Up the Nile With a Paddle and a Prayer

By Ray Diaz  

1989

So there we were, dumped on the edge of the Nile, at Luxor, a five-thousand year-old city, which was still not equipped to handle a ship's passengers or cargo. All that we twenty-eight members of Reverend Meyers tourist group from Douglaston had to do was descend a seventy foot steep levee in order to get on the "Atlas," our Nile cruise ship for the next four days

Our guide went down first and, emerging at the bottom from a cloud of dust, waved cheerily to us, saying," Not too bad," and then proceeded to do a balancing act across a stout six-inch wide plank serving as a gangplank to "Atlas." Our first tourist down the levee was not as lucky as big aims and legs stuck out from a cloud of dust.

On our way to Aswan we saw temples, burial vaults, excavated ruins, and towns built upon ruins. At Esna, fifty feet of shifting desert sand had covered the excavated temple. The town was apparently raised and rebuilt upon it self.

On the wall of the temple of Deir El Bahara near Thebes are sculptured fleets of sailing vessel of Queen Hatshepsut cruising the Nile and beyond for commerce, warfare, pomp, royal ceremony and tourism (remember Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, and the Douglaston28). Carvings show galleys propelled by both oars and square sails, able to operate because the Egyptian gods saw fit to have the predominant winds blow from the North strongly enough to push them upriver against a 2+ knot current. These square rigged vessels could either drift or row their way north to the Mediterranean or hoist sail and be blown south and up river to fight the Nubians above the natural barrier offered by the cataracts.

Our ship, "Atlas," was said to be seventy years old and, judging by the 1920's ambience and furnishings, we believed it. Its design was similar to the other 135 cruise ships and had a proper pointed bow, a box like profile, two 700 h.p. diesels, and a crew of six. Its passenger cabins, about I IX9, were on the first three of the four decks. The dining room and a large bar were located on the top lounge deck, complete with comfortable wicker chairs. A popular item was a 3/4 liter bottle of fine Stahl beer costing 62 cents. The money saved on this was spent on the wave of souvenir stalls and hawkers awaiting us at each stop.

Competing with the tourist steamers and motorized barges plying the river are the innumerable locally built Feluccas which can sail either up or down the river by means of their disguised fore and aft rig, which is in between a lateen sail and a Marconi rig main. This Felucca rig has a topmast boom or yard of considerable length, which is raised to the mast top and is set at 85 degrees from the horizon so that the top most boom tip appears as an extension of the mast. The Felucca mast is approximately one boat length in height, is stayed forward with shrouds offering lateral support so that it leans forward. The boom and sail remain on the starboard side for either tack. To furl sail, the boom is not lowered, but, instead, the bottom is lashed at the mast butt, while the topmost portion of the sail, above the mast, is slackened so that the hoops to which the sail is fastened run down the nearly vertical boom to gather where the boom is secured to the mast top. The parrel securing the boom to the mast is a simple rope loop. The sails are of cotton, triangular, with a full cut.

While we were there the winds were relatively constant and under 10 mph. One wonders how such a high-reaching rig would perform in sudden gusts. The secret, it is said, lies in the construction of the boom. Its extreme flexibility at the tips allows the sail to fall away during the puffs and spill the excess wind. The flexibility is obtained by lashing two long saplings together at their base. Booms were longer than two boats.

We had a wild ride aboard a fleet of feluccas sailing to Elephantine Island from Aswan. The thirty- five foot boats had round bottoms fitted with centerboards and seats around the large cockpit. The rudders extended about four feet from the boat and six inches under water. With more than one boat on the same course, the Nubian sailors as all sailors do, held an impromptu race. With sails in a "last season condition," the captain was urged to cheat. He sprang to the oars- oars? 25 foot long 2X4's-and brought us in twelfth out of a field of twelve.

It was a fine cruise. Nobody fell overboard; I only lost one shoe-, the distaff member bargained for forty-two pounds of souvenirs; the security searches at the airports lasted only four hours each, and Reverend Meyer's intercession guaranteed a safe twelve-hour flight Ollie's ride home from Kennedy was almost as thrilling.