the northeast, the coast is indented by small, sandy bays fringed by rocks. Ras al-Ya, about northeast of Ras Zafaranat, is the east extremity of the island and consists of a prominent bluff rising to a ridge of hills which extend westward to the center of the island. A conspicuous peak, high, stands about west-northwest of Ras al-Ya. Jabal Madrub rises about farther west-northwest. Ras al-Jazirah, about six km north-northwest of Ras al-Ya, is rocky and well-marked by a black patch on its south side. A sharp peak, rising to a height of , stands about west of this point. Jazirat Thukhayr, a sandy islet close north of Ras al-Jazirah, lies on a drying reef connected to the shore. Drying rocks extend up to off the eastern extremity of the islet. The coast between Ras al Jazirah and Ras Qudufah, the northeast extremity of the island, about further north-northwest, is indented by a bay. Ras Qudufah, consisting of two rocky projections about apart, rises to Jabal al-Jidufa, about high, a short distance inland. A cairn stands on a hill close south of Jabal al-Jidufa, and a small monument stands close southwest of Ras Qudufah. Climate Saiq has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with hot summers and warm winters. Precipitation is low, and falls mainly from February to April as well as in the brief monsoon season from June to August. Tourism Masirah Island opened for tourism in the 1990s. One can still only get to the island by ferry, managed by the National Ferry Company, which runs six times a day between Shannah to Masirah. There are hotels and a kitesurfing camp. For kitesurfers, Masirah is an attractive spot in summer because of the monsoon winds which blow steadily at over . Rental cars are available on the island. Military base The British established a military presence on Masirah in the 1930s. A small stone building, a fuel store for land based aircraft flying between Aden and Muscat, stood at the midpoint of the island on the west side, and had a stone above the door inscribed "RAF 1936". A dispute between British forces and the local inhabitants took place in 1942, led by one of two local sheikhs, who were eventually forced to flee the island. During WW II, The British paid the Sultan of Muscat a stipend of £18,000 per annum for affording British forces