We are wintering in Ashkelon, Israel (2005-6). The marina here has just a few foreign boats, but we are very happy we chose to come here for the winter. The prime attractions are:

The weather is warmer and dryer than Turkey, our last wintering spot. We have enjoyed hiking in the Negev desert and watersports all winter. There have been few weather excuses not to get varnish work done.

For such a small country, there is a remarkable amount of touring to be done. Landscapes and cultures are varied and diverse. It is refreshing after the monoculture of other nearby countries. Jerusalem is a 1 1/2 hour bus ride. Tel Aviv can be reached easily by train.

The people here have been almost uniformly welcoming and gracious. The marina staff is extremely helpful.

The marina itself is well protected and the shopping in town is good for groceries and hardware at good prices… less than the US. Also, good medical care is available. However, there is no chandlery here. The small yard can order many things quickly though. We did have our injectors serviced locally.

Security is of course very good.

The marina rates are very reasonable.

The local vegetable market is excellent.

Disadvantages:

Marine gear is more expensive and harder to find.

There is no wi-fi (yet).

One must take a bus or ride a bike to the grocery store and other shopping. Rental car rates are good ($30 US/day). We usually ride a bike shopping. A shopping center is planned near the marina we are told, but it is unlikely to be finished by next winter.

Conclusion: The good outweighs the disadvantages many times over. I haven’t mentioned the security situation… it really is not more of a problem here than in other countries in my opinion. That is to say that there are dangers everywhere these days, unfortunately. Once again, we are very happy we came.

Doug Koger Jr.