October 2009 eBook all pages (free PDF, 36.6 - Latitude 38

TOUCAN TANGO
CHANGES
rest of the trip, dying down to very little
wind near Salalah. Checking into Oman
is easy, and all done at the commercial
port while one's boat is at anchor. There
is good shopping and provisioning in
Oman, although no alcohol or pork.
Oman has oil, so it's neither poor nor
backward. We rented a car at the port
and looked around
for a few days.
The 600-mile
stretch of ocean
from Salalah to
Aden is considered
Pirate Alley,
and is where Somali
pirates have
captured several
ships and ransomed
their crews
and contents. The
coalition forces,
A coalition gunner
aims to protect yachts
from pirates.
made up of several
nations, now have
20 warships patrolling
this area.
Some have helicopters. They have established
a two-day, 5-mile wide transit
corridor about 60 miles offshore. Ships
are requested to transit this area in
convoys, and to move at a speed of at
least 10 knots. We cruise at six knots,
so we sailed. We talked to the warships
two or three times on VHF, and had two
helicopter flyovers. We also had the spinnaker
up the last day and were making
five knots when a helicopter asked if
we couldn’t go any faster. At one time a
ship just eight miles from our position
reported being attacked by pirates. Two
hours later, he reported that he had successfully
repelled the pirates with high
pressure fire hoses by motoring at flank
speed. Repelling AK-47 rifles and rocket
launchers with fire hoses?
Sana'a, Yemen has a different look and feel
from most capital cities. While there, the Starks
stayed in a hotel that predates Jesus.
After arriving safe in Aden, we anchored
in the bay for almost a month in
order to tour inland. This was an important
place to set our anchor well because
it blew a lot. The highlight of the stay
was a three-day trip up into the mountains
to the ancient Yemen capital city
of Sana’a. What a spectacular city full of
friendly people! There are narrow streets
with shops selling local handicrafts and
clothes, and numerous restaurants and
food stalls. We stayed in a 2,000-year-old
hotel that had small wooden doors and
uneven walls. The new Lulu’s shopping
mall in Aden has everything — except,
once again, alcohol and pork — that you
might need for provisioning, and at a fair
price. We really got hooked on the delicious
baklava, which is a pastry made
with honey and pistachios. Everywhere
we went, the people were friendly. Seeing
we were Americans, many would say,
"Obama OK."
We headed for the Red Sea in early
March. As we rounded the straits of Bab
Al Mendeb — Gate of Tears — the wind
picked up to 35 knots. We triple-reefed
both sails, and made a solid 10 -12 knots
flying downwind. Yahoo! We had planned
to anchor in a bay in southern Eritrea,
but we passed it, as we were sailing so
fast that we wanted to keep going. The
wind slowly dropped, and so the next
night we anchored in a very nice bay
with warm, clear water. When transiting
the Red Sea, it's easy to stop and anchor
every night.
Fishing in the southern Red Sea is
spectacular, and we caught fish almost
at will. We landed three large fish one
day, and ate fish for breakfast, lunch
and dinner. But caution, you will lose
all your tackle rated at less than 100
pounds. The winds in the southern Red
Sea tend to blow from the south. It gets
light halfway up the sea, and becomes
increasingly strong from the north as
you get farther north.
If you're patient and
don’t mind tacking,
you can sail almost the
entire way. We did.
We eventually cleared
into Eritrea at Massawa,
side-tying to the
concrete wall at the
commercial port. It had
excellent security and
water, but no power.
We made a two-day
bus trip up to the capital
city of Asmara. You
ride five hours through
the desert and desolate
countryside, then eventually up a windy
mountain road that takes you up to
over 7,000 feet. The city of Asmara is
like being transported to an Italian city,
complete with sidewalk cafes and pizza
restaurants that serve beer. The outdoor
central market requires a least a full day
to appreciate. There is great leather work
and other handicrafts.
(To be continued next month.)
— marvin 09/15/09
Luau Time
Blue Water Cruising Club
Geiger Cove, Catalina
Sailing was very different 70 years
ago. For example, not that many folks in
Southern California had boats. And back
then, a 26-footer was considered a big
sailboat. What's more, it was common
for boats not to have engines. Nonetheless,
the intrepid sailors and their friends
would cruise to Catalina and up to the
Channel Islands. With the start of World
War II, things took a sudden change for
the worse. For in addition to the trag-