March 25-26, 2023 – Suez Canal

After leaving Aqaba, Jordan on Friday night (March 24), we sailed south down the right finger of the Red Sea (Gulf of Aqaba) and then turned northwest up the left finger of the Red Sea (Gulf of Suez).  We saw many, many ships heading the same way.  Of course, to the Suez Canal.  We had a lovely sailing day on Saturday, March 25.  As we approached Suez, we slowed down and dropped anchor.  Similar to the wait for the Panama Canal, you arrive and await your que for entering the canal in the morning.  As we dropped anchor, there were many ships anchored all over around us and others moving about to find their place in the que.  The sunset was beautiful and suddenly a huge storm came through, the sunset disappeared and you couldn’t see the other ships scattered around you.

At 4:30 am, we pulled up anchor and started the approach into the entrance of the canal.  As the sun came up, we opened our curtains and went outside to sit on our balcony.  The Suez Canal has very beautiful, blue water and unlike the Panama Canal.  It’s all at sea level so there are no locks to go through.  It looks like a very large, sand ditch.

The construction started in 1859 and opened in 1869.  It divides Africa and Asia and is 120 miles long.  It connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.  Over the years, it has had it’s time of turmoil when it closed for several years during a war between Egypt and Israel.  Today it’s maintained by Suez Canal Authority of Egypt and under an international treaty.

Sunday, March 26 was a beautiful, relaxing day.  We were told that our ship was the lead ship in a convoy of 39 ships going through the canal today.  We looked back and could see the line of ships following us.  We are so close to the shore of Egypt, we could sit on our balcony and see small towns, fishing boats, big ships, border patrols, trains and farms.  There are so many small fishing boats today in the narrow canal.  Surprisingly, none of them had motors, just row boats with big nets.  Unfortunately, several times, one of those small boats were in the middle of the canal as we were heading towards them and the bridge had to blow the horn.  

We watched in the beautiful water and saw sting rays and lots of big, jellyfish.  We saw guards standing in small watchtowers all along the canal.  Big sand piles everywhere.  Dredging equipment.  Bridges that swing open during activity in the canal.  Pontoon bridges that sit in sections along the canal and when needed they open up and reach to the other side.  We saw an area that they use to celebrate all the workers of the Suez Canal (special monuments and recreation area).  We also kept spotting these tall, cone shaped objects in shore near homes.  I wasn’t sure what they were so I took some pictures and then did a google search.  Come to find out, they are called ‘pigeon towers’ or dovecotes. Pigeon Towers had been established in Egypt as far back as 3000 BC.  Used for carrier pigeons to deliver messages, fertilizer and also used for food.  I got a pretty good picture of one as we sailed by a small farm. 

We came to areas in the canal that were lakes where ships could pass and then back to canal.  There was a place where the canal split into two separate canals.  We could see huge container ships on the other side of giant sand piles.  As if we were seeing a ship going through a desert.  You couldn’t see the canal or the ship, just containers high above the sand moving magically.  

Before we knew it, we came to a ‘Y’ in the canal and took the right lane.  It was only a short distance and we arrived at Port Said.  Welcome to the Mediterranean!