INTRODUCTION
This Association is intended for boat people, mariners, boat & sail designers and engineers, and, even, anyone owning or interested in what are normally classed as Super-Yachts. Within the Association, which it is intended will, within the next few months, become an official Yacht Club (although the "Yacht Squadron" will develop as a technical arm of the Club proper over the next few
years). There will be yacht racing, racing teams and cruising events organised by the Club, which will also organise and sponsor suitable social and charity events. The PAPHOS APHRODITE YACHT SQUADRON
The Yacht Squadron will manage the design teams, engineering teams and maintenance teams for Sailing Yachts, Powerboats, Motor Cruisers & Motor Yachts, Yacht & Sail Design Innovations, Marine Power System Engineering Design, Autopilot Development, and the technical aspects of racing and Cruising for all types and classes of craft in the Squadron. This page is simply an Introductory Forum within which we can thrash out the basic ideas, options and possibilities. A CLUB FOR YACHTS, SUPERYACHTS, MOTOR CRUISERS & POWERBOATS
The idea for this "Super-Club" was spawned by both the previous Chief-Instructor of Sail First , now based in Limassol marina, in S Cent Cyprus, and myself, when SailFirst was in Paphos Harbour, and we discussed the need for such an organisation in Modern Cyprus. With marinas being constructed all over Cyprus (and, even before Limassol and Lachi had their own), attracting expensive, luxury yachts and cruisers from the western Mediterranean has been a risky business - these have to pass through the Paphos and Polis waters, both of which hold their share of dangers to the unwary. There is thus a need, within the next year - ie before Paphos becomes a European Capital of Culture in 2017 - to establish organisations and voluntary support services for the forthcoming expansion in marine recreational activities in our region. ALL_YEAR SAILING ARRANGEMENTS
The Chief Instructor and I both considered that, in THESE types and classes of Yachts and Motor Craft, sailing SHOULD be able to continue sailing through the winter months here. Conditions around Cyprus, with the right buoyage, marine activity monitoring services and rescue facilities, should be relatively safe in the worst that the Mediterranean can throw at one. And it's never REALLY BITTERLY, cold here compared with Northern Europe, where it is classed as "Frostbite" sailing - and is becoming more popular in the winter as drysuits and suitable equipment improve. FUTURE PROSPECTS
In the longer term, we'd hope that a Paphos Harbour Yacht Club would be able to promote, in the regions of Western Cyprus and the Levant, the sports and recreational aspects of sailing, cruising, racing, instruction and, even later on, the holding of International Regattas and International Race Series (like, for example, the Sydney Harbour Sailing Club). PREFERRED LANGUAGES
Both the Yacht Club and the Yacht Squadron will be Cypriot - International organisations and, as such the main languages will need to be Modern Greek, Turkish, English and Russian, which can all be translated by Bing on a computer. (Please do not use Cypriot or other dialects, which cannot be translated automatically by Bing or the other translation software), but other formal languages may be used among Friends as appropriate. But, for a formal message or Forum discussion, please use English, in one of its approved forms (ie UK, US, Canadian or Australian), or Modern Greek, Turkish or Russian, all of which Bing can handle and translate into other Mother Tongues). RACING
All Club races will take place in the waters off-shore of Paphos harbour, keeping clear of the Shipping Lanes as well as all normal Tourist Activities. Racing will be round specially-laid marker buoys, and the size of each course will depend on the type and size of the boats involved. Buoys will be laid on either an equilateral triangle course, or a straight "Sausage" or "Loukanika" dog-leg. The direction of the course legs will depend on the day's predominant wind direction set 3 hours before the first race starts. Marker buoys in water too deep to anchor them will either be autonomously self-positioning, or will be in the form of a small station-holding power-boat. All boats must carry standard Marine Radios, in order to keep in touch with the racing Commodore in the Club Starting Box (usually based on land at Paphos Harbour). They must also carry at least one pair of powerful binoculars to observe the Flag Signals above the Starting Box. PRIZES
During the development phase of the Paphos Harbour Yacht Club (6 -12 months), the prize for winning a race, cruise or other Club Event, will be to organise the next one!
