THE GENTLE WINDS OF ZANZIBAR

Zanzibar: the very name evokes exotic images of sultans, spices and 18th century explorers. I was traveling in Africa with my brother Dan, and it was time for him to head back to California—but I couldn’t go home without a quick visit to Zanzibar, an archipelago off the coast of Tanzania. I was so close, and I doubted that I would ever sail there aboard my own boat. My guidebook talked about beaches, restaurants, hotels and history, but the photos of the traditional sailing craft were what really hooked me—somehow, I was going to sail a dhow.

The plane landed in the dark, and I was whisked off to a hotel in the heart of Zanzibar City, a crumbling collection of Arab- and Indian-inspired old buildings that remind one of Old Havana. My driver insisted on escorting me all the way to the hotel office; I later learned that this wasn’t because of crime, but rather that there are no street signs. He assumed (correctly) that I would have gotten hopelessly lost in the night.

The many people I met over the next few days on this mostly Muslim island were poor but kind, and delighted to exchange a few words of simple Swahili or English with a clueless foreigner. Jambo, habari? (hello, how are you?) is a great icebreaker.

For close to a millennium, the dhow was the primary mode of transportation for Zanzibaris, providing vital trade and establishing Zanzibar City as the hub of commerce between mainland Africa and the Middle East. The stout craft are constructed of mahogany, teak and whatever else is available; are usually between 30 and 40 feet long, with a draft of around 3 feet; and have a wooden Bimini over a poop deck with a low waist. There is only one small marina on the islands, so visiting yachts are rare and usually anchor out. Most of the dhows anchor offshore and back their sterns to the beach to load cargo and passengers.

I arranged a ride through Eco+culture Tours, a local company that donates a portion of their profits to communitydevelopment initiatives. At the beach the next morning, I was introduced to

The author takes a turn at the helm of a dhow in Zanzibar under the guidance of Capt. Ahmed.