Doing the Hokey Cokey

Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Tue 22 Jun 2010 19:13

31:15.5N 32:18.2E

 

Tuesday 22nd June

 

Around 1.00 am as we cleared the last of the huge fishing fleet the wind came back up to 15 knots plus and so we killed the engine and sailed along very peacefully all the way to Port Said, however the entry to the Suez canal and the mooring location that we have been given is not at all straightforward and the rally was only allowed to make its way down the canal to the naval base that is to be our home for the next few days once we were all together in one big convoy.

 

The solution to this was for all the boats to anchor in an area of shallows close to the entrance and wait until everyone had arrived. As we approached, we had to sail first through an anchorage of huge ships and yet another fleet of curiously lit fishing boats and trawlers who were showing us no favours. It was still pitch dark and so we dropped the sails at this point and felt our way forward through all this erratic traffic until we arrived finally at the shallows and rounded up and gratefully dropped the anchor. Sarah slept on deck mainly because it was cooler there, but as things turned out she soon had other duties. The wind at this point was still only force 3 and the heat and humidity was really oppressive and coupled with a nasty swell coming from right angles to the wind, this was not a very restful spot. Then from nowhere the wind swung round almost 180 degrees and blasted us at 30 knots (but it was accompanied by a drop of 7 bars in barometric pressure over the previous 13 hours)! Fortunately we had put down loads of chain despite the depth being so little and we remained firmly in position, but it needed Sarah on deck to keep an eye on things.

 

Gradually the last boats trickled in and in anticipation of the port authorities allowing us entry, we all raised our anchors and formed up into circles in our groups and then finally this became one giant circle of yachts (36) until the permission was given to our leader for the day Hassan, to enter the canal and so battling the gusts of 30 knots and hordes of returning fishing boats the big convoy headed in a less than organised fashion down the Suez canal bound for Port Said. Of course the fishermen had not yet finished with us and trawlers continually dropped their nets in front of yachts forcing us to veer out into the centre of the canal where the large tugs overtaking us blared their horns to clear their path. Add several ‘pilot’ boats and police launches and there was pretty average chaos. Fast moving ferries plying across the canal added to the fun and even when we made it to the naval base, we still had to wheel around avoiding each other until it was our turn to moor up. Some drivers have not yet grasped the need for patience at this stage and feel the need to career around at speed causing mayhem around them. We had to put on full reverse at one stage to avoid being cut in half by one particularly headless French chicken! Bless you Marie...

 

Finally it was our turn and we reversed up to the quay dropping our bow anchor in the bay to hold us off the dock wall. We had been warned that there is a lot of swell in here as the big ships heading up and down the canal sweep past the open dock entrance, but what we were not expecting was the cacophony of sound that is Port Said. There is an extraordinary and constant blare of car horns of all tones and despite all our experience so far with noisy traffic, nothing can compare with this spot.

 

Very helpful and efficient customs, immigration and health procedures saw us all settling back to a welcome lunch on board followed by a long and very hot afternoon nap.

 

In the evening we were invited for drinks aboard Savarna by Keith Pam and Chris where we were joined by Goran and Birgitta from Kanavo and Jim and Corola from Koza. We had a great evening followed by a quick guided tour of the spacious Hanse 54 and left long after we should have around 9.30 pm.

 

Returned to Serafina for an excellent chicken casserole dish and were soon off to bed for a much needed cooler sleep, but mindful that we have to be up and running by 5.30 am again to get on the coach for the two day trip to Cairo followed by a boat trip sailing on the Nile and then a visit to the pyramids.