Can you see the old man in the back row (3rd from right), to the left of Captain Mohammed (centre, back row)? That is Abd El-Fatah, Captain Mohammed’s former sailing teacher. Now he accompanies the MINYA on its travels as a guiding and enriching presence, taking over if the captain has to leave the helm temporarily.
Captain Mohammed and his teacher
Once there were three friends who worked together plying their boats. One was Abd El-Fatah. Sadly, the other two died last year. Boys who wanted to learn about sailing could be taught everything they would need to know by these three veterans of the river. One such boy was Mohammed, now captain of our dahabiyas MINYA and ABUNDANCE.
Now Captain Fatah travels with us, sometimes taking the role of captain, sometimes as a guest.
Fatah is quite deaf and thus finds speaking difficult, but he has devised a system of sign language and sounds that enable him to communicate. We always look forward to his presence on our travels.
The Crew
Our crew members are a great team and enjoy working together.
Reserved and courteous, they’re popular with our guests. The cook is particularly appreciated and admired for his skill at fulfilling special wishes and his ability to catering to food intolerances.
