Stuck in the Gulf of Suez

April 10, 2015

Tonight, as I was waiting for my notes of the previous day to post, I overheard something amazing. We are heading into the Suez Canal in the morning, which I find exhilarating and fascinating. A few people were gathered around the coffee stand and one commented that, 'It's just a bunch of boats going through a ditch'. I'm sorry, but I can't even begin to express how agitated that makes me feel. REALLY?  A ditch?  That wars have have been fought for control?  All I could think of was that this fellow must be pretty callous. Oh well. I, for one, am excited to see this canal, and feel blessed to be on one of those boats going through the ditch. 

April 11, 2015

At anchor in the Gulf of Suez near Port Tewfaq

5:45 AM

It's 4:45 PM in Kapoho...hope you all had a lovely day. 

I heard then anchors drop around 1:30 this morning and when I peeked out the window,mother Egyptian pilot boat was along side. We will have an Egyptian pilot onboard until we finish our transit through the canal and emerge in the Mediterranean. Our last information was that we will begin our way through the canal at 10 AM and will probably be finished between 6 and 10 PM this evening. 

There will be approximately six to ten other ships in our convoy. The convoy travels until it reaches the first lake, which will be Great Bitter Lake, then slows to allow the south bound convoy to pass. 

A bit of small kine news this morning...I discovered that the observation bar has coffee - even at 5 AM. I don't normally get this far up on the ship, unless I want to get a good view of something and that has always been during the day. Yeah!  Coffee before 6:15 AM is totally civilized. The other news is that we are now able to get cellular service, so we can do a bit of Internet surfing, without using our precious, expensive data onboard. 

2 PM 

Ummm...still at the south end of the Suez Canal. And at 10:45 this morning, the captain announced that we are to be anchored, in the queue, for a late afternoon start into the canal. There is a massive storm, of wind and dust, that is encompassing the Mediterranean and Northern Africa, that has slowed the convoy of southbound ships.  This means that we, along with the other ships that were to start in around 10 AM, are cooling our jets for most of the day. A total shift in plans must mean a relaxing afternoon in our suite, movie watching and having a bit of bubbly.