As you can see from our previous maps, we live on the Persian Gulf and are just minutes from several small harbours and fishing ports. In one of these small ports can be found one of the last remaining traditional dhow builders. Apparently, this is a dying craft and the master builder, a local Emirati from Ras Al Khaimah, is “getting on”.
As we drove along the coast through a few small villages towards the dhow building site, we were able to see the dhow in the distance, somewhat dwarfing the other boats lining the shore.
You can see in this map just where the site is located.
From this side view, you can see the winch that was used to move the dhow from its original building spot to the water’s edge. This was a laborious process spanning several days.
The dhow rested in a cradle of sorts – a scaffolding that was not actually attached together, but rather was simply piled up and held together by the weight of the dhow on top of it.
The master builder continually wandered around the dhow to monitor the state of the cradle as it slowly inched forward. Given that the cradle was not a unified structure, it could easily move out of shape and collapse.
The setting sun was a tell-tale sign that the optimal state of the tide was rapidly approaching. They needed the tide to be just past low and on the rise. Too much water and the machinery and men could not get close enough. Too little water, and they would have to push the dhow even further to reach the water.
The dhow was tied to a land anchor and they appeared ready to “set it free” with an axe blow at the exact moment needed.
Finally, after inching along the beach towards the sea for days, the time had come to just get the thing into the water. Watch the video below to see what they did.
Unfortunately, this final push was not quite enough. One of the cradles fell apart and the dhow tilted precariously to one side. We were all assured that this tilt was “nothing” and that we could all go home comforted that everything was fine.
We returned several days later to check on the state of the dhow and found it to be in a more upright position, safe and sound, and fit to be towed.
The dhow has since been towed to the Ras Al Khaimah Harbour where it will be outfitted with an engine and other such accoutrements. One of the national newspapers, oddly enough called the “National”, did three stories on the dhow.
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