Moving North

We finally have a weather window after 10 days and have left Massawa, Eritrea to continue north. On our way we stopped at Harat Island and relaxed for a bit with snorkeling and dinner. We left Harat at 3am so we can reach our next destination in the daylight. The highlight of the day for me was catching my first fish of the trip (maybe a type of mackerel - very nice white meat) on a lure I made from trash. Sietse, who is crew on Mistral (the organizer's boat) showed us how to make lures from the tops of old soda bottles and the liner from a wine box. At least 3 of us have caught fish on these lures. What a great way to recycle and save money on lures!

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Still in Massawa

We are still in Massawa waiting for the weather forecast to show the winds dropping enough to continue our way north. The current forecast has strong winds coming from the northwest which is the direction we are going, so we need them to be light enough so we can make progress against the wind.
One of the highlights since we have been here was an overnight trip to Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. It is an amazing place. It was part of an Italian colony in the past and there are still many little cafes that sell expresso, tea and pastries, yum! There is also unique architecture from that period, including Italian and art deco buildings. It is one of the few places that was not bombed during the war with Ethiopia and is a lovely place to walk around and stop in cafes. People there are very friendly and many like to speak English with you. It is also a place where people of different religions live side by side very peaceably. Many countries could learn a lot from the Eritreans. It was a 3 1/2 hour minibus ride from Massawa to Asmara along a very windy road with hairpin turns. We had a very good driver so we were able to enjoy the beautiful views as we traveled from Massawa to Asmara. It has been very warm in Massawa so the cool evening in Asmara felt quite nice.
There is not too much to do in Massawa, but we have been eating well. We have had dinner at a number of the local restaurants (some are quite rustic) and the food has been quite good. We also were invited by one of the local women to have coffee at her home and it was very, very good. They start with roasting the beans in a little tin over charcoal, then crush the beans by hand in a small container, then they place the grounds and water in a ceramic carafe and place it on the charcoal, once it boils they pour it in the cups. Truly excellent coffee and a very enjoyable visit. Even though all the damage from bombing during the war is evident everywhere in Massawa, you can tell this was a beautiful, bustling port in the past.
We tried accessing the internet with no success. So if you have sent email it may be a while before I am able to respond. (This is sent via SSB radio from the boat.)

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Massawa - and Real Rain

We are in Massawa. Tomorrow we take a 36hr trip inland to Assmara, the Eritrean Capital, which is at 2,500 mtrs and we expect it to be cold (what a change). Down here on the coast - 40 miles, but four hours by bus - is, on average, one of the hottest places on earth but at this season it is quite pleasant. The 'convergence zone' (between equatorial and continental weather systems) sits right over us at the moment giving grey skies and occasional rain. On our way in to Massawa we had a really heavy squall shower which washed away an accumulation of Bombay filth and Aden fine red sand off the boat and rigging - at least off the windward side. And tonight a thunderstorm helped clean the other side. This is the first rain since the Bay of Bengal and, if reports are to be believed, the last we will likely see until November in the Med. It is surprising what interests and excites us 'yachties'!!!

Massawa is a fascinating place. Once the jewel of the Red Sea and a major port with Ottoman, Egyptian and Italian influences (and for example Haile Salasie's winter palace)it was carpet bombed in the war with Ethiopia and little has been done yet to repair that devastation. Yet the people are strikingly handsome, proud of their new country and very friendly and welcoming.

Internet access is sparse here so we are not sure we will find anywhere. So if you are expecting responses from email other than sailmail it may not happen soon.

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Sailing in the Red Sea

is very interesting. The winds in the Red Sea are HIGHLY variable both in speed and direction. This morning we experienced a a shift of winds from the stern at 15 knots to on the nose at 15 knots in less than a minute. It keeps you on you toes. Because the wind is so variable the process we follow is to pick our next desired port and then to identify safe anchorages on the way should we need to tuck in for the night (or days) and wait for unfavorable winds to change. Our first anchorage was Ras Terma, Eritrea, then we went back south (not the way we want to go) to Assab, Eritrea because the forecast did not look good. We spent 2 nights and one full day there waiting for more favorable conditions. Assab is something of a ghost town and is no longer a port of entry for Eritrea. The concern is if it was a thriving port that Ethiopia would try to take the port. We are now on our way to Massawa, Eritrea and are hoping to be able to reach it without having to stop and anchor. One good thing, we have been able to sail most of the time since we entered the Red Sea.

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The Red Sea

We are now off the coast of Eritrea in the Red Sea. Yea! We entered through the Bab El Mandeb Strait (small strait). Now that we are in the Red Sea we should be safe from pirates and are no longer sailing in convoy. We have had strong winds since we left Aden, but they have been from behind so we have been rocking and rolling! The winds in the Red Sea can be variable so we will be sailing as the winds permit. The next port where we plan on going ashore is Massawa in Eritrea.

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On the local news

Since having a number of sailing boats in the harbor is something that doesn't happen very often, they sent someone from the news to interview a number of us. Apparently, my few comments made the local news, so if you tune in to the local Aden news  :).
It has been good to have some down time but we are ready to set sail for the Red Sea. Should be soon...

A little more about Aden

Aden is a rather dry, dusty place. They receive only 50mm of rainfall a year (what a difference from Kwaj!). We ventured out yesterday to see some of the sights. We were able to get up close with some camels. Went to a mosque when you can touch the "remains" of a holy scholar. Visited huge water tanks that were built centuries ago (no one is sure when), it makes you think the Romans were here at one point in time. We also went to the city centre and wandered through the shops. Looking at the racy womens items they sell in the shops makes you wonder where and when they are worn....
Hamzeh, our local agent, has been incredibly helpful and has so much interesting information. He is writing a book about Aden that hopefully will be published soon.

Some of the local camel power (used for pulling carts)

The remains of Al Adani, a 15th century scholar

The ancient water tanks

Making the local bread

Hamzeh (it has been very windy while we have been here)

Local boats

And more pictures

 Sunrise over calm seas

Aden as we enter the harbor

Talal, our friend in Oman, and Sandeep

Aden, Yemen at the harbor where we are anchored

Kids chewing qat in Aden

More pictures (hopefully)

Team Endelig

My friends Sandeep and Praveen

A few pictures...

sailing together

Approaching Sur, Oman

The furry crew on the organizer's boat

Aden

Aden is is city of contrasts. Of the limited areas we have seen, there are old colonial buildings, new buildings of local design and many, many half finished structures. You see very expensive cars and many cars close to falling apart and some abandoned. It seems there is much disparity between those who have and those who do not. Many of the local men are seen lounging around chewing a green leaf called qat. Apparently it has a mild stimulant effect. By the end of the day many have such a large amount in their mouth that it looks like they have a ball in the cheek. Not the most attractive look. Many people want to be your taxi driver, but since we are somewhat limited in where we are going, we do not have much need for taxis. There are a few restaurants and shops in the port area. A bus was arranged to take us to town to the big supermarket, it was very large with most everything we wanted to buy.

Lo,  the organizer of the rally, has been doing an incredible job of keeping a group of 11 sailboats working together to reach Aden. His patience, sense of humor and good nature truly make this work and I think all of us are grateful for the benefit of his experience and his good company. We will have a few more days of convoy once we leave here and then we will free sail from stop to stop for the rest of the rally. For an entertaining description of what it is like to try to get 11 boats to sail together, read the latest blog posting at Endelig's site.