Yacht Rally to the Red Sea and Africa

by Event Media on 5 Aug 2005 Following on the success of the 2005 Med-Red Rally, the first international yacht rally to transit the Suez Canal; the organizers have announced the 2nd event for next year.

On 04 March this year over 500 sailors hoisted sail off Tel Aviv marina and set course across the Mediterranean for Port Said.

After a lively introduction to Egyptian hospitality they formed up a convoy of yachts, the likes of which has probably never been seen before in the canal, and headed south through De Lesseps’ famous waterway for Suez.

‘The Canal authorities stopped commercial shipping for almost a whole day as we made our way under engine between Africa and Asia,’ said Eitan Friedlander, one of the rally’s originators.

‘Unbelievable,’ is the word Tel Aviv-based sail maker Easy Swissa used to describe the scene as night fell. ‘I looked astern and saw a fairground of navigation lights stretching back up the Canal into the darkness.’

After arriving in Suez, some crews rested while those eager to explore took advantage of an organized side tour to Cairo and the pyramids.

The participants encountered heavy weather south of Suez, but the togetherness of fifty yachts, some with extremely experienced crews, helped things along and everyone arrived without too much difficulty in the Red Sea resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh.

Five days later the yachts were at the Israeli city of Eilat for a program of offshore racing, beach fun and a visit to the mysterious Petra ruins in Jordan.

Some crews decided to linger in the Red Sea but most set off for the return voyage though the Suez Canal and back to Tel Aviv.

Med-Red 2006 will build on the success of the first rally. ‘At first we weren’t sure how the Egyptian authorities would react,’ says Swissa, ‘but they were fantastic hosts and all the stories we’d heard about masses of paperwork and red tape to make the canal transit just faded away.’ The yachts also enjoyed a special low canal toll for making the trip as a group.

Registration will soon be open for yachtsmen to join the next Med-Red Rally already set for April 2006.

2006 Dates and Major Route:
April 07 - PRE START from Marmaris, Turkey to Tel-Aviv, Israel.
April 11 - Shore day trip to Jerusalem.
April 12 - Sailors will spend the ‘Pesach Eve’ Holiday with families of Israeli sailors.
April 14 - GRAND START for all Yachts from Tel Aviv to Port Said.
April 16 - Bus trip to Cairo and the Pyramids.
April 17 - Transit sailing through the Suez Canal to Suez city – an
unforgettable experience. Being part of the rally makes easy the complex bureaucracy
April 19 - Anchoring at Bluff Point, Red Sea – an ideal spot for
snorkelling over coral reefs.

From this Point the Rally splits into two routes:
Route 1:
April 21 - Arrive Hurghada, Egypt’s foremost Red Sea Resort, well known for its African desert scenery, reefs and attractions.
April 22 - A short overnight trip to Luxor, site the ancient city of Thebes, the Valley of the Kings and Tukankhamen’s tomb.
April 24 - Hurghada to Sharm El Sheikh along the Sinai Peninsula

Route 2:
April 21 – Crossing the Tiran Straits, sail the Gulf of Aqaba to Eilat
April 24 – Sharm El Sheikh -merge with route one participants.

The Fleet joins up back together:
April 26 – From Sharm El Sheikh to Suez City.
May 1st - Back in Israel for a final party, coinciding with Israeli Independence Day Festivities.

For anyone contemplating further Red Sea explorations, the African coast or the Indian Ocean will head south from Sharm El-Sheikh or Hurghada.

The Med-Red Rally is an ideal launch to such an adventure. The yachts returning to Tel Aviv will be back in time for a final party to coincide with Israeli Independence Day, May 3rd.

Rally organizers, who are also sailors and completed the circuit themselves, point out that you don’t have to be a yacht owner in order to participate; arrangements can be made to charter yachts or berth for the rally.

Med Red Rally Race will take Place on April 14th
From Herzliya Marina, Israel to Port Said Marina, Egypt (135 NM)