Suez to Malta

With a whole list of technical problems on the boat, Suez was always going to be a busy stopover.   Added to that was the complication of the Christmas holidays being immediately followed by three days of holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan.   Our shipping agent, the aptly titled ‘Prince of the Red Sea’ discussed our problems, told us which ones could be dealt with, which ones were only ‘perhaps’ and some, which he said, “take somewhere else!”

Christmas eve and an electrician had the alternator off the main engine, re-built it in his workshop and back again.   Now we at least had a reliable charging system.  The radar, autopilot and chart plotter were jobs which were either too technical or would have involved unacceptable delays, so they were put off until we reached the Mediterranean.

The special heat resistant pipe for the generator was not available in Suez but the agent was confident that it could be found in Cairo.   One of his brothers was a tour guide with car and driver available for the day – convenient!   Nevertheless, we had to have the pipe so the ‘tour’ was agreed for Boxing Day, the last day when Muslim shops would be open before their holiday.

Being a mainly Muslim Country, Egypt is largely ‘Dry’   We had a couple of meals ashore, one in the fine Red Sea Hotel, the other a seedy little dive downtown, both excellent value but without a bottle of wine to accompany the meal, it was just a little ‘flat’.   It was for that reason that we decided to work right through Christmas Day, and our meal on board was a simple egg curry and a tinned steamed treacle pudding.   I am often at sea over the Christmas holiday, but this one was an all time low.

The trip to Cairo was interesting.  A hundred odd miles on quite a good road, across the desert.  Lots of military activity and signs everywhere that the Middle East is going through a very nervous time.   We had made a very early start because of the expected traffic congestion in Cairo (which turned out to be no worse than most major cities) and our guide found us ‘the street of a thousand pipe sellers’ or whatever it was called, quite easily.  It was then only an hour of being passed from one trader to another, as our sample of damaged pipe was examined, tut tutted over, heads nodded/shaken etc., before we found one dealer with a perfect match.   Price was discussed at some length – in Arabic of course – and we became the new owners of a lovely new piece of blue pipe.  Success at last!

Since we had achieved our objective so easily, our guide insisted on taking us to one of the papyrus makers where we had a quick (and to be honest, very interesting demonstration) of how it is made.   Not actually sure quite how it happened, but by the time we left, both Leo and I had been parted from some of our money and were the owners of paintings on papyrus!

Being Cairo, we had to see the Pyramids.   Quite frankly, they look better on television, and the Sphinx is looking decidedly weather worn.   Our guide insisted that the only way to see them properly was from the back of a camel, one of which he had available of course!    Not even his undoubted selling skills was going to get me doing the ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ bit, and Leo also declined the offer on the grounds that they smelt too strongly, so it was a quick lunch and then off ‘home’ again.

On the drive through Cairo I had spotted a Sainsburys store, so we took the opportunity to buy some provisions, which we had been unable to find in Suez.   They say the population of Cairo is around 18,000,000 and I swear that 17,000,000 of them were ahead of us at the checkout!   Talk about chaos….. I am not the most patient of shoppers at the best of times – just ask my wife – and a whole lot of people heaving and shoving is not my idea of fun.   Eventually, of course, one does get to the checkout and I didn’t help improve Anglo/Egyptian relations there by insisting on paying with a credit card (a notice said you could, but you couldn’t at my counter because the essential key to the till was missing).

The following day we fitted our new exhaust.   This was one of those simple little ‘ten minute’ boat jobs, which never are.   What could be simpler than to slip a new hose over a fitting at each end?    Five and a half hours later and the job was done!   It had required the removal of the ship’s batteries, half the engine room and much heating and stretching of said new hose.   Never mind, generator now ready to run.   We start it, it purrs into life, we check it is running at the right temperature (we had also fitted a new cooling pump ‘just in case’)  Everything fine so I switch on the a.c. electrical power and the overload safety switch cuts off!   Obviously a major short circuit somewhere and absolutely nothing we tried would get electricity out of it.   All that work and expense!

With no generator, there was no 240-volt a.c. power.  My IBM laptop battery is shot, so I can only run it from mains power.   No ‘All at Sea’ report, or indeed anything else.   My excuse/reason for the lateness of this piece!   Actually, it wouldn’t have made very much difference because the only Internet ‘Café’ in Suez was closed for a week’s holiday so I would not have been able to send it.

We had asked the agent to book us the first available yacht transit of the Suez Canal - big ships go through the canal in one day, sailing in convoys of two dozen or more.  Yachts transit singly, taking two days and stopping overnight in Lake Timsah where old ‘Egypt Hands’ will remember the holiday resort of Ishmailia – and on our appointed day we are ready but for the dreaded money problem.  

I had been able to draw several thousand pounds (the Egyptian pound is not worth very much) from ATM machines in Cairo, but was still two thousand pounds short of what was needed for agent/transit fees/fuel etc.   The money was available in the bank, but all the banks had been closed for a week and the ATM machines in Suez just thanked me and asked me to try again later!

Due to a misunderstanding with the agent about using Visa credit cards, at the very last moment we found that this was not possible.   A juggling act with what money I did have allowed all bills to be paid plus the purchase of sufficient fuel to get us through the canal to Port Said where we would stop over-night, another agent would arrange for our re-fueling and I could get money from one of the larger banks there.   Sighs of relief all around as we went to pick up our pilot, a very, very large man who took the steering wheel from me and didn’t release it again until we reached Lake Timsah.

For yachts, the Suez Canal Authority provides two different pilots.   The first one does Day One and then returns to Suez (if going North) the second joins the yacht on Day Two, either traveling down from Port Said or back to Ismailia.   Although the pilots are paid by the Authority, they expect – indeed, demand – ‘presents’ for their service.  In the maritime world it is actually known as ‘The Marlboro Canal’ so perhaps a word about the ‘Marlboro Syndrome’ is called for.    Without cigarettes as ‘presents’ nothing gets done.

Neither Leo nor I smoke, but it seems that everyone else in Egypt does!   Everyone assumes (a) that all foreigners are rich and therefore fair game.  (b) That they all smoke Marboro and that imported cigarettes are far superior to those packed & sold in Egypt. And worst of all, that (c) Everybody lies.   Add to this Egyptian culture, which dictates that the starting price for anything is not one, which either party recognizes (if you pay the asking price you are a fool and you insult the vendor because he should have asked more).   Of course, if the vendor sells to you at your offering price he insults you because you should have offered less!

Before we left Suez the agent had checked that I had sufficient funds and cigarettes for the pilot’s ‘presents’.   I actually got him to explain to the pilot that we had no more money until we reached Port Said on the Mediterranean side of the canal, where I could draw more funds.

Despite this, our pilot started discussing his ‘present’ very early into the first stage.   I explained again, that he would get the usual U$ 30.00 plus 200 cigarettes and a bag of very good Sri Lankan coffee.   Of course, he wanted more.   I said that would be unfair (not that I would have given more anyway) because we were sharing what we had equally between both pilots.   He pleaded that the taxi fare back to Suez would cost him U$30, ignoring the fact that we both knew he would go by train and that the Canal Authority paid him for this!

He argued that the other pilot would never know, that it was only right that he should have the lions share because he was the first one on board, that he had a family and that it was holiday time anyway!   Every so often we would agree that the ‘present’ was fair and just, there would be smiles all around and then ten minutes later he would start again, having thought of some other perfectly sound (in his eyes) reason why we should do more for him.   Despite all this, we reached Lake Timsah without blows and parted the best of friends.   Egypt, truly a different Country!

 A quiet overnight stop at anchor, with a few glasses of some excellent Shiraz Cabernet, which we still, had from our provisioning in Australia (yes, most of Egypt might be ‘Dry’ but we weren’t), an early night and a new pilot at first light on Day Two.   Pilot Two was a very different character, smart and helpful and we were soon underweigh.

 Despite the fact that there are no locks in the Suez Canal, it is always an interesting trip with lots of military activity in the form of gun emplacements, pontoon bridges etc., and this time there were two new bridges to see, both due to open this Summer.   One is a magnificent suspension bridge, high enough to let the largest ships pass; the other is a fascinating high tech railway bridge, which will swing across the Canal when needed.  

We carried an unusually strong tide with us on leg two and it was still only lunchtime when we arrived in Port Said.    We landed the pilot who accepted his ‘present’ with thanks and was of great help to us by telling the crew of the pilot cutter (the small pilot launch) that there were no more cigarettes on board, so they gave up their pleading and no doubt passed the word around that this was a poor boat and not worth anyone’s time!  

We moored overnight at the Port Said yacht club (two other yachts, neither of them intending to transit the canal).  Were met by our new agent who sorted out another 700 litres of diesel fuel for us, delivered on a handcart in small jerry cans.   In Egypt, diesel fuel is sold to the public at a highly subsidized price – about one quarter of the current international duty free price of U$ 0.42 per litre.   As foreigners we were not allowed to buy the subsidized fuel, but if that was where the agent’s supply came from, he was on to a nice little earner!

What to say about Port Said?  Firstly, that we were actually in Port Fouad which is the other side of the canal!   Huge – free – ferries shuttle back and forth continually, carrying both vehicles and people.   The big banks are all on the Port Said side so it was another boat ride for us!   This time, the ATM machines welcomed my credit cards and I was soon walking with a full wallet again – in an inside pocket!

The population of Egypt is roughly 15% Christian and many of them live in Port Said.   Walking down the broad pavement where all the shopkeepers were suddenly our friends (almost as though they knew that the ATM machine had smiled on me), greeting us with all the usual calls of  “Come inside.   No need to buy.  Everything at your price.”  One voice sounded better than all the others “We have cold beer.”    One of the few Christian Restaurants had found us!   By a superb effort on our part, we only drank one bottle each.   Pure nectar!   We eventually found an Internet café and we were both able to catch up on our e-mails and for me, a chance to look over the Age-Net site in detail.   Strangely, by a superb effort of navigation, we managed to find that same restaurant on the way back to the yacht, so that was New Years Eve sorted out.   Actually, we were back at the yacht quite early, hoping to make an early start, but there must have been a few other Christians celebrating because it was mid morning before we could get our official clearance and passports.

There is nothing good to report about our tip for Port Said to Malta, where I am writing this.   It was just cold, wet and miserable!    We had already noticed a big drop in temperature as we came up the Red Sea, particularly at night when the heat radiates off the desert, but this time we had wet conditions to contend with as well.    It was about as cold as Leo has experienced since he left Costa Rica, and despite the big new donkey jacket, which he had bought in Suez, he was not a happy bunny!

Still, all things good and bad come to an end (have you noticed that the good ones seem to end soonest?)  and seven and a half days from Port Said we reached the yachting center of Malta where we are now moored stern too in Sliema Creek, by Manoel Island, a place many of you will be familiar with.

At last we have the 240 volt a.c. electrical problem sorted out – it was a short in a pressure valve – so the laptop and printer are fully functional again.   Unfortunately, there are still various other jobs in hand.   After arriving we were unable to re-start the engine.   How lucky can you get?  Part of the problem was with a damaged starter motor, which has now been re-built and is back on the engine, but we are still unable to turn the motor over so that problem is currently waiting for a diesel mechanic.   The problem with our radar has been identified but there are no spare parts here so it looks as though we will push on to Gibraltar without it.   We are also waiting on a technician for the autopilot repair.   We did get the emergency unit working as a temporary measure, but I really want the main unit on-line again before we leave.

So, here we are in Malta, the sun is shining and it really isn’t too cold - not during the day anyway.   There is some good red local wine; we are safe in a harbour where everyone understands English and where good marine technicians are available.  So, life really could be a whole lot worse (don’t say it’s going to be, please).   I will let you know how we get on.

To be continued……

Part 7 Malta - Gibraltar - Falmouth