Time for The Gambia

A year and a half ago we met a young German doctor in the Azores who told us tales about a foreign land where the children are so friendly that they paddle into the river to your sailboat just to say, Hi. She was talking about The Gambia and we were smitten by her story. The way I see it, a country that starts with, “The,” has got to be good. 

The moment we’ve been waiting for is here.  A disruption in the North winds typical for this area of the world has put us on edge this week, but our plan is to leave tomorrow for El Hierro. Then we’ll wait thirty six hours and bounce. Zachary has his plane tickets. We’ve got enough Malarone to protect us from malaria for a month and we’re pumped up to see everything from the hippos, to the crocodiles, to those smiling faces Dr. Anne told us about.

Gerty is loaded to the max. After we spend three weeks in The Gambia, we’ll be sailing across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.  Therefore, we’ve filled every bottle and jerry-can we have with water (we think the watermaker will be obsolete in the muddy River Gambia) and Gerty’s gas tank has been topped off (for motoring up and down the river). Her storage bins, fridge and freezer are stuffed with food. Last but not least, we’ve got books, soccer balls, clothes, school supplies and a special request sewing machine to donate to our new friends. 

Given the upcoming adventure I just touched on, it’s hard to believe there could be something worth adding here.  But there is! The Geminids, the strongest meteor shower of the year is going to peak mid-passage.  On December 13th and 14th shooting stars are going to rain down on us in the middle of the ocean. Dang, we are lucky ducks.

Last remarks

• When crossing bodies of water that connect the less to the more fortunate, there is always a chance that we will come across migrants in dire situations. We heard non-stop rescue reports on the VHF as we crossed the Mediterranean from Tunisia to Sicily. We will likely be listening to similar events again soon. The following link discusses how a private sailboat such as ours would address this type of emergency situation, where only those in need of urgent care (example – infants at risk of dehydration) can legally be taken onboard. Warning: you’ll feel a strong tug on your heart. https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sailing-skills/migrants-at-sea-the-dos-and-donts-of-helping-those-in-distress-79241