Our Dhow
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More pictures of our dhow , other Lake Victoria dhows, other boats on Lake Victoria

Building of the dhow started in Mwanza, Tanzania, October 2004. It got launched February 5, 2006, and was sailed to Jinja, Uganda and finished there in the following months. It is basically of Mwanza (Lake Victoria, Tanzania) traditional make (other Mwanza dhows), but 18 m, some 30% larger than the largest ones you see. There is standing headroom under deck. Traditional dhows do not usually feature a deck, and lack stiffness, leading to a heavy repair, caulking, and painting schedule. Built under supervision of owner and resident Bert Hamminga, apart from the deck a host of other non traditional stiffener constructions were added. The dhow can be operated by tree sailors, at least two of which should be experienced in dhow sailing and Victoria Lake conditions. It can host 9 people comfortably at long trips. We sailed all round the lake, a trip of 1325 km without any problems (see: The Big Round). As far as we know, this dhow is the only long range yacht on Lake Victoria.. The dhow is a pure sailing ship. It has no engine. The easiest option for adding one is mounting a 70 to 80 Hp outboard on a removable stern support, for which we can supply a scheme..

Cabin towards bow

Cabin rearwards (towards steering deck)

Materials used for the dhow:
click here

Accessories
Landing boat with paddles and 9 Hp Yamaha outboard, 125 cc dirt bike (fitted under rear deck),

Electricity and electronics:
Solar panels 420 Watt, truck battery 180 Ahrs, light: 7 TL 12 V 8 W, double rechargeable wireless TL. Fridge. Internet (wireless broadband 45 km around at home mooring, GPRS at mobile phone coverage (80% of shore side lake area). GPS navigation: we use old English admiralty maps (the best available), self scanned and self calibrated for navigation display on computer screen. Our maximum GPS calibration error until now: 1500 m. But we also saved our GPS tracks.

Photo: On anchor, the steering deck roof serves as a support of the 25 m folmali (lateen gaff). Our 6 solar panels stay clear of the folmali by means of a thick Mvule unsustainable hardwood edge on the roof, 30 cm high.

Water, cooking, washing:
Starting 1 km off shore, we use the fresh lake water for everything. At the home mooring, where water streams from the lake into the Nile, we use Lake water if boiled, for drinking we buy mineral water. The kitchen has a sink with 2 gas burners, we have paraffin and charcoal stoves (picture kitchen). For our simple bathroom we bring in lake water.

Operating
The dhow can be operated by three sailors, at least two experienced in dhow sailing and Victoria Lake conditions, and host 9 people comfortably at long trips. Satisfactory know-how (both operation and maintenance) of a dhow of this size is only on Tanzania coasts of the lake. Present crew Tanzanians are likely to be interested to keep working on the dhow: Philemon Amos, 34, ex cargo dhow captain (details Philemon), and boat boy (Doi). Crew costs between € 18 and € 95 a month depending on experience and seniority. For security (storms, theft), the dhow should always be manned by at least one crew. About Lake Victoria, Operating a Dhow. Languages on the lake are: Uganda and Kenya: English and Kiswahili, Tanzania: Kiswahili. Present crew speaks both.

Captain receives his morning coffee

Maintenance
Though  normally a traditional dhow, due to lack of stiffness, needs to be painted and caulked every year, even if made of mninga, this dhow, enhanced with non traditional wood and metal stiffener constructions, in stiffness and firmness meets Western wooden ship standards.

Mooring:
Home mooring Kingfisher Safaris Resort, near Jinja, Uganda, 150 km from Entebbe International Airport. This resort is at the Source of the Nile, guarded parking, restaurant, hotel rooms in traditional huts, big shore side garden.. Mooring at concrete blocks on lake bottom near jetty. Non home mooring is on traditional anchors 50-60 kg. Jinja town centre is at 14 min by car (and  bicycle as well, taking the bike-only railroad bridge shortcut, motorbike 9 min). Jinja has a 9 hole 18 tee golf course, tennis courts, world famous Nile rafting (several grade 5's), comfortable restaurants, good shopping facilities, perfect shopping facilities at 75 km (Kampala).
Price level indication in euros early 2008: big tilapia: € 2.25, kilo of meat € 1.80, ½ l beer € 0.70 (in bar € 0.75), restaurant, wine included: € 13/=, membership Jinja golf: € 45/= per year, green fee members: Wed 1.45, Sa-Su € 1.80, other days € 0.90, more about Jinja club (golf, tennis, squash, swimming), return ticket from Europe: € 700/= or 800/=, Pictures of the Jinja scene of the dhow

Swimming:

Owner Bert Hamminga has been swimming in Lake Victoria for more than four years now during five times a day both from the dhow and from beaches and never contracted bilharzias. If you do, there is a simple medicine that with certainty kills 100% of the parasites. The pills (an amount per kilo of bodyweight) are quite easy and harmless and can be taken just for safety, every half year, in one portion.

Other Diseases

This is as serious as a bad malaria gets. You get some delirious thoughts like: "I leave Africa".
But one day later you have forgotten about it [source page]

None of the many lethal health dangers of the kind falsely reported on western media are serious threats. What they show is what happens if you do not have the very little money for the easy and harmless cures there are for everything. In particular, it is recommended not to take any permanent malaria prophylactics but hold a set of malaria drugs in stock for the case you contract it. Sailing on the lake In a dhow, far from medics, as in similar environments anywhere in the world, one needs a well thought of set of drugs and acquire some knowledge.