Adventure Africa: On The Gambia River

There are many ways to sail the world. We have decided not to follow the crowd, but to move as far as possible off the usual blue water routes and visit countries and places that are not regularly visited by cruising sailors. After Morocco and Cape Verde, we sailed east instead of west to visit the West African countries Senegal and Gambizu.

Contrary to all the warnings and concerns that we had to listen to when planning the route, we experience a willingness to help and hospitality that is second to none. Our "Aracanga" is currently swimming in fresh water, far in the African interior on the mighty GambiRiver. But one after the other.

Clear out with obstacles

100 nautical miles - that's how far it is from the south of Senegal to Gambia. We calculate 24 hours for the relatively short distance along the West African coast. We would have loved to have stayed longer in Casamance, as the river and the region of the same name in the south of Senegal are called. But unfortunately our cruising permit has expired.

Senegal's only port of entry is Dakar, and it is not possible to enter the country in any other location. However, you can also get an exit stamp in Casamance, which means that you only have to go to immigration and not to customs to leave the country.

So we anchor in front of Elinkine and ask our way to the office of the Immigration Police. There, however, we encounter language barriers with our rudimentary French - and an officer who is more in the mood for palm wine than for work. We should go to the airport and clear out there, he says.

There the stamps for the passports cost a considerable "tip", as we know from other sailors. It is exactly as we were told at the beginning of our Casamance stay: the country is very safe and the people are incredibly helpful and friendly. The only ones to watch out for are the officials.

So now we are in a quandary: One does not want to declare us and the other asks a lot of money for it. So a briefing back on board and a phone call with a sailor friend we met here. The next morning we try our luck again and our friend accompanies us. Incidentally, he shows the officer his passport with the exit stamps from Elinkine, and we all pretend that there was just one big misunderstanding yesterday. Half an hour and 15 euros "fees" later we have our stamps in our passports and are on our way north. Go then!

Course Gambia

The weather forecast predicts a bit of wind, so we want to sail the first half and then do the rest under the engine. So much for the plan. In Elinkine, however, we did not get any diesel, so the remaining fuel was divided between our "Aracanga" and our friends from the "Stray" in such a way that it should go as far as Gambi for both boats. Then it starts, under machine with the slowly onset of the ebb through the flat, well-toned pass out onto the Atlantic.

The wind we had hoped for does not come there, so we only set the mainsail to stabilize the boat in the swell and continue driving under the engine. 100 miles at an average of four knots means 25 hours, with a generous diesel consumption of one liter per hour that means 25 liters. With our 30 liters in the tank plus five liters in reserve, we should be able to cover the entire distance under the machine if necessary.

Photo gallery: The "Aracanga" on the GambiRiver

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It is the same for us. In absolute calm and poor visibility, we slowly chug into the night. Around 11 p.m. we lose sight of the light of the "strays". The coast in front of Senegal and Gambi is very flat and rich in fish, and day and night countless fishermen are out and about in their elegant, colorful pirogues - which gives us a sleepless night.

The fishermen lay out nets that are usually drifting under the surface of the water and marked with flags. However, some nets, as we are now discovering, are floating on the surface and pose a threat to us because they are not lit and can easily get tangled in our propeller. Since we don't have a chance to see the nets in the pitch-dark night, we don't move away from the throttle in order to put the lever in neutral in an emergency and thus prevent worse.

It got us twice. Fortunately, the net only hangs between the keel and the rudder and not in the propeller. Nevertheless, we have to get into the water to push it under the oar and free ourselves. It is a bit uncomfortable to go diving in the pitch dark night, especially since we saw two handsome sharks at dusk, but we have no choice.

The rest of the night passed without any notable incidents, but at dawn there was the next shock: A few miles before Banjul our tank was empty - we used significantly more fuel than calculated. So we pour the last five liters afterwards and, despite the almost absolute calm, also set the genoa. On the radio we call the "strays" on the agreed channel, but they cannot hear us. However, we see their boat on the horizon in front of us and slowly get closer to them. They too bob in the doldrums.

Your engine has overheated due to a clogged cooling water filter, but this can be remedied quickly. We get another five liters of diesel from the two, so that the fuel should now be enough for both boats to our destination Banjul. Then a few miles before arrival the same game again. This time the "strays" ran out of diesel. We hang them on a long tow line for the last few meters.