They say that Gentlemen don't sail to windward! Sadly, that is what Blue Water Rally skippers will have to face as they leave Djibouti and head up the Red Sea to their next stopover at Abu Tig Marina at El Gouna in Egypt. Weather patterns are generally unfavourable, with winds mainly from the north, but a fair wind often occurs as our yachts leave and reduce the windward sailing by a considerable margin.

Whatever the forecast it is the sea state that will slow Rally yachts as they head north. Seas are short and steep and speed over the ground is slowed dramatically, thus motor sailing becomes the norm for many. A tactic followed by most skippers is to watch for the wind cycles which often blow heaviest for around 4 days, then settle to a more reasonable 20 to 25 knots for 3 to 4 days. During the heavy cycle our yachts will often shelter behind marsas, (low-lying sand islets), before setting off again. On our last Rally, these brief stopovers created a number of rendezvous and opportunities for socialising - even having a barbecue and Thai cookery lessons!

Richard Bolt completed his support duties at Djibouti on 27 February and by the following Monday most Rally yachts were heading north. A number will call at Massawa in Eritrea and possibly visit the capital, Asmara and certainly most will call in at Suakin in Sudan, before clearing in to Egypt at Port Ghalib. Tony Diment will then meet the Rally fleet in El Gouna around 25th March. Much is planned for the Egypt stopover, apart from preparations for the Suez Canal transit. There will be excursions to Luxor and Aswan and to Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza. Much to look forward to and much more news later.

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