Back to Cyprus!!

Well the target was Crete so bit disappointing really. Winds weren’t favorable so had to tack a few times.  Wind got a bit flukey at one point when I’d just started a nap and the boat went 180 ° in the wrong direction. Basically got some good speeds in almost the right direction but noticed a small tear in the sail and thought very unwise to go long distance with it. Decided to make for Larnaca and about 40 miles out had to motor sail. Then the wind picked up and the sea got bigger decided to desail as the wind was on the nose . About 20 miles out around sunset everything turned to shit. Engine only was getting about 1.5 kts into wind that would take 13 hrs!!! Boat slamming around so decided I had to use damaged sail and motor with it off course to take me closer in where hopefully swell would be less. Good logic maybe even right! So tacked along the coast and the engine stopped. Lots of running about down the lazzerette, into engine bay . Thought I’d lost a blade on the prop with the lack of oomph and progress  . Restarted twice more and eventually arrived at marina just after 10. 36 hrs from Lebanon which shows what good progress I made on the way there.

Been here a few days sail, repaired and refitted . €40 , pretty good I think. I did a few engine things but ultimately went into fuel tank and found the dreaded product of fuel bug. I’m fastidious about treating fuel at top ups so can’t explain why it’s there but because it was such a solid mass and obviously dislodged  by sea state it blocked the fuel feed in the tank, that’s good news because if any got though the engine seems to have dealt with it. 

Shall leave tomorrow for Pathos then Crete . Hopefully winds will be  kind.

This is the texture of liver and overflowed my cupped hand. All due to these new super bullshit fuels that propagate these alien masses in normal conditions!

Last note from BC 🤡

Damage from the port explosion, notice the tanker on its side in the background.

One last group of photos from my last trip into Beirut. Wanted to go into the big mosque , third time of trying but they obviously don’t open outside of prayer time during Ramadan. Other reason to go into town was the Beirut national museum. Museums don’t really float my boat but this one had so many well preserved interesting objects I was in awe. Not only that but during the 25 yrs of civil war some bright spark had the fortitude to encase that which could be in concrete . Ok some sniper dug a hole in the wall through one of the mosaics which were among the best I’ve ever seen and the museum building had to be rebuilt but again one of the best 10 $ recently spent!

A lot of artifacts and gold came from Byblos ( see my previous) a lot from Tyre and Sidon which it’s recommended not to go to because of missiles but probably fine.

                            I want this mug.

Vespa sidecar!!

Still here.

Well it’s been two weeks and pretty great . Too many photos but flew to Jordan to mainly visit Petra but Amman and Jaresh were brilliant too.   

 The Jordanians were as the Lebanese, really friendly and helpful, slightly more eager to get the tourist dollar but not annoyingly so. It’s a very poor country overrun with refugees from Syria, Iraq and Palestinians but they don’t seem to mind as they are ‘brothers’ however the country’s GDP is bolstered massively by foreign aid as are the excavation sites. 

Petra was everything expected and more. Met a Pakistani and Spaniard in the coach park so we hooked up and taxied to little Petra which is as it says on the tin.

     

 Hiked from there through the hills to the main event. Amazingly they not me, kept saying when are we going to get there and kept asking the wrong people towing a mule or donkey so were told 3-4 hrs I said bullshit and it did take about an hour and half but there were a lot of steps and hills. Well worth the sweat.

I had two days in Petra so went in the second day and climbed to the top of the hill off the beaten track and visited ruins I hadn’t seen the day before. The area is massive and stunning . Never knew about the Nabateens but they preceded the Romans and Ottomans all around the Med.I pre booked a Jordan pass which saved $40 visa and Petra was 50

 entry on each day other sites were free on it as well so for once I was quids in 😀 Jaresh is another massive site NE of Amman so much still left under the ground but poking out. Amman was crazy . I’ve been to a lot of souks and markets but this one had a buzz that previous ones didn’t. Hotels great . Flight back no problems . 5 days gone. 

Back in Beirut and a trip to where Chateau Musar is made just up the road, top shelf vino, I was the only one on the tour and they didn’t take cards so could only buy a table wine but the woman gave me the half bottle she opened for us to sample which I’m drinking now !

Still getting  a thrill from being in Beirut but think I’ll leave within the week to head west; might go to Crete or if I’m feeling strong straight to Malta or Sicily, depends on the winds.

The monastery 

Roman temple

The treasury

                                                                                                      The Siq

Natural rock colours on the roof

Tea stop

View from my hotel looking towards Petra ruins.

The Citadel Amman

                                        Amman amphitheatre

                                                                                   

Jaresh.

Too many pictures which are the same as postcards but did meet someone back at the marina so got a quick tour of a 43 meter Saudi super yacht which was interesting.

That's all for now.

More from Beirut

Israeli fighter jets over the marina! That aside everything is great . I walked up the hill past a lot of military checkpoints but they weren't interested though I did have a black car pull up beside me on the way down asking me what I was doing.They were fine and buzzed straight off. The American Embassy at the top was my destination.It's mad. 43 acres of prime hillside with fortress yank being built in white concrete.apparently including a hospital ,school and everything else a bloated american needs to feel like its at home! Have to say very stylish, even the guard towers lean at an angle with bomb proof glass and prismic shaped body. you've got to ask why the effort? I was a bit cautious about taking pics but worth a look. 

The other day I visited a great ruined Phoenician city, Byblos Not great with ruins but these were very picturesque and all sorts of mixed history including the keep having housed a Turkish garrison into the 1800's.My art shot of the Colossus of Byblos came out pretty well I think,

 

Todays activity was the Grotto at Jeita. This despite the pictures on the website including a telecabin ,train ride to the top cave and slightly naff statue was unbelievable.Massive inside ,biggest stalagmite in the world! really considerately displayed and protected( that's the whole area) the most extravagant formations I've ever seen and probably one of Lebanon's biggest tourist sights.Pretty empty ,just a few people then the lower gallery which has the boat ride.Upstairs the end of the walk way was closed off as people suffer from lack of air apparently. The big shame is no photos ,hence no algae from excessive lights and LEDs ,even though I had one phone on me the other had to be locked away,I couldn't bring my self to flout the rules.The pictures I've seen don't nearly do it justice.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jeita-grotto

looking up the valley ,not the best picture,but  at the bottom loads of water coming out of the hills .As the info says provides drinking water for over 1million people around Beirut.

Also watched a super yacht being relaunched in the marina.Novel because it is supported on metal truss's then the whole platform sinks in to the water and boat floats away.

$4 falafel feast for 1! I had to doggy bag it. That's up to date.Flight booked to Jordan Friday ,taxi arranged for 4 am, first night in Amman and the Jordan roving tourist pass which included visa fee waiver purchased.Unfortunately I notice that I put 23rd as my birthday on the thing hoping that they won't look too close.

BFN.

Middle East at last !

Beirut.What a place . Definitely one of my bucket list destinations as a place heard about and seen on TV since prep school.Like most places if not more so ,people are really friendly ,helpful and the difference is they haven't all got their hands out!

Leaving Ayia Nappa was straight forward although about 5 hours out I had a chunder , up came satsuma, banana and beef jerky. Apart from being a land lubber for 2 month,s coffee apparently is a common catalyst along with  < 2m swell at about 6 sec interval made for a rocking horse ride. Although it was a minor spurt it does leave you effected for 24 hrs and sleep was going to be one of the issues

 

As is my usual intention to use the engine as little as possible, thankfully the wind only dropped on a few occasions but came back and during the night I was doing 7.3 kts for about 6 hrs ,this is a cracking cruise rate for my old tub.

The other minor issue was that at about 2am I lost GPS which gives ground speed and position .The weird thing here was that my nav phone lost it as well. Was I in a black spot, had the satellites gone down or been suppressed who knows , but to arrive in a strange country with out a chart or position on my gadgets is definitly not good.Any how it came back and no further issues.

Having arranged an agent one would expect at first radio contact at destination for the recipient to be aware of my details and hence not have to phonetically spell all information over a garbled radio to an Arab, three times to different people! that was a pipe dream. I bobbed around for 3 hrs at 5 am 12 miles out waiting for permission. In the end I gave up and started towards my marina .They did come back to me at some point but I could'nt make out what they were saying so arrival at the marina was going to be even more of a chore. As it happens every thing was fine .

The view of Beirut to my right coming in was brilliant through the smog and snow on the mountains a head was equally inspiring.

There was the usual buggering about concerning berthing as I don't go stern to unless there's dingy assistance and all I got was a young bloke on a moped who didn't speak English or French my second language! Then he tried to get me to go down a channel which was too narrow with boats mooring lines coming out to the middle.Very hard to explain that if it went pear shaped as it was going to, reversing and extrication was going to be chaos so to clarify everything I raised my decibel levels and I was moved to the maintenance pontoon where they were polishing and sanding.I turned the decibels up another notch and piled in to the office where Pierre and a girl who speaks great English found a spot along side. Skilfully controlled, I arrived where I am now which is safe, secure and although it doesn't have moorings lines to the channel, it is definitly the best option,The other advantage is that because for no apparent reason there is a lot of rocking ,I will maintain sea legs which I lost in Cyprus.

Next day I bused into Beirut which was every thing I expected .Debris from the explosion 5 years ago still not sorted because of insurance investigations- what a surprise.Buildings damaged in the civil war and fighting since. Ultra modern new buildings.Everything runs on dollars. The biggest US embassy building is just up the road from my boat ,which ironically and not surprisingly offers security from Israeli attacks but not from Hezbollocks as this is the christian area and they seem to stay down in the south ,easier to poke the Israeli bear from there.

 I also visited an Armenian church where chatting to an Armenian I learnt about their Genocide around 1915 and how popular the Turks are to them!The little monument was quite thought provoking and brings home how nothing really changes in the world just the gadgets to make life easier but don't really.

Usual hassle with sim cards ,passport checking to buy one and admin but everything seems doable and the locals just want to get on, so good luck to them.

Off up the coast tomorrow, argument with the agent planned ,then see if I can get a flight to Jordon for a few days.This is infinitely better than Egypt was going to be!

Buildings damaged by the bomb blast in 2020?

Buildings in down town Beirut.

Civil war damage.

my spot in the marina, Dbaye.