The latest news it that we hope to be on our way tonight or failing that tomorrow morning. We are waiting for the diesel for which we have spent hours trying to organise. This involves dealing with the Yemen National Petroleum Company and paying the central bank for it. Now working on the delivery and the final hurdle of getting the diesel into the port! Otherwise we are fully stocked and ready to go to Aden. In the mean time you might like to see our recent blog called:

 "The Phoenician Diet Plan"

Now you may well be thinking about how to shed those extra few pounds that may have been added over the festive season and seeing in the New Year. The Phoenicians had their roots in a successful economy, culture and no doubt diet. Archaeologists will continue to discover more about the Phoenician’s diet as more and more detailed excavations are undertaken along the Levant coast. Some things are already clear however and that includes the significant trade and use of olive oil, wheat and wine. Coupled with the fertile plains, water resources and opportunities to trade goods, we can be sure that the Phoenicians enjoyed a relatively good and healthy diet for their time. They are after all credited with introducing wine to Europe for which we should no doubt be grateful.

Diets on board ships have had a mixed press over the ages and it was not until it was clear that fresh fruit was a critical component of diet, that the skin disease scurvy was removed from the afflictions of those who went to sea on voyages of exploration. In today’s Phoenicia expedition we enjoy a generally good diet. We have plenty of fresh fruit like bananas, mangoes, apples, limes, oranges, vegetables such as onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, green peppers, egg plant, marrow backed up by rice, noodles, pasta and quite a range of dried beans, lentils and tinned foods. So we are certainly not starving! Of course the other aspect of our Phoenicia diet is that it excludes all those things that make you put on weight, such as too many dairy products, naughty snacks, confectionary, alcohol and soft drinks. Add this to an active time on deck pulling ropes and the occasional anchor chain and relatively little sleep and you have a recipe for losing weight without any difficulty at all. All of us have lost weight and in some cases this amounts to a stone or two (14-28 pounds) in just 4-5 months.

So if you are looking for a weight loss programme for the New Year, then sign up for the Phoenicia diet plan and become a member of the crew! You do need to have at least an average level of fitness and be comfortable being at sea, i.e. you do not get sea sick as a minimum requirement. So if that sounds like you then do have a look at the crew applications section at:

http://www.phoenicia.org.uk/inspiring-the-crew.htm

So no doubt the Phoenicia’s have a lot to teach us in getting a balanced diet whilst Phoenicia seems to be providing a weight loss programme all of its own.
 

Position: alongside in Hudaydah, Republic of Yemen
Speed: 2 knots
Wind direction and force: SE

No of Crew & Status: 8



Commentary/issues:

We have had a much better last 24 hours and due to lightish winds and even more modest inshore seas.  We managed to economise on the fuel and still managed speeds of around 3 knots, leaving just a few litres of diesel to spare before arriving here in Hudaydah,  under our own steam which was a relief. We have now done the port clearance with immigration and will order as few critical spares, food and diesel and be on our way to Aden in a couple of days, some 230 miles along the coast.

 

Course: 170
Speed: 2 knots
Wind direction and force: SE
Barometer: 1000
Sea State: 4
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8



Commentary/issues:

We have had a better than expected 24 hours and due to lightish winds and more modest inshore seas we decided to press on down the coast.  And as a result we covered some 60 miles in that period.  Engine problems have receded for the time being although we have had two shaft bolts breaking 48 hours but at nothing like the frequency of the rate at which the smaller bolts snapped.

Our big issue is whether we will have enough diesel to make it to Hudaydah.  We have some 140 litres left and 70 miles still to cover.  We will certainly get close but it may not be enough.  So we are hoping for calm seas, light westerly winds and kind Yemeni fishermen.


 

Course: 120
Speed: 2 knots
Wind direction and force: SE
Barometer: 1000
Sea State: 4
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8



Commentary/issues:

We have not managed to sail down the coast as expected and experienced 20-25 knot winds and 1.5 knots of current against us. We have therefore made little progress other than to use up fuel. We have therefore decided to anchor at Pearly Gates, just off the Saudi Yemen boarder, and wait for more moderate weather which we understand from Reg Hill is due late today or PM Friday. In the meantime Happy New Year to all. Sadly we were a little too occupied to celebrate it.
 

Course: 120
Speed: 2 knots
Wind direction and force: SE
Barometer: 1000
Sea State: 4
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8



Commentary/issues:

Have had difficult 24 hours since fixing prop shaft which has given no further problems. We have had continued problems with the fuel supply to the engine, which we hopefully have just fixed by shortening the supply route and cutting out an additional fuel filter. Also had a problem with the case to the flywheel which has also now been repaired.  As a result have made little progress in terms of miles covered. Sailing in land to take advantage of hopefully more moderate seas which are hampering our efforts to get south.
 

Course: At Anchor
Speed: n/a
Wind direction and force: SE
Barometer: 1000
Sea State: 2
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8


Commentary/issues:

Delighted to say we have succeeded in drilling the 12mm hole for the shaft and now have fitted a 12mm stainless steel bolt. A tense one hour or so, fortunately the drill bit didn't break and only jammed from time to time. Had we failed to drill the hole it would have meant waiting for help from the Saudi authorities some 100 miles away or err sailing back to Port Sudan! So we are all extremely relieved to have sorted the problem. We are having a quick well deserved break for an hour or so and we will be on our way by lunchtime. I will not be doing another report today but thanks to all for the help given yesterday to contact the Saudi's who were fine about it.

Blog: Leaving Port Sudan in our wake-some reflections.

If you have been thinking about going for a holiday in Sudan these last few weeks then don't. Apart from the fact that it involves a lot of difficulties

the authorities don't really want you to come anyway because some of them think you will want to go to Darfour!. The Ministry of Tourism might do many

things but it certainly doesn't promote tourism. So during our two and half month stay in Port Sudan we never got close to getting a permit to visit Khartoum for instance, even though our agent made representations to the authorities for over three weeks. We talked to the Tourism Ministry who were polite enough but it was all too difficult for them to arrange because it was up to Immigration and they had to write to them about our case and we never heard back. None of them really seem to understand what tourism is about and only see westerners as an opportunity to make a fast buck. The only bit of tourism that appears to work well is the small dive industry that is based in Port Sudan and has access to some of the best reef diving in the world. There are a handful of dive boats that operate from the port but it only seems to work because they avoid Khartoum and the guests fly in from Cairo direct to Port Sudan avoiding visa and documentation hassles from the capital. So it is fair to conclude that as far as tourism goes the authorities just don't "get it", their priorities (rightly or wrongly) are elsewhere, So you can cross Sudan (and Port Sudon't) off your list as there are a lot better places to visit. We stayed in Port Sudan for two and half months as we were not allowed out of the area and apart from one day pretty much worked and lived on the ship continuously.. So you will not be surprised that we didn't exactly enjoy the experience.

If you must go then now may be a good time as any it is likely that Sudan will divide into north and south after the referendum in 2010. Worse still it could deteriorate into a nasty civil war as the south are already building up their defence forces, as evidenced by the 30 odd tanks that were aboard the Ukrainian vessel bound for Mombassa and hijacked by Somali pirates a few months back. It could all go from bad to worse which would be a pity as many of the ordinary Sudanese people you meet are kind enough and happy to help. Just that the day to day circumstances are so difficult that it leads to corruption and inefficiency. So don't expect to see Sudan heading any of the positive league tables any time soon - it is just not going to happen even if they are Africa's largest country.

So it was perhaps not surprising that our attempts to fit a second hand engine in Phoenicia would prove difficult and so it did. Such things are rarely done in Port Sudan and certainly not with a wooden replica ship and certainly not too western standards. Amongst most proposals was an ulterior motive or simply a cartel was created to raise the price so that they could jointly share the proceeds and even when a craftsman with a better price was chosen, he was visited by the "chosen" craftsmen to attempt to get him to withdraw from the business.

Agents and intermediaries rarely showed themselves to be independent from these conflicts although they always claimed such things. And even when jobs were completed for generous rates the Sudanese have a well known habit of coming back and asking for more funds. They always try it on and of course if you don't pay up to some degree the next time you need them they aren't going to come running, as we found to our cost in the last few days as we were trying to get away but needed some alterations made. The guy in question just never turned up even though he was going to be there in "five minutes" and then disappeared home "off sick". So we are not going to miss Port Sudan.

In spite of this we did achieve many things during our stay not least sorting out the traditional rudders, which were re-arranged by Sulhan and Suhra. They are now supported by three thwarts and Spanish winlasses around the two lower thwarts and a peg system on the upper thwart. They are by general consensus "rock solid" and will hopefully not cause us any further problems. We have also added the engine and a carefully concealed central rudder so as not to detract from the shape of Phoenicia. The central rudder was made from scrap pieces as was many of the pieces supporting the engine such as the exhaust, air and gear and clutch controls. So if you think all these bit and pieces resemble something from Willy Wonker's chocolate factory you'd be right. The engine pieces demonstrate African creativity at it best although the central rudder was made by the crew and in part welded by Niklas.

We have also learnt how to make pine tar from the raw tree resin (by boiling it for several hours and mixing it with vegetable oil) and painted the hull of the ship, as well as re - caulking it in the dry dock and undertaking a coat of anti-fouling. We made a new storm sail in the form of a gyb but only the crew of Phoenicia would have employed a partially blind man to sew it together. If the measurements didn't work out at the first attempt then that was probably to be expected! It has since proved to be a useful addition to our capabilities. We also bought some heavier weight anchor chain and now have two anchors on deck should they be needed and one aft. At the same time we made three anchor rollers to reduce the friction of pulling in the anchor chain over the wood gunwale which was becoming a problem. The sea anchor is also stowed forward and now has some chain as well as rope and an additional float attached. So it should work perfectly the next time we have to use it should that be necessary. And Eric completely rewired the electric bilge pump leads which means that the Whale pumps are now just managing the constant ingress of water that permeates Phoenicia's wooden hull.

On the domestic front the crew built two new bunks in the centre of the ship just forward of the mast. We have also added (I should say more accurately, that Suhra made) a wooden Zuli- a traditional Arab toilet that hangs over the port-side bow which doubles up as a "mandi" (Indonesian for shower/facility). So Phoenicia is looking a little more traditional in this respect. Below deck a whole new shelving and storage system has been put in place on the aft starboard side, as space has become something of an issue with the engine taking the place of our storage area.

So whilst many things were achieved during our stay in Port Sudan, our stay was dominated by trying to get the engine fitted and to work.

The last 48 hours were dominated by discovering new things that didn't work or hadn't been done as expected such as incorrectly bolted engine mounts, fuel leaks and pipes and incorrectly made shaft and gearbox attachments, a cotter pin that broke just as we were attempting to leave, necessitating another day's delay as did a worry over the working of the alternator. There was an argument for saying we should have stayed a couple more days in Port Sudan which would have included Christmas and had a bigger hole drilled for the shaft pins and got some larger ones. In the end we could stand it no longer and got 20 spares of the size specified by the dockyard and set off on our way. We may yet pay the price for that decision as we have already gone through about 10 pins as we are having to motor to confront the south easterly winds now facing us as we are so late in terms of the wind patterns*. However once we get to Oman we will be able to pick up the north east trade winds down to Zanzibar we will be back on track as far as sailing Phoenicia is concerned. In the meantime we are just trying to get to the Yemen before too many shaft pins break!

Wishing everyone a successful and peaceful 2009.

*We did pay the price and have had to anchor in Saudi waters to drill a
larger hole for 12mm steel stock which fortunately we have ample supplies on board. By the time you read this we will be on our way again.
 

Course: At Anchor
Speed: n/a
Wind direction and force: SE
Barometer: 1000
Sea State: 2
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8

Situation. - We have just made it to our chosen anchorage off the Saudi coast with two bolts to spare! We have informed the Saudi Authorities of our request to anchor in their waters and have approval from Port Jizan.We plan to get a good night's sleep tonight and attempt to drill the shaft tomorrow morning. If we succeed we will have a viable solution for getting us on our to Aden. If not we will make another plan.

Thanks Reg for putting us in touch with RCC Jeddah.


Commentary/issues:



Wishing everyone a successful and peaceful 2009.

 

Course: 130º T
Speed:3.0 knot
Wind direction and force: S 3
Barometer: 999
Sea State: 2
Cloud 33%
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8-all fine
Next Port: Aden possibly Hudaydah


Commentary/issues:

Have continued to break shaft pins and have about 10 left. Have increased speed this morning in order to have less vibration on the shaft which we seem to get at lower speeds and so far not broken a pin but early days yet. Still have an option to drill a bigger hole and use a stainless steel bolt but there are some risks in that the drill bit might snap but we may have to give it a go anyway if we run out of pins.Wind has turned southerly so no help there.Apart from that all well.


 

Course: 145º T
Speed:1.0 knot
Wind direction and force: SE 3
Barometer: 1000
Sea State: 2
Cloud 25%
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8-all fine -2 sea sick
Next Port: Aden possibly Hudaydah


Commentary/issues:

Steady progress but some issues with engine or more precisely the number of shaft pins that have sheared off as the ones specified by the dockyard were clearly too small. We have a number of spares but going dead slow as we have gone through 4 already. We do as a last resort have 2m of larger threaded steel (soft ish?) stock on board that could be used if we drilled a larger hole for it Wind now south easterly causing some problems as we cannot sail as we would have liked. Where has that NE wind gone? Email working well again now and new rudder configuration seems rock solid.

Will make a decision in next day or two about going into Hurdaydah. Hope you all had a good Xmas.
 

Course: 070ºT
Speed:0.5 knots
Wind direction and force: E 4
Barometer: 1003
Sea State: 3
Cloud 50%
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8-all fine -2 sea sick
Next Port: Aden possibly Hudaydah??


Commentary/issues:

Steady progress but some issues with engine. Wind now easterly causing some problems but trying to head easterly with engine at low speed.
 

Course: 130ºT
Speed:3.5 knots
Wind direction and force: N 4
Barometer: 1003
Sea State: 4
Cloud: Full cover
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8, all fine. A few are a little sea sick.
Next Port: Aden - Possibly Hudaydah??


Commentary/issues:

Steady progress but some issues with engine. Shaft pins sheared off twice and engine stopped. Seemed to restart ok and we have a number of spare pins/bolts. Fortunately we had cleared reefs and coastline and decided to continue despite other worries about gearbox. But now enjoying good sailing conditions and will review engine options in a day or two.
 

Course: 090ºT
Speed:2 knots
Wind direction and force:N 4
Barometer: 1003
Sea State: 4
Cloud:¾ cover
Visibility: Good
No of Crew & Status: 8-all fine -finding sea legs & a little sea sick
Next Port: Aden

Commentary/issues:

We left Port Sudan at 1830hrs yesterday and have been motor sailing into a NE headwind -hence the limited progress of less that 20 miles. Now making 2 knots and will head south once we are clear of the reefs and coastline. Engine holding up so far. Wishing all a good Christmas tomorrow. We will be having chicken breasts followed by ice cream if it hasn’t melted!
 

Since the last blog we have made good (ish) progress -never fast enough but not bad either.

We have run the engine for 3 hours today and engaged the prop/shaft/gears etc. Delighted to say there appear to be no major issues with it. We have a few minor issues like an exhaust leak, fuel leak, oil leak which will be fixed tomorrow. We will also do a small engine trial tomorrow and a longer one Saturday before leaving later Saturday assuming all well with the sea trial. The ship is ready to sail and we have all supplies (other than fresh fruit and vegetables which we will pick up last minute) on board. We have started saying our goodbyes and look forwards to the next passage and the continuation of the voyage.
 

Lost in Translation

One month ago we were moored within fifty metres of the dry dock lifting cradle waiting to be taken out of the water. Eventually, after a five day delay that nobody could seem to justify, the staff here finally oversaw a smooth and relatively eventless lifting of Phoenicia. So far so good. Once out of the water we were keen to press on and make up for lost time but our engineer, Mohammad, was still not finished preparing the engine and we found ourselves scraping and anti-fouling the hull. As it happened the delays with the engine did not set us back too much. Ironically this was due to another delay stemming from a misunderstanding with Abdul Hardie – our carpenter. Upon removing the lower deck at the aft of the ship Abdul and his men were faced with the prospect of removing two tons of steel ballast in order to fit the frame for the engine. We had understood that this had been part and parcel of the job and that he had agreed to do it from the word go. Clearly this was not the case as the carpenters made a swift exit upon sighting what lay beneath the decking. Maybe it was simply lost in translation at the beginning, or maybe, out of sheer disgust at the scale of the task, the term lost in translation became the perfect get-out clause. Personally I would lean towards the latter option as more realistic assessment of events. But then I guess I would as the following day we pushed, pulled and dragged the steel out of the bilge and off the ship. Sweaty, dirty and unpleasant – yes. Bitter? Never.   

 After this our favourite carpenters returned to fit the frame. The DAF truck engine, with a modified gear box and external sea water cooling system, was finally finished and could be craned up and through the front hatch to the lower crew deck. With what would prove to be a rare example of forward planning Mohammad then produced a custom made trolley so the engine could be wheeled through the lower deck, down through the food storage bins and into the engine room. Things were shaping up and spirits were high - we had the engine on the boat and were sure that within a few days Mohammad would bring the shaft and propeller so that we could progress with aligning and fitting it. This was not to be the case as apparently; “Yes I have the shaft and propeller” actually means “Yes I know where you can buy them - if they have them in stock and if they are the right size.” Lost in translation again?       

After much persistence from Philip the consequential search for a prop and shaft did eventually succeed. With Mohammad making progress on the engine, Eric got underway figuring out the angle at which the shaft had to exit through the stern post - all the time having to account for the degree at which the boat was sat in the frame compared to the boats natural lie within the water. Our carpenters returned to drill the hole and although it took them seven hours to complete, we didn’t mind just as long as they got it right. After all, this was a one shot deal – get it wrong and your left with a pretty obvious problem. On first assessment it seemed as though they had done a reasonable job. However, after closer inspection it transpired that their earlier attempts had resulted in them drilling four smaller holes right through the stern post – a detail that they had conveniently forgotten to tell us about!  

After this the carpenters had one more job to complete and we were determined that they would deliver it on time and to standard. We were in a race against time to get off the dry dock before the Islamic holiday of Eid and the closure of the dry dock for 10 days. We needed them to make and fit a block that would attach onto the keel at the stern to support the protruding shaft and prop (see picture section). They informed us that they would make this in their workshop and deliver it to us at 10am on Friday 5^th December – one day before our Eid deadline! Sensing it was going to be a close run race, Philip asked me to go to Abdul Hardies workshop for 9am and apply some gentle pressure. At 8pm that night, after spending 11 hours at the workshops the carpenters had finally completed the job. Sure enough, even with our best effects working late into the night, the delays had cost us our opportunity to go into the water the next day. 

It is worth noting that our engineer Mohammad, for all his faults, is quite possibly the most resourceful person any of us have ever encountered. The dry dock doubles ups as scrap yard/dump and if Mohammad has a problem or needs to adapt a section of the engine he disappears on a search for the correct part. This has led to what can only be described as a mismatch maze of welded metal - beams, bars and pipes protruding from all direction. Philip makes comparisons of our new engine room to that of Willy Wonkers chocolate factory – which is not far from the truth!

Taking a leaf out of Mohammad’s book it is perhaps prevalent to note that our new engine rudder and rudder stock are made entirely from bits and pieces found in the yard!

 Undoubtedly we have encountered many problems in Sudan, however, we also have many reasons to be positive and enthused about the time we have spent here. At the beginning of December our new crew - Suhra, Aziz and Sulhan - joined us from Indonesia. Since arriving they have almost single-handedly found solutions for our long standing rudder issues. Moving from task to task with a pace and efficiency none of us can rival they have completed several key jobs on the boat and are true assets to the expedition. Eventually the dry dock staff did agree to a new date to put us back in the water. We are now hoping to sea trail the engine within the next three days.   

Getting to this stage has only been possible because of the hard work and determination of the crew. Now, nearing the end of what has been a testing and incredibly frustrating two months, Phoenicia and its crew are within touching distance of leaving Port Sudan.

John Bainbridge