boat owner

Terysa Vanderloo quit her job as a paramedic to

take on the 2015 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers in her

Southerly 38 yacht Ruby Rose with her partner

Nick Fabbri. Now enjoying the Caribbean, their

eventual aim is a circumnavigation.

Follow Terysa and Nick’s adventures at

http://www.rumsodomyandthelash.com

excellent place to leave your boat

for a trip inland. Fez, for example, is

three hours away by train.

There are very few tourists in this

part of Morocco – especially in Salé,

where we were obviously a bit of a

novelty – and the medinas are

fascinating. They sell everything:

food, jewellery, fabrics, carpets,

woodwork, clothes and more. The

fresh produce quarters were truly an

assault on the senses. If you don’t

fancy watching your dinner being

slaughtered in front of you, a large

and modern Carrefour is a

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M

orocco is less than eight
miles from Europe at its
closest point, and yet
you could not fi nd two cruising
destinations more different from
each other. Many cruisers on
their way south from Europe
opt for an offshore passage to
either Madeira or directly to the
Canaries. However, cruising
the Atlantic coast of Morocco
offers a wonderful opportunity to
explore this fascinating country,
steeped in history and culture.
We sailed south from Cadiz and,
as we reached the African continent,
the scent of warm spices greeted us.
Our fi rst port was Morocco’s capital,
Rabat. After an overnight passage,
we were thrilled to see Rabat’s
ancient walled kasbah, standing
proud on the Atlantic coast.

It is required that you call the

marina, either on VHF or by phone,

before your arrival so they can send

out a pilot boat to guide you upriver

to the marina. There are sandbars at

the entrance, which will occasionally

be closed due to large Atlantic

swell. Caution is advised at all times,

and you should time your arrival for

HW if possible. Night entry is not

advised, except in exceptionally

calm Atlantic conditions.

Bouregreg Marina is situated on

the southern side of the River

Bouregreg in Salé, Rabat’s sister

town. Rabat, on the northern bank,

is easily reached by monorail or on

foot. The marina is very pleasant:

modern, clean, well-maintained,

with several upmarket bars and

restaurants. There is Wi-Fi in the

offi ce, and 24/7 security. This is an

10-minute taxi ride away.

Our next port was 33 miles away,

a sleepy town called Mohammedia,

which has a small and very crowded

marina. We saw many boats turned

away, and were lucky to get in at all;

calling to reserve a berth in advance

is essential. Mohammedia has a

small medina offering some fresh

fruit and vegetables, but with few

restaurants and limited provisioning

opportunities there is not much else

here to attract cruising yachts.

En route to Essaouira

We then sailed the 195-mile passage

to Essaouira. It is possible to break

this up into day-sails: Jadida and

Safi are both fi shing harbours which

offer berthing for yachts and another

chance to enjoy the local way of life.

On approach to

Essaouira, the inside

of the harbour is not

visible. Only after

rounding the western

harbour wall does

this lively fi shing port

come into view. To

port, there are

dozens of fi shing

boats rammed in

together. To starboard, the orange

lifeboat is available to raft up

against – clearly it is rarely used

as an emergency vessel! Past the

lifeboat was an old Bénéteau First

(used occasionally as a day charter)

moored up to a pontoon. Rafting up

alongside is another option. We had

2m depth underneath us here; it

was a little deeper next to the

lifeboat. Despite our initial

confusion, we had many friendly

locals directing us where to go and

helping with our lines. Electricity

and water are both available on the

pontoon, and the nearby restaurant

Chez Sam has unlocked Wi-Fi.

Moroccan spice

Terysa Vanderloo recommends the unique

cruising ground of Morocco’s Atlantic coast

The medina in Essaouira is home to many small businesses

Essaouira: our boat is in

the middle of the raft in

the background

SPAIN

MOROCCO

Cadiz •

Mohammedia •• Rabat

Essaouira •

Agadir •