Position 27:16.04N 33:53.27E

Friday 16^th November 2012

Since Friday is the Muslim Sunday, when the Mosques call for prayer longer and more frequently, we decided to escape the town and take Blue Magic out for a day to snorkel some of the nearby reefs.

We were joined by yachts ‘Jigsaw’ and ‘Gwen L’ with their crews, whilst Blue Magic’s motley crew for the day included Lica, Gavin, Andy, Michelle, John, Vanessa, John and Ingrid.

With the sun behind you the reefs are clearly visible.

In order to preserve the coral it is prohibited to anchor however there are moorings attached to the reefs for short stays. The moorings were not very visible, just lines floating in the water and very close to the reef. Luckily we had ‘frogman’ AKA Gavin with us who dived in with a long line from Blue Magic to secure to the mooring.

We had a fun day navigating through the reefs, watching dolphins playing around the boat, snorkelling, swimming and chatting.

Everyone bought wonderful food to share for lunch and it was lovely to relax and enjoy being out of the marina in the sunshine.

At one point we came a bit close for comfort to the reef, but all good experience and a few lessons learnt for next time !

Photos below show us watching the dolphins on the bow and to the left John and Ingrid from ‘Tilikum’.

John broadcasts the rally ‘net’ in the mornings and evenings on VHF radio to keep us all updated on news, we look forward to his comical discussions each day !

John is also our expert on shipping, having spent his career as a Captain for commercial shipping including Dockwise, and he has transited the Suez Canal over 60 times.

Gavin and Andy on the bow pointing out any shallow rocks or coral, guiding us to clear water........or are they discussing the best spots for kite surfing, wakeboarding and spear fishing?!!

Thanks to Lica for a photo with me on the other side of the lens !

Lica and Michelle below and on the right, the highlight of the day ….Michelle’s chocolate cake with sprinkles which we devoured with cups of tea on the way back.

We rounded off the day with sundowners, nibbles and delicious fig rolls bought along by Vanessa.

Thanks guys for a great day !