Saturday 16 June 2012

TRANSIT OF SUEZ CANAL


SATURDAY 16th JUNE 2012.

On leaving Aqaba we had a day and nights sailing in smooth seas in the Gulf of Suez before reaching the entrance to  the Suez Canal at Port Tawfiq and the city of Suez. The day again was extremely hot and hazy.

 We started the transit of the canal at 5-30am with a full days sailing to exit the canal. We were in a conger line of 18 ships with the Sun Princess at the front of the line. What a magic waterway this is, approx 100ks long, 300 metres wide and 20 metres deep underneath the keel. The canal can take shipping up to 150,000 tons and it costs the Sun Princess $700,000 to transit the canal.

On the eastern side of the canal is the stark Sinai Desert as far as you can see, whilst on the western side is Egypt with a 2 ks wide green landscape and housing developments before you enter the desert.

After nearly a full days sailing we exited the Canal at about 3-30pm and turned west for our next port of Alexandria tomorrow

We are still enjoying the cruise with 60 plus days to go.






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