DAR ES SALAAM - EAST AFRICA – following the dhows south

East Africa - what springs to mind – Kenya, Tanzania - vast plains - animals - snow capped Volcanoes - that’s probably your classic version. What about – elegant Dhows, Sultan palaces in ruins, spices, gold, Portuguese Forts, stunning palm lined beaches, disappearing islands, whale sharks, dolphins and the gentle easterly trades – that was my East Africa – following the Dhows south from Dar es Salaam to Durban. Tanzania and Mozambique for those that know, is a marvelous playground for the adventurous and those prepared to go the extra mile to get off the beaten track. Not so far from the well trodden visits to the game reserves lies a beautiful coast line comparatively untouched and unexplored. When the opportunity presented itself to deliver a 35 foot catamaran back to Durban – it was difficult to say no. A quick look at the charts tells the story – strings of islands, enclosed bays and reefs – perfect for a shallow draft catamaran. Let’s go sailing !

Our adventure started at the Dar es Salaam Yacht Club – perched above the Masana Bay with a magnificent vista, where under the swishing fans the local brewed Kilimanjaro Lager is served cold. DAR is a bustling colorful city – organized chaos is its best description. Like most African cities street vendors sell everything imaginable and the local taxis called Dala Dala’s drive jam packed passengers around for ridiculously cheap fares. Every now and again the city is gridlocked when the president moves through town – all roads are frozen and cleared and the entourage flies through unimpeded at high speed to the sound of blaring sirens. Prayer time is accompanied by whaling sounds from the nearest mosque.

The DMR (DAR Maritime Institute) is near the Dhow Dock in the heart of town and it was here that we serviced our life raft and bought some very expensive flares. They even gave us some good advice from their falling apart Admiralty text books about filling our compass with distilled water. A tall fellow who spoke excellent English known as ‘The Captain’ was very helpful. Customs clearance was a bit of a run around and after be sent from pillar to post making a full tour of the port, various government departments and meeting with senior officials in air conditioned office, I ended up where I had started a few hours earlier. Our preparations and provisioning kept us occupied for a few days more and soon we were anxious to leave.

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