We greatly enjoyed the time in Dubai
We spent with Augusta and Scott
The pool and the beach were the main events
And some good meals, believe it or not.
The boat repairs though were not so much fun
(Lots of telephone time and frustration)
The Oman technician arrives without parts
(not outstanding communication).
But the good news is we can sail in a group
From Salalah right to the Red Sea
It's said that Somalis attack small boats here
Though my money predicts pirate free.
With an Englishman sailing La Novia
Then Greetings from US of A
Plus Free Spirit 2 and Impulsive
Pirates won't have it all their own way.
The first day we battle some wind on the nose
But it finally comes round to the beam
We're slicing our way through a calm, sparkling sea
And we're moving along as a team.
There's a power boat looming up off our port bow
What on earth is it doing out here?
(It's at least 40 miles to the Yemeni coast)
But it passes without coming near.
With watching and sleeping and meals and jobs
The miles pass inexorably
You can stand for hours with the wind on your face
Admiring the moods of the sea.
Two unscheduled jobs interrupt the night
First one of the engine belts breaks
Then the cord at the foot of the main comes free
When will we be free of mistakes?
Now morning has dawned and we're pleased with ourselves
We've gone past a "high risk" zone
Susie had a slight scare in her middle night watch
We're glad we're not sailing alone.
But now we hear on channel 16
A coalition warship report
Of a pirate attack not 10 miles from us
Perhaps they've fled to avoid being caught.
We are all on extra alert now
We've cranked the boats up to more speed (??)
We've taken down (highly visible) sails
And we'll talk in case only of need.
Now we're seeing more tankers and cargo ships
This all seems to be a good sign
The pirates have not yet materialized
And they're fast running out of time.
As we work our way west towards Aden
A dhow makes a strange change of track
It may have been looking for lost fishing gear
But warm fancies imagine attack.
There was none, of course, and today we should make
The entrance into the Red Sea
It's busy with ships and the current runs fast
So daylight would help us to see.
We're in the Red Sea and we still have light (you little ripper)
We're doing 10 knots and all seems right
We're now looking forward to adventures at hand
Eritrea, Sudan and the Pharaoh's land.
APRIL 2008
We spent with Augusta and Scott
The pool and the beach were the main events
And some good meals, believe it or not.
The boat repairs though were not so much fun
(Lots of telephone time and frustration)
The Oman technician arrives without parts
(not outstanding communication).
But the good news is we can sail in a group
From Salalah right to the Red Sea
It's said that Somalis attack small boats here
Though my money predicts pirate free.
With an Englishman sailing La Novia
Then Greetings from US of A
Plus Free Spirit 2 and Impulsive
Pirates won't have it all their own way.
The first day we battle some wind on the nose
But it finally comes round to the beam
We're slicing our way through a calm, sparkling sea
And we're moving along as a team.
There's a power boat looming up off our port bow
What on earth is it doing out here?
(It's at least 40 miles to the Yemeni coast)
But it passes without coming near.
With watching and sleeping and meals and jobs
The miles pass inexorably
You can stand for hours with the wind on your face
Admiring the moods of the sea.
Two unscheduled jobs interrupt the night
First one of the engine belts breaks
Then the cord at the foot of the main comes free
When will we be free of mistakes?
Now morning has dawned and we're pleased with ourselves
We've gone past a "high risk" zone
Susie had a slight scare in her middle night watch
We're glad we're not sailing alone.
But now we hear on channel 16
A coalition warship report
Of a pirate attack not 10 miles from us
Perhaps they've fled to avoid being caught.
We are all on extra alert now
We've cranked the boats up to more speed (??)
We've taken down (highly visible) sails
And we'll talk in case only of need.
Now we're seeing more tankers and cargo ships
This all seems to be a good sign
The pirates have not yet materialized
And they're fast running out of time.
As we work our way west towards Aden
A dhow makes a strange change of track
It may have been looking for lost fishing gear
But warm fancies imagine attack.
There was none, of course, and today we should make
The entrance into the Red Sea
It's busy with ships and the current runs fast
So daylight would help us to see.
We're in the Red Sea and we still have light (you little ripper)
We're doing 10 knots and all seems right
We're now looking forward to adventures at hand
Eritrea, Sudan and the Pharaoh's land.
APRIL 2008
