E236 – 1,248 Miles Through Pirate Waters as War Breaks Out, Socotra to Sudan

In this episode, we leave Socotra behind and begin a 1,248 nautical mile journey through some of the most challenging and dangerous waters of our voyage. But as we leave, the situation in the region is rapidly escalating, with the conflict between the US and Iran making an already dangerous passage feel even more uncertain. Our route takes us across the Gulf of Aden, through the Bab-el-Mandeb and past the Hanish Islands — a notorious stretch of water with a long history of piracy. With tensions rising and the threat of conflict adding another layer of uncertainty, we know this is going to be a passage unlike any other. Along the way, we are approached by a skiff which, thankfully, turns out to be a fishing boat rather than pirates. We trade a few tins of food with the fishermen before continuing our journey. After 10 days at sea, we finally arrive in Suakin, Sudan, but our challenges aren't over. We soon discover that widespread GPS spoofing has made our chart plotters unreliable, leaving us without a usable electronic position. With no electronic charts available to help us navigate, we need to find another way to determine exactly where we are. Chris explains how we use Starlink as a positioning service and, in a rather unconventional setup, feed that position data back into our chart plotter and NMEA network. It's a fascinating technical solution to a very real navigation problem — and another reminder that when you're sailing in some of the world's most remote waters, you need to be prepared when the technology you normally rely on suddenly stops working. Timestamps if you like to Jump Right In: 00:00 Intro 00:36 Leaving Socotra 04:00 AIS information 05:20 Fishermen or PIRATES? 07:34 Mid ocean swim 11:06 GPS Spoofing 14:10 A GPS solution WHO ARE WE? Hey there! We’re Chris and Jo, an ordinary Aussie couple living our extraordinary dream aboard our Seawind 1260 since January 2019 and now we continue from 2024 aboard our new 1370! Our adventure began with an unforgettable journey down the east coast of Australia, followed by a sail to the stunning New Caledonia. In 2020, we continued our exploration further north, and by 2021 and 2022, we circumnavigated Australia, discovering breathtaking locations along the way. Having previously owned fishing and water-skiing boats, our passion for sailing deepened after crewing in South Australia, leading us to make the leap into full-time living at sea. We hope to inspire you, just as we were inspired by other YouTube channels, to chase your dreams and explore the wonders of this beautiful world. Join us on our journey, and don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more sailing adventures! #seawind1370 #seawindcats #sailing #sailingboat #sailingyacht #yacht #yachting #yachtinglifestyle #cruisinglife #boatlaunch