Sailed up the Red Sea to the Gulf of Suez. Last Thursday Day 13 (Hmmm) we got caught in a sandstorm off the desert. We experienced very strong winds at the bottom of the Gulf of Suez through some narrow Straits close to the shipping lane and some reefs. The sails blew out one at a time until none left. There was no storm jib on board and we motored into heavy weather to keep control and steerage. At 20:00 hours the engine packed up. We turned to run with the weather on bare poles (no sails) making about 5 knots in heavy seas back along the path which we had just sailed up. The idea was to wait the weather to ease so we could repair the sails and get into an anchorage.

I finished my watch at 21.00 hour and went to my bunk about 21.45 hour. At 22.45 hour I woke by a loud crunching sound and the skipper shouting ‘get up! Get up everyone!" We had been pushed onto a reef and were bouncing along its edge. General pandemonium in the dark as the boat was forced further and further on to the reef and began to lean over at about 45 degrees. We put out a Pan Pan call on the VHF. In the meanwhile we were pushed right onto the reef and became relatively stable in about 1 meter of water with big waves pounding into the hull. Much cracking of fiberglass and water coming in to the boat. It lasted a while before we realized that we were relatively safe as we were now hard on the reef and couldn't sink any further. We spent about 7 hours clambering around the boat at 45 degrees making things as safe a possible. An oilrig service tug turned up at daylight and sent a dinghy out to edge of the reef about 200 meters from the boat. A diver came from the dinghy and I met him half way with a rope from the boat. Than I went back to get some belongings and the rest of my shipmates or should that be a shipwrecked mate.... Anyway. We all waded across the coral to the dingy holding on to the rope. Than we were taken onto the tug with a very friendly crew, a shower, food, washing machine, plenty of silly chat and a video of belly dancing. How bizarre.

Later we were taken to an oil depot. The skipper helped us to clear in. Taken to coast guard. A friendly dude. Then we spent the next 24 hours going between police station and judges court. Damaging a reef is a procedural offense in Egypt and there was a lot of paperwork to sort out with help from our Embassy. It was all going very friendly. We were fed and watered etc. but we were not alowed to go free until all cleared up. We sat with the judge at 3 am in the morning. Got about 4 hours sleep in 48 hours. Later after everything was organized I got a bus to Hurgarda and a good sleep in a Hotel room.

Currently I am staying with my skipper to help him sort things out. Not exactly straight forward as the owner had no insurance! Other than that everything is cushy....

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