Abu Dhabi. Population estimation 800,000. Location N 24.29.00 E 54.18.00

Main source of revenue Oil.

This is the capital of what is known as the United Arab Emirates. If you are looking for a history lesson on the Emirates please look this information up on Emirates Net.

The following photo is where we keep our boat. There are presently two established mariners with a third one to be completed in the near future. Sailing in the local waters has a lot to offer with a number of islands and beaches to visit, the waters are safe within the security of these islands but offshore it can kick up quite a sea if the strong Shamal starts to blow. The seas are very short and sharp with 4 to 5 second intervals between 8 to 10 feet seas, this is extremely hard on a boat when pounding to windward.

Jebal Ali Hotel. Location N 25.00.00 E 55.00.00

This is a lovely place and my wife and I have fond memories of our visits to this oasis in the desert. The marina is as all the mariners in the gulf, small in comparison to the Mediterranean. The Hotel is thriving on tourism and for us is a place sail for a long weekend break.

Dubai International marine club. Located in Mina Seyaha

This is very close to Jebal Ali Hotel and is the main base for the Victory offshore power boat racing team..

It is hear the Dubai Muscat race starts.

Dubai. Location N 25.17.60 E 55.17.00

Unlike AbuDhabi, Dubai relies on trading as the main source of revenue and is turning to promote tourism. It has one of the largest dry-dock facilities in the world catering for the constant flow of oil tankers visiting the Gulf region.

Dubai is on a creek which splits the city into two sections namely Dira and Dubai.

The creek is full of Arab and Indian Dhows, loaded with cargoes either delivering or exporting. Visit my site on Arab Dhows later.

Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaywayn, Ra's al Khaimah, Mina Saqr.

We never stop at these places so I will not try to kid you on that I know about these areas. Except when we see the mountains at Ra's Al Khaimah the Musandam peninsula is close

There is so much to say about this area, it is hard to know where to start. We have travelled about 150 Nm to get here. So let us start with our first port of call.

Khasab.

This is to be rated as the Capital of the Musandam. The place is thriving on trade with Iran. Small alloy power boats with a single Yamaha outboard engine on the back speed back and fourth between Iran and Khasab. There is no Marina except for a small harbor mainly used for the small patrol boats and small naval landing crafts that carry water to the remote villages located on the coast of the Musandam. The only other place to tie a boat up to is a steel jetty next to the harbor. Here is where all the activity is, small Dhows pushing their way into this tiny jetty to access the one and only fuel and water supply, the alloy boats also beach in this area to load and un-load their goods. A modern sailing boat turning up here is obviously interesting to the local community since the majority have never seen one before. The fuel pipe is passed from boat to boat and at all times you have to keep your eyes on the surrounding Dhows trying to push in. There is a strong smell of fish oil, this is from the coating used on the bottom of the Dhows for protecting the Teak wood, made up of fish oil and lime. It is all good fun but the BOAT DRIVERS of the Dhows don't seem to appreciate that your boat was not designed for this type of treatment. It helps to speak a little Arabic, the local authorities and population appreciate this. Also remember to live by their rules, namely take your time, have a cup of tea and always be friendly, in return you will be treated with respect even to such an extent the local authorities will find you a car and driver to take you shopping into Khasab town.

We are now in Oman and a few formalities need to be done before we can move on.

Already there is that feeling of adventure, for here we are in a another country surrounded by people who have probably never seen a modern sailing vessel.

After re-fueling , topping up the water and completing the formalities we always move on , Khasab is an interesting place but we like to move further round the coast to a place called " Khaw Kasabi". The entrance to the Khaw ( Inlet ) is only quarter of a mile across with towering cliffs on both sides, once inside the entrance the Khaw slowly opens out into a large inland waterway with a few small islands and bays. One particular island is famous for a saying "Going round the bend". The island is called Telegraph Island and was used as a relay station for messages sent to and from India. The story is that many of the men who manned this station, on seeing their vessel sail round the corner out to sea, not to return for many months, suffered major breakdowns and mental disorders. "There she goes round the bend"

In the Khaw there a few places to anchor but it can be very difficult to find good holding ground and be warned there are some serious katabatic winds around the Musandam, so if you do venture up there make sure you lay out plenty of chain and have a good holding. The difficulty is that there are many places too deep to anchor dropping down to 40 meters and above very close to shore but of course we have our favorite and named after our boat, Nismah Bay. Our anchor held with winds gusting from 10 knots to 55 knots within 20 seconds, I have to admit we had an anchor watch that night. Interesting sight to see the sea being sucked upwards as the wind raced between the mountains and to hear the howling of the rigging. The katabatic winds also make it very interesting sailing around this area, with constant wind changes through 180 degrees.
Snark Island