Messing about in Assab, Eritrea

Date: Feb 2008

After not hearing from Sam for two months we finally received an essay from him! Here is an extract and is followed by a link to the essay in full. It makes fantastic reading!

I've been back in Assab for a couple of days now, and decided to row ashore in the last of the evening. This was quite a difficult process having lost both my rollocks and oars in the storm which rattled through the other night! (Somebody thought he was safer tied to the dock than at anchor!)

Anyway, its another story, but having licked my wounds at anchor for a day, I had to try and contact civilisation (mother) again. To get myself ashore, I tried to improvise with one spare non fitting rollock, a piece of string and my spare 2 part aluminium oars...... but failed dismally, committing far too little time and thought into creating a solution. Typical! So I ended up kind of canoe punting toward the shore with the horrid 2 part folding oar from Cindik's bilge. Of course the conditions rendered this useless, I realised as soon as I set off, which was far too late. Failed and the strong winds blew me downwind, dumping me onto a little beach (a 2m gap where they forgot to put big harbour rocks), smothered by a 1m high wave. Drenched! Meanwhile a 'helper' appeared, which seems to happen often when you're off the beaten track, and we hauled “Sirene”, the little dingy, up onto dockside. We dragged her all the way along the gigantic quayside t(500m?) to a position upwind of Cindik for the nights attempt to return back home.

To read the essay click here.

Suyul Hanish

Date: 17th January, 2008
Weather: -
Position: 13 37.07N - 042 43.87E

Captain's Report:

Yesterday the wind dropped to a Southerly Force 5 and we were able to motor sail at 2 knots and travel 12 miles to the final anchorage in this group. It's an island called Suyul Hanish and it's not really an anchorage as such. It's such a crawl, slowly picking my way down to the mouth of the Bab al Mandeb. Noon to noon averages have gone out the window and to be quite honest, it's a shitfight just to hold the ground you've made without going backwards... let alone meeting the father at the Maldives. Not like it said on the label! Its not the rosy red downwind g and t with the old man stuff. Its raw, it's real and every day is a battle to find your peace with the elements around you.

There's a lot of time for reflection, and of course ones mind starts to question the naivety of leaving so late, or so early as the case may be. I certainly am starting to feel a little bit guilty about having roped so many people into a lost cause. The ETA and the rendezvous seem further and further away from realistic and achievable. Its getting close to 2 weeks non stop headwind blowing now, and Iwe've hardly progressed at all. Some would say "I told you so" but I've just got to keep believing. This is all meant to be. It probably all sounds a bit woolly but there's nothing else left to hold onto. Nothing else to justify my existence out here.

We're 37 miles from Assab now, where I can resupply and update. People probably very worried, but there's just nothing I can do about it! I would move if I could, but the wind is so bloody strong! It's impossible to progress! And I've involved all these people into this little website world now and I have no means by which to input or nurture it any more. In fact I feel like I'm almost starting to destroy what we've worked so hard to create.

This anchorage feels on the edge to me! Its sort of nestled in between these 2 extinct volcanoes that peak on the island which must only be 2 or 3 square miles. There's nothing now between it, us and the Bab al Mandeb. We're sitting in the blast of the wind funnel!

Colours very yellow and light brown. As the moon becomes full, there's an eerie pastel finish to the nights which would be quite remarkably beautiful if the wind wasn't so dominating. There's a fishing and military community here and its a very tentative relationship we hold. They live about 100 men with no women and there's no real 'law' to speak of out here. The island seems partly controlled by the military, I think, to maintain a presence here. Maybe the Yemeni's get money from the IMO for the shipping lanes, or maybe they want to prevent the Eritrean's or anyone else from claiming them. There are 2 little fishing boats with outboard motors on this island and the boys seem to catch enough for the community to eat each night. Hand to mouth. There doesn't seem to be any commercial aspect to their work. They gave us a couple of fish, which broke the ice a bit and now we've traded some more. No-one speaks English here, Poppy and I have no Arabic. We've traded some Turkish helva, a coat and some mouldy fags for potatoes, cheese, fish and 200l of volcanic water..... seems O.K.!

The relentless wind, it must be force 7 out there but what happens is you get these lulls for about 20 seconds then an almighty force 9 blast for 5 seconds and that's the pattern. Minute after minute, hour after hour. We have to just wait. And wait. And wait a bit more. Its really extreme! On the threshold! Very powerful and not the most idyllic of resting spots. Swell and tide roll in around the corner, occasionally clashing. And we're so bloody close, so close. Very tiring and frustrating, yet peaceful and idyllic away from tourists and 24/7 shite. No mobiles or internet out here, just raw survival.

Same place, day 4 of waiting...............

Well we tried to leave! My goodness the swell when we left the lee side of the island!We came straight back! And last night was one of the most tricky nights at anchor I think I've ever had in my life. The sheer power and force of the short sharp gusts was unbelievable. Sometimes they hit from the SE and sometimes the SSW, depending on which way round the volcano they roll. Poor Cindik snatches and snarls. Really really violent. Its the land breezes from Africa and the Arabian peninsula kicking in and fuelling the trade winds funnelled through the Bab al Mandeb, combined with the particulars of our volcanic island which we've anchored in the lee of.

11 days of waiting now and seemingly no end to it all.

Hanish al Kubra

Date: 14th January, 2008
Weather: -
Position: 13 46.15N - 042 45.96E

Captain's Report:

Hey ho! We've moved to the next island down the line. Its called Hanish al Kubra and we've dropped anchor in 6m of sand off the northern shore of the island in the lea of the Southerlies. My goodness me, they're unrelenting! It is a very testing and challenging part of the journey. It is a knife edge in your mind. The insanity of nobody knowing what's happened to you for 20 days in the age of modern communications coupled with the frustration of not progressing toward the goal whilst water and consumables on board slowly dwindle. The positive side is that time slowly fades into a peaceful tock preceded by a quaint little tick. The moon slowly grows larger in eternity and a whole world opens up before you when the speed of modern communications fall away. I somehow flutter in and out of the two states of mind. Its not quite so intense now, We are at natures mercy and have enough water for another 3-4 weeks and if the wind ceases to abate, We will have to turn North and seek refuge off the Eritrean coast.

We have consumed (in my terms) large amounts of fuel to get here. The problem is that when Cindik motors into any kind of slop our speed comes right down to a knot, knot and a half so we consume 4 times as much fuel to get the same distance. The point being that if we can sail 90 miles to Bab al Mandeb, we can reach Aden under motor otherwise we'll have to head for Assab in Eritrea which probably means waiting for another whole cycle of the convergence zone.

This 'convergence' zone totally dominates life in the Red Sea at this time of year. In simple terms it is the place where the Southerly winds meet the Northerly winds. Its a belt of black heavy clouds with the odd drizzly patch, very light. Quite squally. Ultimately it is controlled by the Siberian high moving across Russia and the odd Atlantic depression which finds its way through to the Eastern Med. (I think!) I'm no pilot book bullshitter I'm afraid, I'll have to ask my dad to explain. The language of the 'official' explanations seems too convoluted to grasp the bigger picture.

Anyway, we got hit by this convergence zone right up off Ra's Abu Shaghara (North of Port Sudan) which is the highest northerly point they say it travels too. It's like an entity from a sci fi book or fantasy novel, travelling up and down influencing everything in its path. It totally controls what we do and how we move in little Cindik. When we pulled into Port Sudan to refuel, after realising we couldn't fight it, the thing then started to travel back south, overtaking us and returning northerlies with which to sail! Amazing!. Anyway the bugger rocketed up north again, propelled by these force 9 gusts I alluded to earlier and her we are, stuck in its wake.

Northern Coast of Jabal Zuquar

Date: 22nd December, 2007
Weather: -
Position: 14 04 035N - 42 44 391E

Captain's Report:

Its Friday the 11th of January and there is about an hours sunlight left in the day. It will probably go down as I write these notes. It's a warm sun, you need scant clothing through the day and at night a sheet is sufficient to keep warm. We approach the third night at the end of our third day here at this anchorage of the northern coast of Jabal Zuquar island. (Its volcanic, desolate and part of the Hanish group, a cluster of islands only 100 miles to the north of the Bab al Mandeb).

The winds have gusted up to Force 9 here at times, never blowing below a Force 6. Pure Southerly. Pure winter. Pure headwind! We're anchored in 3.5m with 60m of chain out. Bloody feisty, bloody feisty! And it has been hard work to get this far south. We've pushed Cindik along with her motor. In turn, our seamanship skills have been really really tested. We are a good team and we've battled courageously with skill and determination to win our winter miles in our little boat. We made this anchorage and the (semi) respite from the wind with hours to spare... Thank god! I'm so glad we're not still battling out there.

First things first. I want to explain a little about the communications. I realise now that 2 weeks have passed since the last update. I'm so sorry! It's not through lack of trying. We had one refuelling stop at Port Sudan. We wanted to be in and out (It took 6 hours) and to go ashore was really difficult and required mega bucks and mega time with various customs and officialdom, clearance passes, passports etc. We headed on out and eventually, we weren't to know, made this resting place in the knick of time.

I just cant figure out the radio system. Each contact station has a number of frequencies you can try to contact it on but it can only operate on one at a time. And it always seems to be busy. I try nearly every day at various different times, only once has it not been busy and I still didn't get through. It consumes so much time as well. I understand now why people invest in the remote controlled sets, in order to leave the thing on so it sends automatically when there's a break, but its still crap. I wish I wish I had an iridium phone to send text messages. Its not a money issue really, this ssb system has consumed far more than its currently worth, its the updates and keeping the web alive bit. Its the feeling of having made completely the WRONG choice for the job and it's so frustrating. And I'm stuck with it. I intend to stop at Aden or Assab (from where you will receive this letter) Maybe just maybe there could be a yachtie in port who could help me sort it out. Otherwise I'm f***ed till the Maldives. You will have to rely completely on Musichana and her updates to have any sense of momentum because this stuff has got me totally foxed . I'm so disappointed. I'm so sorry.

Cindik in Ismalia: Friendly Egyptians

Date: 22nd December, 2007
Weather: -
Position: 30 34 71N - 032 17 59E

Poppy:

How many lovely people have we met? From the helpful Nagib at the Felix Shipping Agency to Alaa in Ismalia who never stopped asking us if we needed anything. The Eqyptian people are some of the friendliest we have met, always smiling, polite and friendly. The calling to prayer from the mosques vibrates around us as the sun sets and the noise from the city builds up into a crescendo under the full moon. We work on Cindik and prepare for the final part of the Canal to Port Suez.

Today we set off with our new pilot only to return after five miles due to fog. His annoyance at losing a day's pay was palpable as we came alongside yet again.Yesterday there were storms in the Red Sea that were enough to make two ships founder and the day before that... a freighter ran aground in the canal just to the south. This had the effect of closing the whole canal north and southbound, leading to yet another two days of delay. We feel at times that we are part of a synchronistic web where events are swirling around us, without any apparent involvement. It has been five days now alongside and we have been assaulted by coincidences, met with pedantic security men and been followed by groups of giggling children desperate to try out their faltering English on these two tall Northern folk. There have been moments when time seems to stand still and we can feel our irritation at not being catered for in the way to which we are accustomed. However, this country grows on you and a certain resignation dawns on you. One night in the market buying up our fruit and vegetables we were only too aware that we must have been the only two Europeans in the whole city! Ismalia..... you are amazing! Where in our over sophisticated society has your like been seen? We are privileged to be here and witness to your energy and Arabic rhythm. Picture shows Sam and Poppy with their pilot, Smoko.

All trials but we are undaunted and still full of enthusiasm. We can smell the Red Sea and can't wait to set sail again!

Captain's Report

Date: 20th December, 2007
Weather: -
Position: 30 34 71N - 032 17 59E

Bit of a shit fight now. We're stuck in Ishmalia, half way down the canal. Yesterday an American warship travelled northbound which meant all southbound yachts cannot pass. Because we motor so slowly, we yachties steam against the flow so to speak at the side of the canal, in the opposite direction to the convoy.

This morning, which is in the middle of an Egyptian 4 day holiday, only 3 pilots turned up for 4 boats. Guess who got left behind.............

Anyway, turns out later that there was an engine failure with a cargo ship just north of Port Suez that shut the whole canal. The other 3 yachts are in some grotty little station in the middle of nowhere half way between me and the exit. It's useless trying to get any concrete information. We were told we were leaving at 10am and they turned up 4.30 this morning! The Ukrainian boys next to me had been drinking for 24hrs so I had to do my Celtic holler so skipper would rise from his pit. Still my pilot never showed. Then you are told 'maybe', 'inshalla' etc and I haven't a clue if we'll be off tomorrow.

Ishmalia is a gem of a place. there's no real corporate façade here. The town is very real and very in your face. I paid 15cents for my diesel here but quite a palava to get out of the "compound" with yer jerry jugs. Then through immigration, find a taxi, pay the guy at the petrol pump (2 Egyptian baksheesh for nothing) then back, reverse the process. There is a massive market here. We forgot our cameras. But we managed to load up with all the fresh produce we needed. Many experiences, many thoughts, reflections and very humbling. It's so different being a bloke to a girl. Poppy cant leave the compound alone because of harassment. I'm not exaggerating. It requires incredible energy to keep drawing the boundaries for all the men all over the street. When we went out together she can't go more than 10metres away. It's so full on.

They are quite bizarre, these days that you shouldn't really be in. I look upon them as a gift from god because there's nothing you can do but pick up the pieces and try to make something out of nothing. Poppy has slept all day. Maybe she pushed herself too hard, maybe I pushed too hard. Perhaps the whole Ishmalia evening just so tiring.... Hard to know. But I sit here now with no bloody photos and a half arsed attempt at a report which I'm in no real frame of mind to do.

This evening I met some younger lads. Phew! After giving my crew a good run ashore and putting up with all the fondlers. Uuggggghhhhhhh. These middle age men are seriously retarded by Islam. They are almost prepubescent in their approach to women. Like sitting all doey eyed, fondling and in love. Ugh. And Poppy kind of gets off on it, but also not. Anyway I play along, give the girl  support. But so nice to meet people of my own age. Spiritual, passionate and committed. And the younger boys.... there's hope yet. They see right through it all. Like Christo. We just gotta help them find where to go on their quests. They understand the repression of women by their culture. They don't like it. So much better than the slobbering juveniles trapped in their sterile marriages and independent older woman scenario!

It's all bullshit by the way... The yachtie advice on tips and how to handle the Suez etc. The whole theatre, it's so different to Europe. We're so paranoid. Most if not all people I've met carry a sense of honour and integrity when it comes to business and trading. I wish the same could be said about ourselves, our suspicions and our penny pinching ways. To me, it's not about fighting your corner. It's about getting out of Europe with as much cash as possible. Don't give to MacDonald's. Don't give to the chandler. Don't give to the yacht bar. Don't give to the tacky tourist restaurant. Once you hit Africa: these are real people working 52 365 NO BREAK. Made something from nothing. I don't want to fight my corner, I want to share what I have and I want to learn. I want to learn about the contentment of the moment, the peace of mind. Why are there more miserable people in rich Europe than poor Africa? I want to learn.

Pictured is Poppy, Nagib and Sam. Coincidentally, behind Sam is a framed photograph of one of father's boats!

Shit I think I'm getting flu. Been up too long now. Going all tingly. Had enough of land and people now. Very tired.

Heading For A New Continent

Date: 15th December, 2007
Weather: NW 6
Position: 31 16 13N - 030 27 25E

Poppy:

Who would have thought that we would have reached the Egyptian coast within three and a half days?

After the original battle to make Rhodos, our brief stop left us refreshed and longing for a good westerly to help us escape from the volatile December Mediterranean.

Our prayers were answered and when under a double reefed main, Cindik sailed her heart out on a course of one four eight, with a huge following swell. We rolled and surfed with the able wind vane relieving us from long hours of helming and exposure to the occasional wave that found our after deck.

Discussing cloud patterns and previous weather forecasts, we anxiously surveyed the heavens while our westerly held. Finally Cindik succumbed to a light sou' easterly and the engine was started. It was under engine we made our final stage of the Mediterranean journey into the busy evening approach into Port Said with its tricky navigation. Lights from the city assaulted our night eyes and it was under the wailing of the Mosque's call to prayer that we eased along side at the yacht club, exhausted but elated.

Farewell and adieu to the Mediterranean and welcome to Africa.

Captain's Report

Date: 15th December, 2007
Weather: NW 6
Position: 36 00 00N - 030 32 75E

This is just to try and test the equipment more than anything else. I have been unable to send an email from the boat as of yet.... They tell me propagation is bad here in the Eastern Med. I will have to send by internet from Egypt if it doesn`t work out.

We bust out of Rhodes into some horrid slop. Sure enough our wind came through from behind but instead of lasting a few hours, it lasted a day!Wow! The wind died about midnight after 24 hours of Nor Westerly at force 6. I had set 2 reefs in the main for this, and we were able to lay our course for Port Said and average 5 Knots. The bit they dont tell you in the weather forecast is the swell. 2M means nothing when youve got the slop of goodness knows how long out here. I dont think the swell ever dies in the Eastern Med in winter. It just rolls around. Also, our Nwesterly was going WNW then NNW which presented an even uncleaner swell than a steady blow. The wind wasnt just clean from one direction. But Cindik cruised along, with her gaff rig in its element, big ole workmans boom swung out the side to keep her sail and motion steady. This is where the gaff rig comes into its own. Tough sloppy conditions in a force 6.

Self steering works which is a relief considering I had no time for seaman like sea trials of the system.

Wind from the South now, Cindik motorsailing with a reef in the main. A beautiful crisp winters morning and a lovely day out here. Ships routine starting to settle and time to focus on the challenges ahead. I made it! I untied from the land and I`m on the way hey hey!

Between Marmaris, Turkey, and Rhodes, Greece

Date: 13th December, 2007
Weather: SE 4-5
Position: 36 35 41N - 028 12 66E

A rainbow over the mountains to our right complemented our elation to be finally under way after all the planning and waiting.

We headed out on a sou' easterly bearing of one five zero degrees with huge rolling thunder clouds framing Marmaris as she disappeared astern. Within ten minutes the heavens opened and the daylight became subdued as the rain hammered our deck and churned up the sea. The wind whipped off the spray and we knew we were in for a severe testing.

As soon as the rain faded away the infamous Mediterranean swell began with a sou' easterly breeze and we were pitching, rolling and yawing in an increasingly uncomfortable manner.

Eventually we raised our stay sail in an attempt to damp the sickening motion but the end result was to lie hove to while we rested and collected our wits. Unfortunately Cindik's course over ground was now towards the nor' east and that meant our sea room was diminishing by the hour.

What a start! Four days until Egypt and we were taking a real hammering. As we rested under stay sail and no engine, we considered our options and decided that the seamanly option was to run for Rhodos and shelter, waiting for the weather to pass over.

It was an exhausted crew that finally tied up at eleven o'clock in the evening as lightening streaked across the sea outside the breakwater. As the thunder rumbled around the island we sipped hot tea and reflected that we had decided wisely and would be ready for the next part of our voyage, refreshed and in good spirits.