A Week In Morocco

This is a running commentary on our stay so far in Rabat. Sadly, the wifi connection at the marina is not able to accept any web connections that require secure connections so I have been unable to update the blog. My Mother arrived yesterday evening an her hotel has good wifi but I don't want to trespass on their hospitality so far as to put pictures up at the moment.

We arrrived in the Marina Bouregreg this morning after a two day passage from Cadiz. The sail was a bit frustrating on account of a lack of wind. When looking at the chart, it shows a painfully slow progression down the coast to the Straits of Gibraltar where we picked up a sea breeze along with the typically stronger winds in the Straits – not a levanter or poniente though. Subsequent to that, the wind dropped and we motored through the night and most of the day. We had worked out it would be slow so only motored slowly. However, at about three ships time a sea breeze gave us a nice sail to within 30 miles of Rabat before dying away again.

We decided not to chance a night entrance but tried heaving to initially. This would have worked well if the wind hadn't died to nothing again leaving the sails slatting and banging in a way that prevented all chance of a sleep. Next, we took all sail down and tried lying ahull as it is called. Usually, this is a storm survival tactic, as is heaving to really. However, this left us with a vicious little roll and set everything below rattling and banging instead of the sails. Lastly, we started the engine and motored very slowly so as to arrive in daylight.

There was a bit of thrill as we headed in when a school of dolphins played around us. Obviously, we didn't see as much as when they visit in daylight hours but it was neat to see them.

The entrance to the Oued Bou Regreg is what is known as challenging. Thus, it has the potential to be dangerous in the wrong conditions. The big issue with this coast is the Atlantic swell. Swell is often generated hundreds or even thousands of miles away so is not directly related to the weather conditions nearby. We had a flat calm but there was still a one meter swell running. Thankfully, this only makes the entrance a bit hair raising rather than dangerous. There are two break waters either side of the mouth of the river and then a corner. It is at the corner that things really happen as the river shallows a lot and the swell is concentrated in a narrow channel. So, it does what all waves do in this situation and the wave climbs, steepens and even breaks. By the time you are here, you are committed of course so have to take what is dished out to you.

We were fine or lucky if you prefer. A couple of larger waves both preceeded and followed us giving us a painless passage through. We had intended on using the pilot boat service offered by the marina but could not get through to them so did it on our own. Once past the initial stages, the river is easy though surprisingly busy with small fishboats and a passenger ferry just below the marina entrance.

Once in the marina, we had our first example of clearing into a non EU country. Being an EU resident gives you a large effectively border free cruising ground where there is the minimum of officialdom to deal with. Portugal is of course a bit different but even there it is easy. Here, you have to fill in about five sets of forms with basically the same information. Immigration are of course interested in you and want all your passport information but also want to see the boat registration and insurance. Then the police want all the same information as well as more information on the boat itself. This caused us some problems as we are only what is called Part Three or Small Ships Registered which maintains a minimum of information on the boat. Thus they ask where the evidence that your home port is Plymouth or that the beam is 2.94 meters. My French is emphatically not up to explaining that the UK authorities do not deem this important for pleasure vessels so don't record it. Makes me wish I had gone for the full Part 1 registration. Oh well, the whole thing is done with good humour and politeness. The policeman warned me not to get involved in any politics and asked if we had any guns aboard.

Finally, the sniffer dog was brought down. He was a rather pudgy black labrador and happlily sniffed round the cockpit and decks but baulked at descending the companionway steps so our interior was not checked at all. We had even gone to the trouble of getting our collection of prescription drugs ready to prove they were genuine just in case. We gather that Bruno will have to decline to descend our steps again when we depart in case we have stocked up on Kif for the clubs of Madeira.

Finally, after about an hour we were permitted to tie up to our alloted berth and then provide all the same paperwork to the marina office. At least the price will be a lot less than in Spain! They have quite a good wifi service here but it doesn't seem able to do any https work so checking email and anything else will be out until we find an internet cafe or some such. If all else fails, this will be a monster post when we reach Madeira!

28/07
Well, we have settled in now and have caught up on sleep. We have even managed a bit of a walk around. There have also been a surprising, in some ways, number of other boats visiting including several Portuguese boats. The rest are generally French or German though there is one Swiss boat and also a Belgian one arrived yesterday. Brits are very under represented though. One other one arrived a day after us and are on a similar cruise to ourselves. Chris and Karen of Moonstone came across for a drink yesterday evening and very kindly supplied the cold beers as we have not yet got our hands on any ice.

While looking at their very smart Ebbtide it was always in the back of my mind that I had seen the boat before. And, sure enough, they used to keep it in the Exeter canal basin where we wintered our old Hurley 22 Kemara. They even remembered Kemara after we reminded them! Sailing really is a very small world.
28/07 cont.
After a lunch aboard, it does seem that Ramadan means that all restaurants are closed in the daytime we went for a wander round the Kasbah des Ouidias in Rabat. This is the characteristic fortified town right at the mouth of the river. It has the longest history of the whole city and makes for a dramatic entrance into the river as well. It is quite typical of these old Aarab towns in that it is a maze of very narrow winding alleyways. It has been kept in good condition and painted blue and white along all the walls. Sadly, you can't get up to the battlements where the canons are.

After leaving the Kasbah, we found our way into the souk. Once again, it was a quintesentially non european experience. Very narrow streets with goods for sale on all sides. Some of it was tourist tat of course but there were still good clothes and food vendors though. In fact, Audrey was able to pick up a couple of long sleeved tops that she has been wanting for ages. Assuredly we will be going back there again.

Rabat has an unusual history though a characteristically long one for this coast. The Phonecians settled it first and the Romans further developed Sala Colonia as they called it. After the Arab conquest in the seventh century it developed a lot under the Almohad dynasty but then fell into a bit of a decline as the authors on 1066 And All That would have phrased it. The city's fortunes were revived after the Spanish reconquista of Andalucia when refugees from Granada and Badajoz settled there. This inaugurated an extraordinary period when piracy became the mainstay of the town and the Pirate Republic of the Bou Regreg was set up. They became known as the Sallee Rovers and raided european ships widely even travelling as far at Plymouth.

Of course, the piracy declined over time but was apparently only finally stamped out in 1910! Now, Rabat is the capital of Morocco as, apparently, King Mohammed V did not want to get into an argument with either Fez or Marrakech as to which should be his capital after he gained independence from France and Spain in 1956.

01/08
Well, we have been a week in Rabat now and are starting to get a feel for the city or rather two cities. Technically, Rabat and Sale are two separate cities but really the latter is a suburb of the other. That said, they do have their own distinctive characters. Rabat is quite a cosmopolitan feeling place with lots of restaurants and cafes in the Ville Nouvelle and a thriving souk in the Veille Ville. Sale is a much more traditional feeling place though I think that more people actually live there. The areas just over the bridge on the Rabat side are I think, where the diplomats live so it is probably very expensive.

We took a wander through the Sale souk this morning but it was mostly closed though. To be fair, we found the same thing when we crossed over the Rabat souk was closed as well.

They have a very new and clean tram system operating and for 6 Dihrams – approximately fifty pence you can ride on it. We have used it several times now. Makes you wish London Transport was the same sort of price and as clean!

My Mother is due to arrive at the airport this evening so the pace of tourism will pick up a bit for the next week and a half after which we will most likely be heading for Madeira unless we change our mind and head straight for the Canaries.