Suez Canal Ballah Loop.
From memory, this image was captured in early 1966 as the SS Manaar, owned and operated by the Liverpool Shipping Company Thos and Jno Brocklebank Ltd was outbound from the UK with cargo for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). It shows me off watch as Manaar was sailing through the Ballah Loop section of the Suez Canal. At that time, around 5 PM in the afternoon, my junior would have been on watch as the Canal Authorities required that a Radio Watch be maintained at all times when ships were in transit. It is possible to just make out the superstructure of another cargo ship in the background navigating the other section of the Loop. I always smoked a pipe during my time at sea and the Meerschaum pipe tightly clamped to my teeth was probably making more smoke than Manaar's boilers! The photograph was taken by my wife.