Konni & Matt - Perpetual Travellers: 08 Aug - 10 Aug 2007 Difnein Island

Southern Red Sea

East Africa

State of Eritrea

Difnein Island

(i) SY "Kamu II" at anchor, off the southwest side of the island, opposite the military camp, at 12 m depth, on sand (very good holding).

(ii) SY "Kamu II" at anchor, off the north side of the island, northwest of the 1905 CE, very distinctive lighthouse (light characteristic: Fl.(2)W10s44m, but not in operation), at 4 m depth, on coral and rocks (bad holding).
(iii) SY "Kamu II" at anchor, off the southwest side of the island, opposite the military camp, at 9 m depth, on sand (very good holding).

Click below for satellite views of our three different anchorages:

N 16° 36.46' E 039° 19.21'

N 16° 37.38' E 039° 19.29'

N 16° 36.48' E 039° 19.19'

Logging the sailed distance of only 150 nm in 85 hours between the Sudanese Guban Island and the Eritrean Difnein Island, being becalmed en-route and drifting for many hours, being buffeted, near Saunders Reef, by the worst haboob ever (it closely resembles the explosion of an atomic bomb and chases away even a dodgy dhow which was following us all day as if driven by some malicious intent), anchoring off Difnein Island right beside an open-air military camp and saluting the Eritrean border soldiers, who respond by immediately boarding our vessel.

Having a raucous cockpit party and fraternizing with a wild gang of AK-47 toting Eritrean border soldiers in ragbag mufti, sharing vegetarian food and Christian drinks and discussing until late all the forbidden topics at the dinner table: sex, health, religion, finances and politics...