🇲🇦️ Tangiers Morocco

The northern most tip of Africa so close to Europe is full of interesting sights and tastes influenced by the native Rif, Berber, French, Spanish and American. It is a thriving modern city where you can buy almost everything.

One easily slips into this other world leading to a complex labyrinth of dwellings and little shops around and in the Medina and the Kasbah. Back in the day when Jack Kerouac and William Boroughs were doing their Beatnic thing here, there was certainly far less cars.You can still quickly escape the noise going by off the beaten track. Here there are many nooks and crannies, the shabbiness and creativity of real people living a relaxed life is revealed round each corner with graffiti and green spaces. Tangiers, A place of tourists and folk with bags with an exhausted aura. The itinerants absorbed into this bustling big town are not unwelcomed. All are tolerated. You don t have to have a proper job; you can sleep where you like and sell cakes out of a plastic bucket on the sea front, or set up your kettle and sell tea at dusk outside the train station. Noone minds. This is a freedom we are unaccustomed to. I like it. There are almost as many cats as in Kotor, and as well loved seemingly. Blue taxis will take you around the city for a small fee, you will be surprised! Or walking like we do, you will always see alot more.

We are staying in a new unfinished marina complex with mainly other Brits. It is a futuristic affair where functional toilets are no longer needed. Behind computer generated billboards advertising the construction of a utopia type outdoor European mall is a large lot waiting for development. This would be the direct neighbourhood to the rest of the planned pontoons on the other side. Good idea, there should be lots of customers at the marina in the future at least. As it is, on our side, already there are some pleasant new restaurants where wealthy locals can come to look at boats and watch the sun rise behind Cap Malabata. There is a spacious viewing area looking out over the bay one side and the marina the other. Good spot for fellow British sailors who find themselves in need of a safe harbor for 90 days out of the EU out of every 180 days. Sounds crazy doesn’t it!

The Morroccan authorities make it difficult to sail here. Every boat must check in/out in every port and anchoring is forbidden in many places where policing these rules is also haphazard. It is certainly not allowed in Tangiers Bay. The beach is long and pale enjoyed by everyone and maintained by machines to a backdrop of mostly unfinished high-rise. Even the ones that look finished are dark at night.It is out of season we think. In the early morning Stefan has a small jog on the beach where the grass reaches the sand, and the street dogs join in . Once in the pouring rain they were on very bad form and were annoying. They blame everybody for the rain.

Beysa soup and taxis are both good value. Beysa is made from chick peas, broad beans or dried peas depending on who you ask. Blue taxis are local. The bigger beige Mercedes usually do the longer routes. Another really really cheap thing, gas. Camping gas for the stove. The difference between here and EU is huge.

We had a great day out in town coming home (the boat) with new to us levi jeans and a denim jacket for a very good price. What we saved on buying second hand clothes I almost spent (joking) going to a European style juice bar with a roof terrace. Situated in the Italian quarter The Terrace is run by a French woman . They sell vegan food, juices made to order, by size, to die for brownies and other baked goods. It was a well earned retreat to sit on a sofa in a cool nook on the way up to the roof. The book shelves had French not English books, a small imperfection. Still good value by European standards. Just.

In September and October it was figs and prickly pears which were in season. You could eat the pears on the street peeled by the street vendor for a diram or two or bring a bag home. Now, November it’s cherimoya also known as apple custard fruit with its creamy sweet pulp around hard shiney seeds and with very ripe sharon fruit they make a fab dessert. The pomegranate are at their height too, along with local raspberries, strawberries, and Chinese wine berries . Local bananas are a must buy for us . I buy walnuts shelled, from a big pile on the way down the hill to the waterfront and maybe an almond cake from the bakery. Always a new a delicious pastry or cake to be tried the French really left their best side out when they taught the patisserie makers of Tangiers. tom-pouce to die for. We thought they were good in Tunisia but here the light crisp pastry and sumptuous not too sweet layers cannot be beaten.

It was once the Spanish capital and the influence of Andalucia is noticeable in the architecture. We had good falafel in a Syrian cafe and then two doors down bought a piece of Syrian cake in a bit of paper which was yummy . Stefan took this picture as we ate it looking across the roundabout.

From Chefchouan to Akchour in a grand taxi for a far too grand price because Stefan happily accepted the drivers first offer.

The Caiat Lounge Refuge not only had an adorable mud house built into the mountainside where we stayed but a high standard breakfast . The goats cheese was locally produced as was the oranges and eggs I guess but there was so much else to absorb and organise I didn’t have the food conversation I want to. There was different types of bread with mountain honey which is normal in a good quality Moroccan breakfast . Sadly we had to find somewhere else the next night and happily we got a lift from there to Akchour with some french treckers. We had such a good day walking that day. Story under another picture.

The water running down a man-made waterfall with a no longer in use electricity plant at the base. Dark green foliage either side of vertical water straightened by man. Nice flat places to walk along the gorge with as before, many deserted shanty cafes no waiters,no fires,no punters. At this time of the morning we have the place to ourselves. Things don’t change much at Akchour it is a holiday place for Morroccans, they come from far and wide cities all over the world which were locked down with covid, now their homeland is at last open to visit again. Bob Marley the dog joins us his owner speaks to us in good English. Bob Marley will bring us back to where he is cooking couscous for midday meal. Friday is couscous day. And we should come back for that. Then the path goes up a little challengingly to God s Bridge. We cross, I spend a pleasant time in the porch of an empty little shack build into the trees and earth. It smelled of wood smoke and is recently swept. Then we go up and up and across towards from above the waterfall. At times the path is like an empty steep stream bed . At others we are scratched by the over growth. Then the red paint blobs stopped . Bob Marley whimpered and left us soon after.

An insecure time followed where Stefan went on a scouting trip and returned. Treacherous he says. So we go more directly down. There is a choice. Luckily. Evidence of human rubbish started at a certain point. And a camp site. We had come off the rough terrain to join the midday holiday cous cous Friday brigade. The Moroccans who live in Northern Europe haven’t been home for two years because of covd and now they come. Since the 15th Sept. So the whole of the country is humming busy. Hence the hearty Caiat lounge being full tonight and we had to come to this old hotel. It’s a great experience. Traditional. Solid everything from the shower box which was like Jo’s and the solid bday to the dining room chairs. I love bidets so much! Talk about toilets…. There was an old french style stand up jobbie at the bus station of Chefchouan. 2 diram.

The return journey took all day Saturday

Getting back from the Rif was not so easy for us. We hitched from the hotel to Akchour which was very quick. Gave him a euro or two which he was pleased with. At Akchour we enjoyed conversation and tea while we waited two hours for the taxi to fill up. By twelve we are in Chefchouan again from Akchour because there is no direct route to Tangiers! We wait another two hours with other patient travellers before our full shared taxi leaves for the hour and a half journey. The cost? The same as the bus. Which would have delivered us back at a similar time. So on that day for that journey it made little difference. Although I have travelled by shared taxi at different scenarios when one hardly waits at all and it’s far faster than the bus. Without a car you have to have time and patience if you want to visit the remote places. Drivers are usually happy to bring you along if you stick out your thumb. It’s normal. It’s normal to give them petrol money too.

On an Amel there are nylon wheels which sit on the stays up there to protect the sails.It was quite a challenge to put them in the correct place once and for all. Also the new radar went up with its support bracket. I am happy winching him up and happy to go up myself too. Captain Neptune would be much better at the practical stuff so I m usually the one on deck.

To make good use of the time we found a dentist to do long needed dentist work. In Newry Stefan had been unable to find a dentist to take him at all. In Tullamore, Stella (that’s me) found one who told her that he would not touch her teeth until she had visited the gum specialist that he recommended a hundred km away in Naas at an approximate cost of a hundred euro for the first appointment. I didn’t go. Our nice gentle English speaking recently qualified dentist here just got on with it. Root canal treatment and crowns for my front teeth with dentures for day time and gum guard for nights and a good clean up, twice weekly visits for the month to do try outs with my temporary crowns until I was happy. Gaps? No gaps? What angle ? Little lines like the others? Unbelievable! They are works of art, my front teeth. A consultant from the teeth making lab came to make sure she knew exactly what I wanted and then to see her work afterwards. We can’t enthuse enough about the excellent service. So Stefan had two teeth removed and will get more done in another country somewhere on our route round the world! It cost us a third or less of the European price.

In November we got the message that our sails had arrived in Gibraltar.

Sometimes we use the engine so we don’t annoy the freighters which can be over 300 meters long. You don’t mess with them. The sail/motor into Queensway was uneventful. We arrived with a newly painted boom and used the mainsail that was given to us by Stu and Lana as genoa.

In the marina we were squashed up against Wasabi, an Amel54. In Queensway they pack you in so tight you are safe as sardines. The English banter settling us in, we felt very at home. We were told to go to the office for the formalities which took five minutes . This is why when you first come to Africa you are so shocked that it can take many hours to do the ‘formalities’. It is a bit wierd stepping through the security gate off the pontoon straight into a restaurant. The cafes in Spain flow onto the street and so in Gib. A marina is not exactly a street but you get the gist.

Gibraltar the town is concrete and cars and I could not wait to leave. Although crossing the runway on foot is always memorable and you must do that when you are in Gibraltar. We found no tofu which was disappointing for me. Easily remedied, luckily. We took a big walk across the border to a newly opened Lidl in La Linea which has tofu! Spain is lovely compared to Gib. Not sure what it is. I like the hybrid language that has sprung up any old English or Spanish surfaces it was fun to listen to the way they switch.

We left Queensway very happy flying on our new sails crossing the strait again to go to Agadir. Then our mainsail boom broke -again- after it was re-welded and painted the previous week!. If you are interested in more about that, the Boom story is here

After the Boom Broke.

We were near the Morroccan coast, with the tide and wind against us. We could go no further into this sea state so chose to anchor at a suitable place to wait out the unfavorable current at least. That’s a five hour wait. With our boom cracking we knew we had to stop for repairs. What a relief that we were so close to Tanga Marina still.

We dropped the hook in a nearby bay. It was still pretty choppy. We had only just put the snubber on when two guys in a dingy who only spoke Arabic showed up. They didn’t know how to latch on to us and things were not going well in the swell. It got more tense because their commander was trying to contact us on the radio at the same time. It only became clear after a conversation on the radio that the young men are army personnel and we are prohibited to anchor here. They are quite helpful though and the guy on the radio offers us new coordinates to anchor, in 35 metres of water….! This is much deeper than we normally anchor as we only have seventy meters of chain, however we did not complain, would you? We motored out just before dusk towards Tanja marina with a nice current helping us. The full moon rose above the rocks behind us.

I asked my Morrocan friend once what the writing means and she said she was not sure. ‘Something religious’ she told me .

Our new induction cooker fits snug on top of the gas unit when the tops are stored away. Now we have the choice gas or electric. Eventually, the plan is to be self sufficient with solar panels. The solar is in place. Got the Lithium Batteries. Got the chargers. All we need to do now is to set up the system. That will happen soon and we will celebrate!