Agadir

At first light we left for the 205 NM trip to Agadir. This was seeing a familiar pattern by now, with preparation of a suitable meal for on passage and 3 hour watches during the hours of darkness. The saloon berth which we fitted a lee cloth to (a cloth side to stop you falling out as the boat rocks on the waves) was working well, allowing for off watch rest whilst still being available easily if needed for sail adjustment or support when avoiding the fishing fleets from Sadie. Fishing fleets have been a bit of a pain at times as we have travelled down the coasts of Spain and Portugal, but this particular fleet was a serious challenge. Whereas the European fleets have fairly consistent lights, this Moroccan fleet consisted of over 50 boats some with no lights, some with torches, some strobes and the occasional large one with normal navigation lights. With it being pitch black and foggy the radar was showing a multitude of possible targets and no apparent way of getting around them. We got through it without coming too close to any after a couple of hours and then the fog cleared a little bit and the moon came out so all was a little more peaceful.

Arrival at Agadir was very different, we were waved into a berth by the friendly marina berthing staff. Stern to mooring on a finger pontoon, a little short for us but ok, we braced the boat to ride the gentle swell that wrapped around the entrance. Electricity, wifi (at the top of the pontoon) and water meant we could spend a happy few days researching and catching up with friends and family and washing and tidying up the boat after her 800 or so miles since Porto.

Marina Agadir felt like Port Solent with a Moroccan twist and we celebrated our first rental income from the house reaching our bank account by having a fabulous meal out ashore at a restaurant called Pure Passion.

We had heard that their was a large supermarket and a good Souk (covered market) so we took the opportunity to get the bikes out and cycle to them . We filled our bags at the Souk with fruit and veg then continued to the supermarket and proceeded to do a mammoth shop which by necessity meant a taxi for our shopping, bikes and us for the trip back to the marina! At 30 Dirrams (£3) it was a bargain and we had food again.

We aimed to leave in the evening so arranged to check out and get fuel. Having been told by the marina staff that the fuel berth closed at 6. We arrived at 5 to find it closed… Apparently it was a fairly regular occurrence we were told by a local who had the operators number on his mobile phone. He tried in vain to get him to return but it was clear that unless we paid him 450 Dirrams (£45) he would not return! Our choice was to leave without fuel or stay another night and leave early the next morning. On balance we decided to stay. We arrived again at the fuel berth at 8am (the time we had been told it would open) to find it still closed. After a leisurely breakfast and boat prep we managed the task and left an hour and a half later than scheduled. Frustrating being given the wrong information however it was a good decision to stay for the refuel as Ocean Blue seems to have turned into a motor boat again for this trip.

Agadir has a fantastic opportunity to become a popular destination for the European boats heading South to the Canaries and a real alternative to the typical routes, but unfortunately the fuelling situation and the way it was handled by the marina staff left a rather bad taste in our mouths. Whilst their view was that the fuel berth was nothing to do with the marina, they might be correct, but from a visitor’s perspective, its in the marina and and if the marina staff say its open at a certain time, then is it really too much to ask for it to be open? When asked to register the issue with the harbour authorities, all the staff were interested in doing was securing another night’s berthing fees, although a compromise was begrudgingly reached. Thankfully the police were far more obliging having gone through the checkout procedure for the previous evening and ending up staying another day.

So this ended our visit to Morocco. A fantastic adventure, great places and despite a few inevitable frustrations, a country we can thoroughly recommend to fellow sailors.

Once clear of the Moroccan coast leaving the fishing boats and floating rubbish behind, the open sea was a welcome change from harbour.

A shower and hair wash followed by blow drying in the warm wind with a cup of tea made us feel refreshed and relaxed.

Seven hours out we saw a small whale on the surface, Lesley’s first time seeing the blow of water. Several dolphins joined us briefly, the smooth expanse of sea making it breathtaking to watch them jumping through the swell towards us from some distance off.

Another 24 hours and we would be in the Canary Islands…