Assilah

As we prepared to leave Tangiers we ran into another, not quite ready scenario with Marina Tanger Bay. Morocco insists that visiting yachts clear in and out at every port. This means a whole lot of paperwork and bureaucracy. Luckily for us the police immigration and customs officials (all of whom need to be seen on entry and exit) were helpful, friendly, and as efficient as their system will allow. They are now based next to the new marina complex and everything seems to be focused on the waiting pontoon. We queued up at the marina office only to be told after a half hour wait that we needed to see the police etc. to get an exit stamp. This we duly did and were then told we could leave, this caused a little consternation from the marineros on the waiting pontoon as we passed without stopping. we did turn around and told them we had been cleared to leave. In short, it can only get better.

Lynne was a little apprehensive as we left the shelter of the breakwater and as we motored towards Cap Spartel the wind acceleration zone around the headland built up a few whitecaps and the windspeed increased noticeably. It is a significant headland in many ways but for us it meant leaving Europe behind and heading into Africa.

The wind was blowing consistently from the south but lighter once we had rounded Cap Spartel. Lynne commented on how green Morocco was, a good sign that she was back in sailing mode. We were being followed by a catamaran and as we gained a few miles south the wind settled in the SW enabling us to set a genoa close hauled. I didn't want to set the main as I was unsure as to where and when we would be clear of the local winds that make Gibraltar straits such a windy spot and I wanted an easily handled sail area. We made good speed, indeed following our example the Cat following set all sail, however, never passed us, Rule no 1. We did have a current against us and I assumed this would be the constant surface current flowing into the Mediteranean. It was nearly ten miles before we were clear of its effect. We made good speed after that and the sailing was very pleasant. We were a little intimidated by the entrance to Assilah which is small and prone to swell. The harbour itself is shallow in many spots and has no facilities for yachts.

It is however delightful, and a total change from the frenetic atmosphere in Tangiers. We anchored with our "Q" flag flying and enjoyed a coffee waiting for officials to come out to us. They duly did and as skipper I was expected to accompany them ashore, I briefly wished we had blown up our dinghy as I surveyed the sagging tubes and smoky outboard of their boat, it had certainly seen better days and hadn't been outside the harbour in a while for sure..

All the procedures were in French and I must admit the accent threw me, even place names "Taoje" is Tangier for example. But we got there in the end. Assilah is not an official port of entry and I was a little worried that we would be grilled or asked for "backsheesh". I needn't have worried apart from retaining the ships papers until we left, our passports were returned and rather than risk the police launch the police flagged down a passing fisherman who transported me back to Dark Tarn much to Lynnes surprise. But as the Policemen said "Its better than swimming".
So began our introduction to Assilah and to an extent Morocco, far away from the tourist traps of Fez and Marrakech. This was a vibrant and fascinating town. The harbour was every childs swimming hole and the fishermen constantly coming and going always waved and said "bonjour". It felt a world away from Tangier with the constant noise of traffic and security guards blowing whistles.

We didn't go ashore the first night just sat in the cockpit listening to the sounds of the harbour and the town, children swimming and diving off the harbour wall, the music from the fair, It was festival month, and every so often the call to prayer from the local mosques echoing around as it had for thousands of years. Assilah was known to the Phoenicians, almost as old as man...….
As the sun dropped into the western horizon we sat in the cockpit, watching fish leap in the still waters and feeling as our neighbours passed going about their work privileged visitors and welcome guests. We were certainly a point of interest!

The following day we needed to go ashore to explore and sort out our mobile phone dilemma. Our helpful friends in the gendarmerie were very easy going about us anchoring and staying in the middle of their bustling harbour. When I introduced Lynne as "ma famme" the chief of police replied with "enchante madam", we were definitely in the old world. Lynne was utterly charmed. We had blown up our dinghy and left it tied to another decrepit inflatable near the police launch and walked around the harbour to the Port Entrance. An impressive edifice made even more bizarre as it seemed to be a local taxi rank, no uber these , gaily decorated carriages, horse drawn and almost universally pink.

Just opposite was the entrance to the old town or Medina. Marked by an impressive tower. A hint of what to expect was evident in the several sculptures adjacent to the ancient medina walls

There was also n impressive number of beach umbrellas on the beach by the medina walls.

The sculptures were surprisingly, representing artists from all over the world. I say surprisingly only because I was genuinely surprised. It was becoming obvious that there was some artistic link between this ancient town on the western edge of the Sahara desert and not only the rest of the world but a peculiar western mindset.

 Unusually for a Moroccan medina the streets are actually quite wide, at least initially, it is also free of the "Hard sell". In fact western tourists are relatively rare, there are seemingly a few, invariably French. but the majority of visitors are Moroccan nationals. The atmosphere is refreshingly relaxed after Tangier.

Its the primary colours decorating the whitewashed buildings and above all the art that defines Assilah, art is everywhere.

 The colour blue is prevalent in decoration for houses. I'm not sure if it brings the sky down or the sea in, but beautiful it unquestionably is.

We wandered around this marvellous free art gallery for a few hours.

 There are literally surprises around every corner.

I learnt to turn around and go the other way to reveal even more surprises.

Assilah is a town linked by its very soul to the sea. the desert may be at its back but its history is reliant on the sea as a highway to the world.

The history of Assilah is a little bit hard to grasp, it predates Christ, it predates the Romans, it existed before the very first Phoenicians ever turned up. If only its walls could speak.....

Remember Raissouli, the warlord that was played by Sean Connery in the film "The Wind and the Lion", well this is where he had his base, he was eventually expelled by the Spanish in 1924.

The medina is truly a delight, you are left alone to enjoy the sights and the free art, we were assisted a couple of times and directed to certain places that we must see but were never asked for anything in exchange , just purely a people proud of their town and incredibly welcoming to foreigners like ourselves.

I must admit to being quietly entranced by the interweaving of art and history in the medina. It is definitely not for western consumption, the majority of visitors are Moroccan. There is a melding of cultures which can sometimes feel slightly disorienting.

I think I must learn to live with the fact that in a mobile world other cultures are accessible, and by contact must somehow be diluted, but in Assilah`s case it would appear that the town has managed to assimilate and expand on what is already a fantastic history and give it a new coat of paint.

Its a real breath of light and colour to walk around the medina.

The traders in the Souk are somehow reluctant to pressure you into buying anything.

The murals are everywhere.

with an almost complete lack of graffiti.

This was in fact the  nearest we have got to rain so far in Marocco.

Art for arts sake...……………...

House of carpets...………….

There are bits of the medina that are not quite finished, this was taken next door to where they are building (or rebuilding) a Mosque.

Outside the walls is the "new town" a bit brasher and dirtier, in contrast to Tangier which was exactly the opposite.

Medina exploration over we walked into the new town  to find a mobile top up.

The town is very nicely laid out but is lacking a big supermarket. How sad am I? There is a superb market for fresh produce, and you can buy fish straight off the boat in the port.

And this is the port with Dark Tarn at anchor just inside the breakwater and clear of fishing boats.