We left the Maldives on the 9th. of February and had a very pleasant nine day passage for the 1,300 nautical miles to Port Salalah, Oman.  We stayed four days in Oman and had our first experience of sand storms ..with winds of 30 knots while at anchor in the harbour. Dust everywhere! We then had a quiet 5 day passage to Aden, with light winds on the stern.

 

We particularly enjoyed our stay in Aden.  Everyone we met was very friendly, though the country is very poor compared to Oman.

 

We had a dream run up the Red Sea to Egypt. We completing the 1,200 miles in 9 days, with southerly winds right up until our last 100 nm run into Port Ghalib.  The winds then turned north westerly right on the nose and we experienced a short steep swell which slowed us down a lot.

 

Peter Van Roekel joined us in Male for the passage to Egypt.

 

Leaving the anchorage at Male:

 

 

Sunset, first night out of Male.

 

 

Landfall in Oman, fisherman off the coast:

 

 

Arriving in Port Salalah, a busy container terminal

 

 

The yacht anchorage:

 

 

 

Downtown Salalah:

 

 

Fiona's birthday cake in the deli at Lulu's Supermarket!

 

 

Omani camels by the roadside:

 

 

Visiting Job's Tomb.  This was the restaurant which featured camel  on the menu

 

 

Suitably attired to enter the tomb:

 

 

Job's crypt.  Job was reputedly (according to the tomb custodian) 11 feet tall:

 

 

Job's footprint:

 

 

Omani wadi:

 

 

Traditional dhow, Salalah:

 

 

Container ship turning round:

 

 

Part of a pod of over a hundred dolphins once we left the harbour:

 

Landfall in Yemen:

 

 

 

Yachts leaving Aden on the annual Vasco da Gama rally (from the Mediterranean to India):

 

 

Yacht anchorage Aden:

 

 

Shipwreck in Aden:

 

 

 

 

Cruise ship arriving:

 

 

Sandra and friends chewing Qat the local drug of choice:

 

 

Qat:

 

 

Schoolboys with their pet chicks:

 

 

The excellent fruit and veg was a welcome surprise:

 

 

Local cafe.  The fruit hanging from the roof are mangoes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A visitor on the way to Egypt:

 

 

Container ship overtaking:

 

 

Red Sea sunrise:

 

 

Arrival in Egypt..at Port Ghalib: