At Sea - Enroute to the Suez Canal

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Day 55, Monday, March 12, 2007, At Sea, Enroute to the Suez Canal

Latitude: 22 degrees 26.48 minutes N
Longitude: 059 degrees 59.65 minutes E
We had sunshine this morning on the port side (our side, the “left” side) of the ship this morning. It was wonderful to be out on our balcony soaking up the sun in dry, 75 degree temperatures! We traveled through the Gulf of Oman into the Arabian Sea during the day.

Day 56, Tuesday, March 13, 2007, In the Arabian Sea, Enroute to the Suez Canal

Latitude: 15 degrees 06.47 minutes N
Longitude: 052 degrees 16.41 minutes E
We had on the port side of the ship again this morning! This morning we continued on a West, Southwest course through the lower part of the Arabian Sea. We entered the Gulf of Aden in the late afternoon. This Gulf is the stretch of water dividing Yemen from the north coast of Somalia in the African continent.

The boys had a great afternoon with eight other children aboard the ship on a special visit to the QM2’s bridge that was arranged just for them! The Commodore greeted the children and showed them around the bridge in style!

Day 57, Wednesday, March 14, 2007, In the Red Sea, Enroute to the Suez Canal

Latitude: 14 degrees 24.12 minutes N
Longitude: 042 degrees 11.56 minutes E
In the early hours of this morning we began our approach to the Red Sea. We entered the Straits of Bab El Mandeb at dawn with the sun rising over the deserts of Yemen to our east. These straits mark our entry into the Red Sea. We awoke to lots of white caps and waves due to 39 knot winds that were almost pushing the ship into the Red Sea! No sun on the port side of the ship due to our change in direction. It was quite a different morning from the calm seas we have seen so far! The ship sailed through it beautifully and around noon the winds and seas were a bit calmer. After noon we were in the deeper water of the Red Sea and heading North, Northwest through the Red Sea. Throughout the day we paralled the coasts of Saudi Arabia to our east, and Sudan to our west. Unfortunately, no land could be seen during the day due to the haze caused by the sands of the desert and our distance offshore. By tonight, we will pass the cities of Jeddah and Mecca which will be 40 miles off of our starboard side. We are spending our mornings on school and studying up on the things we will see when we get to Egypt on Saturday.

Day 58, Thursday, March 15, 2007, In the Red Sea, Enroute to the Suez Canal

Latitude: 23 degrees 08.85 minutes N
Longitude: 037 degrees 10.40 minutes E
The Red Sea is a narrow, inland sea, which separates the Arabian Peninsula, western Asia, from northeastern Africa. The maximum depth of the sea is 9,970 feet, and its maximum width is 220 miles. The northern extremity is divided by the Sinai Peninsula into the gulfs of Suez and Aqaba. The Suez Canal connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. The principal Red Sea ports include Suez and Al Quşayr in Egypt, Port Sudan and Sawākin in Sudan, Massawa in Eritrea, Jiddah in Saudi Arabia, and Al Ḩudaydah and Mocha (Al Mukhā) in Yemen.

Today our temperatures have been the coolest yet of our whole journey. So cool in fact, with the winds especially, that about the only thing we could do on our balcony was look at it from inside our cabin. No sunbathing today! The sunset today was fabulous framed by the Egyptian mountains—see the photos! Tomorrow (Friday) we transit the Suez Canal beginning around 6:00 am. If you can, you should check out the QM2 webcam to see the surrounds. The site is: www.webcam.princess.com/webcam/QM_bridge.jpg . When we reach the Suez Canal we will be just 7 hours (CST) ahead of you—so remember the time difference when trying to view the site!

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Comments

[Wards]

We'll be looking for your transit, Love you guys.