While the wind continued to howl at 25 - 30 Kts all night, by mid-morning we were surprised to observe how suddenly it all abated to less the 10 Kts; the silence was deafening. It was also encouraging to see a myriad of windsurfers, kite-surfers and dinghy sailors back out on the water again.

After a perusal of the latest forecasts and, although delighted at the prospect of getting underway again, we sat tight for the day to allow the sea time to settle before our intended departure late this afternoon.

By 1300, though, we were still looking through the binoculars at a considerable swell running south, past the entrance to the anchorage. However, we were unable to determine if this was being caused by the reefs to the north of the entrance or indeed the actual sea state.

Regardless, while we waited, we continued to ready Paw Paw for our departure, which, besides our usual pre-sail checklist, included a cursory cleaning of the helmstation and cockpit area, including the weather guard and sheets, so that we could, at least, operate her in some level of cleanliness. Roy also baked another crusty loaf and prepared a meal for our overnight sail.

By 1600 we weighed anchor and exited Soma Bay with Kandiba close behind. Fortunately the sea state had settled, but we had the usual slog to windward. When Elaine came on watch at 2130, though, a slight course change when the wind backed allowed us a nice motor-sail across the northerly end of the Red Sea towards the shipping lane and the Sinai Peninsula, where we transitioned into the Gulf of Suez; we had eventually crossed the Red Sea!

Our intended destination is El Tur. However, if weather permits, we will continue north. How far we get will be determined by the weather we experience and the progress we make, given our very slow SOG (Speed Over Ground).