It was hot in Assilah, very hot. The only time it wasn't hot was when the convection fog would shroud the harbour. On those mornings fewer fishermen would leave and only a couple of the coral boats, presumably equipped with some modern electronics would go to sea. After the unfortunate jet skier had been recovered the winds again settled into the southern quadrant making further progress south a waiting game at least. We had been in Assilah a week already. Lynne and I were coming round to the idea of using the winter to refit Dark Tarn and visit home for Christmas. We had already planned to stay in Rabat for a couple of weeks and hopefully travel inland to see a bit more of this fascinating country and its people. Couldn't we do that from Tangier?
On the surface Assilah was beautiful, but walk away from the glorious art in the medina and the streets were piled high with rubbish and the gulf between the haves and have nots was huge. Without exception the people remained friendly and hospitable. We developed a new respect for the fishermen as they left every morning and never failed to greet us with a "Bonjour, how are you, welcome". As we became more of a fixture we made efforts to ensure we were as little a hindrance as possible by re-arranging our two anchors, bow and stern to keep us parallel to their moored boats.
The sharks were dragged out with a collective effort including the help of a 4x4, and gutted on the harbour wall. How on earth they got them in the boat in the first place is beyond me.. Vans turned up to spirit the catch away and in one of those polarising moments I was simultaneously sad for the sharks but happy for the fishermen, their families would eat well.
A threesome of fishermen we knew entered the harbour in their small boat and after passing the usual pleasantries turned around and came alongside us to show off their catch, 5 swordfish , so big that the swords stuck out one side of the boat and the tails the other, probably each 2 metres long. As they left the men said they had also caught Tuna and threw a couple of fish weighing 5-6 lbs each into our cockpit.
I think they are known as "Big Eye Tuna" for obvious reasons. One of the 5 pillars of Islam is Zakat, or charity. We were certainly grateful and were still eating these delicious fish days later!
We had decided that we would return to Tangier and rethink, consequently we woke up the Gendarmerie the following morning at 8 o'clock and after a small amount of messing about including roping in a passing fisherman to give a policeman a lift out to Dark Tarn to inspect us we had our ships papers returned and we could leave. I will always have fond memories of Assilah.
We sped north in light following winds, which typically increased noticeably as we rounded Cap Spartel. We ran into the Bay of Tangiers with a good 15-20 knots of wind. Another wait to clear in yet again with Customs Immigration and the Police saw us berthed again in the Marina by late afternoon, helped (or hindered by) the friendly but hopeless marineros!
We were back in the big city, certainly a contrast to the feel of Assilah. Above is our view from the cockpit. We settled down as the wind finally dropped and planned the following day. Lynne had some unfinished business and wanted to see the Phoenicians graves high above the town so we set off the following morning climbing through the Medina and Casbah to the Tombeaux Pheniciens.
Not particularly well signposted but then again nothing is in Morocco, the way is marked by Greco roman pillars descending towards the sea.
The graves themselves seemed strangely familiar, there are some very similar at Heysham, carved directly out of the rock.
The situation is spectacular, being on a rocky outcrop above the Casbah, with splendid views back towards the harbour.
We sat and had a drink of water, but as there was no shade whatsoever we decided after 20 mins or so to find the legendary cafe Hafa. this is located a little bit further along the cliffs. It was a favoured watering hole of artists writers, artists and musicians, including our old friends Burroughs and Bowles along with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
It is worth the climb. a series of terraces filled with flowers and greenery provide shady alcoves and nooks and cranny's to have an intimate conversation, a game of drafts or just sit and look at the view.
Mint tea is the only option outside the restaurant. But what mint tea...……
and what a view. the whole of the straights of Gibraltar and the coast of southern Spain lies across the vivid blue sea. The décor and allegedly the tea hasn't changed since the Cafe opened in 1921.
I can well believe it.
We watched what appeared to be a forest wildfire throwing smoke high into the sky, along with the seemingly endless flow of shipping in their invisible lanes in the sea. Lynne imagined the radio traffic having listened to it first hand, The deck officers get very twitchy if anyone makes a slight course change. The visibility was considerably better than when we made the crossing!
We also spotted and watched a lone yacht sailing well towards Tangier under a colourful gennaker, we would later meet Bob and Anthony as they berthed on the same pontoon as us in the marina.
The Cafe Hafa is a fabulous place to enjoy an unrivalled view and enjoy a mint tea for just over a pound sterling for two.
We retraced our steps after having a look at the park and palace on the top of the hill (no photos , its a military establishment) , Its an area known as the Quartier du Mershan and was where the rich mechants in the 19th century built splendid villas. Its still very much upmarket of the Medina. worth the walk and Tangier felt a lot less strange to us now, maybe we were becoming acclimatised...…..
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