Thursday 7th April 1853

This morning the rattle of the great chain by which the anchor was raised awoke me about 4 or 5 o’clock, announcing that we were now about to start our voyage down the Gulf of Suez. The day turned out to be very foggy and prevented us from getting any view of the coast.It however, moderated very considerably the heat of the sun. In the afternoon we passed a high ridge on our left dimly seen through the fog called the heights of Zeittee, on the coast of the peninsula of Sinai. An old negro sat at the bow of the vessel with a coarse mantle thrown over his back as a tent and steadily looking before him. This was our pilot upon whose skill and care our safety depended in our passage through the dangers of the coral reefs and islands with rocky shores of the Gulf of Suez, the Straits of   Jubal and northern portion of the Red Sea. These pilots possess remarkable acuteness of vision and great practical experience of the navigation of these dangerous waters, which they have acquired in navigating their small ships... Their services are mostly required at the two extremities of the Red Sea; for a great part of our voyage our pilot’s attendance was not necessary, but he remained at his post all this day, from, I presume, the time of starting in the early part of the morning, during the whole of the next night till the afternoon of the next day. The presence of the fog, which is, I was informed very unusual in the Red Sea, made his services of peculiar importance.

The full journal will soon be published by Annet House Museum, Linlithgow. Waldie's journey to India forms key feature of the museum's Waldie exhibition.