Sometime around the end of March we woke up to find ourselves in the middle of a construction zone. Our only warning had been an article in the local newspaper declaring that the Eilat marina was going to undergo renovations. Nobody paid particular attention because renovation rumours have been making the rounds for years. Lying in a lagoon surrounded by hotels, the Eilat marina is prime real estate. Sooner or later, each new mayor sets their sites on making a packet of money off of our little corner of this world - rarely to the benefit of the boat owners.

We have had an exclusive condo development erected on the north end of the lagoon, officially eliminating boat access to that area. A few years ago, the land rights at the western end that had been designated for dry dock, were quietly given to a hotelier. Just last year a large restaurant complex was built right on the north pier taking over slip space for several mega yachts.

Meanwhile docks and jetties fall into disrepair. There are no toilets or showers for boaters never mind laundry facilities, WiFi, or security. Each year the marina gets more crowded and slip space becomes about as scare as a loft in Manhatten. During winter storms when commercial boats move into the inner lagoon for safety, push comes to squeeze. While current marina fees are very reasonable, we often find ourselves wondering just what we are paying for.



So when the bulldozers and jack hammers arrived we were a little startled. We also were a little excited. Maybe THIS time they really would renovate the marina. Patiently we endured weeks and then months of dust and sand. Mornings we awoke to the sounds of tractors and dump trucks craning our necks to see if we could fathom just what this was all about. Surely we would be getting toilets and showers. What a difference marina showers would make to our liveaboard life!

By the end of April it was clear that a new promenade was being built. This walkway would skirt the marina and give tourists a lovely view of the boats. Not long after word came that the funds for toilets and showers had not come through. Quel surprise.

The sand and dust continued. Dump trucks unloaded piles of it right in front of our slip. When the spring winds began to blow, they would scoop up that sand and drop it on all the docks and nearby boats. Each morning I would get out our shop vac and vacuum piles of sand off the decks and cockpit. One warm evening Manny and I had just sat down to dinner in the cockpit. We uncorked a nice bottle of red wine and just as we raised our glasses to drink a sudden gust of sand filled wind sent us running for cover. We moved dinner indoors, closed all the ports, turned on the air conditioner and enjoyed a gritty meal.



In June as the paving stones went down, the dust began to settle a little. Just as we all began to breathe a little easier, a new surprise was introduced. Town planners decided that the service dock - the only dock area accessible to a crane - was wasted space and we watched with mouths agape as restructuring of that area began. Now destepping a mast or lifting a boat for emergency repairs was out of the question. Boaters got mad and took a lawyer to protest. A service dock was one of the basic requirements of any marina. Work stoppages were put in place for a couple of weeks, but the town showed who had more say in the matter when the tractors moved back and work continued as usual.

Looks like, we have to face facts. While we have always enjoyed Eilat's laid back atmosphere, it clearly is time to leave and find a more comfortable home base. Manny and I have been living aboard sailboats for over twenty years. During this time, we've lived in a variety of different marinas in different countries. We've seen local politicians plow down beautiful stands of trees and fill in quiet and peaceful wetlands all for the want of some temporary cash. We've watched cruiser friendly marinas turn into dockominiums charging prices that only the wealthy can afford.

This, however, is the first time we've seen politicians turn down the potential money that a well run marina brings in, for a long line of pavement and a few palm trees. There are some things we will just never understand.