Felucca

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Feluccas on the NIle

A Felucca is the name for a particular kind of boat used on the Nile in Egypt. It carries a single triangular sail hung at an angle from a single mast. Because they do not have a serious sailboat style keel, they are used mostly in calmer waters, such as rivers. They were the predominant means of transportation on the Nile for many years, and are still in use today, but mostly as a tourist ride. They are an ideal size for large river, and are easy to manoeuvre with just one person, but will accommodate a good group of people.

The "Crew"

On a pleasant Egyptian evening we booked a felucca for a sunset ride on the Nile. Wine, beer, chicken wings and pizza were packed and the boats are all well suited for this type of activity, with comfortable seating around the edges and a large table for food and drinks in the centre.

Fill my glass again . . .

The pilot pushed us away from the pier, and we were off on our Nile felucca ride. The boat has no motor, depending on the quite steady breeze blowing off the desert to power our craft. This is a leisurely trip, no frantic trimming of sails, running back and forth, or balancing the boat by hanging off one side. It is calm, relaxing and peaceful, with the pilot sometimes leaning back holding the tiller with his legs as he helped us sample the chicken wings and pizza. A popular evening activity, the Nile was filled with feluccas gently sailing back and forth across the river as we waited for sunset.

Sunset on the Nile

As the sun set in the west, and the drinks and food were slowly depleted, we watched the skies darken with evening and we made our way back to the dock, another great travel experience. I was reminded once more of the quote from “The Wind In the Willows” by Rat,  "There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats"

A Great Egypt Evening