Friday 27^th May

Bright and breezy start after lengthy discussions with other boats about the numbers of mosquitoes last night – and this morning.

We decided to explore some more of Northern Cyprus in the hire car today and so by 9.00am we were on our way heading west along the coast to the very western tip. We probably should have taken some advice about this before setting out as there is little of interest out there at all. The area is pretty desolate with a handful of impoverished villages and any number incomplete property development enclaves. We then pressed on southwards towards the border with the Republic of Cyprus and drove in a long loop to the outskirts of Nicosia before turning north again and returning to Girne (aka Kyrenia). The island has two mountain ranges running west east along the northern coast and a third including Mount Olympus in the west. Behind the first two ranges to the south lies a huge plain and this stretches down to the Green Line which is where the border with the Greek speaking Republic of Cyprus lies. The island has no natural anchorages and so all harbours are manmade and in short supply.

On returning to Girne we called in at a fishing shop and purchased a second rod and reel to see if we can do better at fishing by increasing the lures we can trail! Then after a stop at the supermarket to stock up on wine and beer we returned to the harbour to find a scene of near chaos as the moderate breeze that had been blowing all day had swung round to the east and was sending a big swell into the commercial port. This meant that the huge raft of boats was pitching and bobbing dangerously and frantic efforts had to be made to save serious damage being done. Serafina was relatively safe as we were on the very eastern end of all this as the first boat in the other day, but some of the smaller boats in the corner of the harbour had a fairly torrid time.

This evening’s rally event was the much publicised Pirate Party which requires us all to be fancy dress and to parade on foot as a complete rally through the busy streets and harbour area of Girne to the main hotel. The start was delayed due to the situation with the boats but by 9.00pm the wind had dropped and everything settled down so off we went. It certainly caused quite a stir as 150 people dressed as pirates walked through the streets carrying large national flags of all the 18 countries represented.

Returned finally to the boats very tired and very full of food again, to do battle with the mosquitoes, but either we were too tired to care or they were too full from last night to bother, but it seemed a quieter night all round.