CANDOER Retirement Group

Saturday, March 4

The temperature was over 90F on another brilliant day as we sailed into the Gulf of Aden towards the Red Sea. Although we were about 60 miles from shore, the Arabian peninsula is always in sight because of the high mountains along the coast. The place is called "Ar Rab' al Khali" or the "empty quarter". The name is appropriate for there is absolutely no sign of life along this mountainous, barren coast.

After lunch, we turned the corner and entered the Red Sea through a relatively narrow passage of about 20 miles wide. There were a lot of vessels now entering and departing the Red Sea. Speed was also reduced. Consequently the Red Sea is divided into three traffic lanes, each approximately five miles wide. On the east (Yemen and Saudi Arabia) is the northbound lane, in the center the "no traffic" buffer lane, and on the west (Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt) is the southbound lane. The plan seems to work well.

Two of the first vessels we saw in the Red Sea were sheep ships. Yes, sheep ships. Sometimes under the right conditions you can smell them even before you see them. The captain calls them "stinky ships". It's the time now of the "Haj", or pilgrimage to Mecca for muslims each year. There is an exceptional requirement for large amounts of mouton to feed the crowds. New Zealand and Australia oblige by selling live sheep to the middle eastern countries. They are transported on special built ships, usually old ones converted from other uses. The bridge and crew quarters are always forward on these ships. All sheep are in multi-layered pens above deck. Manure and waste are put over the side. Likewise sick or dead sheep become shark food. The ships travel with a veterinarian for delivery must be made of only certified healthy animals.

Sunday, March 5

Today, Jim witnessed one of the more incredible sights he has ever seen at sea. While on his usual perch up on the bow (where else?), he saw an enormous (10 feet long) great white shark come from the port side and swim directly in front of the ship's "bulb nose" 15 feet beneath the surface. Looking straight down on it from about 40 feet above, this shark was joined by two more great whites from the starboard side and the three continued to swim ahead of the ship for 30 seconds before diving out of sight! So sharks can swim at least 17 knots, our speed then.

Of course, the camera was back in the cabin! This mirrors a similar missed opportunity six years ago observing whales off Kaikoura, New Zealand. Having watched what we thought was the last whale before going back to shore, with the camera packed in the bag, this 40-ton monster flew out of the ocean and plunged back in, the only time we have seen a whale breaching! Both incidents are indelibly recorded in memory, but not on film!

Monday, March 6

We were no longer in 90F weather. The wind had shifted and was coming straight at us from the north. It was about 70F, but still pleasant as long as we stayed out of the wind. Remember, that 10 knot head wind added to our 17 knot speed made a pretty stiff breeze.

Just past noon we approached the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. There were at least a dozen magnificent yachts hanging about. To the west is the Gulf of Suez and later the canal. To the east is the Gulf of Aqaba leading to Jordan and Israel.

This is quite a geographically and geologically interesting place. There are high mountains on both sides of the Red Sea its entire length, for it is part of the major fracture zone of the earth's crust known as the Great Rift Valley. From Jordan/Israel in the north, it extends south through the Red Sea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi and exits through flood- stricken Mozambique into the Indian Ocean. Jim has visited the entire system except for Jordan/Israel. Ethiopia and Kenya have the most dramatic scenery in the Great Rift Valley.

At 2230 we reached the south entrance of the Suez Canal and dropped anchor in the waiting basin where the convoy would be formed first thing in the morning.

Monday, March 7

For us, it was the first time to visit Egypt, albeit relatively briefly. The Suez Canal has no locks. There also are no bridges (yet). The water flows continuously from the Mediterranean south only at a speed of about one knot. For this we have no plausible explanation.

Traffic in number of ships through the Suez Canal has dropped significantly in the past ten years. One of the main reasons is that pipelines from middle east oil fields now are loading tankers along the Mediterranean coastal ports, saving time and transport costs. However, the tonnage via the Suez Canal has remained fairly static due to the increased size and number of container ships transitting.

Before proceeding through, the required paperwork with Suez Canal Company authorities had to be completed during the night while at anchor. We gathered that the schedule for determining charges is so complicated, only a battery of accountants and lawyers can understand them. It keeps a lot of people employed in the country, but in fact hinders future development and use of the canal because shipping companies are now designing ships and routes to avoid it whenever possible. The Egyptians don't seem to want to use a relatively simple schedule of fees to collect the same amount. Instead, they want reams of paper to reach the identical bottom line figure.

We were surprised to learn the canal is not straight. There are a number of "dog legs" in it. The minimum width is 985 feet (300 meters), with a maximum depth of 62 feet (19 meters). With the exception of passing zones in the Great Bitter Lake and an area north of Ismalia, traffic is one-way. Maximum speed in the canal is 9 knots, so it takes 10 hours to navigate the 96 mile (155 km) length if all goes well. Sometimes during the year it doesn't. A "ha-boob" (sand storm) will blow up obliterating view and traffic must stop.

Keeping the canal at the prescribed depth is a continual project for dredging. Huge dredges and pumps every few kilometers remove the accumulated sands and mud by pumping them over the east embankment. Seeing beyond the east embankment was possible only from the upper decks of our ship, about 80 feet above the water.

Convoys are formed at each end of the canal during the night. Warships get a special convoy. Ships intending to make the next day's transit must be pre-registered and on site by 2300, or wait until the next day. Today only about 20 ships were going northbound in our convoy. The Dagmar MAERSK was number five in line.

Ships our size must have two Suez Canal pilots on board. Plus a "Suez Crew". This is a motorized rubber pontoon boat, with three seamen and electrician. Supposedly the pilots are to guide the ship through the canal. The electrician is a duplication of the ship's, and does nothing. His sole purpose is to connect the "Suez Canal spotlight" on the bow of the ship and operate it if needed in the night. Note: ships transit only during daylight hours. The pontoon boat and three seamen are in case of an accident or "ha-boob". Then their boat is lowered and with lines from the vessel to tie it up on one of the davits spaced every 100 meters along both sides of the canal. In reality, the captain says they do absolutely nothing, "but sponge on the ship's crew for whiskey and cigarettes. They'd ask for wild women too, but know we don't have any! And this from an alcohol-free society supposedly living under Islamic customs."

At 0700, anchor was weighed and we set off into the canal, first passing through the heart of downtown Suez. It appeared to be a fairly nice city. North of the city are vast luxury villa and condominium projects. We were told they are reserved for Egyptian government personnel. At the present time, they all looked deserted, and probably are used only in the warmer months of the year. A temperature of 70F in March is considered too cold and damp by the water where a breeze always blows.

The Suez Canal is something of a sharp contrast. All development is on the west bank. With a few rare exceptions, there is absolutely nothing on the east bank, which is the Sinai Peninsula. Ferries cross the canal every few kilometers, but for what reason is not evident. We actually did see a few roads on the east bank.

For the first several kilometers on the west bank, at intervals of approximately 500 meters, there is a single soldier posted in a sentinel box facing east. What he is supposed to accomplish is beyond our imagination. They appeared to be very desultory and unprofessional.

In the last half of the 20th century, Egypt has been the site of a number of land battles on their territory. We could not believe the amount of wrecked vehicles and junk strewn everywhere, just within our view and as if the battles happened yesterday. If the Egyptians would muster the effort to go out into the desert and collect the metal out there, without exaggeration, they could fuel their steel industry for at least two years.

At the Great Bitter Lake, we met the first portion of the southbound convoy. When we first saw through the binoculars this massive, gleaming white ship coming, our thoughts were that it was a cruise ship. When it came past us, we were astounded that it was a personal yacht! Our guess is it had to sleep 50 in great comfort.

At Ismalia, another very attractive city, we passed the remainder of the southbound convoy which was in a parallel canal about 500 meters to the west. What made it amusing was due to the high embankments, people on the ships do not see the water for the other ships. They all appear as ships passing on the desert. The sight made a great photograph.

Here many religious edifices from all faiths were observed, some right on the banks.

Just north of Ismalia, two major bridges are under construction to be the first to cross the canal and physically link Africa and Asia. One is a huge swing-type bridge for rail traffic. There are no rails on the east bank yet, but presumably when that territory is developed, there will be. The other is a high suspension bridge which just might equal the Oakland Bay-Bridge in California for length and height. Both were started 13 and 15 years ago respectively, but never completed by the Egyptians. Two years ago they hired a Japanese construction company (Hisumi) to come in and complete the job. Our guess is they both will be open in about 18 months.

In the last quarter of the transit, it was quite interesting to observe the change on the east embankment. The soil no longer was sand, but now completely black, and being made ready for agricultural use. We suspect cotton because of the huge tracts of land, all perfectly flat, with fresh water irrigation canals. If they pumped it from the Nile River, that's a long way away. The farms here have to be measured in thousands of acres.

By 1700 we reached Port Said, and dropped the two pilots and Suez Crew. "Good riddance", said the captain, "they did nothing but sleep, and leave a disgusting mess." Ships with pilots and Suez crews, must provide rest quarters for them!

Onward to Italy!

Wednesday, March 8 (Ash Wednesday)

This day starts and ends beautifully with sun on the eastern Mediterranean Sea. With temperature in the mid-60F range, the wind breaker feels good for those long walks around the main deck, as it is breezy with our speed.

By late afternoon we are sailing past the Greek Islands, many of them snow-capped. We never realized Crete was so large and had such high mountains. What a gorgeous sight in the pink tinges of the sunset.

Thursday, March 9

It is another magnificent Mediterranean Sea and day.

The ship is proceeding at less than full speed since Port Sa'id, Egypt because the MAERSK Lines agent at Gioia Tauro, Italy advised the captain to time our arrival for 1800 today, ten hours later than originally planned. By then there will be a berth, cranes and stevedores ready to begin their work on our 1,900 containers to be processed. The captain expresses mild skepticism about Italian workers "ready to begin their work". He said, "I'd like to say that we'll be out of there within 24 hours, but I can't until the last container is on board. When that is, even Heaven doesn't know."

Mt. Etna makes a magnificent appearance on the distant horizon at noon, although we are still a long way from it. By 1400 the villages along the Italian coastline of Calabria and Sicily come into view. What memories they bring back! Oh, to have the time to wander through them again and savor all the good things they have to offer.

At 1800, we dock in the relatively new, and very large container port of ancient Gioia Tauro.

Friday, March 10

Arriving at Gioia Tauro at sunset yesterday, we opted to have supper on board and do our visiting ashore right after breakfast. That was a good plan because the ship usually stops for at least 18 hours here each time. When observing the Italian stevedores start their work last evening, we had a suspicion that our stay would be considerably longer than 18 hours. Eventually, we were right.

During the voyage, the stop at Gioia Tauro was continually being given a bad report by crew members as being "too small, there's nothing there, it's expensive, no one speaks anything but Italian, etc."

If you don't speak Italian here, things could be difficult. Fortunately, we got along nicely.

Right after breakfast we were ready to leave the ship. But we had to get a shuttle bus to take us to the main gate of the container port. This took much more time than we liked, but it seems we just couldn't get the Italian shuttle bus crew started before 0900. It turned out, our ship was the absolute furthest point in the harbour from that gate, 2.5 miles!

Finally arriving at the main gate, our luck changed. It was our original plan to get a taxi to the town six miles farther away. However, we found a young man there, Marcello by name, with a car. He said he would be at our disposal for a flat fee. We agreed upon it and it was the best decision we made all day.

Funny thing. Where the Dagmar MAERSK docked, as the crow flies, we were just about 1.5 miles from the town center. BUT, the way the container terminal and port are laid out, the ship was a five minute ride to the main gate, and from the gate to the town, it was another 20 minute ride.

Hopping into Marcello's car for the ride into town, he gave us a running commentary about it. In typical Italian driving fashion, his hands weren't on the wheel very much while speaking. That's always exciting, especially when driving the wrong way up narrow one way streets! But, this is Italy.

We told him we had several banking/telephoning/shopping/mail/sightseeing stops. He did everything we wanted, saved us a lot of time and effort accomplishing our objectives, finding things, and lugging our purchases.

The trouble with our stop here was that the "end of shore leave" time was horribly estimated and never corrected. The ship originally posted 1200 as the time everyone had to be back on board. That's supposed to be two hours before sailing time.

When we saw how the Italian stevedores were working and the slow speed of the crane operators, we said to ourselves "This will be at least a 24-hour stop to process the 1,900 plus containers we have to exchange here." It turned out to be a 26-hour stop! Yet, they had us back to the ship many hours before necessary, only to then stay eight more hours before sailing when we could have been enhancing the personal fortunes of the merchants and restaurants of Gioia Tauro!

There are no fancy restaurants in Gioia Tauro, a very old town of about 20,000. But there are a lot of "Ma and Pa" type places. Take it from those of us who have lived in Italy a number of years, they are the best places to eat! You will not get a bad meal. You have to speak Italian. But, the people are so friendly, they really do try to help you out. No one has ever starved in Gioia Tauro.

After another glorious Mediterranean sunset, at 1900 we set sail for our next port, Algeciras, Spain. It is contiguous to Gibraltar.

Saturday, March 11

Taking an early morning stroll around the deck on another beautiful day, we noticed the ship wasn't proceeding at the usual full speed. At breakfast, the Chief Mate told us that just after departure from Gioia Tauro, the captain received a message from the MAERSK Lines agent in Algeciras directing the ship's arrival for 1200 Monday, March 13! Our berth wouldn't be available until then. That's 21 hours later than originally planned. Well, if we have to spend an extra day at sea, there is no better place in the sunny, 70F Mediterranean with weather like this in which to do it.

This afternoon there was another of the weekly scheduled emergency fire drills. If you want to draw the captain's ire, just miss one. Jim found out the hard way. After lunch, with book in hand, he went forward to the bow, completely forgetting the 1520 muster at the lifeboat station. Up there so far away from the alarm bells of the superstructure, you hear nothing. That's why he goes there!

Sunday, March 12

It was another warm, sunny, smooth day of sailing along slowly. Even the dolphins had no trouble keeping up with our half speed while frolicking in the bow wave. Two large sea turtles observed our gliding by with a rather blase glance at this monstrous structure.

Approaching the extreme west end of the Mediterranean, we came upon a massive oil spill from a ship that had gone through sometime earlier. What a gooey mess for miles on end! It's too bad the Spanish authorities didn't observe and arrest the offender.

Today was Chief Engineer Frank Bernhardt's last full day of his present work contract. He signs off the ship tomorrow and will be replaced upon landing in Algeciras. He'll be missed, for he is such a congenial person. He'll get two months vacation at his home in Rostock, Germany and then be back on another assignment at sea.

The shipping company has their regular officers work five months, then take two months leave, and repeat the procedure. They don't usually return to the same ship. That's an interesting work schedule. There are years with two, three or four months of vacation, or conversely years of ten, nine or eight months of work. But it's always five months on duty, two months off. The captain, who signed on in Long Beach, California on January 31, will remain with the vessel until about July 1 and then be replaced at the nearest port of call at that time.

As we neared Gibraltar, we observed an awful lot of ships, large and small, heading in both directions. And on a beautiful day like today, there were a lot of private yachts all over the area, probably going no place in particular.

At 2130 the ship glided to a stop in Gibraltar Bay. We dropped anchor and would remain out in the bay until our berth became available sometime Monday. In the meantime, we enjoyed the beautiful night view of the area.

Monday, March 13

Opening the window drapes at dawn, we hardly had to get out of bed to observe the historic silhouette of Gibraltar in front of the sunrise. At 0700 the ship moved from the overnight anchorage across the bay to the Algeciras container port. By 0900, we were docked and ready to begin cargo operations.

It certainly appears MAERSK Lines is the predominant player in the container port of Algeciras. Two MAERSK ships were anchored overnight in the bay, while two more were being loaded at the terminal. One of the latter, the Soro MAERSK, 95,000 tons, was considerably larger than our ship.

The first thing which happened to our ship even before a container was moved, was for the ESSO fuel barge to pull up alongside. The last time we took on fuel (called bunker) was in Singapore, and then just a sufficient amount to get to Algeciras. When purchasing fuel in such large quantities, minor price differentials and the future contracts of the "spot market" make it worthwhile to carefully observe where, when, and how much a ship refuels.

Here the vessel's tanks were topped off with approximately 4,000 tons of bunker fuel. This would take the ship to North America, back to Europe, the middle east, and Singapore where it will be refueled again at a price more competitive than Algeciras at that time. Wouldn't it be nice to know a month ahead of time what the price of fuel will be at a given location? A lot of investors dealing in futures contracts make fortunes by successfully playing that game.

The fuel barge pumped 450 tons per hour through a hose with an eight-inch internal diameter. Observing the hookup of the hose was a very intricate operation, for the ship's intake valve is on the "A" deck, approximately 50 feet above the sea level of the fuel barge. Now, that is a powerful pump! The seamen pride themselves when not a drop is spilled as was the case today. The black fuel has the consistency of light olive oil.

That both the fuel barge and our ship were not immolated in a mammoth ball of fire is certainly due in no small part to the protection of that famous Italian-Spanish saint, San Nicotino, the patron saint of fuel pump operators. He certainly worked overtime today.

Observing the fuel barge workers down below, it seemed everyone was puffing away on their cigarettes! Notwithstanding the "No Smoking" signs posted everywhere! When common sense was given out, those guys definitely came away with a deficit. Granted, bunker fuel has a very low flash point. It will not ignite if one puts a match directly on it. But, heat it up to the proper temperature and it performs nicely as diesel fuel.

With some personal tasks to take care of, we went ashore. Catching a taxi at the terminal gate, we headed into Algeciras only to find that everything was closed! It was a local holiday just in this town. The purpose was to get over the effects of Carnival vigorously celebrated the previous week. That must have been some celebration! Adding considerably to this frustration was our inability to send/receive our accumulated E-mail messages.

Ah ha! Algeciras is in Spain, but just a 30 minute taxi ride away on the other side of the bay is Gibraltar, which is British territory. We dashed over there, also to find everything closed! Here they were celebrating "Commonwealth Day"! Doesn't anyone want our money?

Actually, we had a splendid day in Gibraltar notwithstanding. At the Spain/Gibraltar frontier (Spain and Britain are barely civil with each other over the subject of Gibraltar), we had to change taxis. Neither country will allow the other's taxis across the line.

Surprised at also finding everything in Gibraltar closed, Daniel, our very knowledgeable taxi driver offered, and we accepted, his guided tour of "The Rock". His commentaries were excellent. Without him, the tour would have been impossible as even the tour agencies were closed!

Just after crossing into Gibraltar where there is no flat space, we came upon the airport. It has very limited commercial and military use. You see, the short single runway runs right across the thin peninsula of land through the north end of the town! Both ends extend into the ocean. When there is to be a landing or takeoff, the gates on the road come down, you turn off the motor and watch this plane zoom past your nose. If you happen to live in a nearby apartment building, and there are many, each flight probably stops all dinner table conversation.

According to Daniel, the population of the city is now about 30,000, thanks to the reclamation project of part of the old harbour which was converted into luxury apartment blocks. The old sea walls now are almost in the city centre, perhaps a kilometer away. The apartments are occupied by owners in the United Kingdom who use them as a second or vacation home.

The only industry in Gibraltar is tourism. Daniel said there are a number of "off shore" banks, law firms, etc. but nothing else which creates jobs. Everyone here is involved in the tourism or leisure industry. The British military presence formerly was very large, but is almost non-existent now.

Along, under and over the old sea walls Daniel took us through the city, and eventually up on the historic rock itself, almost to the top. The road is very narrow, serpentine, with incredible views at every bend. At one lookout point was the Columns of Hercules monument. There were many Moorish forts which acted as lighthouses for vessels crossing the straits to and from Africa. Each fort maintained a fire that was visible to the next, as well as for several miles out to sea.

We came across three different troops of the famous Barbary apes. They are very photogenic up close, but one cannot get out of a vehicle with food in hand. It would be gone in a flash!

Gibraltar's famous exterior needs no description. What we found to be amazing is the fact there are more kilometers of tunnels in "The Rock" than roads on the surface! For hundreds of years the tunnels were constructed by the Moors, Spaniards and British.

The caves of St. Michael's were extraordinary. Inside they are quite extensive, with two separate and very large chambers. The stalactites and stalagmites created over the centuries left a memorable display of color to be enjoyed today. One of the chambers is so large, concerts or stage performances are held there. It seats about 300 in nature's perfect air conditioning. Amazingly, Gibraltar is as beautiful inside as outside.

Walking through the Siege Tunnels in the rock is like taking a tour through the different periods of history in which Gibraltar was involved. The Moors, Spanish and British all played their individual parts over the centuries. What we found today is an extensive labyrinth of tunnels, galleries, and gun ports facing outwardly. It was fascinating to learn how they were built, maintained and operated during the various periods of history. Donkeys even played key roles in the lifting of heavy guns, equipment, and supplies vertically up the then roadless slopes on the rear of the mountain.

Back down in the center of the town, Mary luckily found one tourist shop open where she obtained some souvenirs. But all the pubs and coffee shops were closed. However, on a narrow side street we did stumble upon one little shop which sold postcards, stamps, and beverages. So we were able to at least take care of our mail and thirst.

After an enjoyable day touring in Gibraltar, we went through the silly taxi exchange routine again at the border and returned to Algeciras. There we found a telephone, made a few ATT Direct calls and pondered where to eat dinner. The owner of the Tangier Ferry ticket office advised the restaurant on the fourth floor of the adjacent hotel was quite good. He was right.

It was 1930. We were tired and hungry. But this is Spain, and the dining habits here are considerably different than in the rest of the world. The hotel desk clerk said the dining room would open at 2000. In the interim we sat in the lounge for a brief period. A few moments before 2000, we went up to the restaurant to find the doors locked, and total darkness within. But at precisely 2000, the lights came on, and the doors opened.

The Spanish employee, with a quizzical expression on his face, seemed to indicate, "You want to eat, NOW?" After a considerable period, we were served tasty meals of fish and seafood. When leaving at 2200, the restaurant's evening dining clientele were just arriving. Such is life in Spain.

We returned to the ship late and collapsed into bed after a very pleasant, but strenuous day of walking and touring.