The death of a British schoolteacher on holiday in Egypt has raised concerns over whether Nile sailing boats safe.
Luke Day, 31, drowned when he tried to save his wife from the capsized felucca boat on which they had booked a two-day excursion.
He successfully freed his wife and two other holidaymakers from the vessel, but became trapped beneath the overturned boat.
The couple, who married in April, were on an extended honeymoon and booked the felucca excursion between Aswan and Luxor. Feluccas are a popular way to travel on the Nile, offering trips of between one and four days, often with camping on the shore at night.
The traditional wooden boats have large triangular sails and offer a more romantic alternative to cruise ships. They are particularly popular for sunset cruises, reaching parts of the river inaccessible to larger vessels.
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The incident happened at 3am on Monday after a storm blew in bringing high winds and waves. According to the Egyptian State Tourist Office, this is the first instance of a holidaymaker being killed in an accident involving a felucca.
A spokeswoman told Times Online: “This is a result of freak floods in Egypt and Israel, which has affected some rivers. As far as we know, nothing like this has ever happened before.”
The extreme weather also led to a temporary closure of Sharm el Sheik’s new airport terminal due to storm damage. Flights have been using the old terminal building.
Feluccas are offered both by local companies and British travel companies. A number of Egypt travel websites carry warnings concerning felucca operators.
Most sites advise potential customers to meet the captain before agreeing to sail and satisfy themselves that the boat is safe. One advice site reads: “If either the captain or the boat is changed at the last-minute and is different from the one originally agreed upon, other arrangements should be considered.”
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Brenda Idle, an Australian holidaymaker who booked a felucca trip last year, would agree. “It was wonderful, but we were told to pick carefully as there were some dodgy boats,” she told Times Online.
All feluccas are licenced by a local authority, according to the Egyptian State Tourist Office, which carries out checks on boats and crew to ensure safety standards are maintained.
Incidents of capsizing are rare, although one was recorded by Sunday Times contributor John Kampfner, who describes how he helped to rescue an Italian couple after their felucca upended in a gust of wind.
The adventure tour operator, Explore Worldwide, has been offering felucca trips for over 20 years. They are promoted on its website: “There’s no better way to appreciate the easy pace of life on the Nile than to join a felucca sailtrek. The felucca has been the most popular vessel on the Nile for centuries and is still widely used today. About 11m long and rigged with a tall lateen or triangular sail, it has no motor and relies only on the steady north wind.”
Explore product manager for Africa, Peter Eshelby, told Times Online that feluccas are “absolutely” safe.
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“A flood is obviously a freak event, he said, “nothing like this has happened in Explore’s living memory of 20 years of working with feluccas on the Nile.”
He advises holidaymakers who want to go on a felucca trip to book with a reputable UK tour operator, which will take responsibility for your safety under the EU Package Travel Directive.
He said: “UK operators such as Explore know their suppliers and check regularly that their sailing craft are in good condition. All waterborne craft used by Explore have life jackets on board and everyone’s briefed on safety procedures by the master of the vessel.”
“It’s impossible to guarantee safety 100% where water is concerned, and part of the briefing asks guests to stay alert as individuals and to watch out for their personal safety.”