Red Sea (Saudi Arabia - NEOM)

The northern Red Sea off Saudi Arabia's Tabuk coast is one of the most peculiar sailing frontiers I've encountered — a place where a government is essentially building a nation-state around a coastline that still feels largely untouched. The NEOM development zone stretches roughly from Sharma southward, and the reefs here are genuinely spectacular: clear water, healthy coral, and almost no boat traffic. That emptiness cuts both ways, of course.

Winds in this section of the Red Sea blow predominantly from the north-northwest for most of the cooler season, which makes southward passages comfortable and the return trip a beat or a motor. The sea state is manageable compared to the southern Red Sea's notorious chop, but afternoon thermal acceleration can push 20-plus knots through the Gulf of Aqaba without much warning.

Day sailing between anchorages is practical, and the protected bays along the Tabuk shoreline offer surprisingly good holding in sand behind fringing reefs. Night passages are straightforward in settled conditions but demand attentive reef navigation — paper charts and electronic charts frequently disagree out here.

Chartering is still nascent. Marsa Sharma has an emerging marina and serves as the logical base port, with a handful of operators offering skippered liveaboards rather than bareboat options. Provisioning is improving but thin — bring your own alcohol (you won't find any) and load the boat properly before departure.

The cultural dimension is genuine: a day trip inland to Hegra puts you among Nabataean tombs that dwarf Petra in isolation and atmosphere, and Saudi hospitality, once you're ashore, is disarming.

Saudi entry requirements and cruising permits require lead time and patience — bureaucracy remains the biggest obstacle for foreign sailors.