was served and the entertainment began. Ashkelon had great food and plenty of it. The Russian dancing girls in skimpy beaded outfits and feather headdress's came next. We had great music so lots of dancing occurred. Remember to ask Mike Sikorra about his French dancing partner when you see him next. The Rally made the decision earlier in the evening to delay our trip to Egypt. We had 3 meter seas to beat into and many boats were canceling this leg of the trip. So yesterday we walked out to the lighthouse and watched the surfers riding the waves. Then we decided to walk into the shopping area about 3 miles from the harbor. It's strange seeing so many guards and military personal wearing guns and carrying machine guns. People through out Israel have bomb shelters in their homes and have to use them. What a way to live...We had a great pita lunch and then found a nicer way back to the marina through parks and along a beautiful white sand beach. Surfers were having a great time the waves had increased since morning. We had a Group 4 Pot Luck dinner last night and we left early this morning for Port Said, Egypt. The wind switched last night to the NW but very light. So we still have the 1-2 meter seas to contend with. We should arrive outside the Suez Canal tomorrow morning about 5 AM. When the whole fleet is there we'll form a line and head in together. Sadly about 20 boats chose not to make the trip to Egypt (weather conditions or just worn out from all the overnights with only two people on board). We'll meet up with them again next week in Herzliya Israel for the final Rally Dinner.

Love Sally and Al


June 8-10, 2008

Hi All
We arrived iN Ashkelon, Israel about noon on Sunday. The first leg of the trip took us four hours to sail. 9 nm. Then we made our turn keeping us a minimum 6nm off Israel's coastline. It was pretty rolly and ended up motoring the next 12 hours. The marina was serving beer and signing us up for tours. We grilled some nice Lebanese steaks for dinner. Monday we had a tour of Masada and the Dead Sea. We traveled through the Negev Desert to Masada. Masad is a mountain top fortress on the western shore of the Dead Sea. It's the remains of elaborate buildings built by Herod the Great during his reign in 1st BC. Masada is a symbol of freedom and courage to Jews because of it's history. there's an old Richard Harris movie called Masada. Jewish revolt against Rome in 1st BC when the Zealots held out against Rome for three years at Masada before choosing suicide over surrender. We rode a cable car to the top and the views of the Dead Sea were spectacular. After lunch we went to the Dead Sea where many people swam (floated) Mike Fraher was the only one aboard Artemis to go in. I had open sores Mike S. didn't want to change into his suit behind a towel, and Al didn't like the looks of the water. The life guards main job was to calm people down as they would panic when unable to put their feet down. The water is so salty it makes it difficult to maneuver. You are so buoyant you need to roll over before standing up. "Lady in the pink glasses, lady in the pink glasses, relax, relax and start swimming toward shore." We had 4 birthday cakes and impromptu cocktail party. Tonight we have a formal Rally Cocktail party and entertainment. Tomorrow we leave at 5 AM for Egypt.

Hi All
It's been a rocky ride so far and no sailing. The boys asked "What's for lunch?" and I answered "Tuna". Sikorra said "You mean the one I was suppose to catch?" I told them I had canned tuna just in case. We had a nice lunch and then the excitement started. Suddenly the line on the starboard fishing pole started to run out. We were slow to react after all the teasing we'd been dishing out to Sikorra for the past half hour. After about 20 minutes we got a good look at his gorgeous yellow fin tuna. The next course of conversation was how are we going to get this "sucker" up into the boat. It kept diving and Sikorra kept reeling him in, playing and trying to tire him out. It was a question of who was wearing who out. But Sikorra was the victor. He reeled him in close to the boat and Al was able to scoop him with our fishnet. Whrew it was on board. Mike F poured gin into his gills and eventually we got him into the cockpit. Amazing! He was so beautiful. One gorgeous fish! It was hard to hold him up on the scale to weigh him with the boat rolling and Sikorra could barely lift him. He was about 3' and we're guessing between 20-30 pounds. Now the work began. Sikorra with Al's help had to filet him and then we put away five big meals of tuna for four people. Finally used my Seal-a-Meal. The mess in the cockpit wasn't too bad and we're looking forward to grilled tuna tonight. Whrew what a lot of work.

Love Sally and Al


June 5, 6, & 7, 2008

Hi All
We were greeted by the Israeli navy as we entered Israeli waters. Suddenly a gun boat with machine guns aimed raced along side (actually showing off for pictures). They patrolled the fleet for the next ten miles as we approached Haifa. We got a lot of pictures but not the one that will always remain in Michael's mind as the gun boat flew by spouting a big "rooster tail". It took a long time to get situated in Kishon Fishing Harbor (engines off 11:20). We are rafted off each other. Artemis is the fifth boat out and there are another 8 boats outside of us. It a crazy maze of walking over boats to shore. Al, Mike and Ton organized the tying off of the boats in the raft because our fenders were flattening out with so much pressure on the inside boats.(Finished at 2:30) The Carmel Yacht Club and Ekko Municipality hosted a BBQ on site. Lots of beer and wine but no food by the time we got to the tables. Sally's brother Mike arrived safely about 8:30. It was a good thing the party was going full blast because he would have had a tough time finding Artemis amidst all the boats, especially in the dark. Thurs. June 6 We went on a full day tour to Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, and Golan Heights. So much to do and see in too short of time. In Nazareth we visited Mary's Well (St. Gabriel Greek Orthodox Church)and Basilica of Annunciation. The Basilica was built in 1969 for the Pope's visit and it's maintained by the Franciscan Order. It has two levels the lower being the grotto which was home of Mary and the site of the Annunciation. The upper level is the local Roman Catholic Church. It magnificently decorated with
large mosaics, works of art, ceramics contributed by Roman Catholic Communities from around the world. Each country presented a Madonna that was representative of their culture. We had lunch on a Kibbutz (no longer socialists settlements)then we drove to the Sea of Galilee. The sea was whipping up quite a chop. There's a small chapel St. Peters with the rock on which Jesus stood and told Peter he would be the lead the church. We visited the village ruins of Capernaum on northern tip of the lake
Peter's second home. (mother in-laws house)We traveled over the Jordan River and circled the Sea of Galilee. After standing on Golan Heights it was easy to understand why Israel wants to hold on to it. From that height and distance Israel would be open to Syrian attacks. The drive down from Golan Heights was both beautiful and frightening. Our bus could barely maneuver the hairpin turns and several times the front bumper scraped the road.
Fri. June 7
Today we went up the coast to Acre (Acco). The tour began at the Festival Garden. We were greeted in the Enchanted Garden by an official of Acre. Performers representing their two cultures Muslim and Jew. A young Jewish man sang two ballads of peace and then two young Muslim men played traditional instruments. We had a tour of the Grand Munie, fortress courtyard, Crusader Knights halls, escape tunnels Crypt, Hospitalliers Hospital and Turkish Bazaar, Ottoman Palace (Acre Fortress/prison). We had and audiovisual of Turkish Hamam and then a walk through Templar Tunnel to the seaport and Lighthouse. We drove to the Lebanon Border for a great view of Israel and returned to Haifa about 2:00. We plan to sail to Ashkelon Israel overnight (87 nm)Then wind has been blowing hard all day but seems to be dying down. It may be a bouncy night with seas on the nose.
Love and God Bless

Love Sally and Al


June 3 & 4, 2008

Hi All
We had another fantastic day in Lebanon. We had a scenic two hour drive up into the mountains, through fertile agricultural areas of Bekaa Valley to Baalbeck. We keep thinking "How many more Roman ruins can we possibly enjoy" Today was by far the best we've seen in all of our travels. The Romans wanted something special and it took over 400 years to complete. The Great Temple is the Temple of Baal (Jupiter) god of the sun. The "smaller" temple is the Temple of Bacchus (Dionysus or Adon) god of wine and ecstasy. We had another fantastic lunch and then visited Chateau Ksara for a tour of the wine cellars and wine tasting. Didn't buy any... We have a formal Rally Dinner at the Jounieh Yacht Club Restaurant by the pool. We"ll have a short visit to Beirut tomorrow, grocery shopping and an evening departure for Haifa, Israel (85 nm).

The yacht club went all out and wined and dined us. It was fun having real food for a change croissant salmon, salad, filet beef, carrots, potatoes (not french fries) broccoli and taramassu. Our group leader Miro, from Czech Republic had a birthday so we had ice cream cake too. The music and dancing was fun. Plus we had three exotic dancers who performed for us. Later we went back to Snow White to drink Miro's special plum shiglivitz equivalent to moonshine in US. Miro is Al's "Czech brother". Al's Great Grandfather came from a small town near Miro's home town. June 5
We entered Israel's waters at 8 AM We expect to go into the harbor around 11:00 this morning.

Love Sally and Al


June 2, 2008

Hi All
We are in quite a "posh" marina. We hear it's the nicest marina on the Eastern Mediterranean. It has 3 large swimming pools, restaurants, locker rooms, tennis courts, ping-pong tables, basketball... family yacht club. All the expensive Italian, German, English and Japanese cars fill the parking lots. Also lots of US 4 wheel drive vehicles. There was a special concert downtown Beirut last night to celebrate the successful election of their new president and the reopening of the downtown area. Two weeks ago no one went downtown because of the shooting and bombing. We saw very little evidence of it. The streets are heavily patrolled or at least last night because the new president was suppose to make an appearance but not sure if he did. When our bus stopped to let us out we saw a riot squad with shields racing across the street and a truck with a machine gun on it. We weren't too sure we wanted to stay. But we were assured it was safe. It took us a while to find the city center down deserted dark streets but found a bustling square with families enjoying ice cream and shopping. Very modern architecture as much of Beirut was rebuilt after the war in early 1990's. There is a strong French influence because 1923 League of Nations sent France to settle Lebanon lawlessness. People drive worse than the Italians. There are no lines for lanes of traffic and you may have 3-5 lanes going at a time. Red lights are not always acknowledged. Lebanon has about 3 million people. One million live in Beirut. One million Christians left during the 25 year war in 1970's so now it has 50% Muslim and 32% Christians. Many American franchises TJ Friday, KFC, Applebees, Hagen Das, MCDonalds, Burger King... Most signs are written in English. Three languages are spoken Lebanese, French and English. The 2006 conflict began as a "sit in" for a decent living wage and it got out of hand. Today there is a sense of hope for peace between the people of Lebanon and with Israel. Today we drove up into the mountains and toured the magnificent Jeita Caverns. The upper galleries wind through 650 meters of stone formations and canyons. The lower galleries we toured about 600 meters on a subterranean lake in a small boat. Close to 7000 meters have been explored. We drove to Byblos next. We enjoyed the remains of the ancient city (7000 BC) Crusader castle, church and market area. We had a nice lunch (no need for supper). Last we stopped in Harissa to visit a very modern cathedral built 1970-1990. (war interfered) Also on the site is statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary erected in 1908. There's a chapel in the base and steps winding around to the top. Spectacular views of Beirut and the harbors. Once again we are reminded that much of what we see on TV only shows a small snapshot (often violent) of a country and it's people and we're unprepared and quite surprised at the beauty of the land and friendliness of the people.

Love Sally and Al

 


June 1, 2008

Hi All
We had a quiet, beautiful starlit passage to Jounieh, Lebanon last night. Jounieh is an exclusive marina a short distance from Beirut. It's quite secure and we have a beautiful swimming pool. The larger yachts in groups 5 and 6 will be in St. George's Marina downtown Beirut. We expect to arrive at the harbor two hours. I wanted to send an email in case reception is not good inside the harbor. We have a full day tour to Byblos, Jeita Grotto and Harissa for tomorrow. Then we have another full day tour to Baalbeck and Anjar followed by a Rally Dinner the next day. We are cutting our stay in Lebanon by one day because of the day we lost due to weather from Iskenderun to Lattakia Syria. We will leave for Haifa, Israel Mon. June 4 in the late afternoon. Sally's brother Mike will be joining us there for the rest of the EMYR. Hopefully we'll have WiFi in the marina so we can try to SKYPE today.

Love Sally and Al