CRUISING THE LEVANT : LEBANON, ISRAEL AND EGYPT

Liz Hammick Scott, Roving Rear Commodore

After our very successful but rather `rustic' five weeks in Syria, reported in the December newsletter (no yacht facilities at all, let alone showers) the yacht club at Jounieh, Lebanon was a haven of neatly cut grass, plenty of water (in hoses!), garbage-free play areas for Chlo‰, and hot showers. After getting Lone Rival cleaned up we made trips to Byblos, the world's oldest town, to Baalbek's magnificent Roman temples, the biggest and best preserved that we've seen anywhere, to Tripoli, and to the Phoenician port of Sidon. But seventeen years of civil war has taken its toll -- we were shocked by the devastation in Beirut. As we stood amongst the rubble and the bulldozers, surrounded by buildings pockmarked by bullets and shrapnel, we could see the snow-capped mountains and the blue of the Mediterranean. New apartment buildings and trendy shops sprout from the `ash'. The feeling of energy is everywhere. Lebanon is a special country -- small, beautiful, an intellectual and liberal leader in the Arab world.

To be able to visit for three weeks, leaving Lone Rival in the safety of the marina (which is actually part of the Automobile & Touring Club of Lebanon) was a highlight of our Mediterranean cruise, despite the cost -- US$80 to clear in and US$50 per week at the marina. In summer the first week is free, but not in winter -- and we arrived on 1 November! Between sightseeing we replenished our stores at the excellent supermarket in town, which was bursting at the seams with a huge variety of food, some of it cheaper than in Cyprus. The Lebanese wine proved particularly good. For anyone interested in visiting Lebanon by yacht, the CIS files now hold full details.

Late in November we sailed south to Israel, and our first impressions proved accurate throughout our stay: dynamic, efficient, expensive! At Haifa we moored at the somewhat run-down Carmel Yacht Club, where northwesterly winds, bringing swell into the harbour, made conditions distinctly dicey. Lots of lines attached to tyres and a stern anchor kept us safe and despite the cold and rain we made day trips into the city and to Nazareth. With an improvement in the weather we sailed down the coast to Ashkelon, stopping at Tel Aviv for half an hour to call on our Port Officer, Aran Newmann. The harbour was absolutely full so we continued south for twenty-five miles, and by sunset were comfortably tied up in Israel's newest marina, as yet unfinished, which has berths for 600 vessels. With only about twelve visiting yachts and a couple of dozen locals we enjoyed a luxurious feeling of space, with never a queue for the brand new showers. The low price was attractive too, as was the existence of Israel's only travel-hoist which we used for a week's haulout, to replace some suspect seacock bolts on Lone Rival and give her a coat of antifouling before the Red Sea. While at Ashkelon we were delighted to play host to the Admiral, Mary Barton, who flew out to stay with us for a week. With her we visited Jerusalem for two days, a truly fascinating experience, Masada, Herod's mountaintop fortress dating from 30BC, and the Dead Sea, where Mark braved cold wind for a float.

A few days before Christmas Anne joined us, taking a break from her books, Flying Fish and other commitments. We took the bus up to Tel Aviv for a most interesting and enjoyable evening with Aran Newmann, Port Representative for Israel, and his family. Chlo‰ was thrilled to help the other children light a Hanukkah candle and the traditional food was delicious. A warm welcome is guaranteed to any OCC members who contact Aran! We were the first, but hopefully not the last.

Despite, or maybe because of, the small number of visiting yachts at Ashkelon, we all enjoyed friendly and congenial Friday night barbecues on the dockside -- a chance to talk and share dinner. The food seemed to get even better each week, and Chlo‰ had a wonderful time with her new friends Philip and Pierre, German and French respectively. As usual, lack of a common language didn't bother them at all. Christmas saw most of the visitors with all their flags flying, and we decorated Lone Rival's cabin using a tree, streamers etc bought in such unlikely places as Aleppo, Syria and Beirut.

On 30 December we set sail for Port Said, Egypt, in company with Canadian friends Walter and Mavis Norman aboard Kaien, but lack of wind meant a twenty-four hour motor. We had already faxed the `Prince of the Red Sea' agency and our canal transit went smoothly, with pleasant, experienced pilots and very few requests for the constant presents or baksheesh usually asked for. From Suez we visited Cairo for three days, doing all the usual touristy things such as watching the `Sound and Light' show at the Pyramids and gazing at Tutankhamun's treasure at the National Museum. Both were memorable and Chlo‰ was fascinated by the Sphinx. While in Cairo we met up with OCC member Don Laing, with whom Mark had been corresponding for some time. Don had given us much useful advice, based on his experience of ten years in Egypt and keeping his catamaran in the Red Sea, so it was great to get together with him and Linda at their house, moving on to the British Club for dinner. A highly enjoyable and interesting evening, and we would recommend any members passing through to contact Don and Linda if it were not that, unfortunately, new jobs will be taking them elsewhere before long.

Back in Suez we stored up while Mark wrestled with a leak in the engine cooling water pump, taking it apart seemingly dozens of times before sorting out the problem. Finally we left for all points south, still in company with Kaien, and made the passage down the Gulf of Suez to Safaga in ten days. We experienced a variety of conditions from flat calm to 35 knots from the northwest, and a variety of anchorages, off beaches and behind reefs. Highlights were catching several fish, fires on the beach at sunset and some idyllic downwind sailing. Even when it blew hard at least we were heading the right way -- now we have even more admiration and respect for the people who sail north up the Red Sea!

Leaving Lone Rival under the eye of our friends, we took the bus to Luxor to visit the Valley of the Kings (and Queens), the huge temples built by various pharaohs, to sail a felucca on the Nile, bargain in the souk and eat local food. It was the icing on the cake after a year's cultural and historical feast taking in almost a complete circle around the eastern Mediterranean. Next we head down the Red Sea towards East Africa via Aden and the Seychelles.

PS: By late March Lone Rival was in Aden, having visited Sudan and Eritrea on her way south.