Camels along the road near Salalah, Oman

Sailing Faith: The Long

Way Home

Gregg II trying on a fez with his new outfit in Salalah, Oman

The Gregg A Granger

Family Adventure

We just think she's so pretty

A market street in Old Sana'a, Yemen

Oman

We also visit Job’s tomb.  The Old Testament Job is an Islamic prophet.  We enjoy our drive up through the mountains, stopping to visit a pack of camels, and laughing at the camel crossing signs on the road, and seeing the frankincense groves along the way.  Frankincense plants are large woody shrubs or small trees with a single stem, grown gnarly from the arid winds that blow over the area.  Frankincense, and myrrh, for that matter, are crystallized saps from these plants, and burned as incense.

Yemen

There is a sensational aspect to reports of yacht piracy – differentiated from commercial piracy – in this area.  We depart Oman for Aden on 7 March for our passage through pirate alley.  The Camel Convoy, we name ourselves for the 600 mile journey, with 4 other boats: Aldebaran, Ireland; Li, Sweden; Windpocke, German (I ask, and Windpocke means barnacle of the wind in Deutsch); and Pacific Bliss, American.  We have a good time, maintain minimal radio contact, except for our morning briefing on the SSB, and never give away our position on the radio having heard that pirates listen to the radio too.  When the first fishing boat comes alongside the leading boat, Pacific Bliss, we all flex our sphincters a bit, and converge on them, until they come over the radio and tell us the guys are asking for water and cigarettes in exchange for fresh fish, and there’s no need for alarm. 

Greggii and I wait in Faith’s cockpit for someone to come to our boat.  One finally comes, and Greggii gives them a bottle of water and a pack of cigarettes and receives a bunch of fish that had been riding in the bilge of their boat for a couple of days.  It's a matter of honor not to refuse their gifts so we wait until they’re out of sight before releasing these fish.  Greggii and I are dressed in our Omani garb for this passage, figuring that if anybody with devious intentions approaches, we'll just tell them the white guys are in the other boats. 

Home is the only country we've been to that refrigerates eggs. If eggs and most produce are never refrigerated, they last considerably longer.

Eating dinner in Aden, Yemen

Gregg II and a friend for the picture in Sana'a Yemen

Say, "Cheese" for the picture