We made 155 miles in 24 hours on the second day. Now motoring on a glassy sea in wind still conditions.
Position 29° 01.242′ N 32° 52.029′ E
COG 330T
SOG 6.5kt
Log 11,421 nm
Engine 417.9 h
Author Archives: Gerhard Malan
Northern Suez Gulf, 60 miles to go to Port Suez
Uneventful night, light southerly winds and a little rolly. By all accounts we’ve had a pretty easy passage in the Gulf of Suez so far, motoring all night with light winds from the south. The sea is a little lumpy and it is a bit rolly at this angle. The shipping and multitude of (lit) oil platforms did not present any difficulty, as long as one stayed awake! We’ve now put full sail up and poled out the headsail on the weather side. That’s added about half a knot to our speed, maybe a knot in the gusts.
Position 28° 45.158′ N 33° 00.065′ E
COG 337T
SOG 6.2kt
Rocking and Rolling in Gubal Strait
Sunny Spells is just inside Gubal Strait at the southern end of Suez Gulf.
We have about half a knot of north setting current with us and gusty E-SE wind, 10 to 30 knots true. We had a very nice day of downwind sailing with 15 knots over the starboard quarter the whole day. We poled out the headsail (goosewing) and hand-steered. Just before the Strait the weather looked ominous: dark clouds and big dust clouds. The wind dropped to 5 knots. We rolled away the headsail, put 3 reefs in the main and motored. Now we have a gusty southerly that fluctuates from 5 to 25 knots apparent without warning and direction between dead square and on the starboard beam. Must be turbulence caused by all the mountains either side of the Gulf. We have doused the main sail completely and now have about half the headsail set on starboard tack. We are running the motor to keep momentum in the lulls and surfing the gusts. As I write, the wind has gone dead square and less than 5 knots apparent so now we have only a small little triangle of headsail out for stability.
Position 27° 40.372′ N 33° 56.353′ E
COG 319T
SOG 6.0kt
Log 11,317 nm
Engine 401.2 h
24h LOG: Northern Red Sea off Hurghada
We made 139 miles for the 24 hours. We are now sailing with the headsail poled out in 10-17 knots from the south. Half a knot of south-setting current is slowing us down.
Position 27° 03.284′ N 34° 14.425′ E
COG 344T
SOG 5.7kt
Log 11,266 nm
Engine 395.7 h