This trip is regularly undertaken by many yachts every year in both directions. I have not met one that has had any troubles, indeed they all say what a wonderful experience it is. It can take as long as you like, usually 1 year. It is usual to stop in Port Said to meet up with like minded people and go through as a group. Stops are made along the way, like in the red sea to take a trip up the Nile etc.
The first stage to Egypt would probably be by doing the East Med Rally which visits Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Egypt. It is well organised and thus overcomes the dangers and difficulties in these countries. There are trips into the heartlands to see places of interest, you have receptions in the various marinas by the local people, parties etc.
Maybe then stay in Port Said to recover and meet up with other yachts who are also making the trip to Thailand.
The route will probably be as shown on this chart. It is designed to avoid single trips more than 800 miles and only visit friendly countries. It is not intended to visit the Maldives at present but who knows when I get near there.
If anybody is interested in the whole or to do parts, say just the East Med Rally then email me at ladycoppelia @ hotmail.co.uk or phone me +90 5374 585745 IT COULD HAPPEN IN 2006!!!!
The itinerary as it stands at present:-
Port Said, Egypt.
Check into Egypt
Agent, Prince of Red Sea.
Fuel
Suez canal in general, Egypt.
10 dollar tip to pilot when he leaves the boat.
Take plenty of cigarettes.
Ismalia (Lake Timsah)
1st day half way point on the canal.
Good for cheap fuel & provisions.
Marina.
Worth stopping here for a while.
Port Suez, Egypt.
Have to stop here to let the Pilot off (no need to stop the pilot boat will pick the pilot up).
Stay depending on the weather and time.
Hughada 192 miles
Gulf of Suez in general, Egypt.
Stay in shipping lanes as old oil rigs are a hazard.
Abu Tig Marina. (27º 24.44N 33º 40.53E) or (27º 44.6N 33º 40.94E) check.
You have to check into Hughada first.
El Gouna, Red Sea, Egypt.
Phillip A Jones. Marina Manager &harbour master.
Mobile; (++2)0122230090
Email; info@abutig-marina.com
Internet www.abutig-marina.com
Good and safe to leave yacht here for Nile trips etc
Red Sea in General.
No problems in the Red Sea
Use Marsa’s (inlets into the desert) to avoid bad weather.
Don’t go into Marsa’s with sun against you, you cannot see the reef’s.
Aquabar, Jordan, Gulf of Aqaba
Well worth a visit to go to Petra
Hughada, Egypt.
Bad anchorage (27º 13.84N 33º 50.88E), avoid if possible. Use only if necessary for Visa/check in.
You have to check in here for Abu Tig marina first.
Paperwork very slow, do not do it on a Friday.
Safaga 27 miles
Dome Marina (29º 26.38N 32º 29.10E)
Use if Suez missed or need fuel.
Fuel cheap.
Good and safe to leave yacht here for Nile trips etc
Check out of Egypt
Fuel
Marsa Alam
Very nice.
Sharm Luli, Egypt.
Good anchorage (24º 36.57N 35º 06.91E)
Fuel in Jerry cans got by local fishermen.
Very expensive.
Shipping port.
Anchor and use dingy or go into marina pontoons & the police & customs will come to you..
Agent compulsory, El Shakary OK!
Hassled by every agent while at anchor.
Go to Sowak instead.
Fuel
Masgawa 271 miles
Marsa Umbila or Marsa Khor El Marob
Reef at (21º 56.20n 36º 59.50E)
Not marked on the chart. Care needed going into Marsa Umbila or Marsa Khor El Marob
Well worth a visit to Asmara inland. Bus taxi or train. The bus is best and is a must (Mulloka II)
Fuel
Al Maka 214 miles
Al Maka, Yemon
Fuel
Aden 67 miles
Bottom of the Red Sea.
Very strong head winds. Pick a window and dash to the next port or shelter.
OK but lots of problems when the Iraq/America war was on. The alternative is Aden. Seems OK now. (June/July 2003)
Expensive. French mainland prices.
Aden, South Yemen.
OK
Fuel very cheap.
Good place to get provisions.
650 miles to Salãlah.
Pirates. Keep offshore at least 70 miles.
Pirates do a people run between Laasqoray and Mukalia. So pass position 13º 20 N 49º E at night. They only seem to do the run on Sundays??
Go through with lights out and use radar to keep clear of any unknown contacts.
Pirate boats are heavy so not fast so it is possible to outrun them at 9 or 10 knots.
Pirates are armed. Not out to kill people but will. Want cash, electronic equipment, solar panels etc.
Salãlah, South Oman.
Fuel
Very pro British. Lots of help from the British servicemen.
720 miles to Muscat
Oman coast.
Keep near coast and go between the coast and the small islands of Hallaniya and the isle of Masirah
Obtain visa before arrival.
Fuel.
Muscat, Oman.
Fuel in a brand new marina 20 miles before the town.
Marina Bandar-Al-Rowdha. 23º 34.99N - 058º 36.455E.
15 minutes by taxi to Muscat.
DHL for clearing spares. Very good.
Visa required. Get before leaving on trip.
Very pro British. Lots of help from the British servicemen.
Karachi, Pakistan.
No information
Island of Diu, boarder between India and Pakistan.
An old Portuguese castle almost completely in tact as originally built.
Bombay 150 miles.
Gulf of Kachchh, India.
Leave alone. In dispute between Pakistan and India.
Bombay, India.
Anchor off the Gateway To India.
Big welcome from the yacht club.
Fuel from tanker boat or ‘TJ’
Coast between Bombay and Goa.
Customs boats are little fishing boats. Difficult to know whether they are pirates!
Goa, India.
Panjim, Careful with bar!
Water & fuel at CAT ferry jetty.
CAT ‘Dementia’
Panjim river
Cochin, India.
Check in for the Andaman islands (Indian).
OK but better going to Karella, Cochin
Galle. (Don Windsor)
Andaman islands, Indian.
Check in for here in Cochin.
Thailand.
Anchor in Ao Chalong Bay & take a taxi to Phuket to check in. Don’t rush, wait till the next day as it takes most of a day to do.
Beautiful country.
Very cheap.
Buy book of harbours, it has some wonderful pictures as well.
Weather not generally a problem.
Clear into Langkawi. Anchor in bay by Kuah in line with the golden mosque. Very quick check in.
Clear out in Sebana Cove Marina
Things to do for the trip;
Extra fuel, use one water tank (900 litres) & black tank (300 litres), plastic containers, pump?
Water maker. Not needed? Good water in the ports? I think I will get one though.
Oil. Oil filters.
Spares. (for everything as nothing available)
Charts.
Chart plotter charts.
Visas for Oman etc.
Medical supplies.
Security, alarms etc.
Make oil changing easier.
Panels for saloon and wheelhouse windows.
Forward looking sonar.
New autopilot clutch cable.
Service injector pumps and injectors.
HF radio, RX & TX
Inmarsat satellite communications.
Cash in US dollars and euros, the only cash m/c’s are in Egypt.
Plenty of cigarettes.
Possible crew or accompanying boats;
Bob, MY Heaven
Carole
RBYC
Garuda II
Wally, Netsel.
Red Sea Pilot.
Red Sea Pilot update supplements. Got for 2003.
Indian Ocean pilot.
A guide to cruising Northern Australia. Got on CD.
Others?
Weather.
Red sea very hot in the summer.
Red Sea in July or August. Not January.
Gulf of Aden to India in August or September.
Passage from Sri Lanka to Thailand in January or February.
Thanks to these people for the info. and charts.
John, yacht ‘Joy Ging’
Sue and Roko, yacht ‘Talinga Too’
Tony & Val, yacht ’Mulloka II’.
Charts;
0006 Gulf of Aden & the southern part of the Red Sea..
0008 Red Sea, Suez to El-Akhawein.
0015 Red Sea, Farasan Islands.
0063 Red Sea, El Akhawein to Rabigh
0065 India, West coast. Approaches to Cochin.
0066a Maldive Islands, sheet 1
0066b Maldive Islands, sheet 2
0066c Maldive Islands, sheet 3
0081 Red Sea, western shore, Marsa Darur to Trinkitat, showing the approaches to Suakin
0082 Red Sea, Sudan, Outer Approaches to Port Sudan.
0138 Red Sea, Gezirat El Dibia to Masamirit.
0141 Red Sea, Masamirit Islet to Zubair Islands.
0143 Red Sea, Jazirat Aţ Ţa’ir to Bab El Mandeb.
0164 Red Sea, Ethiopia, North & North-East Aqpproaches to Mits’iwa.
0171 Red Sea, Ethiopia, Southern Approaches to Mits’iwa (Massawa)
0233 Egypt, The Suez Canal
0253 Gulf of Aden, Ports & Anchorages in the Golfe de Tadjoura.
0292 India, west coast. Dwārka to Bombay
0707 Arabian Sea, Bombay to Muscat.
0813 Indian Ocean. Ceylon (Sri Lanka), South Part.
0827 India, sheet 1 Venguria to Cape Comorin.
0828 India & Sri Lanka. Cochin to Vishākhapatnam
0827 India, sheet 2, west coast, Vengurla to Cape Comorin
1487 India, west coast. Approaches to Bombay.
1566 India, west coast, Cape Comorin to Cochin.
1925 Red Sea, Jabel Zuqar Island to Straights of Bab El Mandeb.
2081 India, West Coast. Approaches to Ports from Diu to Pīpāvāv.
2373 Gulf of Suez, Newport Rock to Râs Sherâtib.
2374 Gulf of Suez, Râs Sherâtib to Ashrafi Islands.
2375 Gulf of Suez, Straight of Gûbal and Approaches.
2738 Indian Ocean. Lakshadweep Sea, Northern Part.
2851 Arabian Sea & Gulf of Oman, Masirah to the Straight of Hormuz.
2896 Arabia, Oman south coast, Approaches to Mina Raysut & Salãlah.
2954 Africa, North East Coast. Gulf of Aden, northern portion, including Socotra Island.
3043 Harbours & Anchorages in the Red Sea.
3049 Harbours & Anchorages in the Red Sea,
3323 Indian Ocean. Maldives. Male’ Atoll
3492 Red Sea, Sudan, Approaches to Port Sudan.
3518 Arabia, Gulf of Oman. Ports and Anchorages on the North East Coast of Oman
3518? Bandar Jişşah
3661 Gulf of Aden, Straights of Bab El Mandeb to Aden Harbour.
3722 Red Sea, Sudan, Approaches to Muhammad Qol.
3784 Ra’s Al Kalb to Ra’s Marbāţ
3785 Arabia, South-east Coast. Mīnā Raysūt to Al Maşīrah.
4703 Gulf of Aden to the Maldives and the Seychelles Group.
4704 Red Sea.
4705 Arabian Sea
5501 Gulf of Suez, Mariners Routeing guide
ā ī ū ţ ş
Tony Cobb
MY ‘Lady Coppelia’
22nd October 2003