24 Jun - 29 Jun 2007 Fury Shoal

Northern Red Sea

Africa

North Africa

Arab Republic of Egypt aka Most Democratic Touristic Republic of Pyramidistan

Fury Shoal

Abu Galawa

SY "Kamu II" tied up to two unoccupied dive-boat moorings, at 16 m and 21 m depth, on coral and sand.

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our secure "mooring":
N 24° 13.70' E 035° 34.61'

Noticing a very distinctive and constant pattern of periodic wind shifts at our very protected anchorage on the lee side of Abu Galawa: NW F4 from 08:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., NE F5 from 11:00 a.m. to 03:00 p.m., NW F4 from 03:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m., calm from 06:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., W F4 from 10:00 p.m. to midnight, S F4 from midnight to 03:00 a.m. and calm from 03:00 a.m. to 08:00 a.m.

DM Konni: Running into several liveaboard dive-vessels aka safari boats with very friendly and welcoming Egyptian skippers and dive masters (MV “Ocean Bird II”, MV “Cassiopeia”, MV “Nevein Arafa”) in these remote outbacks and diving together with them and their paying clients the unspoilt reef and the wreck of the Chinese steam-powered tugboat MV “Tienstin” which lies in a depth of 18 m at the base of the reef's southern face, on the western end of Abu Galawa Kibeer.

Accommodating repeatedly a dozen of very naughty overnight guests, bridled terns (Onychoprion anaethetus) that perch on the mizzen spreaders of our SY "Kamu II" and produce an enormous pile of guano, which coats the deck and defies repeatedly Konni’s determined efforts to immediately remove the mess with brush and seawater.

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

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23 Jun - 24 Jun 2007 Mahabis

Northern Red Sea

Africa

North Africa

Arab Republic of Egypt aka Most Democratic Touristic Republic of Pyramidistan

North of Ras Qulan

South of Greater Mahabis Island

SY "Kamu II" at anchor, off the beach, at 5 m depth, on soft sand.

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our anchorage:
N 24° 18.87' E 035° 23.09'

 



Chatting and bartering with curious local fishermen who approached us with their DIY-built skiff - a rugged wooden hull with a primitive lateen sail.

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

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures
Photos 2007-04 Northern Red Sea


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21 Jun - 23 Jun 2007 Wadi Gimal

Northern Red Sea

Africa

North Africa

Arab Republic of Egypt aka Most Democratic Touristic Republic of Pyramidistan

East of Ras Baghdadi

West of Gezirat Wadi Gimal

SY "Kamu II" at anchor, in the lee of the island, at 5 m depth, on sand with isolated coral heads (very good holding in between the "bommies").

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our very safe anchorage:
N 24° 39.44' E 035° 09.60'

Matt: Trailing a few relatively short, c. 50 feet long, 200-pound test monofilament fishing lines with multiple lures behind our SY "Kamu II" (our favorites: cheap rubber squids or wobblers, often without a steel leader in front of the one-inch hooks), landing delicious dorados aka mahi-mahi, tunas and trevallies and varying our pescetarian diet at sea, but without unnecessarily "playing" a fish or killing a fish just for the fun of it.

DM Konni: Visiting every now and then the big-big, very mean-looking but rather friendly 2.50-m long residential giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) at its wall-cave home and avoiding coming too close to the most aggressive (but fortunately not the most dangerous) titan triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens) who guards its nest right under our SY "Kamu II's" keel and fearlessly confronts me, with its dorsal spine erected.

Click below for more blog posts about subsistence fishing
07 Jun - 15 Jul 2008 Chagos
15 Apr - 07 Jun 2008 Chagos
02 Feb - 12 Feb 2008 Bombay
16 Jul - 19 Jul 2007 Marsa Fijab
31 Aug - 02 Sep 2006 Marsa Thelemet

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

Recommended dive knives - click below for your Amazon order from the United States:

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20 Jun - 21 Jun 2007 Renato Reef

Northern Red Sea

Africa

North Africa

Arab Republic of Egypt aka Most Democratic Touristic Republic of Pyramidistan

Southeast of Ras Dirra

Renato Reef

SY "Kamu II" at anchor, behind the reef, at 18 m depth, on sand and coral (good holding).

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our reef anchorage:
N 24° 50.17' E 035° 01.97'

 


Matt: Spotting large carpets of reddish brown algal bloom aka Red Tide (large concentrations of a few species of blooming dinoflagellates which take on a red or brown color), confusing the algal bloom with dangerous shallow water above uncharted reefs and losing time with some pointless evasive manoeuvres.

DM Konni: Solo-diving repeatedly and photographing the colourful u/w world in the vicinity of the Renato Reef which was named after Renato Marchesan, an experienced Italian diver and u/w explorer in this remote part of the Red Sea.

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

Recommended BCDs - click below for your Amazon offer from the United States:

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19 Jun - 20 Jun 2007 Marsa Alam

Northern Red Sea

Africa

North Africa

Arab Republic of Egypt aka Most Democratic Touristic Republic of Pyramidistan

Marsa Alam

SY "Kamu II" at anchor, east of the distinctive police fort, at 6 m depth, on sand and weed.

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our anchorage:

N 25° 04.94' E 034° 53.65'

Weaving around some submerged bommies into the lagoon - these are ship-busting coral pinnacles which required flawless communication between Konni (“the crew”) up aloft the main mast and Matt (“the skipper”) at the helm as well as some sharp manoeuvres.

Click below for a summary of this year's travels

2007 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures

Photos 2007-04 Northern Red Sea


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17 Jun - 19 Jun 2007 Port Ghalib

Northern Red Sea

Africa

North Africa

Arab Republic of Egypt aka Most Democratic Touristic Republic of Pyramidistan

Marsa Mubarak

Port Ghalib

Coral Beach Diving Hotel

SY "Kamu II" alongside the hotel jetty, at 3 m depth.

US$ 20.- per night (including unlimited potable water).

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our marina berth:
N 25° 31.75' E 034° 38.17'

 



Sailing together with our good friend and local pilot Ralf uneventfully and safely the 140 nm long first downwind leg of our journey through the Red Sea; many thanks to Ralf for his wonderful camaraderie and his excellent and detailed knowledge of all those treacherous wanderriffe (“moving reefs”) in the area.

Clearing out of Egypt and paying the official departure fee of US$ 0.35 per person plus a US$ 40.- “processing fee for international departures” - meaning the payment for the overpriced taxi ride the immigration and customs officials took to get from the nearby international airport to SY “Kamu II” at Port Ghalib.

Click below for a summary of this year's travels

2007 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures

Photos 2007-04 Northern Red Sea

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16 Mar - 16 Jun 2007 El Gouna

Northern Red Sea

Africa

North Africa

Arab Republic of Egypt aka Most Democratic Touristic Republic of Pyramidistan

Strait of Gubal

El Gouna Resort

Abu Tig Marina +20653580073 info@orascommarinas.com

SY "Kamu II" with her stern to the concrete pier (berth C3) and with two permanent bow moorings, for US$ 252.- per month; plus a pricey US$ 70.- per month for 24/7 wireless internet access.

Click below for an interactive satellite view of our fully protected and serviced marina berth:

N 27° 24.45' E 033° 40.54' 

Touring the must-see sights of Upper Egypt by public transport and visiting (i) both Luxor’s west bank of the Nile river with its famous (a) Valley of the Kings, (b) Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir al-Bahri where in November 1997 six Islamist terrorists, armed with machine guns, massacred 62 innocent tourists in cold blood, (c) Tombs of the Nobles, (d) Temple of Ramses II. and (e) Medinet Habu, and the east bank with the Temple of Luxor and the Temple of Karnak, famous for its stone papyrus forest in the great hypostyle hall, (ii) Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city, the gateway to Africa and the now inundated Land of Nubia, with the romantic and majestic temple complex of Isis on the Island of Philae, and (iii) Abu Simbel near the Sudanese border with the rock-cut Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Hathor, dedicated to Ramses II’s beloved and sexy wife, Queen Nefertari.

Matt: Refuelling with 130 litres of "official" diesel fuel for US$ 0.33 per litre, delivered to our SY "Kamu II" by the helpful marina staff, buying an additional 120 litres of "inofficial" diesel fuel for as little as EGP 0.75 or US$ 0.13 per litre from the local fuel station in Hurghada (smuggled into the marina with the help of our close friend Ralf), stocking up with 15 litres of unleaded gasoline for EGP 1.40 or US$ 0.25 per litre from the local fuel station in El Gouna, and refilling one of our two 9-kg LPG cylinders for EGP 107.- or US$ 18.50 in the Abu Tig Marina.

Laundering for US$ 8.- per 6-kg load at the marina laundry (washed, dried, pressed and delivered to the ship).

DM Konni: Investing the amount of € 2,000.- in a new portable Coltri-Sub MCH-6/SH petrol-engine driven dive compressor with a charging rate of 100l/min (driven by a 165-ccm Honda petrol engine).

DM Konni: Donning my scuba gear, finding great pleasure in visiting the wonderful corals and the teeming marine life in the well-preserved reefs of the Strait of Gubal (my favourite dive spots: Shab Abu Nuhas, Shab al-Erg, Umm Qamar) and exploring the stunning wrecks of (i) MV “Rosalie Moeller” in a depth of 37 m and (ii) HMS “Thistlegorm” in a depth of 31 m (the latter was bombed in WWII and rediscovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1955 CE).

"From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free."

(Jacques Cousteau)

DM Konni: Flying with Condor ("Born to Fly") in an Airbus A 320 from Hurghada/Egypt to Leipzig/Germany for € 428.-, return and all inclusive, and visiting my mother in Halle/Germany.

“It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression, 'As pretty as an airport.'”

(Douglas Adams)

Socialising with a bunch of wintering yotties and having a very good time together with Nicole & Jean from SY "Reskebil", Monique & David from SY “Pandora”, Siggi & Juergen from SY “Petit Prince”, Philly, Tedd and their children from SY “Kari”, Joy & Jim from SY “Kelaerin”, Elly & Per from SY “Sybaris”, Petra & Peter from SY “Pepe”, Lorie & Fred from SY “Kind of Blue”, Chad & Gerry from SY “Pisces”, Massimo from SY “Io&Te”, Manni from SY “The Big Easy”, Tony from MV “Lady Coppelia”, Jacques from SY “Miss Cat”, and with the welcoming and helpful teams of expats and locals: Jana & Ralf, Yen & Ekkehard, Ulrike & Christoph, Natalie & Robert, Grit & Tom, Anna & Per, Rykke & Islam, Andrea & Phil, Isabel & Eric and many others; big hug for your excellent company and your support, and fair winds to you, always!

“Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.” 

(Brooks Atkinson)

Click below for more blog posts about Konni's wreck diving 
20 Mar - 07 Apr 2012 Sumatra: Iboih Beach
16 Aug - 15 Sep 2011 Sulawesi: Tanjung Karang
19 Jul - 18 Aug 2008 Maldives: Gan

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

Recommended books - click below for your Amazon order from the United States:

For Amazon schnaeppchens from Germany, please click here

For Amazon deals from Canada, please click here

For Amazon deals from the United Kingdom, please click here