Day 60 ~ Ship of the Desert & Day 61 ~ We Meet the Med

March 23, 2018

Last night the Pacific Princess dropped anchor near the southern entrance to the Suez Canal to await our turn. There is a pecking order of the seas and priority is given first to naval vessels (from any country), then passenger ships, and bringing up the rear are container ships and freighters. Since there was no naval ship anchored by 2300 (11 PM) yesterday, this morning, as Captain Slight hoped this morning we were given the first position to lead the convoy through. Naval and passenger ships are faster and more maneuverable than the others. It reminds me of the way they position breeds in a dog show—the sleek hounds first and the little hay bale with feet (Read: Pekinese) waddling along at the end of the line. 

We woke a little before 5 AM to the sound of the PP's anchor being hauled up, so we were watching our transit from the very first!

The Suez Canal was completed in 1869, cost $100 million to build, though the initial estimate was S41 million. Evidently cost overruns are not new to this century. Thousands of lives were lost in the construction process. But once the canal was opened, it revolutionized shipping. The canal saved nearly 5000 miles off an easterly trip from Europe to Asia because there was no longer any need to round the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. The Suez isn’t like the Panama Canal. Because there’s no appreciable difference in elevation between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, there are no locks needed. But digging out a 104 mile long canal that’s 79 ft. deep and 250 feet wide is no mean feat—especially not if you were doing it 150 years ago. (A tip of the hat to Jim from Sarasota who gave me all these facts and figures!)

I can't say I've been to Egypt, but I have sailed through it!

It takes about 12 hours to transit the canal, so we started the morning sipping our room service coffee on our starboard balcony. We faced the Sinai side of the canal, so we mostly saw endless sand dunes and numerous armed guard stations. The Egyptians are serious about security because the 70 ships that transit the canal daily represent a steady stream of income. The average fee for canal passage is just under $500,000 dollars, depending on the tonnage of the vessel.

The world's largest container ship!

Josko, the supervisor of the Panorama Buffet on the PP, told me Princess pays over $300,000 for their Panama transits. He wasn’t sure about how much the Suez passage was costing. He also pointed out the mammoth Maersk container ship that was cruising in the southbound canal while we sailed north.  At over 400 meters (1300 feet) long, it’s the largest vessel of its type in the world! It was a little surreal watching that block of containers, stacked 15 or 20 high, gliding serenely between the dunes.

The canal opens up into two lakes—Little Bitter, and Great Bitter Lakes. They are twice as salty as the ocean, but that doesn’t stop invasive species of crabs and such from making the trip through the canal to try their luck in another sort of ocean.

About mid-morning, we moved up to the fantail so we could watch both sides of the canal. 

Kristi and the DH mugging for the camera by the rail while her hubby Dave and I wisely sip our iced tea in the shade. 

Our friends Kristy and Dave were already there so we joined them while the wonders drifted by. The air quality grew steadily poorer as the day went on. The Sahara is relentless and sent sand swirling in long strands of fine particulate in the upper air. It settled on us as a fine dust, coating everyone and everything and drying out our skin and eyes. (I wore my health mask, so I was breathing just fine!)

This one's for you, Dad!

I knew my dad would be interested to see that there’s a rail line on the mainland (port) side. That side of the canal seems positively verdant compared to the endless shades of beige to starboard. As Dr. Pamela Peck, our enrichment lecturer says, “No water. No life.”

But that doesn’t stop the Egyptians from expanding over onto the Sinai Peninsula. There are three under- the-canal tunnels to send fresh water and power across. We saw a couple of floating bridges to connect the peninsula to the mainland at intervals and they’ve built a new city called New Ismailia near the northern mouth of the canal.

Other countries have invested in the canal over the years—France, Great Britain, and most recently, Japan. It was fitting that I snapped this pic of Craig and Vicki with the new Japanese Egyptian Friendship Bridge in the background. We’ve made some wonderful new friends on this trip, and sadly, we’ll be saying goodbye to Vicki and Craig in Venice.

I don’t like to think about it.

Day 61~ Sea Day in the Med

March 24, 2018

The passage through the Suez was hot and dusty. The sun sizzled down at us from a cloudless blue sky. But once we cleared the northern mouth of the canal and entered the Mediterranean, we hit a bank of fog and swelling seas. The PP and another ship traded blasts of their horns in the darkening pea-soup. We couldn’t see the other ship, but I’m sure our bridge crew was tracking them electronically.

The temperature plummeted from the 90’s to the 60’s. It was abrupt and striking. We’d been lulled into complaisance by the mirror-like stillness of the Gulf of Suez and the smooth sailing we’ve enjoyed for the last month.  I put on a scopolamine patch for the first time since we left Esperance, Australia.

The Pacific Princess is that skinny black hexagon with her nose pointed toward the two stars (Santorini and Crete)

Today, we’re wallowing through heavy swells on our way to the Grecian isle of Santorini, (the more northerly of the two stars on the map.) It’s 4 PM as I type this and because of the movement, I’ve struggled to get to my goal of 5000 steps. The ship is pitching so, my step counter thinks I’ve climbed 22 flights of stairs! (Even on a good day, I wouldn’t do that!) It’s no fun to walk like a drunkard when you’re a teetotaler.

The outside decks have been closed because of the wind and wet. Everyone is moving with determined deliberation, grasping handrails and steadying themselves with a hand on the walls. A fall will ruin your whole day.   

Tomorrow in Santorini, the high is supposed to be in the low 60’s with possible rain. We’ll gear up before we tender in for our day in the town of Fira.

More then…