At sea skirting around Somalia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia etc.

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14/06/14

At sea. During the day we will continue our voyage on a South Westerly course towards the Gulf of Aden. Sometime during the day we will leave on our starboard side the coast of Oman. Oman is an Arab state in the southwest of Asia on the southwest coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It has a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates, to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. It also shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. Last night we went and saw an English performer by the name of Paul Hughes who specialises in swing music in the style of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darrin etc. He was phenomenal, he also did the Drifters, Michael Buble, and many others. If ever you get a chance to see him don’t miss the opportunity.

Our cabin steward told us today that the corporate managers are on board, and that she has to have an examination. If she gets 100% she gets a whole day off.



15/06/14

At sea: During today we will continue our voyage on a south westerly course across the Gulf of Aden. The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian peninsula and Somalia in the horn of Africa, in the northwest. It connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-El-Mandeb strait. Gulf of Aden is part of the important Suez Canal shipping route between the Mediterranean Sea, and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean, with 21,000 ships crossing the gulf annually.

Claudine (our steward) got 100% in her exam and as such gets a day off. This will be her first complete day off in over 10 months, and she has decided to take it off in Boston, congratulations to her.



16/06/14

At sea: During the morning hours we passed through the strait of Bab-El-Mandeb towards the Red Sea. The Bab-El-Mandeb is a strait located between Yemen, on the Arabian Sea, and Dijbouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. “Bab-El-Mandeb” means ‘Gateway of anguish” or “Gateway of tears.” The strait derives its name from the dangers attending its navigation, or according to an Arab legend, from the numbers who were drowned by the earthquake which separated Asia from Africa. Last night we went and saw a musical display put on by two gentlemen from Mexico, their name was “Duo Yalbo” they play over 40 different musical instruments. Most of their repertoire was music from South America, pan flutes that type of thing. They did manage to play Waltzing Matilda on these pan flutes. They were very adept at playing these instruments, but the show was not all that popular in our opinion.



17/06/14

At sea: This morning will continue in a North Westerly direction heading towards the Gulf of Suez. The Red Sea has a maximum depth of 2211 metres in the central median trench, and an average depth of 490 metres. However there are also extensive shallow shelves, noted for their marine life and corals.The Red Sea is a rich and diverse ecosystem. More than 1200 species of fish have been recorded in the Red Sea, and around 10% of these are found nowhere else.



At the early hours of tomorrow morning we start our journey up the Suez Canal, this will be an early start so as to get the full experience of venturing through it.

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