RED SEA TO EGYPT

We have now arrived in Egypt as you can see. It took 19 days to sail up the Red Sea to Port Ghalib due to strong headwinds which necessitated taking refuge in desert anchorages called marsas. We were visited by local fishermen who in exchange for a mask and snorkel gave us fresh fish for supper. Port Ghalib is a purpose built marina resort in the middle of the desert. This is a popular dive resort. Entrance to the harbour is marked by a wrecked yacht which illustrates what can go wrong. The restaurants and bars are very expensive. However the moorings are comfortable. We took a day trip to Al Qusayr the old port 50 miles up the coast. Desert all the way apart from half finished resorts. Restaurant prices in local towns are more reasonable. Houses are painted with illustrations to commemorate a pilgrimage to Mecca and the Haj. They also illustrate how they travelled to Mecca. Tomorrow we move on to Hurgada 120 miles up the coast and will be visiting Luxor from there.

DJIBOUTI

French colonial architecture in Djibouti. First impressions were good. We travelled inland and stayed in a nomad camp. We saw volcanic pinnacles gushing hot springs and the salt lake was 150 m below sea level. Only the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee are more saline. The roads were poor and there was a continuous convoy of lorries transporting goods to Ethiopia which does not have a sea port. The E.U. are funding a new road here. Djibouti was surprisingly volcanic not sandy desert as we had imagined. Camel trains were also heading for Ethiopia and families move their worldly goods by camel. Sadly the end of our stay was marred by the fact that we were robbed as we slept on board. Hard to believe but 2 other yachts were also boarded at night whilst they slept. Now we face the Red Sea and strong head winds.

GULF OF ADEN

We transited the Gulf successfully under the protec tion of coalition forces warships. However, we did have 3 threats from pirates. Safely in Djibouti.