The sea stories about the Red Sea made
us apprehensive - strong head winds, big seas and conflicts in the neighboring
countries. The weather cooperated and we only had 1 day of boat-stopping
headwinds, and despite anti-US sentiment on their treatment of Iraq, people were
quite friendly to us.
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Red Sea
The Trip - Our six-week cruise through the Red
Sea was probably typical - we sailed most of the way from the south
entrance to Massawa and then waited for light winds so we could motor
the rest of the way to the Suez Canal. We had intended to day-hop
and avoid traveling at night, but when we had light winds we tended to
press on as long as it lasted.
The Cultures - The countries are poor and
frequently turbulent with internal and external wars, but calm prevailed
in 2003 and the people were very friendly to those of us traveling from
other countries. Men usually wore robes and head wraps, logical
clothing for this climate, and women often were veiled, either all black
as in Yemen or in bright colors in Sudan. Merchants would
negotiate for the best deal, but were honest in their dealings with us
(except in Egypt). Islam is the religion of most countries but
religious freedom is common. We found that Salam
'alekum (Peace be with you) is the
greeting that will bring smiles in all of the Arab world.
The Weather - The Red Sea has a reputation for
being a nasty piece for water, where winds are often on the nose and one
must pick the weather windows carefully. Our year seemed typical with
southerly winds from the south end to Massawa and northerlies from there
to the Gulf of Suez. Sometimes we were hunkered down for a week
with 20-40 knots winds, and other times we gratefully motored for 4 days
in no wind.
Our Journals - If interested in our trip, check
April 2003 for the passage through Eritrea
and Sudan and May 2003 for Sudan and Egypt. |
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Giving
a Helping Hand:
This may be the first time in your
cruising that you encounter people in real need. We
had wished that we had been better prepared to help those
who were so kind and helpful to us. It is not our
policy to indiscriminately hand out "gifts" to people,
especially when asked for gifts by officials, but there were
times when we wished we had items to give to those who
visited us. We were able to give some water and diesel
fuel to some itinerant fisherman who needed it and we gave
some small bags of tea, coffee and rice to others who
visited us. Other times we were asked for magazines
and books which we were happy to give if we thought they
would not cause offence or embarrassment to the recipients.
Our suggestion would be to bring along a
few extra of the following items to give to people who come
out to visit your boat, or if you go ashore to visit or take
photos.
- tea, coffee, sugar, rice;
- T-shirts, paper and pencils, fishing
gear, batteries (AA & D-cell);
- non-prescription medicines such as
aspirin or paracetamol;
- first aid items such as bandages,
antiseptic (Several times in our cruising we have
been asked for first aid items from someone who had a
wound that required attention. We have always
tried to help in any way we could.)
We like to use these items as "trade"
goods to exchange for some small handicraft item or in
exchange for taking a photo of someone. (Of course you
should always asked for permission first before
taking any photos of a person.)
We ask that you please try to refrain from
handing out candy "bon-bons", pens, etc. to children you
meet. It is our view that these children are just
being taught to beg for things from foreigners. A
better option would be to take the suggestion from the
Lonely Planet Guide and make a donation to a school or
charity organization in the area. |
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Eritrea
This poor country, with a vast coastline on the
Red Sea, was a fascinating mixture of African appearances, Italian tastes, and
smiling people. We first stopped in Assab, a port with no activity and no people and then
settled into Massawa with 6 other cruisers to travel to the interior. The
people were friendly and honest and were attempting to re-build their country
after decades of conflict with Ethiopia. The people at the right show how
happy they are to see foreign visitors even though we spent relatively little in
their country. Check out our Eritrea page for more
about our stop and experiences with camels, creamy ice cream, and more.
Sudan
Sudan ranks about as low as Eritrea when is comes to income,  mostly
because of their internal strife. We found Suakin a wonderful place;
picturesque and friendly, although a little frightening at first because of the
demolished buildings beside the anchorage (check our Sudan
page for the explanation). Port Sudan was dirty and crowded, but the markets
with their tailor shops, donkey carts and grocery stores were a real
eye-opener. We enjoyed several anchorages along the coast, and will always
remember the fisherman who stopped by one morning before heading out to the reef
to fish. Read more about our experiences on the Sudan
page.
Egypt
Egypt has been a tourist destination for hundreds of years,
and we found the culture seems to be one of trying to extract as much from the
visitor as possible. The wonders left by the pharaohs 2000 to 4000 years
ago must be seen, and no travel through this part of the world would be
complete without gazing up at the pyramids or wandering through a 4000-year old
tomb with exquisite carvings. We based ourselves at a modern marina at the
north end of the Red Sea and traveled to Luxor, Aswan, the Nile, and Cairo and
have albums full of wonderful pictures. Read more about this on our Egypt
page.
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