Satellite Email Correspondence – Marc
22 February 2011
Current Position:
23 34.9N
58 36.5E
Hello Everyone.
Just wanted to drop a quick note letting you all know that we (Marc with crew Mike & Kieran) are leaving
Muscat in about 1 hour. Once we do the check out procedures, we should be underway by around 3pm local
time. Our destination is Salalah, Oman which is about 600 miles to the south. We will
be sailing along the coast for the most part trying our best to avoid the fishing nets(and yes, pirates) along the way.
We continue our convoy with S/V Laroobaa (whom we've been joined at the hip with since the Maldives some 2000 miles
ago) Jane and the kids will be staying in Muscat & will meet me in an area yet determined.
All
the best from the Captain & Crew.
Marc
23 February 2011
Our Current
Position:
22 02.1N
59 46.9E
Hello Everyone.
We left Muscat yesterday at approximately 2pm local time. Since we left, we've been
battling a 20-25 knot headwind which is slowing our progress a bit, but we slog along and still expect to be in on Saturday.
Having Mike & Kieran on board has been a Godsend and we are doing well despite the stresses.
By
now, I am sure that you are all aware of the fate of the crew aboard Quest. We were stunned and devastated
when we got word about the outcome. I received a call from the duty officer at UKMTO late last night and
discussed our route again with him and he had informed me that they are watching our route closely and know of no pirate vessels
in the area & they will be calling us via sat phone if any issues arise that we need to be aware of.
We were shocked and truly sickened by what has happened & ask for your prayers for the families of Quest and for us
as well.
We are meeting another boat who is about 90 miles ahead of us currently and will join us in convoy
down to Salalah.
All the best from the Captain & Crew.
Via Con Dios
Marc
24 February 2011
Our Current Position:
19 51.4N
58 38.4E
6.5 knots
& course 219T
312 miles to Salalah
Wind is 10 knots on the nose, current is against us, but the
sun is shining & all is well on board.
We rendezvoused with another yacht - Journey who
will be with us til Salalah. Currently Laroobaa is towing Journey to maintain a reasonable speed and we'll
end up sharing in the towing responsibilities. Have not yet figured out our plan from Salalah, but will
attend the memorial service for the crew of Quest who will be brought to Salalah on the USS aircraft carrier (along with the
pirates) on Saturday.
Marc
25 February 2011
Our Current Position:
18 04N
56 35E
6.2 knots
& course 233T
157 miles to Salalah
Journey is no longer with us. We may change our
destination plans. We had an Omani Warship steam past us and I called to let them know it was good to see
them out here. We have heard initial reports of another issue, but nothing confirmed at this point.
All
is well on board.
Marc
Imagine
26 February 2011
Our Current Position:
16 40N
54 46E
6.2 knots
& course 244T
We have changed our plans. We will not go to Salalah.
Yesterday
Blue Water Rally boat Laroobaa - who we have convoyed with since Maldives, decided that our speed was too slow for them.
They left us and went on their own to Salalah....so much for the convoy/buddy boat system...
We are doing well, and this afternoon will rendezvous with a friend, US S/V "Lapalapa" to continue on to the IRTC
that we will follow until we reach Djibouti. Lapalapa has been enjoying the company of US Warship 84 -
Bulkley for the last 2.5 days, and not sure what 84's next task will be, but heard them on VHF this morning.
Very encouraging.
Sadly, we learned that another yacht has been hijacked by pirates.
Marc,
Mike & Kieran
Imagine
27 February 2011
Our Current Position:
14 30N
53 00E
6.0 knots
& course 252T
At 0630Z we reached the corner of the IRTC. The corridor is 490 miles long, so we will
be in this zone for the next 3.5 days or so.
Lapalapa - our new convoy partner has brought with them good
juju. Not only did Roger & Karli come with a US Warship escort, later in the day we had a US Navy Helo
give us a fly by last night and better yet, for the first time since leaving the Maldives - some 2500 miles ago, we no longer
have wind on the nose! We are happy sailors for the moment. And, as I write this, we have just had another navy plane fly
by. At the very least we feel that someone knows we are out here.
Our
plans at the moment will be to sail to Djibouti, refuel and move on from there. Some have asked why Djibouti
and not other spots and I offer commentary by fellow cruiser & friend Jason on Pegasus with his report below on stopping
in Yemen(hope you don't mind that I share this Jason, but it's good intel & great writing)
"HI Mark, great that your with Roger. and a warship...excellent news. I left aden last night midnight as mass protests
on street and gunfire around. Army out with 50 cal on back of jeeps...i was the only boat there and feeling like the last
tommato in a salad. I managed to get my passport back from immigration in the afternoon, and just thought..im going...stopped
by a port control launch with Kalachnikov bloke on front...port control ordered me back to anchorage 5 times i refused, saying
that there was gunfire on the street, im a uk boat and i want to leave now. after half an hour he called off the dogs and
gave me permission to leave and asked if i would please come back to aden and its not always like that!!!! decided to get
on and head N... in bab el mandep now,...sat 1400 blowing 30 and big waves, 4 reefs main, slip of staysail but fine, making
10-12 on the rolercoaster...dont know how far i can get in this window will see. Take care."
*************
I've
said that trying to make it through this region of the world...It's a shit sandwich and no matter how you slice it, still
tastes the same. And yes - oddly as it sounds to folks back home, we'll be thrilled to get to Egypt.
One last note: Roger on La Palapa is far more sophisticated than I am when it comes to updating their blog (yes Seth, I
know we haven't updated since last year!). You can check out their commentary & follow our progress
at:
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/sailpalapa/
Thanks to all for the notes of encouragement.
We all appreciate your assistance, thoughts & prayers.
Marc, Mike & Kieran
Imagine
28 February 2011
Our Current Position:
13 51N
50 53E
5.3 knots
& course 251T
Moving slowly along the IRTC - about 360 miles to the end before we veer off towards Djibouti.
All is well on board. Had Japanese Helicopter pay us a visit and also a Japanese Warship.
We asked the warship to check on a radar contact we both had on our screens and they reassured us that all was clear
on our rear after visual, infrared, and I'm guessing a more sophisticated radar system than we have. So
we slept well for a while.
Fair amount of shipping in the lanes and we are just on the northern edge to keep a good distance from
the traffic, but close enough to find the psychological comfort in the company of others. Early this morning
we spotted a fishing dhow towing a skiff and Roger on LaPalapa called UKMTO, but unlike the movie version, we had no blackhawks
appear instantly over the horizon to check it out for us. We did contact a freighter who was coming up
from behind, and he did confirm the sighting of 'a typical fishing vessel'....Fortunately the dhow (aka mothership)
and skiff carried on towards Yemen - no doubt smuggling Somalis to Yemen - at least that's my version.
We'll look forward to our arrival in the garden spot of Djibouti & catching up to those ahead of us who are now
in the Red Sea.
Marc, Mike & Kieran
Imagine
1 March 2011
Our Current
Position:
13 09N
48 41E
5.5 knots & course 252T
Moving slowly along the IRTC - about 220 miles to the end before we
veer off towards Djibouti - still expecting arrival early hours on Friday - trying to time our arrival at daybreak.
All is well on board. It's always a good day when we DON'T get a report from MARLO or a
call from UKMTO!
Warship activity last night included contact with Indian, Greek/European & US Warships. Also
have aircraft in area checking in via Ch 16. At one point Indian Warship identified 2 suspicious vessels
at our exact coordinates...glad they did not take a shoot first ask questions later approach, and glad they are out here.
The Greek warship appears to be staying on our course from the center lane of the IRTC. Wind picked
up slightly and we actually turned the engine off for the first time since leaving Muscat - it lasted a whole 1/2 hour....
I understand the confirming reports of the hijacking of the Danish S/V 'ING' are in the news. We
haven't heard further details, and we are keeping the family of 5 with crew in our thoughts & prayers.
La
Palapa has been updating their blog entries along the way with up to date info on our convoy and can be found at:
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/sailpalapa/
Unfortunately I have no editorial say in the content of the palapa
blog & as such, any insinuation that the crew Imagine 'cheated' at our game of VHF Battleship last night are patently
false. We used a superior naval strategy learned from years of play with Caroline, Grant & Noah to
soundly defeat Karli & Roger on the high seas. Certainly round two will be forthcoming.
All
for now from the Crew Imagine
Marc, Mike & Kieran
Our close encounter
in the IRTC:
1 March 2011 -
During the day, we received fresh reports of piracy attacks that had occurred over the last 24 hours.
The trend was disconcerting. Several attacks had occurred very close to the exact route we had just
traversed. One of the attacks was actually in the very location that we were warned of just 3 days earlier.
Then another attack just a few miles from our rendezvous point with LaPalapa just 2 days prior. We sat
in the cockpit and I had a very uneasy feeling. The attacks were coming back to the GoA area.
Occasionally there were times along the corridor that we saw no shipping traffic which was an eerie feeling –
kindof like we were in the twilight zone! We kept on motoring close to the northern edge of the corridor.
It was about 11:20pm in the evening and Kieran was on watch when he heard the frantic distress call
of the MV Berthea. They were reporting an attack by 2 skiffs. Their position was approximately
8 miles south of us. Kieran woke me and I immediately got Mike up, made my way to the cockpit, and as I
was on the vhf to LaPalapa, saw the first flare from the vicinity of the MV. We closed our position with
Lapalapa and made max speed continuing west away from the incident.
At that
moment, we saw the second flare and heard and confirmed on the AIS that the ship was taking evasive maneuvers to deter the
pirates. I had Mike on the helm, Kieran with the binoculars and I called UKMTO on the sat phone to report
the incident location and request assistance. The Duty Officer at UKMTO took the coordinates and said that
was all he could do…thank you very much. No he could not confirm if there were any coalition forces
in the area and that was it. I was in shock & hung up the phone, went back to the cockpit and reported
the lack of interest to the crew & LaPalapa.
We were on our own.
Just as we were having this discussion and steaming away from the incident, Karli on LaPalapa called and asked why we had
a red light on. I looked around. It was not us. It was coming from
our 8 O’clock position and coming directly at us at a high rate of speed. We were all watching the
light then it went dark. We didn’t like the situation at all. I told everyone
that I was calling MARLO to report and see what could be done. I rang the emergency number and LTCR Chris
Godier answered the call. I gave Chris the details of what was transpiring and Chris put me on hold while
he identified a US Warship that was very close to our position. He called the ship directly, and rang us
back to let us know that the USS Mason was steaming towards our position and they would get a helicopter in the air.
Chris stayed on the line with me, and relayed our coordinates to the Mason real time. We lost visual
of the light and could see no sign of the approaching skiff. We kept our speed at max closing with the
Mason who was 20 miles away doing 30 knots. We made radio contact with the Mason and they gave us an eta
of 20 minutes – an eternity, but the fact they were on their way was incredible. We felt for the
first moment, that the cavalry was on the way.
Meanwhile, I was on the vhf with the Mason who
was asking how we were ‘armed’ in one ear and Chris at MARLO on the other. At one point, Chris
very frankly was giving the ‘last advice’ – should we be boarded, do not resist, keep hands up - Game over.
I told Chris that we were not prepared to do that – especially after Quest and that I had no intention of going
to Somalia. All he could say is: “it is up to each master to make those decisions”….what
else could he say.
Shortly after, the Mason called and reported that they were closing
fast and had us on their ‘gadget’ (by the way, I’d like to have a gadget – I’m sure it’s
way better than any of my gadgets). They got a helo in the air and began sweeping the area.
The commander of the Mason called and asked if we wouldn’t mind if they took up a position to our stern and hang
around for a while…We were grateful and welcomed him to stay as long as they’d like – all the way to Djibouti
if they wouldn’t mind! We could hear some radio transmission of the helo to the Mason, but could
not determine if they had found the suspicious skiff or not. The report came that all was clear and they’d
stay with us until the morning. I slept soundly for the first time in weeks.
Aftermath.
So was it pirates chasing us in a skiff? In the dark of night, we can’t be 100%
sure. Given the attack just south of us, we weren’t leaving it to chance and made the calls.
In our sailboats we are vulnerable and given what had happened to Quest & ING, we are glad we did, and we were
incredibly fortunate there was a warship in the area that could respond and grateful for the US Naval forces and the crew
of the Mason for their support. You will notice below in my daily email updates to our family and few friends
that my update the day after our ‘incident’ was brief. It was too scary to report to Jane &
the kids.
2 March 2011
Our Current Position:
12 32.2N
46 40.2E
4.5-4.8 knots
& course 252T
Moving slowly along the IRTC - about 100 miles to the end before we veer off towards Djibouti - timing our
arrival for early hours on Friday at daybreak. Looking forward to landfall! All is well on board.
Marc,
Mike & Kieran
3 March 2011
Our Current Position:
12 47.5N
44 58.8E
CURRENTLY
ANCHORED IN ADEN, YEMEN
As they say, cruising plans are written is sand...at low tide. Scratch Djibouti....Hello
Aden. If you recall from one of my earlier emails, I included an excerpt from our friend Jason on Pegasus
who wrote about Aden - it sounded insane to go here! That should give you a sense as to what we were faced
with in the 'patrolled' IRTC.
Everyday, we check in on a SSB net, and last
night's net included a report from yachts who were about 50 miles ahead of our position. They reported
that at 1230 local time, they were 5 miles from an attack that was taking place in the middle of the IRTC. Gunfire
and distress calls, evasive maneuvering prevented the pirates from taking the merchant ship. When we heard
the report, the position was 12 04.7N 45 37.4E, this was only 35 miles in the direction we were heading. We
had discussions with LaPalapa and relatively quickly made the decision to divert north to Aden which was 70 miles north of
our position - easily doable during the night hours. I called my contact at MARLO, who got us intel on
our new routing, and for the first time, gave us an actual opinion on our new course. We also had the information
that the USS Aircraft carrier was not far away, and he contacted them to let the Carrier know our intentions.
He has been on call for us 24/7, and has been our best resource since leaving Sri Lanka.
So here we are....Aden, Yemen. It wasn't in the round the world destination blogs I ever read.
Early reports of continued violence outside the port area will keep us on the boat for the most part. 
Kieran was able to get off the boat and after some customs/immigrations dealings, we got him signed
off the boat, to the airport and on a flight home only 4 hours after we dropped the hook. I don't think
he'll believe it's real until the plane lifts off the ground. Having Kieran & Mike aboard has
been a Godsend for me, Jane & the kids. We couldn't have made it this far without them.
We are forever grateful.
Now we have paid for our fuel and waiting our turn to fuel up. Another yacht rally (Vasco
de Gama) has been here, and there are several boats ahead of us to fuel up.
Our intention will be to continue on with LaPalapa as soon as we fuel up - we hope that is yet today! We
plan to take advantage of good winds to go 650 miles north to Sudan...yet another destination on everyone's top 10 list!
At least safe enough for Jane & the kids to rejoin.
We'll post more later, but are keeping an eye
on the fuel dock now.
Marc, Mike & Kieran
Notes on Yemen:
This is how bad the threat of piracy had become
in the IRTC – to consider that YEMEN was the safer alternative…..that says it all right there. The
decision to divert to Yemen was very difficult. On one hand we were close to our destination of the relatively
safe haven of Djibouti. On the other hand, the reported attack that had occurred ahead of us in the IRTC
and the trend of recent attacks plus the reports on Yemen were not good at all. I had to make a call for
Imagine and unfortunately there was not consensus on board. Kieran felt the goal line of Djibouti and a
flight home was being moved on him, and was understandably upset – we had no idea how/if he would be able to fly home
from Aden. Did Aden even have an airport – if by chance it did, would there even be flights, and
where on earth would they go to. At the same time, I could not in good conscience take Imagine and crew
into an area with recent attacks when we had an out only 75 miles to our north. I made the call for Imagine,
and shortly after sunset, we took a right turn with LaPalapa and set our course for Aden, Yemen. Shortly
before sunrise, we would be pulling into the harbor. Through the night, I had emailed Jane who was able
to get intel on flights out of Yemen so when we arrived and set the anchor, Kieran was off and running to the airport.
In hindsight, the decision was right – of course with the requisite drama, in the end, the flights worked out
for Kieran, we refueled, and had a quick rest, and were off again.
Aden, Yemen itself was a scary place. The harbor though was fine,
and the port area was heavily patrolled with many armed military. We felt relatively safe, but the surrounding
area was the scene of brutal uprising/protest with recent fatalities on the streets close by. Fortunately
I did not see this personally, but Kieran on his way to the airport and Mike on his trip to the market got more than enough
of the violence in Aden.
My only venture away from the confines of the port area was to check out with the harbor master. This
was a cab ride away down the coast on deserted roads that were littered with debris straight out of a warzone movie scene.
Eerie with no other people around, and when the cabbie pulled up to the shelled out remnants of a building that he
called the harbor master’s office. I was wondering if I’d been drawn into some trap.
As we climbed the stairs that had crumbled concrete and bare wires all around, we kept going up. Four
flights and no one to be found – for the first time, I was feeling a bit nervous about where I had been led to.
I’m sure my fatigue had been playing at me, but all I could think of was that I was being led to an empty room
with a single chair that I would be tied to and beaten and absolutely no one knew where I was. I was thinking
Roger on LaPalapa had done it right by not checking in to the country at all! We climbed the final set
of stairs and to my relief, opened a door that led into an air conditioned office of the harbor master overlooking the harbor
entrance below. I exhaled deeply and smiled as the very courteous & professional harbor master took
care of the paper work. Afterward, feeling a bit more comfortable, my cabbie took me on a small tour of
Aden – yes he was proud there are many Catholics here, and drove me by the Church (front entrance cinder blocked over
for security) but there it was. I was happy to get back to Imagine and we had the anchor up at noon and
once again underway!
4 March 2011
Our Current Position:
12 47.5N
44 58.8E
CHECKED OUT
OF ADEN, YEMEN. Departing at 0900Z (noon local time)
Refueled yesterday, had a very restful night at
anchor (almost too quiet without the engine!). Now Mike & I are ready to go & we will continue
on with LaPalapa to a Suakin, Sudan about 650 miles from here - yes from one garden spot to the next here in the middle east!
We still have a concern for piracy for the next 300 miles, and will keep a vigilant watch and stay close to the coast
- after which, everyday will give us a little more piece of mind!
Most folks we dealt with were very pleasant
here in Yemen, but it will take some getting used to the whole baksheesh dealing in these parts. "I meet you at dock
- have baksheesh for me". "I walk with you to customs - have baksheesh for me". I come along side your boat
in my crappy skiff & bang into your boat - have badsheesh for me" I'm going to have to walk
around with 10 packs of cigarettes everywhere I go from now until the med!
Our short stay here will deserve far more
detail in a blog at some point, but it's time to ready the boat for what looks to be a wild & crazy ride for the next
few days! At least we'll be sailing!
Mike & I are not sure how we're going to
deal with watch now that Kieran is gone. No more 6 hours of continuous rest!
Take
care.
Marc & Mike
Imagine
5 March 2011
Our Current Position:
13 12.4N
42 48.5E
WE
ARE IN THE RED SEA! Very happy to report that we made it through Bab el Mandeb strait last night around
1am.
It was a fast ride with winds reaching 35 knots, but no complaints here since we've actually been
sailing the majority of the time since we left as we continue to convoy with LaPalapa.
We are
now just north of the northern most piracy attack in the last 4 months, and are feeling just slightly more confident about
the risk of piracy. With every passing mile, Somalia, motherships and skiffs loaded with pirates, AK47's
& RPG's are fading in the rear view mirror. After another 150 miles, we'll rest easier I think,
but this is a big step for us, and for the first time, we can take a deep breath.
Now
it's back to sailing & seas. It has been a wild & rolly ride with high winds and fairly large
waves - a welcome change to the last month. If you can recall, we departed the Maldives almost exactly
1 month ago on 6 Feb, traveled about 2,500 miles and almost all of it motoring until yesterday! I've
been separated from Jane & the kids for 11 days now which seems like a lifetime and counting the hours til we are together
again. We expect to be in Sudan in 3 days now.
For Mike & I, our watches will become
more relaxed and our eyes won't be glued to the horizon 24/7 keeping an eye out for the bad guys. The
captain will even lift the reading ban during watch hour. Hopefully, once Jane & the kids return, our life at sea will
regain some 'normalcy' but after this past month, it may take a long while to get there.
Take care, and I can't thank you all enough for all your emails, assistance for me & Jane and your thoughts and
prayers.
We'll continue to send updates on our progress, but my hope is that our reporting will become so
boring that you ask me to take you off our email lists!
Fair winds.
Marc & Mike
Imagine
6 March 2011
Our Current Position:
15 49.8N
41 06.0E
We continue
up the Red Sea, making fairly decent time. The wild winds have calmed since yesterday, but took a toll
on Imagine earlier yesterday doing a bit of damage to the mainsail.
Good
news is we are 310 miles from Somalia, and we are feeling more and more comfortable that the majority of the piracy is behind,
leaving us to focus on sailing and winds. We'll still be vigilant as normal, but are relieved that
this drama is fading to our stern. This story won't end though until all our friends and yachts are
out of this region - by sail, or transport or via different route - we keep them all in our thoughts - especially for ING,
and the families of Quest.
Previously, I mentioned how our watch schedule would be a bit tougher without Kieran, but more relaxed
given where we are now. I was subtly reminded of this and I do need to comment (for folks back home especially) on two close
friends who have also made this passage ahead of us. Martin on S/V Anima & Jason on S/V Pegasus.
If you think this last month was difficult (it was) now imagine doing this on your own - without crew.
Sailing, dodging pirates, across 2,000+ miles by yourself trying to keep your head about you along the way.
I cannot imagine it, and really don't think I'd have it in me to do what Martin & Jason have just done.
Courageous or just crazier than me, congratulations to you both! Both Martin & Jason are working
their way north in the Red Sea where we all look forward to reuniting with family and friends. Next beers on me guys!
As for us, we'll sail as far north in the Red Sea as possible before the winds are expected to roar out of the north.
If we can, we'd like to make it to a small anchorage just north of Sudan in Egypt. We continue
on with LaPalapa and for the first time in a month, actually had our lights on last night! Once the north
winds abate, we'll push on into Port Ghalib where Jane & the kids will be waiting (I hope!) & I get to shave.
Marc
& Mike
Imagine
8 March 2011
Our Current Position:
19 56.8N
38 12.3E
Hi
all,
Quick note from Imagine. We are continuing our progress north on the Red Sea.
Weather has calmed today and we are motoring in flat seas. At least we have a positive current at
the moment, and making good speed towards Egypt and NO dramas to report!!
We have heard from Jane, and she has flights
scheduled to meet us in Port Ghalib, Egypt for Saturday, and we are hoping that the weather will cooperate with us to allow
us to get there not too long after. Right now though, it looks like we will have to stop short - just 150-200
miles south and wait several days possibly before making it into Port Ghalib. So close, yet still so far
away!
As you can imagine from both ends, we are looking forward to getting back together. It
has been way too long to be apart and way too stressful for all of us.
It has been pretty uneventful here for us
on the Red Sea - no fishing boats to watch for, and very little shipping traffic in our area. Last night
though, we had a US Aircraft carrier operating in the area. We got within 2 miles of the gigantic ship
and they were launching all kinds of jets & helicopters during the night. Very cool watching the lights
approach the carrier and disappear as they landed on the ship. We think they should be conducting their
exercises a little further south though....somewhere in the GoA, but we were excited to have the action. It
also prompted 2 Sudanese choppers to give us a flyby as I think they were monitoring what was going on just off their border.
Either that, or they were in on the exercises.
Right now, we are looking forward to setting the
hook somewhere soon, and getting a good nights rest.
Marc & Mike
Imagine
10 March 2011 – Correspondence from Marc
Current Position:
23 53.7N
35
46.8E
Hi all,
We set the hook this morning at 8am local time (think it's 8 here) in Egypt! After
6 days of beating up the Red Sea, we had to pull into an anchorage to wait out a cold front that is blowing through from the
north. Wind of 30 knots on the nose & rough seas will keep us here for a bit until we can push the
last 120 miles to Marsa Alam (Port Ghalib) where we will meet Jane & the kids. Our buddy boat LaPalapa
decided to pull into an anchorage further south - beating into this crap wasn't of interest to Karli or Roger - can't
blame them, but my motivation is a bit different. So we'll look forward to reuniting in Port Ghalib
for that cocktail hour that we've been waiting on for so long!
So we are happy on the hook right now. Mike
has gone for a snorkel - the air is cool and crisp, & I'll wait on that for a while. Got a good
rest in this morning and not sure how long we'll sit out the weather here, but not too bad of a place to chill out.
We were greeted yesterday afternoon as we passed north of the Sudanese border into Egypt by an Egyptian Naval vessel who
called on us - actually several times, before we could understand they were actually hailing us. Language
barrier was a bit tough, but they were extremely nice & welcoming and offered any assistance. What
was interesting were the 2 massive missiles that were mounted on the back of the otherwise tiny patrol boat - these were huge
- I have no idea how they could actually launch them from this small boat. Mike got a couple of photos
before they asked not to take any pix. It was pretty cool though and after they circled us a few times,
they took up a position about 40 feet of our stern. I guess they get pretty bored out here.
So other than 20 knots on the nose and choppy seas, that was our excitement for the day.
One thing out of the last month and a half that we've got out of this trip is an impressive up-close & personal
display of naval firepower. Even cooler was the outreach by a crew aboard the USS Destroyer Bulkeley who
found our contact info from our webpage and sent us a note.(the Bulkeley was the warship we met at the beginning of the corridor
& who's commandos recently took back a MV from pirates)
All the best to everyone on the high seas ahead
of us and behind, at anchor, and at home!
Cheers!
Marc & Mike
Imagine
12 March 2011
Current Position:
25 32.03N
34 38.32E
Hi all,
Quick note to update on our progress.
We finally made it to Port Ghalib, Egypt. Arriving this morning at 9:30am local time.
It was a long slow beat into rough seas and heavy wind - we even pulled out the storm jib which hasn't been used
since the Caribbean 1500 years ago, but Imagine pushed through it all in better form than her crew. But
that is now behind us, and we are in the process of clearing into Egypt with Customs & Immigrations.
This afternoon, Jane & the kids arrive from Oman & Imagine will be back to normal. At least for
Mike & I, we'll be looking forward to a day or two of rest before we head off to visit some of the treasures of Egypt.
Port Ghalib is a new port in Egypt and so far, everything looks great - even a proper fuel dock! We'll
update more later, but just wanted to let you know that all is good & looks like we'll be spending the better part
of the day rinsing the salt off Imagine that is caked on everywhere!
Cheers!
Marc & Mike &
soon to be the rest of the Crew!!!!
Imagine
