Dear Past and Potential EMYR Participants;

Hopefully, you are having a wonderful winter season. The live-aboard community at Park Kemer Marina are enjoying the sunny winter life, movies, concerts, Sunday outings, aerobics, fitness centre, Turkish baths, and about any kind of lesson that you can think of. Some are managing to complete some work projects on their yachts also.

We are very pleased to report that the popularity of the Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally has increased dramatically and registration for 80 yachts was completed by the first of December. We are keeping a ‘waiting list’ and already have over 23 yachts listed who are hoping to be able to join us. Therefore, if you are registered and find that you must cancel, please do so as soon as possible so that others may prepare their yachts and crews to join us.

You can complete the credit card payment forms on the web site www.emyr.org (direct link : http://www.emyr.org/eng/emyrccpyform.php ) to the name of “EMYR Association“as it is written on the form and forward by e-mail to the Rally secretary Faruk Günlü. The cost-sharing fee is 250 Euros per person for each crew member whether they sail one passage or the entire route of the Rally.

It is essential that we receive the final confirmations from many of you by receiving your entry fee payment and your crew lists. If we do not hear from you with payment by the end of February, your name and registration will be taken off the list. If you are already registered, please inform us if you will NOT be able to participate in EMYR 2006. It is also important for our planning to know if you will be going with the Rally to Egypt. With your co-operation, we hope to have a fairly accurate count of yachts within a few weeks in order that we can inform marinas, harbors, and tour companies of our plans.

Most all of your questions can be answered by reference to our newsletters and manual which will be posted on the web site and we ask you to refer to this rather than sending emails to the committee. You may refer to last year’s Rally Manual for 2005 which will have only minor changes for 2006.  www.emyr.org or www.kemermarina.com (EMYR section)

The Rally Committee is monitoring the political situation in the Middle East, and will make appropriate decisions to ensure the enjoyment of the Rally.

The Rally leaves Istanbul at Ataköy Marina on 25 th April 2006, as announced. Depending on Commodore's plan there may be a change as to stop at a port in between Ýstanbul & Bozcaada. This change will be announced later.

We have had to make some changes to the provisional program so please check the latest program as posted on our website. The EMYR2006 program is attached.

We are checking the prices of tours, entry fees/taxes and fuel of every country that we will visit. You may find the samples of the costs for 2005 on our web site and we believe that the prices will be very similar to 2005. As you know, the price of fuel has become very volatile in the recent past. Therefore, we will inform you of the latest fuel prices when you are at Park Kemer Marina. All new information will be posted on our website and forwarded in the March Newsletter.

You can visit the web site of the rally to find information about the rally, ports, tours, and articles written by past Rally participants. www.kemermarina.com (EMYR section), and www.emyr.org the official website. The Rally Committee will be happy to respond to any of your questions.  

 Please check that:
1.Your passports are valid for the whole of the Rally.
2. Your yacht insurance is valid for all countries to be visited.
3. If you have a Turkish Visa, that it is valid until 25th May.
4. That your Turkish Transit Log is valid until 25th May.
5. That all necessary charts and courtesy ensigns are on board. If not, they can be bought when you arrive at Kemer.
6. That a set of Dressing Flags is on board and ready to hoist. As a courtesy to our hosts, it is the custom of the Rally to ‘Dress the yacht overall’ when in harbor and on entry/exit when possible.
7. That suitable clothes are on board for formal dinners: men- jacket and tie, women-dressy.
8. That all crew members have pirate costume for the pirate party on Cyprus.
9. That you have the necessary amount of US Dollars with you. A list of approximate costs for various fees and tours can be found on the web page.
10. Any musical instruments you may have are on board. Impromptu parties are a feature of the Rally.

 EQUIPMENT:
- Each yacht must be equipped with the following:
- A built-in diesel engine
- Approved navigation lights
- Lifejackets
- A ready-to-float dinghy and/or life raft
- A built-in 25 watt VHF radio
- A radar reflector
- Signal flares
- Fenders and mooring lines appropriate to the size of vessel.

All yachts will be checked at Kemer, if not before, for any missing or not working pieces of equipment meaning the yacht's entry will be cancelled if not corrected.

INSURANCE: For you own benefit, it is wise to check with your yacht insurance agency about coverage in some of the Eastern Med countries since they may be on the company's list of 'war territories.' We recommend that you receive written confirmation from your insurance company that you are covered in these counties. Other participants have received approval by sending their company a letter of request for coverage explaining that we are a large group, that this is the 17th year for this rally, include a copy of the rally brochure and refer them to the website.

VISAS: An important point about entry into other countries. Rally participants will be issued with Shore Passes in Syria and Lebanon. These are valid only for entry and exit by yacht during the period the Rally is in the Country. Where yachtsmen plan to leave the Rally or make trips without the Rally organization in either of these countries a Full Visitors Visa must be obtained. It is best to obtain this visa in your home country.

Note: In Girne, Cyprus, and Israel, passports will not be stamped but a separate paper is issued which is held until leaving the country. The Rally agent arranges for the visas in Egypt.

Participants’ passports must not contain any Israeli stamp for Entry into Syria and Lebanon. You must have a Turkish Visa valid through May 25th. Turkish visas are available upon entry into Turkey.

GROUPS: For organization and safety the Rally fleet is divided into Groups each led by a Group Leader. Groups are organized by yacht length only and there will be between 10-12 yachts per group.  There will be no changing in group assignment (don’t even bother to ask!).

FUEL: A fuel availability list for the various ports on the Rally is included and listed on the website and the information will be updated with the March Newsletter.

COSTS: Most of the tours in which the Rally participates are of the highest quality with modern air-conditioned buses, multilingual guides, entry fees and lunches often included. Joining in these tours is as much a part of the Rally as sailing, enabling the participants to see more of the countries visited and sharing the experience with like-minded people. There are also some fees for entries into countries / visas / shore passes.
We will be updating the list of costs as we receive the information from the various countries and will send out the costs with the next newsletter in early March.

MONEY: US dollars, not Traveler’s checks or Euro Cheques, are necessary for all payments. Credit cards are of no use for Rally expenses but can be used in some supermarkets and some diesel supplies. Dollars should be brought to Turkey as they are expensive here (your own currency to lira and lira to dollars) and should be of varied value as change is always a problem or will be given in local currency. It is useful to have some Israeli shekels, if you plan to prolong your stay in Israel. We are checking to see if any of the countries are now accepting the Euro and will let you know. Credit cards are usually accepted in Israel.

CHARTS:
Turkish 29 Sea of Marmara
Turkish 212 Dardanelles
Turkish 213 Dardanelles entrance to North West Lesvos
Turkish 221 Baba Burnu to Mitilini
Turkish 222 Mitilini to Cesme and Izmir
Turkish 223 Gulfs of Kusadasi and Samos
Turkish 224 Samos to Bodrum
Turkish 311 Bodrum to Marmaris
Turkish 312 Marmaris to Fethiye
Turkish 313 Fethiye to Kas
Turkish 32 Kas to Anamur Burnu
Turkish 34 Cyprus
Turkish 33 Anamur Burrnu to Baynas (to Lattakia)
Turkish 35 Lattakia to Sour and Famagusta British Admiralty 2633
Turkish 36 Haifa to Port Said

There are, of course, charts published by other countries’ Maritime Agencies covering the same coastline and more detailed charts are also available.

COURTESY FLAGS: Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt flags are needed during the Rally.

Note: Charts, flares, country courtesy flags and code flags to 'dress' your yacht can also be ordered through the chandlery at Kemer Marina. Please contact the yacht chandlery at Kemer directly at fatihakar1@hotmail.com

Country courtesy flags
30cm X 45cm 3.50 YTL (about US$2.62)
50cm X 75cm 7.00 YTL (about US$5.25)

Charts
50 YTL (about $37.53) per chart. Except British Admiralty.

Dressing flags
30cm X 45cm (a set of signal flags, 40 pieces)
140 Euro only for rally yachts 125 Euro

Flares

Contact the chandlery.

DRESS: Dress is variable. A jacket and tie are required for the men for formal dinners such as in the Hilton Hotel at Mersin and the Dome in Girne. A shirt and long trousers are required for visiting religious sites and T-shirts and shorts the rest of the time. The ladies, of course, dress to match with dresses, slacks or skirts and shorts.

Please remember that this is a rally organized by yachtsmen for yachtsmen, not a professional profit-making concern and that we are guests at the ports we visit. As guests of our generous hosts, it is incumbent on us to respect the laws, customs, and navigation rules of our hosts. Our hosts have gone to a great deal of effort to put on planned events. We should make every effort to attend all sponsored activities. As yachtsmen, we should always leave a clean wake and be especially sensitive to discharging heads in the harbors. The conduct of the yachts is controlled by the Rally Manual, which is issued to each yacht at the port-of-entry to the Rally or at Kemer and will also be announced on the web site.

REMINDERS!!

• Shirt sizes: Please e-mail to EMYR Secretary with shirt sizes for crew (S, M, L, XL, XXL)
• Crews Passport Information: Faruk Günlü, EMYR Secretary at Park Kemer Marina collected some crew passport information and please inform him if there are any changes in your crew passports.
  If you are arriving at a port before the designated Rally time, staying longer or returning after, you must have reservations! And pay the agreed upon 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.
• VISAS: If you are arriving at a country before the designated Rally time, staying longer or returning after, you must have the appropriate VISA that you obtain on your own from your country's embassies. If flying into or out of any country to join or leave the rally, you must have a valid VISA for that country. All except Syria and Lebanon can be obtained when entering the counties as far as we know from our past years experiences. Please check through EMYR Local Representatives that their names and contact addresses are listed on EMYR Website.
• Pets: If you have pets aboard, you must find out the policies of the port and country about allowing pets on shore. Rally representatives e-mail addresses are listed in the brochure and on the website. There has not been any problem in the past rallies for the pets on board. There is still old British traditional rule valid in N. Cyprus for the pets as they should be in 3 months for quarantine but practically it is not in use.
• Money:  After Kemer, American dollars are necessary for payment of the tours and fees. Please be sure that you all have enough.
• Dress: Some events on the Rally are 'formal' requiring jackets/ties for the men, dressy for women and don't forget the pirate costume!
• Refueling: Refuel when entering harbors and marinas if possible. This will be organized by your group leaders
• 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.
• Holding Tanks and Dumping: Some harbors/marinas are absolutely stringent about no dumping of grey or black water overboard. Be prepared with holding tanks, or 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.
• Crew: 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 necessary in order to not inconvenience the local fishing boats and yachts owners. Tired crew can lead to short tempers and intolerance and would defeat the purpose of the Rally.
• Ship’s supplies: Please remember that there will be large numbers of participants using the facilities, shops, restaurants and chandlers so plan your activities accordingly and please be patient. Have your yacht stocked with supplies before leaving on the Rally.
• Patience: Arrivals/departures of this number of yachts will require much 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!

The Committee members look forward to meeting you in the Rally where you will be sure of a warm welcome. Until that day, we wish you good sailing. If there are further questions, please do not hesitate to E-mail or fax your questions ( info@emyr.org or  fax +90 242 814 15 52).

Our hope is for good weather, friendships, hospitality, and great experiences as we make the 17th Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally a wonderful event for both the sailors and our hosts.