Cyprus: The home of Aphrodite
Cyprus is the home of the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. The Greek name Kypros (Κύπρος) comes from the island’s abundance of copper. Cyprus is the third largest and most forested island in the Mediterranean. Cyprus was already considered very fertile in ancient times. The island is home to a lush flora and fauna, especially in the Troodos Mountains in the south and in the Pentadaktylosberg range in the north. The underwater world in this yacht charter area with the sea turtles, the many fish species, the corals and sea anemones is a paradise for divers. Divers are the so-called amphitheater on the west coast of Cyprus and the wrecks of a British gunboat that sank in a storm in Larnaka Bay in 1947, the “Zenobia” sunk in 1980 and its cargo, a British army helicopter that crashed in 1996 off the south coast near Larnaka and an antique merchant ship popular with Akrotiri off the east coast.
Picturesque sandy beaches line the home of Aphrodite, who once rose from the waves of the Mediterranean Sea. Water sports of all kinds are offered as well as helicopter sightseeing flights, but also cycling, horse riding, agrotourism, hiking, mountaineering and in winter even winter sports in the Troodos Mountains. Settlements from the Neolithic Age, ancient temples, Greek and Roman theaters, Byzantine basilicas and monasteries, Catholic churches and monasteries such as the ruins of the Gothic Bellapais Abbey in the mountains above Keryneia (Turkish Girne) in the occupied north of the island, castles and fortresses Byzantines and Crusaders, Venetian walls, Ottoman mosques and buildings from the British colonial era offer a glimpse into the history of Cyprus, these beautiful sufferers.
The island republic in the eastern Mediterranean has always been under the influence of great cultures: Cyprus was until the 14th century. v. Apparently independent and then came under Hittite rule for a short time. Then Greeks from the Mycenaean domain settled the island. Later Phoenicians established settlements and until the time of Alexander the Great Cyprus belonged to the great empires of the Assyrians, Persians and Egyptians. This was followed by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders and Venice until the conquest by the Ottoman Empire in 1570. Cyprus was ceded to Great Britain in 1878, annexed by Great Britain in 1914, made a British Crown Colony in 1925 and in 1960 in coordination with the other two guarantee powers Greece and Turkey granted independence.
After an attempted coup by Greek nationalists with the support of the dictatorship at the time in Athens against President Makarios, Turkey occupied 37% of the territory, which is most important for the economy of Cyprus, in 1974 and in 1983 proclaimed the internationally unrecognized, so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Attempts at reunification are still unsuccessful, despite the accession of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU in 2004, which affects the entire territory, but is practically only used in the free southern part of the island. The capital Lefkosia (Turkish Lefkoşa, int. Nicosia) has been divided since 1974.
The starting point for a sailing holiday in the free part of the republic are Larnaka, Lemessos (int. Limassol) and Paphos. If you want to travel to the Turkish-occupied north of the island, you have to start on mainland Turkey.
South coast of Cyprus
Cyprus has an intense Mediterranean climate. The sun shines here almost all year round. Summer lasts from May to October and is dry and hot with cloudless skies. The wind blows slightly from the south-westerly direction during this time and turns west in the course of the afternoon with a strength of about 4 Beaufort. Winds from the north and north-east are also possible, especially off-season. While there is also strong winds from the east or storms from the south and east in winter, the nights in summer are often calm. The best sailing time is from April to the end of October.
It is an easy to moderately difficult sailing area.
In the free part of the republic there is the Larnaca Marina in Larnaka, the St. Raphael Marina in Lemessos (Limassol), the marina in Paphos on the west coast and the marina in Latsi in the large Chrysochous Bay. In the occupied northern part of the republic on the north coast there is the ferry port, the old city port and the Delta Marina in Keryneia (Turkish Girne) as well as the city port of Ammochostos (Turkish Gazimağusa, int. Famagusta) and the Karpaz Gate Marina on the northeast coast . There are small fishing ports around the island.
Visitors to the Republic of Cyprus are only allowed to enter the republic through the legal customs ports, i.e. the international airports of Larnaka and Paphos and the ports of Larnaka, Lemesos (Limassol) and Paphos. Entry from Turkey is problematic. Calling at and using ports or airports in the Turkish-occupied north of the island is illegal. Having an entry stamp in the occupied northern part of the passport can lead to difficulties when entering Greece at a later date. For a sailing trip, the usual European documents and papers are required: passports, crew list, ship papers, proof of insurance. On land, however, you can take day trips to the north from Lefkosia (Nicosia).
A shore excursion to the Troodos Mountains and a visit to the Green Line in the capital Lefkosia (Nicosia), along which the division of the island runs.