Project s/y Fanny Port Said to Kastelorizo and Rhodos

 Before arriving Med I had been watching the weather and it looked like we had a small chance of getting weather with us. As we exited the Canal it was obvious it wasn't going to happen, sods law I guess. The wind was blowing between W and NW and if we tried to getting a WSW course it was SW and going the other tack we went NNE. As Egypt was in the way and the weather blowing from NW I thought better take the better way and escape N wards, the wind might change (fat chance!). So we tacked and were effectively heading for Cyprus. The only comfort was that we were heading for EU at least. As we progressed further N we were able to come to a heading of NNW and avoided hitting Cyprus but then we had the mainland of Turkey ahead of us. 

Sunset

Project s/y Fanny Sawakin to Suez and Port Said

As we got going from Sawakin on the 5th of June we had pretty good weather but the wind was increasing again from NW and that's where we were heading. Come evening the wind was already up, we could not sail against it so we motored. Next day we had massive rollers coming at us and winds up to 20-25kts, we were making hardly 2kts headway on engines. There was nowhere to hide and no shelter to sail in so we were totally exposed. We tried the motoring way for a day and saw it is not getting us nowhere so only one option remained, to sail.

Sudanese lighthouse

Project s/y Fanny Djibouti to Sawakin

N Djibouti, dunes in the sea, some of them Islands

As we were setting off I outlined the passage to hug the Djiboutian and Eritrean coast as the lesser evil having not heard of any incidents on the W coast of the Red Sea. I also wanted the protection of the archipelago off the Eritrean coast as the relentless NW that had been badgering us for most part of the Indian Ocean crossing I was sure would be ever present in the Red Sea too. We sailed in good weather and when we passed Bab-el-Mandeb we only met a few Djiboutian fishermen who paid us no attention, I assume they had enough sense to bring water with them before they set out. Even the wind was with us for awhile and we were surfing along a good 5-6kts. Towards the sunset the wind died and we motored once again. During the afternoon I had been in touch with the Agent in Suez who informed that there is no diesel available for small craft and he recommended to to up fuel in Sawakina, Sudan (sometimes written Sawakin or Suakin). As we had intended to go to Suez directly this put us on further delay but hey-ho, we would need the fuel so we decided to pitstop in Sudan. After all it was along the way. I got a contact for a local chap in Sawakina and I sent my documents in advance and told him my ETA and on we went. 

Spotted coaster wreck

Upon our arrival with s/y Fanny to Suakin (Sawakin) I spotted a semi submerged coaster vessel on the side of the fairway. She seemed to have been anchored or stranded on the shore possibly after having been laid up or developing a critical leak when she called port. Whatever the reason there she was sitting seemingly abandoned. 

Marzooqah K