Sailing through suez channel 2013

[sjobein]

When we started our circumnavigation from Caribbean in 2010 we spent a lot of time planning our route. Making a passage through the Suez channel was not even a consideration. In 2012 our plan was to depart Malaysia for Cape Town in late September. What was supposed to be 4 weeks on the slip (Malaysia) turned out to be a 4 month nightmare instead and our window for sailing over the Indian ocean towards Cape Town closed (Hurricane season Nov - May). In eager to reach Europe late summer 2013 we started to look at every other option.

1. Sailing back through pacific?
To far.
2. Sail to Mauritius in May, wait another half year to be able to cross the cape of good hope?
The only "logical" option, but takes to long time.
3. Get the ship on a cargo vessel to pass Suez?
To expensive.
4. Sail through Suez ~ April 2013?
Maybe.
5. Sail through Indian ocean in February, wait in Richards bay/Durban for weather windows?
Maybe, possible more dangerous than Suez (hurricane season)
6. Sell the boat in SE Asia, go back to Europe for work and and family?
If I have to, but then I haven't really circumnavigated, and that will bug me for the rest of my life.
7. Leave the boat on dry in Malaysia, work in Europe, return and do the voyage when the timing is correct?
A wise choice, unfortunately I know my self well enough that I would settle down when I start working again. Family, kids who know.. I'm not saying that settling down is a bad idea, just that deep down inside I know I would not be the happiest chap in the bar growing grey with the thoughts of an interrupted voyage.

-Suez-
What I have come across so far:
Piracy hijacks Suez (red sea, Somalian coast, bay of Aden), source: nytimes.com
2010: 239 hijack attempts
2011: 222 hijack attempts
2012: 046 hijack attempts
Note: The "invasion" of the pirate yards in Puntland last year definitely made a change.

World wide piracy attacks since November 2012, source: icc-ccs.org
Indonesia: 6
Malacca: 2
Suez: 2
South america: 3
Note: Misleading Suez stats. Nov - Jan are "low season" for pirates in Somalia due to harsh weather.

If I WHERE about to take the Suez route I would most likely prefer to:
-Sail in a convoy where we have hired private (armed) contractors on first and last ship from Cochin (India) -> Shalala (Oman) -> Aden
-Have black painted wooden copies of M16 (in a 1.2 scale) all over the boat
-24/7 radar monitoring
-24/7 night binocular surveillance
-Barbwire all the way around, connect a coil to our 1800AH battery bank to let 10000v embrace the wire
-Continuously inform piracy maritime security center about your position and route

I've spent almost every evening the last month searching up on topics regarding Suez, the advice's are two folded. Statistically, the last 5 years Poseidon's trident took a lot more yachtsmen lives in the Indian ocean than the pirates AK 47 in Suez. This is by far the most difficult choice we've had so far.

Do you know anyone passing this year?
What would you do?

Your thoughts & opinions are most welcome!
Fair winds, Kevin.

[atoll]

statistically,although hijackings have dropped,fatalities amongst yachtsmen has risen on yachts passing aden.

take your time,enjoy the indian ocean and islands south of the equator,cross in may,round the cape in dec,arrive in carib april,then europe in june-july.

if this does not fit your schedule,pay a delivery skipper,or sell the boat.

[Teknav]

See if you can shadow an Israeli cargo ship destined to Eilat, then divert to the Suez Canal bypassing the Tiran straights. There are good reasons why pirates do not approach/harass Israeli ships; they would wind up dead. Contact ZIM for advice/sailing protection; ZIM is an Israeli cargo shipping company.

[MarkJ]

Security contractors cost too much even for a convoy. It would be about $50,000 for Salalah to the bottom of the bottom of the Red Sea (13deg north if I remember correctly) so that doesn't cover Cochin to Salalah where most vessels are taken.

The reason for the drop off in number of captures is that cargo ships have now been allowed to have armed guards on board. So the Somalis will be even more hungry for a lightly defended sailing boat. No matter how many guns you have on the convoy (I doubt there will be an convoys this year) you can't intimidate 8 zealots all with AK47s.

I think your only option is to do the Cape of Good Hope in the correct season, ie not the hurricane season!

It is all difficult, but you can't sail in the wrong season and you can't expose yourselves to pirates.


Mark

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by atoll

statistically,although hijackings have dropped,fatalities amongst yachtsmen has risen on yachts passing aden.

.

Well, they are not. The only yachtsmen to be killed were the four Americans in 2011. None since.

The rest of your post I agree with.

[AiniA]

I think that choice 7 makes the most sense unfortunately. It is too soon to consider Suez in my opinion. There are no convoys and I wonder if there are even any yachts going that way. Best to heed the advice of the naval forces in the area. Also out-of-season to South Africa really is asking for trouble. We came in prime season this year and still had to deal with an early cyclone and lots of winds over 30 knots.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Well, they are not. The only yachtsmen to be killed were the four Americans in 2011. None since.

The rest of your post I agree with.

yes if you want to be pedantic re yacht crew,but for crew in general,the most recent total is 35!

Somali piracy death toll rises as violence worsens | Reuters

[goboatingnow]

From a purely armchair position, I'd have to say the canal is worth "considering" EUNAVFOR and others seem to have done good work, You could be unlucky or course, but then again you could get hit by a bus walking to the marina.!

Have you been able to get any feedback from say EUNAVFOR or others.

Dave

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by atoll

yes if you want to be pedantic re yacht crew,but for crew in general,the most recent total is 35!

Somali piracy death toll rises as violence worsens | Reuters

Thats a 2011 figure

[atoll]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Thats a 2011 figure

put against the very few yachts that have transited over the last few years,this is a very sobering statistic.

having done 7 transits on yachts over the years,and the increased instability in yemen i would not risk it unless i was taking a large very fast well armed vessel.

[MarkJ]

Have a look at the string of attacks last year in the Straits of Bad El-Mandab
Once you were through the starits you were safe when we went through.
That's a very tight waterway. The spot where we witnessed a pirate attack on a container ship was 30nms before the Straits, on the Aden side. There hadn't been many attacks there at all, and once through the straights it was Home Free.
Piracy Map 2012

I don't like to think of threading a course through that lot.

UKMTO/EUNAVFOR always has good stuff. European Union Naval Force Somalia - Operation Atalanta


http://www.mschoa.org/docs/public-do...1.pdf?sfvrsn=0
Best practices document

[MarkJ]

By the way, I would consider going the other way, from the Med southwards.
Because in Marmaris, Turkey you can buy semi automatic shotguns without a license on presentation of your passport.
Then sail direct to Pt Said.
Suez Canal does not ask for a weapons declaration. Nor does clearing into Egypt, but you can do Suez without clearing into Egypt.

Once through the Indian Ocean they get thrown overboard before the first port.

All nice and legal from the buying to the disposing.

Mark

[donradcliffe]

Would you rather spend 6 months in Chagos, or a year in a pirate camp? Its an easy choice for me.

[beneteau-500]

whilst the statistics are low now, the Vasco da Gama yacht rally are only sailing as far as Eritrea again 2 yrs in a row more info on Vasco da Gama Yacht Rally - 2012/2013

[atoll]

as a viable alternative for those wanting to leave se asia during the ne monsoon(dec-march) and the limited time one is allowed to spend in chagos(1 month).

i would recommend leaving thailand in january,with a stop in the maldives,then heading for the seychells arriving by the end of march.
then heading south via the mozambique channel in april,capetown could be reached by may and feasibly cruise to the carib spending time in brazil and arriving at the end of hurricane season(june-dec) in trinidad.

the south atlantic does not have cyclones and sailing from cape town can safely be done in any month with an eye on the weather.