1. Suez to El Wadi Dome marina. 32nm
We went to Wadi Dome only because we were able to extend our cruising permits there. otherwise it is not a recommended stop! they wanted to charge 46usd per boat per night for a rickety pontoon in a dust bowl with hideous facilities and the view of an enormous pyramid shaped apartment block on a building site. We hurried away the next day with new permit signed and stamped.
2. Wadi Dome to Marsa Thelemet. 31nm
Well
Done Debs for catching the fish of the trip so far (and that goes for all
the fleet). A fantastic 5kg Spanish Mackerel (although there is still some
doubt about it's species - can anyone identify it?).
Debs is a keen fisherman and seems her major trick is to keep changing the lure every half an hour on the basis that whatever is out there isn't interested in the lure she is currently using, so you have to find one that they are attracted to.
The result was 14 delicious firm white fish steaks, which we had for supper simply fried the first night, then made into a fish pie on the second. we gave away 4 steaks to Dan and Mary on 'Still Dreaming'.
The day was slightly marred by the fact that we saw a yacht aground on the reef just north of Marsa Thelemet. It was later identified as 'Heart of Gold', a 45' British ketch that we had met very briefly in Port Said and Ismailia. We later saw the boat in Hurghada although the skipper was not with her. The story was that the skipper was paying a local guy to salvage the boat while he went back to the UK to earn some money to pay for it. On the up side, the boat didn't look to have too much damage.
3. to Sheratib Shoals. 42nm
A good sail to a very different type of anchorage! We anchored behind a reef - heard but not seen in 6m water with several (say 15) oil or gas platforms on the outer side of the reef and an oil refinery on the coast. it was a bumpy spot - the wind blew straight down kicking up a fair chop. having said all that, we were anchored with 7 other rally boats, everyone's anchors held and most slept soundly. We did have a small problem with each yacht being visited in turn by a dinghy with 4 blokes on after dark. they seemed to be asking for drinks, but i don't think they got anything from anyone. the photo does not convey the desolation and remoteness of the anchorage at all!
4. to Sheik Riyal Harbour. 38nm
A lovely sail past some spectacular scenery. long gone are the green wooded slopes of the Turkish coast; now its all rock and sand. The anchorage was a more familiar, proper horseshoe-shaped bay with a visible sandy bottom. Terry, Nigel and Debs even went for a swim here but the wind was quite chilly and i didn't fancy it. They took the opportunity for a good wash down. Esper came over for dinner and we shared the remains of their small tuna and our fish pie.
5. to Endeavour Bay. 41nm
A challenging day sail with 30kt winds and short steep 2-3m seas. Leaving Sheikh riyal was very rolly - we could see 'O Khyham' further out to sea on a different tack to us and seemingly having a better sail. As we got further off the coast, the wind settled to a more steady direction although the sea remained uncomfortable. We thought we had left this type of sea behind us in the Med! We reached the entrance to Endeavour Bay with Full Flight and Divanty guiding us in. The wind continued at 30 knots, but did not stop us all getting together for a beer or 2. We had to use Divanty's tender as a taxi as theirs is the driest and most comfortable, however we still all got soaked with spray!
6. to Hurghada Marina. 24nm
It
would have been nice to spend a day or 2 in Endeavour and to do a bit of
snorkelling at last, but we're a tad behind schedule and have flights to
catch, so We left Esper and Divanty to enjoy a calm day as we had an easy
genoa run down to Hurghada. We were met at the entrance by Graham of Eeyore
in his rib. Nigel and Debs were very excited to see him - as his boat,
Eeyore will be their new home from Hurghada until India.
we spent the next day and a half cleaning and tidying up, as well as moving 100kg of Nigel and Debs luggage off the boat! We aren't really sure where it all went, but it looked an awful lot when it was on the quay. Graham was not looking forward to getting it all on Eeyore! There was no time even to get any of the piles of washing we had accumulated since Ismailia before packing up again to get flights back to the UK.
<previous log next log>
