Jihadist Training

They made me do it!!!
Forced to wear galabya to celebrate the last night on the Nile

Navel Matters, NOT Naval

First Cataract on the Nile

Powered our way upstream with the smoky old 40 hp Suzuki going full
pelt we passed between the rocks with a few feet width to spare,
finally reaching the Nubian resettlement village after the Russian
funded upper dam flooded their homeland.

Sailing backwards through the Nile Cataract

Other feluccas seem to making it upstream - must be the crew - had to get a tug to tow us up to Kitchener's Island

Nubian boatman ferries us to Philae

Khzan Aswan cistern between high dam (1960) and low dam (1902) is the setting for the Temple of Philae

Collision at Philae

Tour boats collide as leave Aswan for the Temple of Philae located between the lower and upper sam at Aswan

Relaxing morning coffee - guards are vigilant!

Sun is over the Yardarm

Relaxing in our play pen between early morning and late afternoon
temple visits - a little nap, then a cold beer, next lunch. Margaret
and SMS alum Heather Wood enjoy the shade as we overtake another
cruiser.

Standby to Repel Boarders!

Heading up the Nile in a southerly direction at about 12 knots we jockey for the Western Desert shore at 24-57 N 32-52 E. On our way to the Temple of Kom Ombo.

Our captain....

.... is a 72 year old Egyptian, steering the joystick with his toes,
navigating the 6ft deep Nile from memory!

Raiders of Ramses III's Tomb

The RYC expedition takes to the depths.... hundred feet below the surface of the Valley of the Kings, admiring the hieroglyphics and the sun-god Ra sailing his sacred barque across the skies.... then back to the surface where a sandstorm descends on us. I was reminded that several scenes from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was filmed here....

Terrorist defense are in place!

"Death on the Nile" takes on a new aspect - cruise boats on the Nile have two guards posted on the stern rail equipped with a variety of automatic weaponry. We pass through the "hotbed" of Islamist fundamentalists and sympathetic Al-Qaeda in the area bordering on middle Egypt - the Egyptian government take their security very seriously with armed guards assigned continuously to our expedition. Tourism is the number one revenue source for this part of the world and they are serious about protection.

The Return of Ranger

After a two year rest in Sarasota, Captain Steve Jackson and Claudia are planning to return to the Rivahaven Yacht Club on the Rappahannock aboard their long range cruiser Ranger, a Nordhaven 35 - one of the most solid boats I have ever had the pleasure to cruise in. The last visit culminated in the publication of Steve's blockbuster "Death of a Cure" - we understand the next mystery novel is in the works. Welcome back Steve & Claudia!

Siberia on the Rappahannock

Is this the third or the fourth winter storm this season? I've lost track! Storms go through, then they come backwards or they go around in a circle... now I know why certain creatures hibernate! You can click on the above photo to see the full view - this is a photo composition using 5 individual photos that is stitched together in Photoshop CS4. The only global warming thought I have is that in two weeks time we will be in the Nubian desert on a RYC cruise up or down (not sure which direction) the river Nile.

Sailing on the Map

Over the last year, we have been progressively updating Panoramio with sailing locations of RYC expeditions all over the world - sailing is used in it's broad-est terms meaning sail or powerboat, yacht or ferry or even cruise excursions on the water. Check out the locations of RYC expeditions going back as far as the 1970's! Almost al locations are automatically updated to Google Earth and the little blue squares you see when browsing Google Maps.