Across the Arabian Sea

We leave Cochin Feb. 17th along with five other boats hailing from Switzerland, Ireland, New Zealand and two from Sweden. One Swedish yacht, Li, we had not seen in years until Cochin. We had sailed in French Polynesia with Boris and Lizabeth in 2002.

The boats spread out after the first day and are no longer in sight of one another. We have calm seas with 8-10 kts just forward of the beam--easy sailing most days. We check into the Indian Ocean/Red Sea HF radio net and one morning learn the location of drift nets to avoid. But Moonshadow is captured by one and stopped cold one evening at midnight. Before long we are able to sail off the net. Our long keel is an advantage here plus we have a metal strap across the opening between the keel and the rudder (thank you Dave King) which keeps nets from catching. Two other yachts were trapped in drift nets, one for five hours.

The steering paddle on our Monitor steering vane broke off one afternoon. The Monitor is close to 20 years old so I guess we have to expect a failure now and then. Fortunately we had a line on it. Richard was able to repair it--not an easy job at sea. It is a bit shorter but still works well.

Flying fish leap aboard just about every night. We try to grab them and toss them back into the sea before they beat themselves to death. One night a flying fish manages to propel itself through an open port into the head. That would have been startling if Richard or I had been in there at the time.

Coalition forces military ships patrol the gulf (Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman) and we occasionally hear one on VHF radio. We are surprised to actually see a U.S. warship when we are two days from Oman. It is reassuring considering the threat of piracy in the approach to the Red Sea.

After eleven days we reach Oman. This is our longest passage since crossing the Pacific Ocean to the Marquesas. As we approach the port of Salalah we are struck by the contrast between the barren brown cliffs in front of us and the tropical landscape we have left behind. The port is quite modern with new cranes for lifting containers on and off the huge ships that stop here.

We anchor off to one side of the harbor. Soon we are approached by a harbor control boat bearing the yacht agent Mohammed, who cuts an impressive figure in his flowing white robes. That evening a group of us go up the hill to the aptly named Oasis Club where we enjoy a delicious BBQ, especially appreciated after many days at sea. We meet several crew members from the Fort Austin, a supply ship for the British navy. Four of us are invited to come for a tour the next morning.

The city of Salalah is a few miles from the port and quite spread out. People here drive cars. Not much public transportation and few motorbikes. We see almost no women on the street here, only men. At Lulu's Supermarket a few women are shopping. They wear the abeyya, a loose black robe which covers them from head to toe. Only their eyes are visable. At the local souq (market) we find scarves, swords and decorative glass perfume bottles. Again we see few women. A shop owner tells Richard if he returns in the evening he will see women choosing perfumes for their bath. We buy frankincense, an aromatic resin which comes from the sap of the frankincense tree which grows in southern Oman.

Sharing a rental car with fellow cruisers we explore the surrounding countryside. Camels roam freely, some near the highway. At the Al Balid archeological site, ruins of the centuries old city of Dhufa are being excavated. We chat with an archeologist who is from Missouri. A new museum is just being completed on the grounds.

Driving through the hills we see make-shift dwellings and lots of camels. There is little vegetation. We find our way to Wadi Darbat (a wadi is a river bed) and see donkeys and more camels, some drinking from the tree-lined river. We take an excessive number of camel photos. The local people must find it odd.

At Ayn Razat, an oasis of natural springs which form pools and then flow into a small river, families are having picnics. Children are playing in the river. In an adjoining park, pathways wind through grass and flower beds. Several young women in abeyyas sit under an enormous spreading shade tree. I don't dare to intrude with my camera. This great photo will have to remain in my mind.

Kerala

Cochin lies in the central part of the state of Kerala in southwest India. Kerala has a population of about 35 million--a drop in the bucket of one billion for all of India. It is reportedly the only state with more women than men as well as the state with the highest literacy rate (90%). Kerala had a traditional matrilineal kinship system until it was abolished 30 years ago.

Wanting to see some of the countryside we join a group of a dozen cruisers and with a guide set off by speeding bus to the backwaters. People still live a traditional lifestyle along this network of rivers, canals and lakes. We get into large dugout canoes, each propelled along a canal by a man with a long pole. Passing under a canopy of leafy tree branches we spot an occasional brightly colored kingfisher. Small houses with vegetable gardens, chickens and ducks are set back from the banks of the canal. We pass women standing in the water doing their laundry. We stop to watch women making coir rope by twisting strands together. Coir comes from the coconut husk. At lunchtime we leave the canoes and board a larger motorized traditional boat and are served a delicious meal before exploring the larger waterways. It always seems like the height of luxury to be seved food and drink and be ferried about on someone elses boat.

A trip on an Indian train was also on our list of things to do so we take a short trip to Trichur (Thrissur) considered to be the cultural capital of Kerala. At the railway station we are presented wth a wide choice of ticket prices and accomodations. We economize and go for 3rd class. Large signs posted about the station list at least 20 rules and regulations for passengers. When the diesel powered train pulls into the station the numerous 40-some year old cars appear to be full. A crowd of us climb aboard anyway and we make our way through the train (which includes a "ladies only" car) until we finally find places on facing bench seats. Numerous fans line the ceiling of the car. There are bars across the open windows. Hawkers push their way down the narrow aisle selling snacks, bottled water and hot tea. A man comes through selling books. Beggars shuffle through--a man missing a leg, a young woman with a tiny baby, an old man half blind making a sing-song pitch for coins.

Arriving in Trichur we catch a tuk tuk to the business section of town and wander about before checking into the Hotel Luciya Palace (always there is a grand sounding name). In the morning we walk through the grounds of the large Hindu temple in the center of town. We cannot enter the temple itself because we are not Hindu. But we do find the temple elephants, five of them. They are quite large and each is shackled to a huge shady tree. We also visit the well preserved Sakthan Thampuran Palace, several hundred years old and now the site of a very nice archeological museum.

Before we leave Cochin we are invited to have lunch at Mr. Nasar's house. Mr. Nasar is the local cruisers' helper and will transport you in his water taxi, bring fuel to your boat and assist with anything you might need. Mr. Nasar, his wife and 4 children are Muslim and live in a very small house near Fort Cochin. Forty families of different religions live around a large dirt courtyard-like area and Mr. Nasar says they all get along well together.