Nomad's Travels: Sidi Ifni Morocco

Beginning of the Western Sahara

As the sun rose over the blue-green coastal waters of Morocco, Nomad was becalmed thirty six miles out of Sidi Ifni.The overnight sail brought a radical change in scenery with the Atlas mountains now out of sight and the beginning of the Western Sahara silhouetted by the sunrise. After enjoying the tranquility of the sunrise, the motor was reluctantly started to ensure our arrival during working hours. The guidebook had only a few details of the harbor plan and none was shown on the chart so we worked our way around the charted shoal in the big Atlantic swell to line up on the harbor entrance and cautiously made our way in past a dredge working in the channel. We were directed to tie up on the wharf behind a tugboat where we were met by the usual group of officials. There was another sailboat tied up ahead of the tug, but it turned out to be a wreck that had been pulled off the beach. We were looking forward to exploring a new area after reading about it in the guidebooks, but it was not to be. After completing the usual paperwork, I had to go to an office to retrieve our passports with the entrance stamps. It was becoming a routine, but time consuming procedure at each port. However there was a undefined "problem" with Kris's Polish passport. It could be fixed in the next port,Tan Tan, but not here. We were given 24 hours to visit Sidi Ifni and then we had to leave. In Tan Tan of course the was no problem -I asked- we are welcome to stay. The officials were quite friendly in Sidi Ifni, even offering the ever present mint tea while doing paperwork but the impression is that they would prefer not to have us here in their harbor,although tourists traveling by land are welcome. Twenty four hours is not much time but we made the most of it walking into town and on the great beach backed by red rock cliffs with the town on top. The sky was beginning to be less blue and more slate grey from the blowing dust brought by the easterly winds blowing off the Sahara. The clear grey sky sky and the bit of blowing sand was just a taste of things to come as we progressed down the African coast.