26 Jul - 28 Jul 2007 Shab El Shubak

Central Red Sea
Sahel
Republic of the Sudan
Shab El Shubak
Sumar Inlet
Long Island
SY "Kamu II" at anchor, at 12 m depth, on mud.

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our anchorage:
N 18° 46.78' E 037° 40.14'










Baking crisp dark bread every second day, thinking this to be a necessity on a cruising sailing yacht, lived on by genetically unmodified Germans, and testing the easy recipe from of our friends Angelika & Gerd from SY "Ariane II": (i) mix rye flour, hand-warm seawater and instant yeast, dissolved in some of the water, (ii) make into a dough, (iii) leave the dough to rise for one hour, preferably under the bed cover, (iv) bake for about 50 min and (v) turn on the oompah music in order to scare away any hungry pirates.


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Photos 2007-05 Central Red Sea


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22 Jul - 26 Jul 2007 Port Suakin

Central Red Sea
Republic of the Sudan
Port Suakin
Old Suakin
SY "Kamu II" at anchor, south of the ruins of Old Suakin and east of El Kaff, at 5 m depth, on mud.

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our very protected anchorage:
N 19° 06.53' E 037° 20.33'










Logging the sailed distance of about 60 nm between the Sanganeb Reef and Port Suakin in about 36 hours and beating into another strong haboob (Arabic: هَبوبhabūb "blasting/drafting") on our approach to Port Suakin.



Clearing into the Sudan for a total of US$ 130.- (US$ 20.- port fees, US$ 10.- customs clearance, US$ 10.- for the sailing permit, 2 x US$ 30.- for the shore passes, US$ 30.- agent fees for agent Mohammed Abu).



Refuelling with 120 litres of diesel fuel (US$ 0.70 per litre) in our own jerry cans and 15 litres of petrol (US$ 1.- per litre), delivered to the dinghy by agent Mohammed Abu.

Laundering: US$ 0.33 per piece through agent Mohammed Abu and his local ladies (rock-washed and dried).

Walking through the streets (which looked like livened-up junkyards) and coral stone ruins of old Suakin (whose erstwhile wealth had come from trading slaves who were transported out of Suakin, and then put on ships which brought them up to the Ottoman empire) and the wooden shacks of new Suakin aka El Kaff.



Visiting Port Sudan by local minibus, checking for emails at a very fast internet café and restocking our supplies in the old souq near the port.

Feasting on excellent grilled fish at the local restaurant “Mistero of the Sea Foods” in Port Suakin (US$ 5.- per portion) and defending our meals on the tables against a clowder of fierce and hungry Sudanese cats.



Matt: Hittingsandbank at full throttle when leaving Suakin harbour after having exactly (!) followed our own GPS track log and having completely forgotten about the third dimension of sea navigation - the tidal differences.
"Any soldier will tell you that going in and coming out on the same route is asking for trouble."



Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2007 Map Konni & Matt
 

Visit the Konni & Matt online albums and order high res travel photos
Konni & Matt Travel Photos


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20 Jul - 21 Jul 2007 Sanganeb Reef

Central Red Sea
Sahel
Republic of the Sudan
Sanganeb Reef
South Lagoon
SY "Kamu II" at anchor, inside the south lagoon, at 28 m depth, close to the reef, on sand.

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our deep but tricky reef anchorage:






Climbing up the 258 steep stone steps (plus 10 even steeper wooden rungs of a shaky ladder) to the very top of the old 50-m high, 1906 CE Sanganeb Reef lighthouse aka manara (منارة), marvelling on the great views over the lagoons and chatting with the friendly Sudanese lighthouse keepers who very rarely have any guests.
“The dip of the light meant that the island itself was always left in darkness. A lighthouse is for others; powerless to illuminate the space closest to it.” 















Scubadiving (DM Konni) and snorkelling (Matt) at leisure the lagoons in the vicinity of this spectacular reef anchorage, considered one of the best diving sites in the world, and identifying the light characteristics of the lighthouse (Fl.W.5s50m) which is one of a chain of stations established by the British on desert islands of the Red Sea to protect shipping between Europe and the Asian colonies.














Click below for more blog post about interesting lighthouses
27 Nov - 31 Dec 2013 Kaohsiung: Fl.(4)W30s58m25M
07 Jun - 10 Jun 2013 Sokcho: Fl.(4)W45s28m17M
01 Feb - 17 Feb 2013 Batu Ferringhi: Fl.W10s242m25M
05 Sep - 15 Sep 2011 Tanjung Karang: Fl.(4)W25s
06 Dec - 31 Dec 2010 Madiha (Dondra Head): Fl.W15s50m28M
14 Oct - 25 Oct 2010 Galle: Fl.(2)W12s
08 Aug - 10 Aug 2007 Difnein Island: Fl.(2)W10s44m

Click below for a summary of this year's travels

Visit the Konni & Matt online albums and order high res travel photos
Konni & Matt Travel Photos


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19 Jul - 20 Jul 2007 Marsa Daror

Central Red Sea
Sahel
Republic of the Sudan
Marsa Daror
SY "Kamu II" at anchor, at 2 m depth, on mud.

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our very shallow mud anchorage:
N 19° 50.83' E 037° 15.99'










Spending the night in the company of Sudanese fishermen who looked like the infamous Red Sea pirates but were very friendly and welcoming.


Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2007 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures
Photos 2007-05 Central Red Sea


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16 Jul - 19 Jul 2007 Marsa Fijab

Central Red Sea
Republic of the Sudan
Marsa Fijab
SY "Kamu II" at anchor, at 8 m depth, on sand (very good holding); c. 100 m northwest of a very distinctive, big coral head.


Click below for an interactive satellite view of our anchorage:








Logging the sailed distance of about 110 nm between Khor Shinab and Marsa Fijab in about 36 hours.

Puzzling our way into a very protected anchorage in the last bay of Marsa Fijab where almost upon arriving we were visited by two dehydrated local fishermen who asked for potable water and gave us a few fish from their good catch of the day.














Watching the most amazing birdlife surrounding our anchorage: great blue herons (Ardea herodias), grey herons (Ardea cinerea), pink-backed pelicans (Pelecanus rufescens), pinkish white lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor), green-backed aka striated herons (Butorides striata), Western reef herons (Egretta gularis), Eurasian spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia), ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), crab plovers (Dromas ardeola) and many smaller waders.


Click below for a summary of this year's travels


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12 Jul - 15 Jul 2007 Khor Shinab

Central Red Sea
Sahel
Republic of the Sudan
Khor Shinab
East of Quoin Hill
SY "Kamu II" at anchor, at 10 m depth, on mud; c. 0.5 nm east of the distinctive Quoin Hill.


Click below for an interactive satellite view of our anchorage:
N 21° 21.07' E 037° 00.66'











Being hit at night by an intimidating African thunderstorm with giant cloud towers and impressive swathes of lightnings, which lit up the night sky like daylight, but with no rain to wash down the sand from the previous haboob as rain evaporates in the hot, dry air (a phenomenon known as virga).















Matt: Climbing Quoin Hill and hiking over a thick carpet of shells and fossils into the hinterland of this isolated khor.















Matt: Dismantling and cleaning the blocked carburettor of our 4-hp Mariner outboarder from fine powder sand which had entered it through seemingly airtight plastic covers after a few nasty sand storms.


Click below for more blog posts about an haboob from the desert
28 Jul - 31 Jul 2007 Talla Talla Saqir
22 Jul - 26 Jul 2007 Port Suakin
10 Jul - 12 Jul 2007 Marsa Hamsiat

 Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2007 Map Konni & Matt


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10 Jul - 12 Jul 2007 Marsa Hamsiat

Central Red Sea
Sahel
Republic of the Sudan
Marsa Hamsiat
SY "Kamu II" at anchor, at 12 m depth, on clay and sand.

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our anchorage:
N 21° 41.16' E 036° 53.34'










Experiencing our first, of many others to follow, full-blown haboob (Arabic: هَبوب‎ "strong wind", an intense duststorm) in the Red Sea: 40°C air temperature, 40 knots wind speed, 40 minutes duration, 40 % humidity and 40 m visibility; leaving SY “Kamu II” covered with an all-encompassing thick layer of brown sand - outside and inside.















Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2007 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures
Photos 2007-05 Central Red Sea


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