Sand Storms and the Land of the Silver Sun

Current Location: Suakin , Sudan (Northern Africa, Red Sea) Current Position: 19 06.55 N 37 20.35 E Next Destination: Going North up the Red Sea, towards Egypt

From Thailand to Sudan we've traveled over 4100 nautical miles. In two months we've crossed another ocean, been hammered by rough seas, been completely covered in dirt by "brown out" sand storms, and have passed through "Pirate Alley". We've avoided more large ships, taken on more green water, and have had more damage to Billabong and gear than in all of our previous four years of cruising. We've been astonished and intrigued beyond our imaginations by exotic locations. The people are some of the friendliest (and poorest) we've met on our trip, and once again we are amazed by the wonders of the world!!

Since leaving Thailand, including our time at anchorage, we have sustained an average speed of 3.0 knots -- in essence we have not stopped moving!!! We've covered so much in such a little amount of time that we've been struggling to keep up (as you may have noticed by the lack of BLOGs). To help us catch up, we bring you six journal pieces and three photo albums (instead of a BLOG):

JOURNALS

January 17 - 29 2008: Northern Indian Ocean Crapola Begins

Thailand to Uligan, Maldives was not the pleasant trip we were hoping for, but at least there were fish! (repeat of BLOG posted 01/25/08, with added photographs)

January 29 - Feb 5, 2008: Another Idyllic Atoll, with a Culture twist

Uligan, Maldives was a fantastic break from the Indian Ocean passages. The atoll anchorage was like many others, but the culture, people, and living arrangements were unique to those we'd seen in the South Pacific.

February 5 - 15, 2008: Bashing through the Indian Ocean

So much for the advertised excellent passages of the Northern Indian Ocean. With exception of the fish catching, this was one of Billabong's worst passages to date.

February 15 - 20, 2008: Repairs, repairs, and more repairs

We didn't have much time for fun in Salalah, Oman as we were too busy trying to clean-up the mess created from the passage getting there.

February 21 - 26, 2008: At it again - another 617 miles under our belt

The passage from Oman to Aden (Yemen) included sandstorms and some rough seas, but at least it was pirate free!

February 26 - 29, 2008: Fun in Arab Town

Aden, Yemen was an unexpected delight. We enjoyed the culture, the scenery, and the rest.

PHOTO ALBUMS

Uligan, Maldives

Salalah, Oman

Aden, Yemen

Now that we are farther north in the Red Sea we suspect we will have more time in anchorages waiting for weather, and during this time we hope to write more BLOGs and to keep you better posted on our travels! By the way, we've also added some new photos under My Favorite Photos left.

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Suakin

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Suakin, Sudan, Africa
18 Feet Ok Holding
Just off ruins of Old Suakin

Ruins of Old Suakin

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Long Island

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Long Island, Sudan, Africa
50 Feet Good Holding
Lagoon has Flamingos and Nesting Osprey

African Flamingos in Flight

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Sparta: a visit in 1914

In the spring of 1914 Agnes Ethel Conway (1885-1950) and Evelyn Radford (1887-1969) visited Sparta as part of a wider tour of the Peloponnese. Both had studied at Newnham College, Cambridge.

We found the remains of a barely recognizable theatre almost hidden in cornfields, and a bit of a Roman wall. As for the excavations of the precinct of Artemis Orthia, which have yielded the British archæologists objects of great importance in an unbroken succession from the tenth century B.C. downward, we could scarcely believe that the rubbishy foundation walls had not been built the other day by peasants. Had we come upon such things ourselves, we should have shamefacedly covered them up again and said nothing about them! A shepherd’s hut on the edge of the enclosure was infinitely better built.

The excavations had been completed under Richard Dawkins.

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Easter Island

I love this picture...I just had to put it up.

It reminds me of the Lucy Kissing A Cow photo.

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Knor Nawarat

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Knor Nawarat, Sudan, Africa
25 Feet Great holding
160 Miles Ave 5.7 Knots
Another Low Island Anchorage where we met a local Bedouin who gave KT a ride on his camel

Kt gets her Camel Ride

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Megalopolis: 'A quarrel is a capital thing'

The interpretation of the theatre at Megalopolis caused a major disagreement between the British excavators and Wilhelm Dörpfeld. Eugénie Sellers wrote a letter in support of Dörpfeld (and critical of Ernest Gardner, the Director of the BSA) to the Athenaeum ('The Theatres of Megalopolis', July 4, 1891). In addition, a short note from her, dated March 29 [1891], was published by the Classical Review (5, 5, May 1891) along with a summary of Dörpfeld's comments summarised by Louis Dyer.

Sellers' letter, and the wider dispute, was noted in the weekly theatrical newspaper The Era ('Theatrical Gossip', July 11, 1891).

A quarrel is a capital thing in a family, but, like all other good things, it should come to an end some time or other. There was a theatre built several hundred years B.C., of which a good deal still remains to be quarrelled over; but we must say that we think it would show better taste if people just dropped the subject now. The theatre (or its ruins) is at Megalopolis; but it is quite a long time since there were any performances there—a thousand years, very likely. Probably the Megalopolitan Lord Chamberlain would insist on its being relicensed if they wanted to play the Agamemnon or the Seven Against Thebes there now; and, anyhow, we think Mr Gardner and Dr. Dörpfeld might leave off squabbling about it in the highly respectable page of the Athenaeum. No doubt the point they are fighting over is one of supreme importance. Dr. Dörpfeld says that the lower steps could not possibly, any more than the wall at the back, belong to the original structure, and Mr Gardner says contrariwise. But, after a thousand years or so, even a subject like this palls, unless, indeed, it is treated by Mr Rider Haggard; and Mr Gardner's obstinacy has actually brought a pretty girl into the controversy. Miss (or Mrs) Eugénie Sellers—we do not know her, but she must be pretty with that name—has only last week written a letter to say that Mr G. is a bold, bad man and has no right to chaff Dr. D. about the scænæ frons when he makes such gross errors himself about the logeion. Eugénie even goes so far as to say some very cross things about certain Skenengebäude mentioned by Mr G.

Image
© David Gill

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Me Gusta El Mar!

Since my last post, CK and I spent some time in Mendoza, drinking more wine, enjoying the Mendocino life. We went on a wine tour, which is not what I was used to. We only got to taste two types of wine at each place, however, the tour was interesting. It was all in Spanish, so I only understood half of it, but I still feel like I learned something. We stayed in perhaps the worst hostel ever while there. It was so dirty and nasty; I didnt even take a shower for a couple of days because I was so disgusted by the shower. Also, they were supposed to have breakfast included, and there was none. They were supposed to have internet access and there was none. They totally falsly advertised and were so dirty to boot! The worst thing is, it was the wine festival and so we ended up having to stay there regardless. However, in spite of this, our stay was very nice.

After Mendoza, we went to Buenos Aires to apply for our visa to Brazil. S had done this earlier in the year and had had a really bad time of it. He had to stand in line for 6 hours or something. We went early on Monday, thinking we would have the same experience. However, we were in and out in about 15 minutes, leaving us a whole extra day to hang out in the city. We had even brought lunch, thinking we would be stranded in line and not able to leave to get food! It was a welcome surprise.

From Buenos Aires we came to Mar Del Plata, where we are now. It is a beach town about 5 hours south of the city, where all the city dwellers come for the summer months of January and February. However, since we are here in March, it is still warm, but not very busy, which is perfect. So, we are back at the beach again. In Argentina this time though. Yeah, I know, we just cant get enough of Argentina, really. We actually like it so much, we decided to find an apartment in Buenos Aries again. I will take a Spanish class, and we will sit at the cafes and watch all the beautiful people go by.

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Night 1

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Southerly Winds North of Massawa

Those teeth

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Melos: the churches

In April 1896 Robert Carr Bosanquet, who had been left in charge of the excavations while Cecil Harcourt-Smith was in Athens, was joined on Melos by two contemporaries from Trinity College, Cambridge: Henry Martineau Fletcher (1870-1953) and Sydney Decimus Kitson (1871-1937). Fletcher and Kitson had both matriculated at Trinity in 1889 (the year above Bosanquet) and were on an extended trip through Italy and Greece. While on Melos they made a study of the Byzantine churches. Neither was admitted as a student of the BSA.

Fletcher had been educated at Marlborough, and had been awarded a first in Part 1 of the Cambridge Classical Tripos (1892). He was articled to Mervyn Macartney. He later worked as an architect (FRIBA 1908) and served as Vice-President (1929-31) Honorary Secretary (1934-39) of RIBA. He helped to design the War Memorial at St John's College, Cambridge.

Kitson had been educated at Charterhouse. Kitson's father, James, was a locomotive engineer; his half-brother was the First Baron Airedale. Kitson was articled to E.J. May in London. He practised as an architect in Leeds as the senior partner of Kitson, Parish, Ledgard and Pyman. Among his designs was the Leeds School of Art. Kitson was an authority of John Sell Cotman and the Norwich School of painting. His collection of Cotman drawings and watercolours were bequeathed to RIBA; a former BSA student, Adolph Paul Oppé, prepared the catalogue.

Reference
Fletcher, H. M., and S. D. Kitson. 1895/6. "The churches of Melos." Annual of the British School at Athens 2: 155-68.

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