 Karte gross |
Summer Sailing in Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea
von Thomas Figl / Katamaran ‚Rhapsody‘
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Karina and I have planned to sail through the Red Sea and around the Indian Ocean, leading us past India and the Maldives, the Seychelles and Madagascar and eventually ending up in Cape Town. The motivation to undertake such an adventure lay in my teens, as I relentlessly explored the coasts of South Africa in search of the best windsurfing and surfing spots. The waves no-one had surfed, bore so much attraction that I knew, at the tender age of 16, that one day, I would explore the unknown coasts and discover great windsurfing and surfing spots. It took a few years before I had the necessary change to undertake the adventure......... 'Rhapsody' was to become our home, a 40ft open bridgedeck catamaran with a rotating wing mast. Fast and fun. The experiences that lay ahead were to be far beyond our expectations. The Red Sea was to show us all it's sides, the beauty and the harsh, the heat and humidity, the poverty and the wealth, the underwater kaleidoscope of colours and the barren desert lands, an area that is rarely explored by yachts and yet has so much to offer. We left Cyprus on the 10th of May and 30 hours later arrived in Port Said, a place which we had been forewarned of. This was not to be the first time we were more than pleasantly surprised and made welcome contrary to our expectations and prejudice. Within the next 72 hours, we experienced the Suez Channel and it's pilots, our first sandstorm and running down the Gulf of Suez in 45 knots and reaching speeds up to 20 knots and 17 knots under bare poles! We spent about six weeks in the area of El Gouna and it's surrounding islands which are just 30 km north of Hurghada and is part of a fantastic hotel complex which boasts 7 five star hotels as well as a complete 18 hole golf course, in the middle of the desert! This is the high tourist area of Egypt. The adventures lay ahead! We left El Gouna Marina on Sunday, 31. June and headed towards Tawila Island in the Straits of Gubal, to initially test our newly profiled rudders. They performed better than expected, balancing Rhapsody perfectly on all courses. Tawila was windy as always, nevertheless, on Tuesday morning at 7.30 am, with just enough light available to navigate through the coral, we set sail in 30 knots and headed south. Loraine, Karina and I were anxious to explore all that was to come in the next few weeks. As we headed further south, the wind started to dwindle allowing for a very comfortable night in Sharm el Arab, just south of Hurghada and north of Safaga. This was short lived as we often had experienced over the last few months, as, close to midnight, the wind started to increase and again, we were confronted with ferocious 30 knots in an anchorage I didn't know. Are the anchors holding, are we drifting? When I realised that the one coral bommie was no less that 2 meters from our stern, it was time to take evasive action. Ready, steady, go! Forward, reverse, drop anchor, hold rope tight Loraine, don't let it go!!! AU!!! Drama! Loraine got her hand stuck between the anchor rope and the cleat, in 30 knots. Luckily she didn't break her hand, she only removed all the skin off her thumb, and seriously braised her fingers. It was enough to make her faint and get us seriously worried. After administering to her wounds we settled down for the rest of what was left of the night. The next morning we utilised the wind and continued a few miles south to Ras Abu Soma, just north of Safaga and a windsurfing Mecca where the new and most luxurious Club Robinson hotel is located. After a good windsurf we spent the night on board and were preparing for a longer trip the next morning. All the pilots I have read and all the weather charts indicate that the summer months in the Red Sea are dominated by a consistent and moderate northerly to north-westerly breeze. Therefore, the pilots say, the route south is fast and comfortable except for the heat and sandstorms, or Haboobs, as they are called in Sudan. Well, we experienced everything but northerly breezes. As of Safaga, the wind varied in direction and strength continuously, partially coming from the south, partially form the east and partially form the west, yet very rarely from the north. This made for interesting travel. It made anchoring all the more interesting as most anchorage's offer excellent protection, from the north or, from the south, but not from all directions, which was more often than once the case. And moving anchorage at night is not advisable in this sort of terrain as one simply cannot see anything. Loraine will definitely remember this trip as how many different ways it is possible to anchor. As a non sailor, she now as an in-depth knowledge of the various types of anchors, reef, admiralty, danforce, plough and so on, and the use and application of each with respect to anchoring with a catamaran having an 8sqr meter rotating mast. After Safaga, we were in no mans land, at least this is what it appeared to be. For the following weeks we saw no other sailing boat. Still under sail we suddenly got a strike! Our first strike in so many hours of fishing and so many lost lures, and the line was heading out fast. I tightened up the give and the reel started getting seriously hot. Suddenly, I has out of line, 250m was out and this fish was still pulling. Loraine was helming , Karina got the gaff and I was desperately turning to reel in. After 30 minutes of a serious tug of war I had a reasonably sized yellow fin tuna under the rudders. Only when we heaved it on board did we realise that it was about 40 kg. Karina went half mad as she loves tuna yet refuses to eat any in a restaurant or purchase it as ,more often than not, they are fished and caught to the detriment of dolphins. Floating fish factories put out nets over many kilometres and catch anything and everything that comes their way, beginning with seals, dolphins, birds and many tropical fish. These are all converted to canned fish, regardless... So this really was a treat. Yet what do you do with 40kg of tuna? Well, after skinning and cutting out filets, you're left with 20kgs. We gave away a considerable amount to some fishermen, the remainder lasted 8 days and countless meals. I bet we hold the record in how many ways one can prepare tuna. ( fried, grilled, with mustard, peppered, cajun, seasoned, curry, sushi and sashimi of course, worchester sauce, oyster sauce, crumbed .....). It was hugely delicious. We took anchorage in Marsa Wizr, a small indentation in the Egyptian coastline. A marsa, khor or sharm is a indentation in the coastline which usually has a narrow yet deep entry channel and can often go several miles inshore. In these variable winds, they are the only places which offer excellent protection, if you can find a shallow spot to anchor. Typically they have depths of 30 to 50 meters. Amazingly though, the shores of these 'lagoons' are covered with beautiful corals and an array of sealife can be found, in immediate proximity to the boat, from all coral fish, groupers, snapper all the way to large pelagics such as mantas and sharks. So, when I asked Karina to jump in and check for any malicious coralheads sticking out, or to place the reef anchor, I often understand her hesitation to jump into waters where you cant see the bottom, yet snorkel along a coral face dropping to what seems to be eternity. But,... someone has to do it! Marsa Wizr was the first of a long list of marsa's that offer everything the heart desires: It is completely deserted, has, as mentioned all tropical flora and fauna, snorkelling paradise, lobsters and most important, excellent windsurfing and kitesurfing and probably in the right conditions, good surfing. The northerly winds coming down from the straits of Gubal build up a considerable swell that then peels around the extremely shallow surrounding reef. So, you shoot over 30 to 50cm shallow reef and hit 4-6ft perfect faces, gybe in close to 100 meter deep water no more than 50 meters from the shore and surf the waves back in. No Problem! It is definitely a thrill. We continued south towards Ephistone Reef the next day where we intended to dive, yet due to the strong currents, variable winds and inability to anchor in 600m deep waters, we put out a temporary reef anchor and went for a snorkel in close proximity to the boat. Ephistone Reef is a pinnacle rising vertically from 600-790m to the ocean surface, the reeftop barely having 20cm of water over it. Although only snorkelling, the amount of deep sea fish and black coral as well as soft corals we saw was quite astounding. It excited us as to what will lie ahead as we knew we were hearing into an area where almost nobody has dived! The wind had become very variable and progress south was often assisted by motoring. By the 10th of July we had reached Ras Banas, stopping for two days at Wadi Gimal. Wadi Gimal is an Island off the Egyptian coast, surrounded by coral reefs and uninhabited. We managed to navigate our way into an inner lagoon on the south eastern side of the island. The tranquil blue waters and luscious reefs captured us and we remained in awe by the beauty which we were able to perceive. The minefield: As we headed south, the temperatures began to soar. Also, due to the lack of northerly winds, the humidity often increased to above 85%, any sort of movement causing an outburst of sweat and fatigue. From Ras Banas, we crossed Foul Bay. These are the real Egyptian outback's, where navigational charts cannot be trusted and reefs are often miles from their charted position. British Admiralty and US DMA charts both declare large areas as unsurveyed, the surveyed areas often dating back to the 1870's. So, this meant heading through in good light and good sight. Karina was hoisted up the mast and remained there for many hours at a time in the scorching heat, due to her elevated position, she had a birds eye perspective on any dangers that lay ahead, and there were many!. Towards evening we approached our anchorage, yet due to a sudden shift in wind direction, the intended anchorage was undesirable in easterly winds. Therefore we decided to head for the Siyal Islands, close to the Sudanese boarder. It was getting late and the visibility was bad. We plotted our position and needed to round the south western part of the reef and then head NNE towards the islands. The pilot cautioned and insisted that there was no way through the reef. There is! We spent an hour zig zagging between coral outcrops at an average of 2 knots until we finally reached our anchorage on in a lagoon on the northern side of Siyal, in rewarding blue tranquillity, just before sunset. It is very important to try and reach our anchorage by no later than 3 in the afternoon as the angle of the sun to the water very rapidly reduces visibility. The aforementioned scenario was therefore way past safe passage time. The depth sound is of very little assistance as reefs often rise vertically from the ocean floor to its surface, giving no warning. We were all very glad to be at anchor. I fell asleep immediately after dinner. We were visited by curious fishermen the next morning who generously wanted to trade some fish for fresh water. We filled their jerry can and thankfully declined their gift of parrot fish, still having a healthy supply of tuna in the fridge. On the 13th of July, we crossed the Sudanese boarder with a good northerly breeze and sailed into Marsa Marob, then to Khor Shinab. Khor Shinab is the most fantastic anchorage, 4 miles inshore and between high hills. The surrounding terrain is covered in fossils of shells and animals, dating back to times where the ocean must have been at least 20 meters higher, or the land, 20 meters lower. We had never seen so many fossils. It was impossible to walk on land without stepping on them. The next morning we went on to the long awaited Shambaya with its bordering Abingdon and Angarosh Reefs. Angarosh, meaning the 'mother of sharks' was the target of our interest. Sharks had by now become a major concern as their presence increases substantially the further south you get in the Red Sea, and this made anchoring increasingly difficult as no-one was prepared to go down and check the anchors, or place the reef anchors in murky waters or in bad light. Diving Angarosh the next morning was an experience never to be forgotten. Anchoring was once again impossible so Loraine volunteered to stay on board while Karina and I went for our dive. Descending rapidly to 25m we found ourselves in midst of swarms of large deep sea fish showing absolutely no fear and being totally undisturbed of our presence. Large snappers, mackerels and even larger tuna surrounded us as we tried to stick as close as possible to the vertical walls of Angarosh. The current slowly carried us along the face until we reached the first platform at 25m where we decided to stay for a while. Suddenly there it was! A large 2.5 meter grey shark, carefully eyeing us out and then disappearing into the dark blue of the ocean. We decided to continue when at the moment, heading straight for us was the largest hammerhead shark I had ever seen. (it was also the first) This animal was big and moved with such grace that we lost all fear and were simply in awe. Holding hands, we probably consumed most of our air in those brief moments as the shark passed within 3.5 meters of us, briefly turning around to catch another look before also heading on. Wow! We continued further leaving the platform and hovering above the next platform in 40m before surfacing on the other side of the reef. Luckily Loraine heard our cries as the current was too strong for us to return to the dinghy. Another lesson learnt! We has a small break and then Loraine and I got ready for another dive. This time we wanted to dive the west side of the pinnacle and, taking the current into account, drift all across to the west side. Clever, we thought! Except, currents don't always go in the same direction, although they should and for some unforeseen reason, they can also turn. When Loraine and I jumped off the dinghy, we were most surprised to see that we drifted not east, but west, away from the reef towards the deep, shark infested open waters!!! Karina picked us up and dropped us again at a point where the current wasn't as strong enabling us to continue our brief dive between a school of large barracudas and snappers. After these fantastic experiences we returned, accompanied by dolphins back to our secure anchorage Shambaya! After spending a day trying to find the wreck of the Blue Bell, a large container vessel that was carrying a load of Toyota vehicles and only managing to locate a single truck that was catapulted onto the reef of Shab Suadi during the impact, we continued to the infamous Shab Rumi, 20 NM NE of Port Sudan. Shab Rumi has a narrow inlet and a large inner lagoon. We anchored and crawled across the reeftop into the clear open ocean waters, equipped with our snorkel and flippers. The experience was beyond description. Beautiful corals covered the cliffs of Shab Rumi, a large abundance of fish and, a large pelagic visitor, a white tipped reef shark were part of the experience. What makes Shab Rumi unforgettable is the discovery of Pre-Continent 2, Jacques Coustou's underwater habitat, which, after 40 years of being abandoned, is showing signs of dilapidation and intense coral growth. Both Karina and I dived down, under the dome and into the garage, thereby fulfilling a dream from the period of initial perception of this trip. From Shab Rumi, we had an overnight stop at Sanganeb reef before sailing to Suakin harbour, our first port in 3 weeks. Our diesel was running very low due to the many hours of motoring, yet due to a fortunate westerly, which picked up in the morning, we sailed comfortably to Suakin instead of the larger and more beaurocratic Port Sudan. Suakin is a real eye opener to poverty in Africa. Set amongst the ancient ruins of the Ottoman Empire and having a history dating back to 1000 years B.C. Suakin really hasn't come a long way. Yet exactly this adds to its charm. Although 13.000 people live in Suakin, there is no running water and no electricity. Water was supplied to the boat via donkey cart and then jerrycan. Yet the markets offer the full array of local fruits at ridiculously cheap prices. After dropping anchor in a inshore lagoon, we were visited by Abu Mohammed, our agent. Mohammed is a jewel of a person, very well spoken and extremely helpful, kind and generous. Within a few hours all formalities were attended to. In Port Sudan, half an hour by taxi, we were able to find almost all western products we desired at the numerous supermarkets. These are not supermarkets in the conventional sense, rather they are minute stores, packed to the rim with products 5 meters up the wall. They cater specifically for the upmarket and have prices which compare with Europe. We were also able to find medication and hardware we required. The Sudanese people were all very welcoming and accommodating and extremely friendly. The poverty we saw though, left a lasting impression. We left Suakin on the 22.7.01 and sailed to Shab Tawil. The night marked the beginning of 10 days of unsettled and unnerving weather. The weather always seemed to be overcast in Sudan and the dust content in the air was astounding, often haze would be so intense that one could not see 50 meters. We next anchored at the two islets 'Harorat' which I claimed was the most beautiful anchorage we had yet experienced. Two little islands, separated by a narrow channel offered excellent shelter from almost all directions. Again, the Red Sea Pilot claimed that there was no through way from north to south. There is. When approaching from the north, stick to the eastern side of the channel. Its quite narrow but has a least depth of 3.2m. Then anchor between the two reefs with front and stern anchor. Snorkelling is excellent. Depths inside the channel are 10m and we saw turtles, barracudas, snappers, mackerel, large lipfish and napoleonfish as well as many more. The islands are covered in vegetation and are home to many seagulls as well as numerous eagles and hawks that took a liking to our mast as a lookout post. We spent 3 days at the two islets, partially because it was so beautiful, partially because I was not prepared so sail in the gusting 44 knots of wind. The wind had shifted to the south west had blew like hell, especially at night. The boat was shaking like crazy that at stages I thought we're sure to take off. As soon as there was a lull we left and headed towards Trinkitat Harbour. Upon our arrival in this large bay surrounded by dunes, we saw a military boat leave its mooring and head towards us. As it came closer we noticed two things: firstly, the boat had 10 individuals, all armed with AK-47's who looked more like a bunch of pirates than anything governmental. When they yelled they were from the navy, it didn't console me much. They tried to board us but I very sternly refused anyone admittance on board which seemed to annoy the boss of the bunch. After exchanging pleasant words with most on board, I handed over our passports which were studied in great detail. I also offered the boys a pack of cigarettes which were readily accepted. The boss and passport studier didn't like us and waved Lorraine US passport in the air, asking where this passport was from. It didn't impress him when I told him that it stands on the cover. He told us to move on and refused us anchorage overnight. His crew obviously disagreed and they turned around after leaving and were returning when something very unprecedented happened. A great deal of arguing was going on board. Their boat was heading straight for us and although I yelled to catch their attention, they rammed us at a considerable speed. Luckily our dinghy acted as a large fender and propelled us forward, almost catapulting me into the water. There were immediate apologies and permission was granted to stay for one night as they sped off . Now the question really was, should we stay or should we go. It was late and our next anchorage was 45 miles away. We stayed which, was a mistake. Instead of the military bothering us, the wind picked up again and blew a severe gale, winds often reaching 45 knots, day and night. The wind wasn't the problem though, it was the amount of dust and sand in the air which really caused frustration. The desert wind has 45 degrees such that being inside was unbearable, yet being outside was impossible. We therefore needed to open all windows and try to survive. I frequently called friends in Europe to get the latest weather report such that we could leave as soon as things seemed favourable. One positive aspect was that it was too stormy and wavy for the navy to come out and bother us. After 3 days in hell and gusts still reaching the high 30's, we decided to leave al 6.00 am of the 31.7.01 as Loraine needed to catch her flight from Asmara that week. With limited visibility and storm winds we hugged the coast to take advantage of the smaller waves due to the offshore winds. After 4 hours the Haboob subsided and within a few miles from the Eritrean border, even suddenly changed to south east. The next morning we left our anchorage at 05.30 am to sail directly the 200nm to Massawa. Once again, although the predictions were for a westerly to south westerly, the wind was initially calm and then, smack bang, directly on the nose from the south east, even encouraging a southerly current of up to 1,5 knots. So we motored for the next 24 hours, occasionally getting enough of an angle to the wind to hoist the sails as an assistance. Then, typically, at 04.00 the wind picked up to 25knots, luckily gradually veering from south to west. We covered the remaining 60 miles in 8 hours! Eritrea We were not at all sure what to expect upon our arrival in Massawa. After our Sudanese experiences, we didn't expect much. Yet what we discovered was a fantastic little port town, with very friendly people who most spoke good English and Italian and were extremely welcoming. The food in the restaurants is excellent and very cheap, a meal for three with drinks and all costing US$ 7. Here we also met Mike, the laundryman, who is one of the most influential individuals in Massawa. Mike takes care of all the yachties when they come to Massawa. He certainly does a good job of this, and makes everything possible. We have left Rhapsody in Massawa at anchor and Mike is keeping an eye on her while we enjoy the temperate climate of Asmara, the capital of Eritrea for a few days. We were fortunate enough to arrive in Asmara just in time to witness the last days of the Asmara festival which has attracted international attention. There is a strong UN presence here in Eritrea and we were also fortunate enough to meet the consul of the Dutch embassy, with whom we enjoyed a traditional lunch. Eritrea is an African country with great potential. The people are well educated, polite and friendly, and have a western approach to life. The cafes along the Independence Avenue are filled with gentlemen in three piece suits, sipping their cappuccino and looking distinctly refined. Another sight which we didn't expect to see. We returned to Massawa on the 09 August and needed to undertake a few repair prior to our departure for the Dalak Islands where we should find numerous windsurfing Mecca's, hundreds of kilometres of deserted perfect white beaches on numerous islands. The only handicap is that a number of them unfortunately, are land mined... Yet, returning from Asmara, where we had already become acclimatised to the moderate climate of the mountains, Massawa was a real shock. Massawa is incredibly hot at this time of year, indeed, it is said to be the hottest country in the world. Temperatures soared at between 45 and 50 degrees with the humidity often increasing to around 90%. Unbearable!!! At night there came no relief. Temperatures stayed the same. Day and night sweat ran from ones forehead, arms, legs, chest. We each drank between 5 and 8 litres of water a day. The body isn't made to cope with such heat and therefore, our hands and feet started out in rashes! Time to leave.... Massawa boasts an ecological shrimp farm headed by an American researcher and his team, which bears such great potential that it could have a huge economic impact on the entire area. To read more about this fantastic and promising project, go to www.seawaterfarms.com. Besides being a very protected anchorage filled with extremely friendly Yemenis fishermen, Massawa is an interesting Port yet unfortunately the largely Italian influenced architecture has suffered due to the independence struggle end consequent air raids by Ethiopian jets. Entry and exit formalities are easy and quick, efficiency is on par with Europe, a surprise to say the least when coming from Sudan. Mike was again of great help. Before our departure we were invited to his home for a traditional coffee, which involves a ceremony of about an hour. Delicious! Karina normally never has coffee, yet this time she took two cups. Dhalak Archipelago ( a hidden paradise) We obtained a permit for the Dhalak Archipelago and departed from Massawa on the 11th of August. The wind, as usual, was against us but we only had 30NM to go. Anchoring in a passage between two islands, we got an idea of the beauty that beholds this area. The little beach to the north was practically covered in oysters and our neighbours, who observed us cautiously were two pelicans. The heat was still unbearable. On Tuesday we decided to discover the channels around Dhalak Kebir and slowly motored the 4NM to the Lul Hotel, carefully avoiding contact to the many coral outcrops plastering our way. Amazing landscape! The Lul hotel offered us all they had for lunch which was Pasta with vegetable sauce and beer. We decided to go on to Shumma reef for the night not before passing and then swimming across to a huge 150m wreck of some container vessel and then politely being asked to leave by the Eritrean army who approached us with one of their launchers rapidly. They even gave us a lift back to Rhapsody, much to Karina's delight as she had seen very big Mackerel on the way over.... Soldiers always try to board us and, as I am aversed to such practice, I make this very clear by pushing the respective person back onto his boat upon his attempt to board us. This initially does not go down well, yet after a few pleasant words, it is generally understood that no harm is meant by us. Rather, as they are armed to the teeth and we are not, I explain, it is very rude of them to try and board us without my permission. This has generally been accepted and understood by the military. I hand over the requested documentation which is scrutinised and handed back. I then pass over a bottle of cold water. So far so good! We made our way down the Eritrean coast to Assab over the next few days, stopping at various fantastic beaches on various even better islands. Shumma island, for instance, has a long shallow white sandy beach which is absolutely beautiful and picturesque. Unfortunately, we didn't have any luck with the wind, it always seeming to be south or east, rarely from the direction which the sailing book anticipated, meaning that our little engines were working hard. Assab Assab is a deserted town offering little in the way of anything except a very predominant but friendly military presence. We bought a few tomatoes, 50l of diesel which we carried for what seemed miles in jerrycans and spent the remainder of our Nakfa's (Eritrean currency) on canned food. Our next anchorage was south of the northern entrance to the Rubertino channel and was amazingly beautiful. The bay, which offered protection from almost all sides, and which coasts were lined with mangroves and palm trees truly gave us the feeling that we were entering a new terrain. Bab el Mandeb Next was a challenge: The straits of Bab el Mandeb and across to Aden, our first Indian Ocean waters! We once again motored through the Rubertino channel in the morning only to be stopped again by the military. After a brief intermezzo we were permitted to continue and as the wind was light and the current against us, we motored all the way to Bab el Mandeb in flat water and no wind. I had heard that it can be very different here so I wasn't too unhappy to have these conditions. As soon as we passed the 'gates of tears' , as the exit from the Red Sea and into the Indian Ocean is also known, the welcoming wind picked up from the NW and we sailed into the night. Although this area is highly frequented by large container vessels heading from and to Suez, it is also known to be frequented by a less hospitable voyager, pirates. These, new age pirates are generally Somali and Yemenis fishermen armed with Ak 47 and Kalasnikovs and out to beef up their catch with some dollars and VHF radios. Rarely is anyone severely hurt or shot and the yachting stories are generally grossly exaggerated. Yet we sailed through the night without lights and avoided using our radio. We monitored the movements of the lights around us, observing if the container vessels that sometimes passed quite closely had picked us up on their radar. At 06.00 on the 22nd August to our surprise, we received a radio call from the Port of Aden asking us to identify ourselves. We passed on all information including time of arrival. All formalities were dealt with quickly and efficiently and once again, we where overwhelmed at the openness and friendliness of the people. We are presently anchored off the Port of Aden and will continue to the Maldives late September. |
