Thailand to the Med

[SoFoSON]

Hi everyone. Planning the crossing from Thailand to the Med assuming Red Sea is safe again and the situation in Jordan is under control .

Is anyone aware of any regattas that cover this area?
Anyone with experience in this route with general advice?
I’ve heard Maldives are too expensive. Are Seychelles too far south?
I know April - Nov is the unfavorable monsoon season. Many thanks in advance.

Any other advice?

[Katapult Mike]

Originally Posted by SoFoSON

Hi everyone. Planning the crossing from Thailand to the Med assuming Red Sea is safe again and the situation in Jordan is under control .

Is anyone aware of any regattas that cover this area?
Anyone with experience in this route with general advice?
I’ve heard Maldives are too expensive. Are Seychelles too far south?
I know April - Nov is the unfavorable monsoon season. Many thanks in advance.

Any other advice?

I never sailed it. But I sailed in the Med in the 80's and met lots of people who did. Completely aside from human caused safety issues (and Houthi missles are far from the only, or biggest, concern) this route is a bitch. Headwinds, heat and dust storms. How about a nice scenic tour of South Africa, Brazil and Gibraltor instead?

[SoFoSON]

Thanks Mike. My understanding was that there are tail winds with following seas typically nov-March once the monsoon reverses. Dust storms are typically in the Red Sea I presume? Are those seasonal or year round?

[Katapult Mike]

Originally Posted by SoFoSON

Thanks Mike. My understanding was that there are tail winds with following seas typically nov-March once the monsoon reverses. Dust storms are typically in the Red Sea I presume? Are those seasonal or year round?

I'm sorry I never sailed it. I just remember hearng lots of tales of head winds, heat, dust and generally unpleasant condtons in the Red sea itself comng up from the south. Apparently a lot of people still did it in those days because the Med is such an allurng destnaton. But I never heard anyone say much good about it. No idea about approaches from Indian Ocean.

The sailng pilot books all seem to be out of print (except for one frst publshed by the British Admiralty in 1873). But you can buy this one used on Amazon for $75: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Sea-Pilot...s%2C192&sr=1-1

[GordMay]

Some interesting & informative narratives:

Thoughts on Cruising the Red Sea ➥ https://theseaissalt.com/thoughts-on...g-the-red-sea/

Travelling North & South through the Red Sea:
➥ https://www.noonsite.com/report/trav...h-the-red-sea/

The Red Sea ➥ https://www.noonsite.com/report/the-...eautiful-area/


“How to sail across the Indian Ocean”

”... In the New Year yachts from all over the world gather in Phuket, Thailand, for the last legs of their circumnavigation. For yachts from northern Europe, there are three options to get back to their home countries.

The first is sailing across the Indian Ocean and rounding the Cape of Good Hope before sailing back up the Atlantic. The second is to sail around India and then head up the Red Sea, across the Mediterranean and then home. The third is to ship the yacht home from Thailand and jump on an aeroplane...”

More ➥ https://www.yachtingworld.com/specia...et-sail-128021

[double u]

Originally Posted by SoFoSON

Hi everyone. Planning the crossing from Thailand to the Med assuming Red Sea is safe again and the situation in Jordan is under control .

Is anyone aware of any regattas that cover this area?
Anyone with experience in this route with general advice?
I’ve heard Maldives are too expensive. Are Seychelles too far south?
I know April - Nov is the unfavorable monsoon season. Many thanks in advance.

Any other advice?

did it 3x.
advice: don't!
in the present situation: don't even think about it!

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by SoFoSON

Hi everyone. Planning the crossing from Thailand to the Med assuming Red Sea is safe again and the situation in Jordan is under control .

Is anyone aware of any regattas that cover this area?
Anyone with experience in this route with general advice?
I’ve heard Maldives are too expensive. Are Seychelles too far south?
I know April - Nov is the unfavorable monsoon season. Many thanks in advance.

Any other advice?

Sofoson, did you do this yet?

[SoFoSON]

Not yet. Planning to starting Dec.

[SoFoSON]

Originally Posted by double u

did it 3x.
advice: don't!
in the present situation: don't even think about it!

Can you please elaborate?

[boatman61]

Go Blue or Green.. don't even think of the Red Sea.

[SoFoSON]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Go Blue or Green.. don't even think of the Red Sea.

Thanks @boatman61. I appreciate the advice but I’m really interested in the logic behind it. As far as I know, there has been no boarded sailing vessels in the Maldives to Suez passage since 2013. Statistically, this makes the passage safer than the Caribbean for example. On top of it, there are three armed forces guarding the region and providing some level of monitoring and oversight.

The counter argument is that there were two approaches by armed vessels to Sailboats within the last year and even some shots getting fired. It is unclear whether any guns were actually pointed at the vessels and the recently published commentary by a Scandinavian news outlet that there were holes in a boat were denied.

In summary, while there’s clearly risk as in any passage and careful preparation is necessary, how do you make an argument that it’s more risky than having to duck into Mozambique or Kenya to avoid the lows off the South Africa or adding thousands of miles and months to journey.


I’m not making an argument but I am trying to understand the blue route.

As far as the green route, my friend just received his boat in Turkey from Phuket. Spend close to 100k USD on shipping will spend the whole summer fixing damage (broken solars, broken windows, gelcoat stains and scratches, rust everywhere, etc).

[boatman61]

My logic is simple, stay away from conflict areas.