After reaching the edge of the southbound side of the shipping lane just before midnight last night, we had no choice but to stay west of it and motor against the traffic, as it was far too busy to cross. Then around 0100 Roy saw the gap, increased our speed and got us safely to the other side; something akin to trying to walk across a busy motorway when the traffic consists entirely of speeding 18-wheelers. Up until that point, though, we were protected by Shakir Island and the numerous reefs scattered to the west of the shipping lane, but once we reached the eastern side, motoring with the northbound traffic, the wind and the waves picked up, slowing us down to a crawl.
There is a reason not too many catamarans make this passage compared to monohulls; catamarans are know for the difficulty of sailing close to the wind and, since they sit on top of the water, they bounce over waves vs cutting through them. The result is that the usual “hobbyhorse ride” becomes more of a “bucking bronco” experience in short, steep waves, which is not very pleasant at all. As usual, instead of the 6-10 Kts of wind as forecast, we had 15-20 Kts, creating these waves for which the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez are notorious. The good news is that we shaved another 95NM off our passage and everything calmed down somewhat as we got closer to the shoreline on our approach to El Tur; some documentation references the small city as El Tor.
It was, however, our first glimpse of the beautifully dramatic Sinai Peninsula, home to the 6th-century St. Catherine’s Monastery near the biblical Mount Sinai, as the sun reflected off the red rock, contrasting sharply with the deep blue water, that made all the bouncing around worthwhile.
Research later revealed quite an interesting history associated with this small city called, also known historically as Raithu, after the Raithu desert, located around the city, between Saint Catherine and the Red Sea. The modern name of the city comes from the Arabic term for the mountain, Jabal Al Tor, where Moses received the Tablets of the Ten Commandments from God.
The ancient city of Raithu, meaning “land of fruits”, due to the numerous date palms in the area, has also been identified as the biblical Elim, where Moses and the children of Israel “came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water” (Exodus 15:27). Today this location is known as Hamam Loussa, where there is a newly renovated monastic shrine with a garden and date palms.
El Tor is also the site where Christian monks, fleeing persecutions, have been present since the 3rd century and from the late 3rd and early 4th century, it has been the site of monastic habitations. The Rutho Monastery, located in the Raithu desert, was commissioned in the 6th century by the Byzantine emperor, Justinian. It was founded in remembrance of the "Martyrs of Raithu", the 43 monks murdered around AD 378 by bedouins during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. Additionally, although the ancient lavra at Raithu, a type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves, was destroyed in the 11th century, excavations have uncovered the extensive ruins of the monastic complex. Today, Greek Orthodox Christians can also be found still living in the city as well.
After the El Tor strain of cholera was discovered in 1905, the city became a quarantine camp for Muslim pilgrims returning from the Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
This was another fascinating glimpse into biblical times.
This evening we were treated to the most stunning sunset and while theories abound as to how the Red Sea was named, we have our own theory. Some believe it could have been the result of the red-hued "sea sawdust", a type of algae, that grows near the water's surface, while some historians believe it is named for the Himyarites, a group who once lived along it's shores and others believe that the word "red" is actually a designator of the Sea's location, relative to the ancient Mediterranean world ie to the South. In ancient languages, the colours black, red, green, and white referred to North, South, East and West, respectively. For us, however, is was the stunning sunset, reflecting off the mountains and turning the east coastline red, while the setting sun in the west turned the skies a deep red of varying shades, which reflected off the water. We were basically inside a red bubble of sorts! Spectacular!
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).
Well, we’ve certainly transitioned from hostile waters to hostile weather; gale force winds in fact and certainly not what we wanted 200NM short of such a long passage. As a result, we did not have the most pleasant of nights, with sustained winds of 35 - 40 Kts, gusting 40 - 44 Kts, which continued this morning and had us both up for a second consecutive night, although this time we were up together and had Roy dressed in his foul weather gear, only the second time he’s worn them during our circumnavigation, to sit at the helmstation and use the engines to ease the strain on the ground tackle.
Thankfully, by this afternoon, the winds had moderated somewhat to 25 - 30 Kts; who would have thought we’d be happy with 25 Kts of wind! We were, however, astonished to realise the winds had been so strong that the covers on our bridle had been completely ripped off, although they were fixed in place with Velcro and cable tied for extra protection.
Needless to say, we then spent most of the day catching up on lost sleep. While Elaine snoozed a little longer than Roy, he checked the weather forecasts again, started the watermaker, brought the “emergency” anchor back to the cockpit and washed the saloon windows, so we could see out of them again. The amount of dust that has settled on Paw Paw is horrendous and going to require a major cleanup!
It truly has been the craziest weather, the likes of which we have never experienced before, particularly since it has been relentless for six days and has created waves across the bay reaching one to one and a half metres; this in a so called protected anchorage! Our extra crew members, our Anchor Plus application, installed on two separate devices to help with the GPS accuracy, though, certainly helped relief much of the stress in constantly monitoring the status of the anchor.
However, while we sit and complain about weather, we need to keep matters in perspective, given that during our ordeal we have friends in different parts of the world the world currently dealing with the loss of a sibling, recovery from major surgery after a potentially life threatening diagnosis and the loss of a parent. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them.
After anchor watch became a necessity overnight, given the sustained winds of 30 to 35 Kts, we were both definitely very sluggish today, spending most of the day catching up on lost sleep. However, besides undertaking an inspection of the exterior to ensure items remained secure in these brutal winds, Roy also rigged one of our spare anchors as an emergency backstop in the event of a malfunction of our existing ground tackle. It’s fair to say we definitely expected more protection in this anchorage, especially with the number of buildings ashore, but, Murphy’s Law, the wind is coming from the direction that offers the least amount of protection and it’s creating rather large waves with the fetch, adding to the unpleasantness.
Another chat to Hasan, off Kandiba, and contact with family and friends via social media has provided some “company” and helped stave off the drudgery of being “pinned down” by weather. It is definitely the last thing we needed at the end of such a long passage. However, keeping things in perspective, every yacht north of Suakin, Sudan, is experiencing the exact same issue with this weather.
We understand from Golden Spirit, though, after receiving a message from Michael this afternoon, that they’ve managed to complete the first stage of their Suez Canal crossing and are currently in Ismailia awaiting an improvement in the weather before proceeding to the Mediterranean Sea. It’s definitely comforting to know that the weather has, at least, improved 200NM to the north of us! We just need to be patient for a little bit longer!
After a bitterly cold night, but, fortunately lighter winds, we both had a good night’s sleep. However, considering how cold it still was this morning, we decided on another hot breakfast, the benefit being twofold; it was a hot meal and having the gas stove on went a long way to heating the saloon. So, bacon butties it was. The hot showers that followed ensured we were definitely warmed up for the day, which was spent on a few menial activities.
Besides checking the latest weather forecasts in the hope of being able to continue north later this week, Roy also baked a delicious crusty loaf which was enjoyed for lunch, accompanied by some French brie and paté.
Elaine spent her day cataloguing all our latest photographs and got everything ready to be uploaded to the website gallery once we have a decent data connection again. She also catalogued our latest video snippets in preparation for her next task; creating the videos for the website, something she’s fallen a little behind on lately.
Another chat to Hasan, off Kandiba, this evening helped formulate our plans for the Eastern Mediterranean once we get through the Suez Canal; it certainly helps to glean firsthand information from someone who knows the area well. He’s knowledge has been invaluable.
Our day was wrapped up with another comfort meal; bangers and mash, followed by a movie to help while away the hours and drown out the incessant noise of the wind. However, that noise was about to get worse and anchor watch became a necessity with sustained winds of 30 to 35 Kts; so much for staying snug and warm in bed and enjoying some R&R!
After winds that reached 32 Kts overnight, this morning we endured sustained winds of 30 to 35 Kts out of the northwest, producing at least a half a metre of standing waves due to the fetch. Fortunately, for the remainder of the day the winds dropped slightly to 25 to 30 Kts, but it has been relentless!
Of course, although we’d received a request from one of the establishments ashore to move Paw Paw, so as not to be “in the way of the windsurfers”, it was a request we were certainly not going to entertain under any circumstances in these extreme weather conditions and we certainly didn’t believe we were being unreasonable in our unwillingness to move at the risk of damage to our equipment, personal injury or jeopardising Kandiba, who are anchored about 300 metres off our port bow. Unless conditions improved significantly, although the forecasts have indicated conditions are expected to deteriorate further over the coming days, we were staying put.
However, not wanting any confrontations with the personnel of the resorts or possibly with the Egyptian authorities, messages were sent early this morning to the UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organisation) and our agent in Port Suez, requesting their invention / assistance on our behalf to explain the situation. After a number of phone calls, we were informed that the request had come from the Robertson Windsurfing Resort and assurances were given that the matter would be resolved.
Grateful for these efforts, we spent the rest of the day, similar to yesterday; eating, napping and watching movies; neither of us particularly interested in too much else, other than to secure the cockpit cushions and have a brief chat to Hasan, off Kandiba. This has become a daily routine to ensure all is well on both yachts, discuss the latest weather forecasts and consider an approach to getting to Port Suez, once the weather dissipates. It hadn’t helped matters, though, that messages from the agent had informed us that Endeavour Harbour was to be avoided as an overnight stop, due to fees of $600USD per night being demanded from cruisers. It seems the Red Sea has kept the “worst for last”!We’re definitely looking forward to getting to Port Suez and into the Mediterranean, but we’re having to take a large dose of patience first!
It was also lovely to hear from both Talulah Ruby III and Golden Spirit, informing us that they’re all safe and well in the Port Suez Yacht Club, although yacht bound like ourselves, but were looking forward to their transit to Ismailia in the coming days, the halfway stop en route through the Suez Canal, where they’ll wait again for weather to improve in the Mediterranean Sea. Given the news of a cargo ship sinking in this storm on the Mediterranean side of the Suez Canal, was not something we wanted to hear!
A heartly homemade minestrone soup, accompanied by freshly baked soda bread, went a long way to warming us up for another cold night on the water.
Although we had an interrupted night’s sleep with the howling wind setting off the wind alarm a few times in the night, we were both a little more energetic today, despite the cold.
After Roy discovered that the bolt holding the head of the mainsail to the halyard had come loose when he was securing the sail in preparations for the stronger winds, his first task of the day was to fix the issue, albeit in freezing winds of 20 to 25 Kts. On hindsight, it was sheer luck that we had dropped the mainsail en route to Soma Bay when the winds initially picked up, otherwise we could have faced a much bigger problem, no doubt.
Next task of the day was to start the watermaker, while Elaine did the laundry; well, at least washed the few items we needed, given that everything had to be dried inside due to the volume of sand in the air, something we discovered the hard way when we woke to sand all over the saloon this morning, after leaving the saloon portholes slightly ajar overnight. Cleaning up that mess was Elaine’s first task of the day.
Then, in between the small loads of laundry, she closed up the helmstation area and washed it too, removing layers of sand as she progressed; an unbelievable mess!
A chat to Elaine’s folks in Ireland and a quick chat to Hasan, off Kantiba, on the VHF radio, was the extent of any social interaction we had, with the exception of a representative of one of the resorts requesting us to move Paw Paw because we “were in the way of the windsurfers”. Roy, being his usual polite self, indicated that we couldn’t move in the weather conditions we were experiencing, but would be happy to do so if the conditions improved. Needless to say, this was not Elaine’s reaction, given that we’d already let out more chain yesterday and had, therefore, moved back a bit already. This truly was the most ridiculous request we’ve ever had, considering we’re 0.2NM from the small marina entrance and 0.45NM from the resort area and only taking up 14 metres of linear space in a humongous, wide open bay. Fortunately for them, we were both too tired to be bothered and, of course, weren’t even entertaining the idea of moving in these conditions!
Being back online, we were delighted to receive photographs of the family who had gathered to celebrate the christening of Layla Rose, the newest arrival in the family. Looking at the photographs, it was difficult to tell, though, who was enjoying the company more, the children or granny (Elaine’s sister) or the great-grandparents (Elaine’s folks).
