October 4, 2005
What’s going on in Cairo guys?
And then we’re off… erm…. Well sort of.
After leaving the port for about 20 minutes the engine broke down. The masts were down as we had hopefully prepared for a Nile paperwork miracle. There were 2-3 metre waves. Overall prognosis: not good.
Possible solution: Tow with inflatable. Mmmm…. Not much movement occurring except the Anna rolling from side to side.
Adventure over? Uwe managed to get the engine up and running.
Not quite the line towing the inflatable broke and quicker than you can say “Thank-goodness-we-never-have-to-go-back-to-the-stinky
-port-in-Alexandria” the rope wrapped itself merrily around the propeller. After a bit of nifty maneuvering, Leo was able to get into the abandoned inflatable and we could again. Imagine my delight when Captain Heiner announced that we would return once again to the commercial port.
So here we sit on anchor just outside the port. Tonight Uwe will work his magic on the engine, Leo will sort the propeller and we will all put up the masts. At first light tomorrow we will really be off……… not his time I mean it.
What’s going on in Cairo guys?
Donna Mattfield
Posted by Hussein at 1:45 PM | Comments (3)
Hooray
4th October 2005
3 days later here we sit in the same dirty port in Alexandria. Not much toreport. Dust, stray dogs, officials, rates, flies and more dust are pretty much the order of the day here. The team here has worked so hard to get us the paperwork to go up the river Nile, but it seems that all the doors are closing around us and every time one problem is solved another one
instantaneously appears.
Apparently Egypt is beautiful, bustling and interesting, although it is hard to imagine so, where I am sitting at the moment. Here is one of Heiner and Christanes photos from a market in Alexandria. I wish there were some poultry running around here on the quayside, as they are innately amusing.
Hooray we are moving to the marina around the corner (we got permission to dot his at least). Showers here we come.
Donna Mattfield
Posted by Hussein at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)