Our speed has increased to nearly nineteen knots; we can go to twenty-three, faster if necessary, but the Red Sea's high temperature isn't good for the engine. I take a more than usual interest in the radar screens.
In the 1880s W.J. Loftie described:
"... the picturesque sailing dhows which come up the Red Sea with coffee, spices, gum, senna, rose leaves, and all the other drugs and perfumes of Araby-the-blest." (Orient Line Guide 1888)
In 2011, rather than lateen sails and exotic cargoes, the dhows' motorized descendants could well be carrying fast skiffs with ladders, grappling hooks and all the firepower of modern piracy. Here's one I photographed through the heat haze.
Charts show we are approaching an island chain - Jaza'ir Farasan - near Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen. One of the channels - and this presumably dates to 19th Century British surveying - is marked 'Pearly Gates'. Oh, dear! Not the time to brightly ask the officer of the watch, "Anything exciting?"
To port, ships that have already run the pirate gauntlet head north.
In an hour or so, no-one will be allowed on the main deck. Bar our stop in Dubai, little work will be done outside until we near Sri Lanka. Eight or nine days of exterior maintenance will be lost.
Access to our accommodation area is being sealed off.
In anti-pirate parlance, the accommodation is now the 'citadel' and we have a 'safe room' should there be gun and rocket fire.
On the bridge are bullet-proof vests, helmets and an extra watchman. At night, searchlights on the wings will be used to dazzle pirates.
Fire hoses to repel boarders have been run out and tested.
Twist-locks - which bolt containers to the deck and together - are recommended for dropping on pirate craft.
Here are two shots: how twist-locks work and one beside my boot to give an idea of size. They're quite heavy.
I suppose they might be effective for putting holes through small boats and heads, although not as effective as an AK-47 (the globalized weapon of choice) firing in the opposite direction.
This afternoon, Denis and I are included in a crew refresher session on what to do if attacked. One of the Filipinos, Elmer Sedicol, turns to me and sums up the situation as well as any overpaid reporter: "Pirates are dangerous, sir."
A somewhat unsettling video is shown. Among the topics, three types of post-traumatic stress which might be experienced after an incident.
___________________________________________________
Sunset in the ominous Red Sea ...
... and, as I write, a slightly larger than normal dose of red wine at my desk.
