The purpose of the Rally is to foster friendship and cooperation in the yachting community and to act as ambassadors of goodwill at the ports of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Sponsored by Park Kemer Marina and dozens of others, this flotilla gave us a unique opportunity to visit places that we might otherwise miss, meet people from all over the world, and enjoy the excitement that the Rally brings to every port.

About a hundred yachts began the trip this year, the largest of any Rally so far. We were divided into groups, based on our size, so that we could travel together and maintain contact during the voyages from harbor to harbor.

At the official start in Kemer, Turkey, the EMYR began with a mini-Olympics between the teams to build spirit and camaraderie. This balloon race was followed by a yogurt and apple-bobbing contest, a beer-drinking contest, a treasure hunt, and a tug-of-war. 

Our own crewmember Dave must have made a very convincing pirate, with his eyepatch and his long white braid. He and Patti tried to give away their pirate gold coins to the local kids, but when they saw Dave, some of them shrieked and ran away. We don't know what they did when they saw this guy in the photo at left, whom we didn't recognize. Maybe he was a real pirate.

The local organizations often sponsor entertainment for us. Upon our morning entry to Iskenderun, Turkey, these young people came to the docks to perform traditional folk dances for us. A camera crew was there as well, photographing the dance and interviewing yachtsmen for the local news.

To demonstrate our appreciation, all of the boats are "dressed" in harbor, which means that we fly many small flags on our rigging. On a hundred vessels, it can look very dramatic.