Well we broke out of the Suez Canal. We made it but the day was not without it's trials and tribulations. Our pilot arrived and we cast off our lines. The first thing he demanded was a hat. I yelled back that he should have brought his own. Then tossed him one that we had been saving for this moment. I just wanted to establish a pecking order. Yelling is the normal way people communicate here. He wanted to take the helm even before we cleared the dock. I resisted. We had a fight over how fast to run the engines. He wanted to go faster. We were maxed. The day was hot. The helm seat was square in the sun.... Sure I said... have at it....enjoy yourself. I ducked inside for a cool drink and enjoyed having a driver.

Freebird wasn't her usual perky self. She was going very slow and the motors wouldn't come up to cruising RPM. Something was fouling the propellers. We were only making three and a half knots. I tried to explain that we needed to stop and clear the props. The pilot spoke no English. Finally I showed him my dive mask and some fishing net ..... The light went on! An hour later he screamed at us to anchor "here". We did. I jumped in the water and cleared the fishing net and excess barnacles from the propellers. While in the water the canal "God" or who ever it is came on the radio and reprimanded us for anchoring. There was lots of yelling between the pilot and the "God". I finished my job and we proceeded up the canal at six and a half knots. Everybody's happy right?... Wrong..... The canal "God" want's us to pull into the dock at Port Said and explain why we anchored. We had heard from other cruisers that they try to get you in there so they can extort you for more Bakshesh (bribes) Everyone advised us to stay away from there at all costs. I yelled an emphatic "NO" that we would not be going in there. The normal procedure is for a pilot boat to pick up the pilot from your boat as you leave the canal. We argued for a while... him in Arabic, me in English (mostly). Then the scene went quiet. Now he starts pleading with me. I hold my ground. At this point Judy suggests that we give him at least some of his Bakshesh (tip/bribe) I do so. Suddenly.....Hey guess what? We don't have to stop after all.... It's a miracle! So we are approaching the end of the canal and the city of Port Said. Here comes the pilot boat racing up like they are going to ram us. Intimidation! We hold our coarse and Bruce stands by with fender in hand ready for defensive action. The losers on the pilot boat start demanding cigarettes, hats, etc. They won't pick up the pilot until we cough up something. Judy takes their picture and they go berserk. Finally, I toss them my old ratty hat off my head. They look it over and toss it back...(can't blame them). So Burce flips them his coveted baseball hat. At this point I'm ready to take the pilot all the way to Israel. He starts begging for more money (a bigger tip..no pride here) Were done.... Nope, your going to Israel with us. Finally the Pilot boat approaches and he makes the leap and we are Free as a Bird from these extorting idiots. Good bye Egypt.....



A short side note from j ~ . Well, after all the horror stories from the previous canal transistors (the cruisers ahead of us), i was prepared for the worst. I had a roast chicken & rice dinner, lots of cookies, cokes, Tshirts, hats, coffee, & cigarettes. Just get me through this last final hurdle!. It was going pretty smoothly until we anchored. Then all hell broke loose. The guards on the side of the canal were blowing their whistles, yelling & waving their arms while the guy is calmly scraping away. The pilot is on both the radio & his cell phone screaming his guts out.. We get back underway after he takes about 20 calls he tells us we have to stop in Said. HMMMMM, well NO. It goes back and forth. I pack Dave's bookbag with a clean pair of undies, a long sleeve warm shirt, granola bars, cookies, extra cigarettes, soap, toothbrush etc........... YIKES
It's over, but not without a fight!
Brother Bruce wanted to go with us through the canal, to experience "The Big Ditch". Boy, did he ever.

Clearing the last channel buoy we set sail for Israel. The sun is setting and we are ready for a little celebration. Just then the autopilot decides to take a break. Then after a while "OTTO" decides to cooperate. Off we go into our first night on the Mediterranean Sea. We sailed and motored through the night and by morning we were being contacted by the Israeli Navy. Still 50 miles off the coast, they have been tracking us on radar and want to know who we are and what we're up to. They courteously asks their list of questions and we responded likewise. Later in the day we were buzzed by a patrol boat and asked the same questions again. Finally we arrived at Ashkelon Marina customs dock. We entered the country officially and were greeted by friends from other boats that had arrived ahead of us....



Recommended Reading: Red Sea Run by Captain Fatty Goodlander