Morocco

Heading South

After crossing the Strait of Gibraltar Dominic and I sailed along the coastline of Morocco. Visiting Tanger, Asilah, Rabat and Essaouira. In Rabat we took the opportunity to visit Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains.

To leave the strait of Gibraltar behind us, we had to round the Cape Spartel, the most north-western point of Africa. A Cape than can be tricky to navigate due to strong currents. Our timing was good so we could enjoy our first miles of sailing along the African coast.

Ashila, a fishing village which became famous for its yearly «festival des arts». Since it was Ramadan in the time we visited, the atmosphere was really calm at day time, but after the sun went down we had the chance to break fasting with the local families.

The exit of to the harbour proved to be my first test for my nerves since we had the wind and swell against us and the motor died in the narrow passage, only to recover in the last second and save us from getting stranded on the jetty.

Luckily the entrance to Rabat was way easier, there was flat water and even a guiding boat to show us the right way. The marina in Rabat is a dream for every sailor. We will always remember how our engine died for a second time and we could only save us by mooring the boat on the first pier that was in our reach, it was the Pier reserved for King Mohammed VI…

After a long discussion with the security we where allowed to repair our engine on the site and motor to the right place. We decided to give Wayan a one week break and take a Train to Marrakech from where we continued into the Atlas Mountains.

Essaouira, our last stop in Morocco. Its rare to be able to anchor in Marokko, we appreciated it a lot until our anchor line broke. Luckily we have been on board when it happened and it was a teached me a lesson always to use some meters of chain first.