Red Sea

 

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 We were relieved to get through the Bab El Mandeb, although it does not eliminate the risk of pirate attacks. It does, however, drop the risk significantly especially since they can't operate in rough seas and that's what you get in the southern Red Sea. After passing through the straits, our  convoy of  very tired of 'Seabirds' split off into two groups .Some headed for Massawa, others for small sub islands beyound Eritrea.

  This is the lighthouse and military barracks of Mayyun Island, which creates 2 straits. We took the small strait so as to avoid the shipping lane. We had to keep clear of the shore here as it is swarming with Yemeni military and they are very nervous owing to instability in Yemen.

  One of our last shots of Seabird Convoy as they sailed though the straits. What we didn't quite realize was how the wind would pick up almost immediately after we entered the southern Red Sea. The Bab El Mandeb creates a narrow funnel for winds trying to get into the Red Sea. What was fairly light in the Gulf of Aden became a raging gale with winds up to 40 knots and huge boarding seas. 

    A rare shot of us in heavy seas, with just a little jib out. Yes, it was rough. The main comfort was the relief from worry that skiffs filled with pirates were just on the horizon.

  This is what happens in gale-force winds - the mainsail of S/V Margarita is torn to shreds and they couldn't get it down in these winds.

One thing anyone who tries this trip up the Red Sea finds is that the winds are often fierce - southerly gales in the south, screaming northerlies in the north, with a small convergence zone in southern Sudan. 

  The convoy essentially split into two, with half going to Assab in Eritrea and us sailing for Massawa. You can see our little visit here. 

   

  Here's a nice change of pace - little spinner dolphins - hundreds, in fact. They came from miles around to gambol and cavort on our bow.

  Even better - a yellowfin tuna came over for dinner! It's bigger & heavier than it looks, as tuna are kind of circular in shape. Capt Hub is straining, not just with the weight but trying not to look too circular himself. This part of the Red Sea is full of fish.

  Having escaped from Eritrea, we were looking forward to relaxing in laid-back, stable, friendly Sudan. Yeah, that's how bad things are in the Middle East these days, when Sudan looks like Switzerland. 

  Anyway, join us as we visit beautiful, wild and unspoiled Sudan!

   

  Having become adept at towing, we got another chance at the Sudan-Egypt border when a French yacht broke down. Here we are towing 2 boats, although the one in the middle is also under power. The north winds are relentless and the boat in the middle could not make more than 2 knots on its own.

  We had a passenger for quite awhile as it sought shelter from the wind. If the jib and its sheets (lines) look dirty that's what happens in the Red Sea.

  We were most fortunate to get a chance to stop at famous Dolphin Reef, a reef in the middle of nowhere populated by wild but friendly dolphins.

  These are spinner dolphins and are fairly small, but nonetheless cute. If the composition is not perfect it is hard to describe just how challenging it is trying to swim with these guys and take underwater shots at the same time.

  This was the most common shot, the whole pod steaming off and leaving Capt Hub in its wake.

    A lovely mermaid makes her move on the pod while being studiously ignored.

  Porpoises are notoriously promiscuous. We don't know if the one on the left is trying to say, "Some guys have all the luck", or "Do you mind? How about a little privacy?".

 

  We finally arrived at out port of entry, so please join us in Egypt!.

  Here's a rare shot of Amante sailing with its "spinnaker". Equally rare are southerly winds in the Red Sea, which usually auger strong northerlies in the next day.

  Our last slog is the notorious Gulf of Suez. It can really act as a wind tunnel. Here we see a veritable glacier of sand pouring down a mountainside. If it looks dim it's because of all the dust in the air, which limits visibility to just a few miles, even when the wind is not blowing.

  Besides lots of shipping traffic we had to dodge the many uncharted oil rigs, like this temporary "jack up" rig. Unlike the US, Egypt feels that oil and gas are good things to explore for and produce, which is why gasoline in Egypt costs only $0.75/gal.

  A curious phenomenon in the Gulf of Suez is the frequent occurrence of ghost towns, large developments that seem to have been abandoned. What's odd is why they were built in the first place, i.e. the Sinai Peninsula has nothing to offer but sandy wasteland.

  This place looked like something out of "Star Wars". It looked like it was designed for the midget Jawas in the first movie.

  This is more conventional, but equally empty. We also saw empty buildings all over Cairo and wonder if this isn't more in the way of "Field of Dreams" development, where corruption and cronyism are more crucial to a project than viability. Sound familiar?

  The landscape here is stunning, with soaring cliffs down to the sea, but often impossible to see because of all the dust in the air.

  As we got closer to the Suez Canal, we started to see the trains of ships coming out. Ships enter both ends of the Canal early each morning and exit in the afternoon, passing each other in the Bitter Lake.

What's this? A Russian-built helicopter? What's it watching?

  Why, it's a British nuclear sub coming out of the Canal! That's something you don't see every day. Warships get special treatment while transiting the Canal and little boats like Amante can't move when they are underway.

    We had to spend a week in the crappy, rundown "Yacht Club" run by the Canal authority. It's the worse marina we'd been in since the Panama Canal "Yacht Club" and customer service was just as nasty. We were eager to see luxor from this vantage point and it proved useful for that very reason.

  Here we see Capt Hub driving with the Canal pilot, Muhammed, nearby. He was a jerk, storming off the boat when he didn't think his tip was enough; it's never enough. Also, note what looks like a birthmark on his forehead. Called a "zebibah", it's a bruise caused by banging your head on the floor while praying. It's a fashion statement among Islamists, signifying devotion. To us it signifies danger. Our other pilot for the second half of the trip was great! Congenial and winsome, he was a true gentlman. 

See what looks like a little catamaran to the left of the ship? It's actually much bigger than Amante. You can see it hugging the markers; this is how much room we had. Where's the xanax?

 

Yikes! Here comes another our way!

Adding to the fun were local fishing boats; this one is powered by a plastic bag.

  What are these? They are sections of a pontoon bridge and are poised on ramps for fast deployment. They have these bridges every couple of miles, all along the Canal. We would think that their only purpose was waging aggressive military action against their neighbor to the east.

    Here's a bridge section ready to go, complete with soldiers. The blue thing on the left is an engine used to maneuver the section and hold the bridge steady against what is often a strong current in the Canal. Like we said, only an army needs this kind of stuff. Keep in mind the US has provided Egypt with over $9 billion in military aid in recent years. Your tax dollars at work.

  Here's more US aid, this time in the form of one of Hosni Mubarak's many houses. We were searched a number of times by the military looking for people or things being smuggled out of Egypt by Mubarak's relatives.

  This is the "yacht club" in Ismalia. It was much nicer than the mess in Suez. We had to spend the night there as we were not fast enough to transit the 90 mile-long Canal in one day.

  Here we see a plucky little sailboat about to mix it up with a fully-loaded tanker. Can you say "road kill"?

  Capt Hub looks worn out, but it wasn't the stress of ships, it was the strain of sitting there for hours driving, which caused gobs of low back pain. The pilot always wanted to drive, but they carry no responsibility in the case of an encounter with a ship or signpost. The only way to keep the pilot from driving was to stay in the driver's seat. Ouch!

Here's some fishermen rowing against the current and setting nets amidst the shipping.

A parting shot of Port Said as we bid adieu to the Red Sea.

  Finally, after 2 days and many tense, excruciating hours motoring up the Canal. Our last act of Canal torment involved being told to tie up at a crummy wharf, running aground in a stiff breeze trying to get away, then being pulled off by a pilot boat - at least they earned their tips.

  The passage up the Red Sea is one of the biggies of circumnavigation and likely to become a rarity in view of the pirate menace. What a long, strange trip it was...

  OK, if you've lasted this far, join us as we finally break into the Med!

 

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