Three weeks back we turned north to pass through the Straits of El Mandeb to enter the Red Sea and take a further step back in time in this historic sea that borders some of the worlds oldest but still among the the most troubled and impoverished countries. We must admit that our knowledge of this part of the planet is somewhat limited as the countries we will be visiting with the exception of Egypt are not exactly on the top tourist trails. We are however learning there are great sights and experiences to be had as these first three
weeks show.
weeks show.
Our first stop was an anchorage at the volcanic Hannish Islands, Yemen, smack in the middle of the busy shipping lanes at the south end of the Red Sea. We anchored in an open bay surrounded by the stark beauty of a largely treeless island backdrop dominated by lava flows from the rolling sides of old volcanoes
right down to the waters edge. One volcano had even lost a side to the sea and the crater was exposed to the open sea. The backdrop reminded us of White Island and Mt Tarawera but clearly this now dormant exhibition was far more ancient as not a wisp of steam or working vent is visible.
right down to the waters edge. One volcano had even lost a side to the sea and the crater was exposed to the open sea. The backdrop reminded us of White Island and Mt Tarawera but clearly this now dormant exhibition was far more ancient as not a wisp of steam or working vent is visible.
Next we sailed northwest to catch our first glimpse of the African Continent on the Eritrean coast before anchoring at the even more impressive volcanic Abelait Island. We went ashore here to walk around and take in the stunning landscape and birdlife including proud eagles nesting in the most exposed spots. We saw
evidence of turtle tracks where they come to lay their eggs but no turtles on this occasion. The interesting thing about this island was that there were little mini extinct volcanoes everywhere and you could literally walk up and around the rims. Being extremely dry any vegetation was crackly under foot but mostly the
surface was volcanic scoria and sand neatly wind blown into amazing wavelike patterns. We felt as if we were disturbing natures artwork as we walked around.
We met our first Eritreans here, fishermen who had come ashore with a shark to remove its dorsal and tail fin but wastefully leave the rest wallowing in the surf for the birds. We later established this is common practice due to a lucrative trade with, guess who?, those environmentally focused Chinese.
evidence of turtle tracks where they come to lay their eggs but no turtles on this occasion. The interesting thing about this island was that there were little mini extinct volcanoes everywhere and you could literally walk up and around the rims. Being extremely dry any vegetation was crackly under foot but mostly the
surface was volcanic scoria and sand neatly wind blown into amazing wavelike patterns. We felt as if we were disturbing natures artwork as we walked around.
We met our first Eritreans here, fishermen who had come ashore with a shark to remove its dorsal and tail fin but wastefully leave the rest wallowing in the surf for the birds. We later established this is common practice due to a lucrative trade with, guess who?, those environmentally focused Chinese.
Eritrea
Its always exciting arriving in a new country and arriving by sea is just that much more real and authentic compared with the sterile airport arrival. Eritrea was no exception as we motored into the port town of Massawa and tied up alongside a block wall and put the fenders out to stop damaging the hull of Musketelle. This port is surrounded by bombed out buildings and first impressions are this has been a grand old port town before madness struck.
Clearing Customs and Immigration is a breeze and in no time we getting the good oil on the local deals for exchanging local cash, internet, water, diesel, food etc etc. From here on the US dollar is paramount and obviously very negotiable...official bank rate 15 Nafka/1$, we got 30 Nafka through 'Mike the Middleman' and heard one could get 34. But in reality there was not much to spend it on after the aforementioned essentials. Moving around on local buses, taxis and camel was cheap and a meal at the best restaurant in town was just $6 for 2 and the dreadful Chinese beer was $2 a can whereas the very questionable
local spirits just .50cents a big nip. Eritrea is apparently the second poorest nation on earth and it shows after the numerous wars with Ethiopia.
local spirits just .50cents a big nip. Eritrea is apparently the second poorest nation on earth and it shows after the numerous wars with Ethiopia.
Unlike Yemen the Eritrean people are very subdued and positively docile by nature but clearly also very proud. The country is 50/50 Christian and Muslim and Sunday is the day of rest. Neither the churches or mosques dominate the landscape as they do on the Arabian Peninsula. Eritrea was an Italian colony when colonialism was voque and you have this oddity of coffee shops with grand Italian espresso machines in
otherwise drab cafes but they only serve thick black coffee and nothing else. The Italian flare has also left a mark on the populace who wear colorful clothes and smart footwear even if it is largely secondhand from the west as aid and then onsold at the local market.
otherwise drab cafes but they only serve thick black coffee and nothing else. The Italian flare has also left a mark on the populace who wear colorful clothes and smart footwear even if it is largely secondhand from the west as aid and then onsold at the local market.
By far the majority of people are desperately poor living in squalid conditions in tumbling down structures however foreign aid is slowly rebuilding the infrastructure and people were out cleaning some of the main thoroughfares and we even saw a group weeding a roundabout. There is a noticeable lack of traffic
on the roads but a good number of camels. Typical of these countries is their statement monuments....the biggest and grandest in Massawa has 4 battle-worn tanks mounted grandly on high ramps celebrating no doubt the last battle with their neighbors Sudan or Ethiopia back in 2000.
on the roads but a good number of camels. Typical of these countries is their statement monuments....the biggest and grandest in Massawa has 4 battle-worn tanks mounted grandly on high ramps celebrating no doubt the last battle with their neighbors Sudan or Ethiopia back in 2000.
The old port town of Massawa has fine architecture with a distinctly Italian look and is a World heritage site but is in absolute ruins due to shelling. The two most impressive bombed buildings are a grand old bank and Emperor Haille Selassee's palace both of which a local told us will be left in ruins as memorials of corruption.
The grand bank, now a bombed out ruin.
Peter on local transport.
We would like to have spent longer in Eritrea and gone up to the capital Asmara but Musketelle was at risk of being damaged alongside the stone dock in the strong NE swells and so after 2.5 days we slipped the mooring lines for the hop north to Sudan.
Sudan
We sailed north hugging the coast of Eritrea with one day hop and an overnighter before reaching the border with Sudan. We then had a couple of day hops on the Sudanese coast anchoring at reefs and islands offering shelter from the predominantly northerly winds.
We entered Sudan at the small port town of Sawakin rather than Port Sudan which is 30 miles further north. If we thought Massawa was in a state, then Sawakin wasjust a crumbling dust bowl with its claim to fame being a major old Ottoman Empire (Turkish) town in ruins, this time due to decay not war. We anchored
just 50 metres off the ruins in a little sheltered harbour and soon spotted the local yachties agent 'Mohammed' on the shore ready to relieve us of USD$130 for the privilege of anchoring and coming ashore. For this we received a 'crew pass' that allowed us to stay for up to 30 days in the local area including Port
Sudan. If we wanted to go to the capital Khartoum it was another USD$115 each for a visa, no doubt with a clip of the ticket for Mohammed. Even so he sucked in his breath when we asked about the possibility and shook his head as apparently things were a bit tetchy up there with the President under pressure
to go before a world court for war crimes. Westerners were not flavor of the month so we decided on staying down on the coast. You might think as Kiwis we come under the radar but we are finding that all westerners are considered the same in these parts and we detect many think that like Nu England and Nu Hampshire, Nu Zild is just another US state.
just 50 metres off the ruins in a little sheltered harbour and soon spotted the local yachties agent 'Mohammed' on the shore ready to relieve us of USD$130 for the privilege of anchoring and coming ashore. For this we received a 'crew pass' that allowed us to stay for up to 30 days in the local area including Port
Sudan. If we wanted to go to the capital Khartoum it was another USD$115 each for a visa, no doubt with a clip of the ticket for Mohammed. Even so he sucked in his breath when we asked about the possibility and shook his head as apparently things were a bit tetchy up there with the President under pressure
to go before a world court for war crimes. Westerners were not flavor of the month so we decided on staying down on the coast. You might think as Kiwis we come under the radar but we are finding that all westerners are considered the same in these parts and we detect many think that like Nu England and Nu Hampshire, Nu Zild is just another US state.
Our man Mohammed also exchanged the much sought after USD for the Sudanese Pound at a rate which ironically is the same cross rate for the NZD. So that made us feel really proud.....NZ and Sudan are on the same fiscal footing. The name of the currency reflects the colonial role Britain had in Sudan with Kitchener and Gordon of Khartoum as names that come to mind in shaping yesteryear. Like everywhere else the colonials built grand structures and installed political systems and solid infrastructure that has in all cases been overturned as these countries all step back in time under corrupt military dictatorships and tribal
power sharing regimes that they cannot escape. Its very sad. The lack of solid
honest tax systems mean no welfare is available for children or the elderly other than stop go bandaid relief from the west.
power sharing regimes that they cannot escape. Its very sad. The lack of solid
honest tax systems mean no welfare is available for children or the elderly other than stop go bandaid relief from the west.
Apart from shopping forays into the Sawakin market for vege and bread we did a daytrip by bus to the chaotic metropolis that is Port Sudan primarily for internet access but it was slower than slow so that was a waste of time. Had a nice lunch at the Palace Hotel then visited the local market and experienced a
real treat...an ice cream, then bused back to Sawakin. The bus ride gave us an insight into life on the coastal desert strip with hundreds of huts made of sticks covered in plastic or torn bits of fabric - nothing waterproof but then no sign of rain. These constructions really do not even merit the name "shacks".
Also lots of goats, and donkey carts are big business. You must have a goat, a donkey or a camel in Sudan to have made it we concluded. We also spotted the prolific multi colored national flower of the Sudan...all over the desert...the plastic bag ! A wind blown blight on the landscape.
real treat...an ice cream, then bused back to Sawakin. The bus ride gave us an insight into life on the coastal desert strip with hundreds of huts made of sticks covered in plastic or torn bits of fabric - nothing waterproof but then no sign of rain. These constructions really do not even merit the name "shacks".
Also lots of goats, and donkey carts are big business. You must have a goat, a donkey or a camel in Sudan to have made it we concluded. We also spotted the prolific multi colored national flower of the Sudan...all over the desert...the plastic bag ! A wind blown blight on the landscape.
On departure from Sawakin we had to dodge an old English Channel ferry, the 'Lady of Cherbourg' which has a second life carrying a never ending stream of muslim pilgrims the 150 miles across the Red Sea to the Saudi port of Jeddah which is just a short distance from Mecca. The port of Sawakin has probably been serving this role since time began. It was interestingly also the port that the last shipload of Black Africans were sent to America to begin a life of slavery.
Our primary reason for stopping in Sudan was to purchase diesel fuel because we are reluctantly having to motor more than we anticipated in the Red Sea.
On occasions we do overnight hops if the wind is favorable but by necessity onthe Sudanese coast we use marsa's (inlets) that are gaps in the coral reef opening into often very big marsa up to 5 miles into the coastal desert plain. They are deep and afford good anchorages on relatively flat water compared with the reef anchorages that can cut up rough very quickly. As we write this blog we are currently at the top of Marsa Shinab 21.21N 37.00E in 25 plus knots of wind from the N.
On occasions we do overnight hops if the wind is favorable but by necessity onthe Sudanese coast we use marsa's (inlets) that are gaps in the coral reef opening into often very big marsa up to 5 miles into the coastal desert plain. They are deep and afford good anchorages on relatively flat water compared with the reef anchorages that can cut up rough very quickly. As we write this blog we are currently at the top of Marsa Shinab 21.21N 37.00E in 25 plus knots of wind from the N.
It ain't Red folks
The Red Sea is definitely not red, its a very deep blue and even color deficient P can see that. Its also more saline than the planets other seas and oceans with better buoyancy so much so that Musketelle is floating higher on her waterline and when we dive over to scrub her bottom it takes more kicking to go under and
we noticeably get bounced back to the surface faster too. The surrounding deserts and the fact no rivers empty into it are the main reason for the high salinity.
we noticeably get bounced back to the surface faster too. The surrounding deserts and the fact no rivers empty into it are the main reason for the high salinity.
It is said the red sunrises and sunsets assisted by the bordering deserts is the reason its attracted the name but more likely its the red algae that blooms and floats around at certain times of the year. Whatever its a fascinating stretch of water and the coral reefs are pretty if not quite up to Indo or Pacific
standard. The one thing that is not pleasant is the Red Sea Chop which the gutsy winds develop. The waves are only 1-1.5m high but there is no distance between the wave sets making sailing very frustrating. You can be charging along at 7 knots bouncing over wave sets and then the bow will drop into a trough and the yacht decelerates back by 2 or 3 knots with a shudder before launching off again on another speed sequence before the same thing happens a few minutes later. If you are racing you can lookout for such waves but as
cruisers we cannot spend all day and night looking for rogue wave sets. The Red Sea is very deep in places and also has a counter current that changes with the seasons flowing below in the opposite direction to the top to make for confusion.
standard. The one thing that is not pleasant is the Red Sea Chop which the gutsy winds develop. The waves are only 1-1.5m high but there is no distance between the wave sets making sailing very frustrating. You can be charging along at 7 knots bouncing over wave sets and then the bow will drop into a trough and the yacht decelerates back by 2 or 3 knots with a shudder before launching off again on another speed sequence before the same thing happens a few minutes later. If you are racing you can lookout for such waves but as
cruisers we cannot spend all day and night looking for rogue wave sets. The Red Sea is very deep in places and also has a counter current that changes with the seasons flowing below in the opposite direction to the top to make for confusion.
Now waiting for a weather window for the 300 mile hop to...Egypt!
All at Sea B&P
