Our departure from the Tulip Inn 
followed a bit of repair to our air filter sock which had started to smoulder when the carb had a bit of a spit back as we left the ferry yesterday. We would have to find a much more suitable solution but were still trying to figure out just how to do it.
Once again we had an easy drive ahead of us, leaving the hotel at 9.30 for the 350K. On the way we stopped to check on one of the organisers Toyota's which was parked up with the bonnet up. 
Suspected metering unit, so nothing David Spurling or I could do to help, so onwards & downwards as it were.
With fuel only 12p a litre we filled up at Jeddah port. When Richard came to restart the car, the battery was flat. Oh!!! Bugger!!!!! The top bolt from the alternator adjuster strap had come out, so it had not been charging for however long. Neither Richard nor I had noticed the battery condition gauge gradually falling off the scale. This was one problem with having no warning light.
As we had a long wait at the holding park before being allowed into the port, I took the opportunity, not only to replace the missing bolt, but to start re plumbing the fuel pipes into a sensible working order, instead of the bodge job done in Greece. Needing some fuel hose, I sent Richard off to see what he could come up with. In next to no time he came back, very smug, a length of exactly the sort of hose I was looking for in his hand. He explained that having been in the country for some time, he knew that the truckers had all sorts of emergency bits & pieces in their lorries, so he had just gone up to one that was in the same car park & asked. Opening a box on the side of the tractor unit,the driver pulled out a couple of metres of pipe. He wanted nothing for it & Richard felt it incumbent on himself to give the driver a packet of biscuits. 
Many of the crews also took the chance to carry out routine maintenance, as we had much more time than expected before the ferry. 
Then it was time to face the camera again as we left the country. 
Finger prints & camera call were once again the order of the day & then we were off to the ferry. For once it wasn't us, it was the Merc of Owain Lloyd & Peter Scott that was towed onto the ferry.
This time we had cabins, so after grabbing our bags, we made our way up to the passenger decks. It was a little worrying, when we met a couple of crews heading back down to the car deck to get sleeping bags, cabin conditions were not good it seemed.
No such problem for us, we had a first class cabin, didn't we. 
Well that's what our ticket said. It certainly lived up to it's billing. It even had a view, but then so did everyone else, straight into our cabin from the walk way around the deck. 
Having heard that David Spurling & Nigel Grey had immediately asked to be rehoused as their cabin was already occupied, a family of cockroaches having already moved in, we made a careful inspection, before deeming it fit for our occupancy.
Being where we were there was of course no alcohol, unless of course, you had the foresight to smuggle it on board, so our pre diner get together was enlivened by the inevitable Coca Cola, Sprite etc. We were joined by Alex Thistlethwayte & David Hiscox & learned all about their accident & subsequent efforts to rejoin us in Jeddah.Much fun was had by all.
Then it was down below for food. They say that revenge is best served cold or something very similar. What it is when served lukewarm, I don't know but that's what we got. Having said that the food wasn't that bad. The non alcoholic haze made sure of that.
With no bar, most crews headed for their cabins. A walk around soon indicated which cabins were enjoying the odd tipple or two. We were not bright enough, so with an aircon system which defied all efforts on our part to either turn it off or reduce the freezing effect it was having, we tried to sleep. Myself for certain regretted the absence of a cosy sleeping bag currently resting in the boot of the car.
