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.
Enok's catch no 2, barracuda
With the Owner we raised sails to reef 3 and got going towards Saudi Arabia. With wind we were making a NNE course of about 5-7kts so better than nothing. We kept going across the Red Sea until we hit the KSA coast, then we'd turn around and head for the Egyptian coast. It was hard going as the seas usually close to Saudi got worse, lot of slamming, rolling and pitching. Even though we passed only miles from land the dust up in the air was so bad we didn't actually see the coast, at night we could see the lights. The sunsets and sunrises all looked the same, cloudless sky on a hazy golden coloured backdrop.
Sunset
We tacked across the Red Sea I think 4-5 times before we reached the last umbilical, Gulf of Suez on 12th June. Getting into it was a challenge as air funnelled out of there up to 40kts at best, we had our genoa sail down but the main sail still up on reef 2, as we were creeping up the eastern coast the autopilot decided to give up and we lost heading, the wind grabbed the main sail and broke the reef line once again and we were on manual steering. All night we crept up the E coast at something between 1-2 kts and hardly made any progress. In the morning I decided to abandon the traffic separation scheme and cut across to the western shore and try to see if the seas would be less over there. I did a 90deg turn to port and cut across the lanes easily, with the wind on our side we did 5kts just like that. Then I crept as close as possible to the shore and headed N, that slowed our speed to abt 4kts. The E coast was not too bad, as long as we could stay close to shore we made pretty ok headway, at times we had to get off the shore due to oil rigs and shoals but most of the time the going was good.
Sunset
Dusk
Sunset, old style general cargo ship with derricks "Khaled A" built in 1991, surprisingly she did not show up on our radar. Thought she was a ghost ship.
Sunset
Sunrise
General cargo ship
Sunrise
Gas tanker
Sunset
Then on we went along the E coast until finally we came in to the last Bay before the Suez Canal where all the ships were at anchor waiting to transit or laid up for whatever reason. On 14th June as we were puttering inwards we were approached by a pilot boat who told us to contact the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) on the VHF (which we had been trying to do for past hour or so with poor success). Then I heard spoken on the VHF shotgun Arabic that pilot was talking to the controller about us, after that he approached us and told us to proceed (as we had been doing) to the marina and if we could spare some cigarettes for him. We gave a few packs although the controller could have replied our VHF hails, it's the game here and they are all in on it.
Sunrise
Presumably laid up tanker "Sea Shark" in Bay of Suez. Last position online is from 2020 in S.America, somehow she has ended up abandoned in Suez...
Suez mosque
Then we arrived the mouth of the Canal and a few cables into it we had the entrance to the marina on our port side. We were met by a guy in a small dinghy who instructed us to a pair of buoys and tied us up there. We could not go ashore as we didn't have tourist visas for Egypt. Our Agent, Captain Heebi from the Prince of the Red Sea agency, attended onboard and did the paperwork for us which was new to me and satisfying because the red tape is phenomenal in recording useless data of each vessel. Before he came onboard we had already been visited by Port Health, the Coast Guard and the SCA to measure us up (for the tonnage). All in all the transit fee came up to 1200USD or thereabouts, we also asked Capt Heebi's assistant to get some vegetables for us which we found exorbitant in price although of fresh and good quality. We also ordered some takeaway which was also delicious after our own cooking on the high seas. As we were sitting watching the sun go down we were then approached by a boat and it turned out the Marina Manager, Mr Mekky, was there to greet us with a box of Egyptian sweets. They were really delicious and everyone appreciated the gesture.
Suez marina
Omar obviously has weird taste
Yard opposite the marina
Yard opposite the marina
The next day went waiting for news when we could transit. As per SCA rules pleasure craft can only transit in day time and when no warships in the canal. Apparently this day there was one and later on in the evening we saw it passing. Anyway, Capt Heebi informed us that the pilot will be boarding at 6AM the next morning. I put my alarm for 5AM and as I suspected they came-a-banging little after. The pilot was not of a talkative sort, he sat himself in one corner of the fly bridge and looked sullen. After we've let go our lines he asked us to proceed in the channel and go along the left hand bank close to the dolphins that lined it at steady intervals. In fact the current was less closer to shore and if one let drift towards the middle of the stream, the speed dropped straight away with a knot. As it happened the current was of course against us. In the beginning the canal is a bit narrow and as we were on the side doing 4-5kts we were constantly being overtaken by 2-300m long ships doing minimum 8kts and there one could feel the interaction between the hulls, it was hard work not losing heading and keeping to the side as one was being sucked one way and then the other as the speed dropped to less than a knot when their great displacement pushed the water masses aftward. As the canal widened and the convoy had passed us it was easier going. The pilot continued his silent demeanour and refused any food or drink we offered him. Due to our average speed of abt 4kts, we had to spend the night in Ismailia and we arrived there just in time for sunset.
Yard opposite the marina
Yard opposite the marina
Yard opposite the marina
The canal was just outside
Yard opposite the marina
Great Bitter lake
Fanny alongside Ismailia marina
As we tied up in Ismailia the pilot jumped off and walked off without so much as a goodbye. He didn't even want cigarettes as I asked him if he is a smoking man. After having tied up we were visited by the immigration who castigated us to stay within the premises of the marina as we didn't have tourist visas, "yes yes" we said, "we will not go anywhere". We weren't that interested to go out anyway so we looked for the marina manager in order to pay the berth fee (20USD) for one night. Then we stalked off to the restaurant upstairs but they quoted weird opening hours saying they close at 1730hrs, who closes a restaurant at dinner time? Downstairs was a cafeteria that was serving drinks (non-alcoholic) and we ordered pizza from them having ascertained that most items on the menu was not available, not even the local food. Maybe it was due to Egypt still having some kind of Covid restrictions left or the local populace was still wary of going out due to it. We don't know and probably never will.
Another yacht in Ismailia
Ismailia marina
Ismailia marina was a very popular photography spot for wedding couples
Ismailia pizza box
Ismailia, local tonnage
Our Agent informed that we would be getting pilot next morning on 17th June at 10.00hrs, there was a warship in the morning convoy so we could not get going earlier. That was a relief as the marina manager had hinted that we may have to spend 2 nights here. Next morning we were up early for breakfast and preparing for sea. As we were sitting and waiting the pilot turned up fashionably late and we let go all lines and set off, as we were just about to enter the Canal channel a warship sailed past us on the way south. So the lateness was all planned to the minute. This guy was also all talk and kept on nattering of this and that. We still made only 4-5 kts as the wind kept increasing as we neared Port Said. Sun was also setting and by the time we almost made it out it was already dark. The pilot before he left asked for money which I refused. He tried also to tell me the agent had promised him a tip, I think I told him then you may have to ask the Agent for it. He then didn't want cigarettes either so he left in a huff. I think the news I read about the SCA clamping down the cigarette circus was having an effect as we had made it through with only about one and a half carton of cigarettes. In other times when I have transited the canal I've given out anything between 12-30 cartons as bribes to various officials. Not that it makes the process any smoother or pleasant but I hate to experience it when refusing to give bribes. At last we were free from the clutches of Egyptian officialdom and we were finally in the Mediterranean sea and we headed North. As soon as we had 5m or more under the keel we veered off the buoyed channel, we had moderate waves rolling against us so was trying to find a nice angle to take the waves instead of head on. We were still on hand steering as our autopilot having given up the ghost some days ago so there was no chance of falling asleep. We kept to the coast and avoided all the offshore clutter and traffic and headed towards Crete as the conditions permitted. We kept as goal to reach Valletta Malta in 9-10 days time.
Ismailia, beach and slip
Passed by a bunch of Swedes
Sunset on the Mediterranean sea
Next part of the journey: Port Said to Kastelorizo and Rhodes
No comments:
Post a Comment