Khor Shinab, Sudan

Anchored at Khor Shinab
Sudan
Africa
21'21.0N/37'00.6E

564 Miles to the Suez Canal!!
0 fish caught today...

Sandpiper left Sha'ab Rumi at 3pm along with S/V Shiraz and S/V My Chance. After getting our fill of snorkeling, we left for an overnight motor sail to where we are currently anchored, Khor Shinab.

There was no traffic overnight except for one dive charter boat that passed us in the middle of the night. There were few reefs to dodge.

One reason we are pressing north is that the normal northerly winds have dropped down due to a low pressure system in the Med that has blocked the normal winds for this area. So all night the winds were light or nonexistent. Also, all of the other boats in this area that we hear on the morning radio net are pressing north as fast as possible before the northerlies return in force.

This anchorage is another good place to view on the Google Earth Program. You will see how far back this anchorage goes. It is very well protected and goes back a long way, with bays heading off in all directions. This is a very remote area along the Sudan Coast, only sandy desert with a few large hills around us.

Yesterday, late in the afternoon once it cooled off enough, all hands went ashore to explore the desert and surrounding hills. The area here is quite strange. There is not a another person anywhere near here. The desert here used to be the ocean floor. So everywhere we walked was full of old seashells and fossils. It look much like what the surface of the moon looks like, except for the seashells. [Note from Ron: Here is a photo of that beach and hills]

We are getting a late start today as we are unsure of our next stop, It all depends on the weather. We have 180 miles to the next reef anchorage located on Egypt's southern border. We have to stay offshore a bit to clear the reefs. Our guide book suggests that we stay well offshore in this area because Egypt and Sudan have been in a border dispute for some years. If we have good winds, or no wind, we are going as far as we can get. If the northerly winds return, then we will find the closest anchorage to hide in.

More when we are north...

Tom and Amy