Muscat to Fujairah (U.A.E.) - Dubai

Hello To You All Again

Just a very quick note from the Middle East.

Well here we are now sitting in Dubai. SHAMAL is in the UAE [United Arab Emirates] but not here in Dubai. We checked into the country in the Emirate of Fujairah on the 27th of April after a wonderful three weeks in Oman visiting with friends and relaxing in beautiful bays where the waters were so-ooo clean and clear. We were still swimming around midnight some nights as the water was so-ooo good.

Goa - Panji to Muscat - Oman

Yes it’s us again.

Well we left Goa at 2.00pm on Friday 19th March, crossing the Bay just outside the river mouth doing a good 6-8kts on a close reach with a 1,000nm crossing of the Arabian Sea lying ahead of us to reach Muscat. We have had similar distances in the past taking a maximum of eight days, but, with it being mid to late March it is not the most favourable time to make this crossing as the north east trades are starting to run out and in our case it looks like we will have westerly’s ahead of us. We don’t have the fuel to motor the whole way so it looks like we will be doing alot of tacking.

Galle to Panaji - Goa - India

This is only the Commander

Hello again

Yes It's Team SHAMAL Here Again

As I start this note we are about 60nm south of the Indian Port at Goa – Panaji – where we hope to stop for a night or two before heading out across the Arabian Sea to Muscat – Oman. No we don’t have a visa but have found out through our son ‘The Shore Manager’ that New Zealand is one of only five countries which can gain a visa on arrival. The other four are Finland, Luxembourg, Japan and Singapore. Time will tell. We have used a bit of diesel on the run up the Indian coastline and it would be nice to be able to fill the tanks and jerry cans before we make the crossing of about 975nm. Winds are a little light and variable, but in saying that we have had lovely runs every afternoon when the sea breeze kicks in sometimes well into the night.