Time passes, but every day is a new experience, like a new painting to admire.
On Wednesday, we left the Suez Canal and set sail again to try to navigate, as best we could, through the Gulf of Suez. Traffic is heavy there, with many unlit vessels without AIS. So we have to keep watch on deck. We also celebrated Jessica's birthday—not a bad place to celebrate turning 24!
Yesterday morning, the crew let me rest. I must say that the sleep deficit has been weighing on me for a few months now... But I was still able to enjoy our entry into the Gulf of Suez, which marked the end of our passage through the canal, 15 years after passing through the Panama Canal with my family on board a completely different boat!
The Gulf is a bit like a lake, but instead of the Jura and its snow-capped Salève, there are absolutely magnificent mountains of sand. It makes you want to grab a surfboard and go for a little ride!
Our next stop will be Sindalah, a small island north of Saudi Arabia, where we should fill out our customs papers before heading back to Amaala.
I have so many memories of these last two days along the coast of Egypt: lovely people, incredible landscapes, breathtaking colors.
Being aboard the first IMOCA to pass through here is like playing our part in writing a page of sailing history. It also gives us a sense of pride to be leading the way and blazing a trail ahead of The Ocean Race 2027. It will be remembered!
Picture © Pierre Bouras