Memoirs of a Passenger

Guest entry by Paal André Slette.

Paal André Slette, Rabat.

 

When I am writing this I am sitting in seat 4F on Norwegians flight DY1815 bound for O-town. After fixing the toilets for about an hour we are finally under way and the toilets have broken down again.

I boarded CoCo in Malaga on the 19th of October. That’s 20 days, 900 nautical miles, 3 countries, 5 ports, 1 tuna fishing net, 10 kilograms of couscous and 5 boxer shorts since now. Although it wasn’t always obvious to me being woken up at 05.45 AM for the morning shift, it’s been a heck of a ride 🙂 A lot of fantastic ocean sailing, and I have learned how much electronic equipment it is possible to install on board a sail boat. In port CoCo is a floating LAN party!

I want to take the opportunity to describe the crew on board CoCo in the perspective of a guest.

Peter “The dictator skipper”. Always on watch. Never completely asleep. He has got an app on his iPhone from where he monitors all activity on board, and can evaluate the performance of his crew. The exact features of this device is only known to the dictator himself. At berth Peter socializes with the crew in a professional manner before withdrawing to his private chambers to analyze weather data.

Henrik “The planner and the German tanner”. Henrik is often worried about proviant issues and calmes himself down by making plans for the planning. Henrik makes the ships best pasta dishes and is currently thinking of diversifying his menu, but since he has a policy of only learning one dish each year it probably won’t be available on board before January.

Sebastian “The quark”. The ship’s professor and entertainer. Sebastian is interested in absolutely everything and has got the most absurd taste of humor. In one moment he is laying up side down screaming, the next moment he is studying Fourier analysis. Sebastian is also CoCo’s own Sophie Elise and makes sure everything is thoroughly documented through social media.

I appreciate the opportunity to be a guest on board for the last three weeks, and wish CoCo and its crew all the best on the ARC. Do not let yourself be bothered by cheap couscous and remember to turn on the InReach!

CoCo ship clown 😉
Paal Andrè

Africa in Brief

If you saw our latest VLOG episode you know that we have been to Morocco. If you are an even keener follower you will have noticed that we have moved quite a bit since then. “Isn’t it time for another blog update?” you ask. Here it is!

Morocco, a former french colony, is a blend of Arab, Berbers, Sub-saharan africans and European cultures. In addition to Moroccon Arabic and several Berber dialects, French is a recognised language. Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament, yet the monarch holds vast legislative and executive powers. King Mohammed IV is the current ruler of Morocco, a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed.

We visited two (three) cities in Morocco; Tangier and Rabat (and Salé). Tangier was a logical stop after sailing through the strait of Gibraltar. Regrettably, the harbour was not much to speak of. Mostly dominated by smaller fishing vessels, the harbour did not have fresh water, electricity or diesel readily available, and we had to lay alongside another sailing vessel behind an old, retired ferry. Providentially, we met a nice arab gentleman who offered to drive diesel to us in jerry cans on his moped. Furthermore, the harbourmaster waived all fees at time of departure and hoped we would return in 18 months at the completion of a giant marina specifically aimed at yachts.

Rabat, the capital and second largest city in Morocco, was something else entirely. We lay at berth in Bouregreg Marina, a brand new marina situated in a newly developed waterfront neighbourhood in the former pirate town of Salé. Salé and Rabat are different cities, on opposing banks of the Bouregreg river, but for all practical purposes they are know thought of as one and the same.

In both Tangier and Rabat we found time to do some sightseeing. A handful of the many gorgeous sights below.

Hassan Tower at night, Rabat.

Local book store, Rabat.

Cat at a café in the Kasbah, Rabat.

The Kasbah in Rabat. The blue paint wards of mosquitos.

Detail from the Kasbah, Rabat.

Cat lounging in the Kasbah gardens, Rabat.

The crew at a typical Moroccan restaurant in Rabat. From left: Peter, Paal André, Henrik and Sebastian.

Fresh fruit, Tangier.

Avocado shopping, Tangier.

An ocean of olives, Tangier.