Gulf of Aden Crossing

So much has been written about the Gulf of Aden (GOA), a body of water that separates the Arabian Peninsula of Asia and the African Continent.  Some stories are scary and dangerous (piracy) and some stories are treacherous (weather).  During the NE monsoon season, winds are prevailing from the E to ENE, which is exactly the season to sail from Socotra Island to Bab el Mandeb at the southern mouth of the Red Sea.  Sea Child's crossing of the GOA was fast, busy, and certainly in good company.  We had been reporting our position daily to UKMTO, a Dubai organization that represents a security coalition of nations (India, China, Japan, Korea, EU) daily at 0800 UTC  since our departure from the Maldives.  This sense of security was welcome on board, giving us at least some comfort that others were paying attention to our location, speed, course and destinations.  This was a part of our daily tasks aboard Sea Child as we sailed down the GOA.  Upon initial contact with UKMTO, we were advised to join a convoy since we were sailing the GOA without hired security on board.  The requirements to join the slowest convoy was that we had to maintain a boat speed of 10 knots under power, and meet at a specific position at a specific time.  This convoy option was not possible for Sea Child as we could not guarantee that we could maintain the required speeds.  The following is a detailed look at our 3 3/4 day passage of the Gulf of Aden:

DAY ONE
Monday, March 28, 2016 12:30pm-Tuesday March 29, 2016 Noon.  Days run 182 Nautical Miles

We departed  Socotra Island at 12:30pm and set a course of 290 degrees, which would take us more northerly towards the security lanes (IRTC) that had been established for commercial traffic transiting the GOA.  There are specific entry points into the lanes (position A or position B) and we were headed towards the east entry lane, located at 14 degrees 26,095N, 53 degrees, 0,189E.  From the west end of Socotra, this entry location was due north, so sailing a course of 290 would have us intersect the security corridor about 174 NM from Socotra Island.  The winds at our departure were gusting to well over 25, having us sail under full main alone as we surfed down the wind waves towards the shadow of Socotra.  Once there, around sunset, we spotted a few anchored fishing boats who we believe were from Socotra Island.  They waved as we sailed on by.  Throughout the night, we were sailing a more northerly course, around 335 degrees to keep the wind angle at 60-70 degrees, which was fine by me since it brought us closer to the security lanes earlier than the 290 course.  We did not pick up any AIS vessels until we were within about 20 NM of the IRTC.

During Eric's late watch, (2am-6am), he had jibed us onto a course of 270 as we motor sailed making water, winds ESE 8 knots.  When I came up for my 0600-1000 watch & realized how far south we were from the IRTC, I became concerned.  We were sailing in an area between the lanes and the Horn of Africa, and I felt that if we were closer to the shipping lanes we would be safer.

DAY TWO
Tuesday, March 29, 2016 Noon-Wednesday March 30, 2016  Noon, Days Run 182 Nautical Miles

Around 1400, a Japanese surveillance plane flew over Sea Child, and within a minute the Japanese Navy contacted us on VHF CH 16.  By this time, we had picked up several ships on AIS and the Japanese Navy asked us if we needed any assistance, was there anything they could do for us, have we seen any suspicious activity? If so, they are always standing by on VHF CH 16.  Eric asked them where they were, as we could not see them on AIS?  They stated that they receive but do not transmit.  Sounds logical.  The seas were 1'-3' following us, winds ESE at 10 knots and we were making about 7.5 knots boat speed under full main & screecher.  We were now 2.8 NM SSE of the IRTC.

During our dinner, we had an EU Warship on our port, and they sailed with us for about two hours before turning S towards the Horn of Africa.  We had cleared the wind shadow of Socotra Island, and were now being affected by the Indian Ocean swells that were coming up between the Socotra Islands and Somalia.  This created a very rolling sea, winds picked up to ESE 17-20 knots, and Sea Child continued to sail around 9 knots with full main & screecher.

During my late watch, 2200-0200, the roller furler on the jib came undone around midnight, and in order to re-furl the sail, I had to wake Eric.  He went forward to hand turn the furler system while I drove Sea Child deep down wind and held out the sheets.  The winds were picking up in the darkness, and once the furler was secure, and we rolled up the screecher, Eric went back down for some more much needed rest.  Our 4 hours on, 4 hours off watch was taking adventure travel to a whole new level of stamina, so any amount of sleep, even a short nap, was much needed and somewhat refreshing though we were both so exhausted.  We were now 400 NM to Bab El Mandeb, and had just entered the HRA (High Risk Area), an area between 49 degrees E to 46 degrees E.  We noticed the Indian Navy sailing with a large group of AIS targets, heading east, about 10 NM from our location.  Another security check for us that again made our passage feel much safer.  We could focus on sailing Sea Child, sending in our daily UKMTO positions, maintaining systems and provisions, monitoring batteries, fuel consumption, and of course, trying to get any sleep we could.

By sunrise, we were 115 NM N of Somalia, 92 NM S of Yemen, seas 5'-6', winds 19-20 ESE, 9 knots boat speed, course 242 degrees.  We sailed deep downwind with main alone, as the waves began stacking up behind us, close together and very steep.  We were now close enough to the IRTC that we could see the giant commercial ships as they headed eastbound.  Super huge tankers and freighters went by, some in convoys of 5-7 ships, some alone.  We heard the EU Warship contact one of the eastbound ships, asking them why the ship did not have their AIS turned on?  The ship replied that they were not in a convoy, that their captain had the AIS off until out of the HRA.  The EU Warship told them that they were safe, please turn on the AIS, and again, the ship denied the warship request.  The ship was then questioned at length about details, last port, next port, cargo, personnel, tonnage, etc.  After a few minutes of talk back and forth, the EU Warship was standing by on VHF CH 16.

DAY THREE
Wednesday, March 30, 2016 noon - Thursday, March 31, 2016 noon.  Days run  210 NM

The afternoon was spent with Eric on the bow, fixing the Harken Roller Furler System that we had bought in Pangkor Marina, Malaysia.  The system was brand new and unused in heavy seas until we left Thailand in February.  On the crossing to the Maldives, the roller furler system failed and as we sailed closer to Uligan, thankfully the jib was not needed in the light air.  Eric tackled the first repair of the furler system, where he found that the hidden set screws that keep the furler attached to the drum roller had backed out of their sockets.  He set them in with Locktight and thought the problem was solved.  However, as problems always seem to happen in big winds, big seas and of course, dark nights, the problem with the furler was not fixed, as the set screws backed out again.

As Sea Child sailed downwind in the GOA, the bows rising on each steep wave, dropping into the troughs and picking up speed, then rising again, Eric held a drill just perfect into the set screw holes and redrilled them, then resest the screws in a tighter puka (hole) so that they would not back out again.  We were now sailing hard and fast deeper in the GOA, and would definitely need the roller furling system on the jib to work properly as we neared the Bab el Mandeb straights into the Red Sea.  We intend to let Harken know that they have a problem with the design of their furler system, and no where in the schematics that were included with the new system is there any picture or description of these hidden set screws that backed out, causing the drum to spin around the roller furler and therefore, system failure.  It would be logical to know how it works so we can fix it or at least diagnose problems while out at sea.  As Eric wrote in the log after his repair, "Harken Sucks". 

By dinner on Wednesday night, we again had company join us as we sailed deeper into the HRA/GOA.  This time, we picked up a Japanese Warship around 1600, right before the main crash-jibed on a steep wave.  They came as close as 2.2 NM from our port stern, and cruised with us through dinner, eventually passing us and sailing literally into the sunset.  Our auto-pilot, affectionately named "Otto" was having a hard time holding any type of course as we were now wing & wing with full main & jib.  We were trying to maintain a course that would keep us within a mile of the IRTC, sailing parallel and south of the lanes without crossing the eastbound head-on traffic .

We were sailing a course of 252, hand steering at this point to maintain course and speed, Sea Child surfing along at 8 knots.  Waves would pick us up and knock us around, and as we sailed closer to Bab el Mandeb, we heard strange noises on the VHF, people making cat calls and playing random music.  By 0100 on Thursday morning, we had finally sailed out of the HRA, a nice feeling at the right time of day.  UKMTO had mentioned to us in an email that the highest probability for piracy encounters were either at dawn or dusk.  We were fortunate to have the two escorts with us at dinner and send sincere thanks to both EU and Japanese Warships for their presence during our sail through the HRA.

By noon on Thursday, we had sailed a total of 501 NM since leaving Socotra Island and had about another 158 NM to Bab El Mandeb.  We again changed sails from the jib to the screecher and another Japanese surveillance plane flew out of the clouds overhead Sea Child.  They again called us on VHF CH 16, asked the same questions as before, and this time I told them we were fine on board and thanked them for their security presence in the GOA.  

DAY FOUR
Thursday, March 31, 2016 noon - Friday, April 1, 2016 noon.  Days Run 170 nautical miles

Our course to Bab El Mandeb now was 280 degrees, which would have us cross the IRTC lanes and sail on the Yemen side of the corridor.  Winds were ENE 12-14, seas 2-5, sunny skies.  We were sailing with the full main & screecher on a starboard tack and crossed the lanes with no problem.  As the day wore on, the winds began to increase and the waves continued to stack up, steeper and closer together as we neared the straights at Bab el Mandeb.  Dinner was a non issue, our minds set on focusing on what we needed to do in the next few hours.  Our boat speeds were increasing too, with 7 knots becoming 7.5, then a jump to 9 knots, 10 knots, surfing like crazy on the steep, fast waves.  At one point, it was so crazy on board that it became hard to make log entries and by 1900, Eric had to put 2 reefs in the main as Sea Child hit speeds consistently of 18-20 knots.  Yes, we were flying down the steep waves and the night wore on, again, hand steering as Otto was not capable of handling the conditions.  The closer we sailed to the straights of Bab el Mandeb, the more ships came into view, both entering and exiting the straights.  The winds started backing off a bit, but with so many ships coming our way as we started to make the turn into the straights, it was difficult for me to trim the sails, keep watch on AIS targets, and hand steer course.  As we neared the corner of Yemen, the  winds began to pick up again, now up to 20 knots, and Eric put a double reef in the main and reefed the jib 40%.  By 0530, the Mayyun Islands of Bab el Mandeb were just to our starboard, and we officially had entered the Red Sea.  But the excitement was still all around us, with the winds and again steep waves, we ended up dropping the main completely and ran with the furled jib alone.  As we entered the Red Sea, the waves became closer together and therefore much higher, 6'-8', some as high as 8'-10' and with the winds, Sea Child surfed down many of them, hand steering since of course, Otto could not handle the winds and waves, downwind sailing.  It was hard to steer the steep waves of the Red Sea, a fine welcome to a mostly busy and safe passage of the GOA.  Winds increased to S 25-30 knots with gusts to 40, and by mid morning, we were sailing 8-10 knots with a 40% furled jib alone.  Crazy, rough ride.  We were excited to have entered the Red Sea, yet so very exhausted at the fast passage of the GOA with all the security concerns and sea conditions.

In summary, Sea Child sailed the 659 NM from Socotra Island to Bab el Mandeb in 89 hours, average boat speed 7.4 knots.  With the rush at the entry to the Red Sea, we'd thought that we would have averaged better speed.  It was a safe, busy, exhausting passage.  Thankfully, the security of the UKMTO Coalition of Nations, including Indian, Korean, Japanese, EU, Chinese and Coalition Warships kept the GOA passage safe and secure.  Given the weather conditions of the passage as well as the security of the warships and onboard security guards listed on several AIS vessels, we could not even imagine a pirate attempting to overtake a vessel.  Hopefully those pirate days in the GOA are all in the past, and all we will read about them will be in the history books.  Sea Child had a successful passage of the GOA.  Now, the challenges of the Red Sea lay ahead of us.

Around noon, Friday, April 1, 2016, a Coalition Warship passed Sea Child to port as we sailed into the Red Sea, just off the coast of Yemen.  The Warship was making great speed, we were doing about 9 knots and she passed us in no time.  We thought that perhaps the Coalition Warship was headed to Suez, up to the Med for security purposes in the Middle East.  Little did we know what was coming as night would fall.  To be continued in our next post, Red Sea Passage

Written offshore Southern Egyptian Coast, Red Sea
Friday, April 15, 2016

POS: 
25 DEGREES, 18.820 N
34 DEGREES, 46.076 E

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Socotra Island, Yemen

In March, 2016, Sea Child crossed the Arabian Sea in under 6.5 days.  In all,  1,248 NM were sailed with average boat speed of 8.26 knots across the vast area between Uligan, Maldives and Socotra Island, Yemen.  The seas for the most part were flat with winds steady from the NE.  The crossing itself was pleasant, yet our watch system of 4 hours on, 4 hours off soon became exhausting.  We had always had others onboard for our previous long passages and this new system would take some adjusting.  The fatigue we felt during the Arabian Sea crossing enhanced the anxiety we felt at the upcoming Gulf of Aden (GOA) crossing, and since we were in the HRA (High Risk Area) of the Indian Ocean, piracy was on our minds.  We reported our daily position to UKMTO, a Dubai organization that maintains the security area that includes the tip of India up to the Suez Canal.  We had studied the information available, and while in Maldives, we had met two other vessels that were planning to sail up to Red Sea via GOA, easing our concerns a bit as we were not the only vessels interested in making the passage.

The other vessels we met, Laragh & Tamaida, had their own set of information to share with us.  Dave & Katrina on Laragh shared with us a noonsite.com article about Socotra Island, and the ability to visit and tour the island with Tamam Travel Agency run by Denis Romanov, a Russian expat living on Socotra (see www.socotra.info).  We made contact with Denis prior to our departure from Uligan and he sent us very interesting information about Socotra, inviting us to come visit.  After careful consideration, we decided that a stop in Socotra, after the crossing of the Arabian Sea, would be good for us.  Anchor down for a few days, catch up on some much needed sleep, and tour a new island, previously unexplored by many yachts. A rest before our sail up the Gulf of Aden.

All of our sailing books on board Sea Child, including the Red Sea Pilot, Ocean Passages & Landfalls, and Indian Ocean Cruising Guide (to name a few) have bold warnings about piracy and Socotra, placing the risk at visiting the island akin to visiting Somalia and certain harm.  The Red Sea Pilot does give a more positive review of Socotra, though the anchorages listed were not used by Sea Child.  The Indian Ocean Cruising Guide states that "Socotra Island at the SE corner of the Gulf of Aden has always been well known as an area to keep clear of because of the possibility of pirate attacks" and Ocean Passages & Landfalls states "The island of Socotra and the Somali coast have long been a danger area for piracy......the advice for the past 25 years has been to stay well away from Socotra..."   The idea of stopping there was not taken lightly.  However, the rewards outweighed the risks and Denis Romanov assured us that we are welcome and safe. He even went so far as to write in one email, "No pirates at all here 3-4 years.  Don't worry about it.  It was Lloyds project to raise insurance rates.  But now is better to avoid Yemen mainland and Yemeni Island in Red Sea.....I will give you more details later."  And with that, we decided to stop, take our much needed rest, and trust Denis.  Socotra Island was worth every minute of our time spent there.

Socotra Island is a little larger than the Island of Maui, Hawaii in length.  Over 70 miles long and +20 miles wide, Socotra is mountainous and dry, sand dunes mixed with steep rocky terrain.  The rocky peaks of Socotra became visible only about 5 miles out, and the white sand dunes that towered above the shore could be spotted as if splatters of white paint were thrown against the rock.  Our nerves, at first spotting the island, were jumpy and we tried to put the warnings of the travel guides out of our minds as we stared in silence.  Here we were, Socotra Island before our tired eyes, and as we continued to jibe up the coastline, we continued to squint through our binoculars at the flat, rocky buildings that lined the coast.  Within a few hours of sighting Socotra, we dropped anchor at the rough "Yemen Port", 12 degrees, 40,8 N, 54 degrees, 04,7 E at 1500 local time. 

After anchoring, Denis arrived at Sea Child in a long, Yemeni motor boat with 4 officials.  Being a Saturday and therefore a non-work day, the officials were all dressed in their custom attire.  Long, sarong like skirts, tshirts, and scarfs wrapped around their heads.  They came aboard Sea Child and marveled at her size, and the fact that just the two of us had sailed her across the Arabian Sea.  Denis translated for us and within a very brief period, they boarded their craft back to shore and took our passports and clearance papers from Maldives with them.  That was it, no search of the vessel, no lengthy paperwork to process.  Easy.  Denis offered to show us around Hadibo, the capital of Socotra Island and short 10 minute drive from the anchorage at the port.  We had little time at Socotra, less than 48 hours planned for our stop, so  we took off on a little adventure.

The diverse landscape that is Socotra is astounding, unlike anything we had ever seen before.  Houses and structures are all built single story out of coral rocks, un-reinforced concrete blocks, and a sand plaster type finish.  All buildings are a light brown color, and most buildings have some sort of crumbling damage. A recent hurricane threw two large commercial vessels on the shore, which stand out tall amongst the sandy background.  And rock walls were everywhere, low walls, high walls, all surrounding vacant plots of land, as if to claim the land for future use.  Some of the rock walls lay in crumbled ruin, as if knocked over by accident, other walls were of stunning beauty, tile and coral and rock in fantastic detail.

The capital of Hadibo is another world.  Its dusty streets are laid in a chaotic pattern of shops and supply stores, hidden deep within dark alcoves.  Shops are filled to the brim with all sorts of supplies, from Saudi cheeses to house paint to baby baths, and a little bit of everything else.  The local bakery is a gas fired oven, similar to a pizza oven, and the baker is busy with tiny loafs of baquettes and delicious pita rounds, throwing the loaves into the fiery furnace by the board, and pulling them out in an organized process.  The smell of the fresh bread carried down the dusty block.

We also found delicious hot house tomatoes, tiny fingerling sweet potatoes, delicious giant green squash, and a unique honey co-op that a French organization brought to Socotra Island.  Diesel was relatively cheap ($.70/liter) and the diesel jugs could be filled to the top, unlike Maldives where the 20 liter mark on our jugs were not the same measurement as the 20 liters that came out of their pumps.  The most unique thing we watched in Hadibo was the people.  They all were busy with their wares, local abaya-clad women totally veiled were selling their produce, the cobbler was repairing worn sandals as he sat in the dirt, even the goat sellers were offering their live goats to be hand picked, killed, gutted and filleted for the buyer.  The eyeballs of the goats would then be thrown into the dusty street, perhaps as a later delicacy for the Egyptian Vultures that fly high above.  We felt as if we were in a movie, some sort of adaptation of the sand people from Star Wars, so foreign was our perspective at life all around us.  The buildings bustled with people, while the rooftops crumbled and supports held leaning walls.  Life was in full view, as if the war across the GOA in mainland Yemen was the furthest thing from the Socotra mindset.  We were intrigued.

Denis arranged a special tour for us, up into the highlands of Socotra Island, to the village area of Dixam.  This unique area is rather large, with several hamlets scattered along the clean, large road that climbs up over 2,000'.  As we drove along the spine of the mountain range, several children were seen walking in the road in the heat of the Socotra sun.  A few would seek shelter under giant Dragon Trees, scattered across the vista.  These giant umbrellas gave a fantastic shady patch, a large area to rest as they walked to and from the local schools.  We took an offroad path that finally led us to a giant patch of Dragon Trees, where we stopped for lunch and gazed at the amazing canyons and vistas of incredible beauty in shady comfort.  The unique bio-diversity of Socotra Island is like no where else in the world, home to over 300 species that grow and thrive only in Socotra.  The Dragon Trees are similar to the ones in Canary Islands of Africa, so very far away from Socotra.  We were shown Bottle Trees that bloom tiny, plumeria type flowers on their canopy tops of thick trunks with smooth bark. They resemble a fat, stubby tree with random branches protruding out towards the sky with clusters of these tiny flowers.  Our eyes feasted on our surroundings, unique, lovely contrast of sandy structures against the stunning turquoise waters of the Gulf of Aden.  We were thankful that we took the chance to stop.

Denis was most professional during our time with him, offering laundry service, hot coffee, and his home-made yogurt & home-made jam.  He took care of our every need, translating our purchases in Arabic and extending his hospitality in his office/home.  His lovely wife, Anna, greeted us with a warm smile as she prepared a delicious local shrimp and rice dinner while Denis gave us many books to look at about Socotra and wonderful conversation was shared.  Sea Child can highly recommend Denis and Tamam Agency to any yacht considering a stop in Socotra Island.

On our day of departure, we secured our final provisions and received our departure papers in Hadibo.  As we made our way back to the anchorage at the port, we absorbed as much as we could, memorizing the scenery.  The papers had to be checked by the local port officials, who were found eating their lunch of a shared round plate of rice and meat, across the street from the tent security area they had set up at the port.  They were surrounded by a herd of goats, several fighting cats jockeying for position of any morsels coming their way, and there we spotted the words, "YEMEN PORT", scratched into the concrete steps.  Nothing else would have suggested that the man-made pier that was unloading a small Kenyan or Somali freighter would be a port of access for Socotra.  Another unique glimpse of life in a land that seems frozen in time.

Would we recommend Socotra Island?  Yes.  Was it safe?  Absolutely.  The biggest concern we had was on our departure, where the winds whipped up over 25 knots at the anchorage, and as we pulled up the anchor we started to drag.  We set the main alone and sailed a course of 270 down the coast of Socotra, gazing upon the structures we now understood.  Seeing Hadibo from the sea, observing the birds flying over the fish market, and catching a glimpse of the goats that were everywhere, now all made sense.  The rocky structures appeared as if tucked under the giant ragged peaks of the island itself.  If this is Yemen, its lovely. The people are kind and welcoming, the "tourist police" stopping to check in with us to see if we felt safe, the local Russian tour guide to show us a unique island that had we believed the tour books, we would not have stopped.  Its time to rewrite some of what has been written about Socotra. 

A passage from Maldives up GOA should include a stop in Socotra. For the rest, as well as for an experience of a lifetime in land of many discoveries.  And if you should find yourself there, please say hello to Denis at Tamam for Sea Child.  Bring him an English Language book to read.  He'll appreciate it.

Details:

Yemen Port Anchorage Location:
12 degrees, 40,8 NORTH
54 degrees, 04,7 EAST

Tour Guide:
Socotra Tamam
Denis Romanov
office@socotra.info
www.socotra.info

Costs (USD):
Port = $10
Immigration = $100
Papers & Agent = $250
Ride to Hadibo = $30 r/t
Dixam Tour = $70*
Diesel = $.70 / liter
*plus food/beverage purchased at Hadibo prior to heading out to Dixam

Other notables:
Clothing:
Women:  cover knees & elbows, head scarf in Hadibo town
Men:  Shorts & tshirts ok

Plan for extreme heat inland.


Sea Child location at time of writing:
Red Sea, off coast of Sudan
18 degrees, 34.9 N
38 degrees, 01.3 E

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