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To past 19 years EMYR Sailors, Nineteen years have passed since 17 boats embarked on the first EMYR on May 1990. From those humble beginnings the rally has gone from strength to strength now accommodating 80 yachts each year with always a waiting list. Many of you have long departed the East Mediterranean and some of you are still enjoying the wonderful Turkish coast. Some of the participants are no longer with us but our memories of them will stay, we always raise a glass to those now absent friends. During last 19 years, there have been some changes with the Turkish Marinas and also lots of progress with yachting in Turkey, N.Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt. Ataköy Marina offers excellent services as usual but you now need to make early reservation as it is mostly full. Our representative Yalçın Dülger is now the head of team to develop the marina premises and we hope that the new General Manager Sedat Çıtak is becoming our contact person at İstanbul. There are new Marinas will be completed in Marmara Sea within a year or two. EMYR visits Mürefte harbour and Gökçeada & Bozcada Islands on either side of Dardanelles entry. Zafer Ergül has replaced Yücel Alibeyler at Setur Ayvalık Marina and you may meet him at Ayvalık. He says “ Rakı & Balık, this is Ayvalık”. C&N and IC Groups will welcome EMYR fleet at Çeşme as Can Polat took over the mission from Setur Çeşme Marina. Hakan Tellioğlu is our usual host at Setur Kuşadası Marina and Gonca at D-Marine Turgutreis Bodrum. Both Marinas are happy to organise “Starting the season Cocktail & Barbeque” for their marina guest and also for EMYR Crew. Ercan Güneştutar at Martı Marina invites the EMYR crew for the big party on the pool side and İlkay Oygak & Onur Ugan organize the moorings with lots of difficulties for the EMYR fleet and also invites EMYR crew for a nice party. Kekova is still natural and Hakan is still our host at Kekova. Tuncay Özses has replaced Çağlar Altuntaş at Setur Finike Marina and Tuncay has kept the tradition alive for the past years, still we visit Hamam at Finike. Çağlar Altuntaş has become the General Manager of Netsel Marmaris Marina and also organising many activities at Marmaris. Kemer Marina is still the centre of EMYR Rally under Türkiz Company operation and the Marina Manager and also The Rally Coordinator Umut Tepedelenlioğlu makes all the libeaboards life very interesting and happy with his organisation at Kemer Marina. We suggest all the EMYR sailors to make their bookings early as most of the Turkish Marinas become fully booked early in the season. Alanya marina has been completed and will be in operation at the end of 2008, Gazipaşa Marina is nearly completed and will be in operation 2009, Mersin Marina is completed and will be in operation at 2009 and Mersin and İskenderun fisherman are still moving their boats to provide spaces for EMYR yachts. Girne Delta Marina is founded and it is now full. Now Delta Marina is hosting more than half of the fleet as the port is fully occupied. There is one marina under construction on Karpas Peninsula and two more marinas are at the planning stage at North Cyprus. Pirate Party at Dome Hotel has the same carnival atmosphere as every year and the new Turkish Cyprus President keeps the tradition to organise excellent reception in old Girne Castle. A yacht jetty is planned and will be completed at 2009 in İskenderun fisherman harbour. Syria has opened its first marina at Lattakia and the managers Raed & Maissa now have three children. Jounieh Marina has the same big nice swimming pool surrounded by angels and still they have the best Belly Dancers of the Middle East at the parties. Haifa Marina is still in our dreams but Carmel Yacht Club Members are still inviting the entire EMYR crew to their houses for traditional family visit and Shabtay still dances all night longe., Ashkelon Marina is completed but not as popular as the beginning due to the problems at neighborhood, Gaza. Armen Portugali is no longer the manager of the marina but he still welcomes the sailors with the new manager Hillel Resef. Our Egyptian friend Nagib Latif at Port Said has a big marina project and could be realized within few years we hope. Sailing is not a danger any more to Syria, Lebanon and Israel and Egyptian Pilots at Suez Canal are friendlier to the sailors after many happy EMYR visits at Port Said. Herzliya Marina is the final port since many years and the marina manager Amir Tzinder has still the same happy smile on his face when he meets the EMYR sailors in his marina. Herzliya Marina is completed and nearly full now but still welcomes the rally yachts to keep the tradition alive. The last EMYR Secretary Faruk Günlü is the Tourism & Public Relations Manager of Göcek where the third EMYR Secretary Ebru Mete lives. The first EMYR Secretary Aziz Güngör is the General Manager of Kuşadası Cruise Port and the second EMYR Secretary Onur Ozan lives in US. The fifth EMYR Secretary Hayal Yıldırım is the part of new Çeşme Marina team. Past Committee Members, Doreen & Archie Annan are in Corsica, Nick & Els Bubbers are back in Holland, no news from Su & Barry Dunkerley probably back in Britain, Badit & Ergun Gürpınar live in between Bodrum and Germany, Roland Boedt keeps his yacht in Finike and lives in Belgium, Knut Thieme will join EMYR2009, Jo & Ian Limbrick are where we don’t know, Tari & Frank are back in the state, Florida, Lodwijk Brust is organising Vasco de Gama rally between Turkey and India. The actual Committee Members; Hasan lives at Antalya and consulting two marinas construction on the east side of Antalya Gulf, and he is prepared to operate them when they are completed at Alanya and Gazipaşa, Kath & Dave bought a nice house at Girne-Kyrenia looking at East-Med waters and keeping their boat at Delta Marina, playing golf, enjoying sunny Cyprus climate, Shirley and Geoff have decided to keep their boat at Preveza, Greece and will be back in Turkey this summer and they are in their house at Florida for the winter. Our first Commodore Mürsel Saviç had a major operation and had to stop sailing, unfortunately our second Commodore Muhitin Öney has passed away.Teoman Arsay, the third Commodore of EMYR last 15 years live in İstanbul as always and provide his assistance for the visiting yachtsmen if they need any information in İstanbul EMYR is not the only reason for all that progress but has taken an important role with the help of above names to open the route to the Eastern Mediterranean marinas & ports but has managed to make significant changes to promote cruising in Eastern Mediterranean waters. Yachtsmen now know it is safe to sail to Girne, Lattakia, Jounieh, Herzliya, Ashkelon and Port Said. The Committee has an idea to make the 20th rally a special one; therefore priority will be given to past participants to join in this special year. The entry will again be limited to 80 boats and any places not taken up by invited participants offered to new entries. The programme will be more extensive this year with extra days being spent in the Sea of Marmara under the guidance of our Commodore Teoman Arsay, extra days will be spent on the Aegean coast with visits to places new, we will also add a transit through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea port of Al Gouna. The rally will again end in the Israeli marina of Herzliya. We will still have lots of night passages, second rows at Girne, İskenderun and Haifa, and still there are no showers or even water in some harbours but we will still have a warm welcome from our hosts, club members invitation at Haifa to visit their homes , dancing parties for long hours, exotic food of the Middle East kitchen at Lattakia, Damascus, Jounieh, Cairo, beautiful belly dancers at nearly every port and Brazilian dancers at Ashkelon. Liquors are still inexpensive at Jounieh and Cyprus, tax free at Port Said, wine is inviting at Lebanon, and coffee is still hot at Bagdad cafe in the middle of the desert in Syria. There are thousands of memories, lots of stories and we will have long talks around the tables at the ports we visit when we become together again. You will find the application form on the web site for EMYR 2009 and please complete and return to our e-mail address. Your applications will be collected till the end of the year 2008 and after we will accept new applications if the number of the yachts is less than 80. We don’t know the amount of cost sharing fee but there will not be big difference than this year amount. Please let us know where you are and what you are doing with short e-mails and please attach your pictures. Your e-mails will be announced on the web site if you allow the committee to do that. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon. Commodore Teoman Arsay,
The Rally Committee, Umut Tepedelenlioğlu Faruk Günlü
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