McDermott was seen boarding the vessel that evening with his fishing gear and a duffle bag.

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Boarding a vessel on the Nile is to peel back millennia and slow down to river speed as ancient temples, oxcarts and palm trees pass by, unaltered since Pharaohs ruled the roost.

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But "if the Coast Guard boarding officer were to conduct a vessel safety inspection under normal circumstances and see that many people on board a boat that size, they would definitely recommend that the operator probably return to port and offload some of them, " Mr. McKenzie said.

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