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Datum: 16-01-2018    Gambia: River part 1
 The Gambia river
During the Treaty of Versailles, concluded in 1783, Senegal was granted to the French and Gambia to the English. That is why the spoken language here in Gambia (besides their own languages) is English and not French like in Senegal. You can clearly see the influence of the English on the names of some islands and places. At that time the Gambia consisted only of the river Gambia and the strips on both sides of it, up to Fort James island. The cause was simply in the fact that they did not dare to sail the river further. In later times, there were depots for slaves along the river Gambia, the 'dark & ??rsquo; past of the Europeans.
 
We make frequent use of the 'Cruising Guide to West Africa'. written by Steve Jones, but unfortunately the most recent version from 2009. Supplemented with information from other sailors who have gone before us, the Google Earth map Fred has made (see previous blog), the information we have found at the holiday fair ( Gambia River Overview Map ) before our departure from the Netherlands and the following website 's: (www.visitthegambia.gm and www.go-gambia.com ). This gives us enough information about Gambia. The book of hours, which we bought from the Port authorities, is very useful. It does take a bit of calculation, because 'Up-river & rsquo; it is later low tide than Banjul and occasionally we err in it.
 
Electronic cards
In a previous blog I told about these cards. On the river it soon becomes clear that our card, which was recently purchased a month ago, was Navionics , NOT up-to-date! A sailor we met earlier at Navionics pointed out that the maps of Gambia were not correct and he had his money back! Apparently the complaint from the other sailor resulted in an update. As soon as we have a good internet connection again, we will download this immediately! Navionics did this update very quickly, because anchor spots, depths and names are still not in the right place. For more information you can always send us an email!
 
From Banjul you come across the following islands:
Dog Island, James Island, Elephant Island, Sea Horse Island (Dankunku Island), Pappa Island, Ba Faraba Island, Pasari Island, Deer Island, Bird Island, Baboon Islands (located in the middle of the National Park), Brikama Island, Mimang Island, Kai-ai Islands (Kajakat Island), Pangon Island and Mac Charty’s Island.
Some known creeks:
Lamin Lodge, Bintang Bolon, Suara Creek and Mandori Creek.
Places and villages along the river :
Jufureh, Bintang, Tendaba, Farafenni, Bombale, Kau-Ur, Kuntaur and Janjanbureh (Georgetown).
 
From Banjul to Janjanbureh (Georgetown) is approximately 156 nautical miles (281 km). Here is a report from day to day. For the sailors among us, I have indicated as much as possible where we have anchored or moored and places that are interesting or where you have to pay attention!
 
Thursday 11-01-2018
Banjul - Suara Creek
A little before 10 am we leave the anchorage and sail the same way with the 'Immaqa & rsquo ;. We pass the tourist-loaded ferry that sails from Banjul to Barra. The river is still very wide here and the view is a bit monotonous. Along the shore are the mangroves, a saltwater jungle and a good shelter for fish and birds. It is otherwise quiet on the river except for a single fishing boat. We have the current and we sail at the river with a nice speed. Along the way we pass James Island, a former slave island. Officially it is called 'Fort James Island', but local people call it 'Kuntah Kinteh' . Alex Haley wrote in 1976 the book: & lsquo; Roots & rsquo; (The Saga of an American Family), following family stories from his great-grandparents. Kunta Kinte was born in Jufureh in 1750 and was the main character in this book which gives a reasonable picture of the slave period. We do not stop at this island, maybe on the way back.
On the road we have regular contact, at 77 from the radio, with the 'Immaqa'. This is how we warn each other when there is something special or fun to see. We are very happy that we are sailing together. I am also very happy that Vincent is on board for a while and enjoys the mother and son & rsquo; moments. Vincent has ushered in our good camera and will make the most photos during this trip.
Around 5:00 pm we sail a bit of the 'Suara Creek & rsquo; and anchor there. It is a bit shallow here so pay attention to the meters! But what an oasis of peace reigns here, we are totally impressed. This is what we are traveling for! Time to have a cozy drink at the neighbors, Iris and Koen. We all enjoy the old (Amsterdam) cheese, which Vincent took with him from the Netherlands. With some mustard and an ice cold beer, this is a nice conclusion to our 1st day on the river. While slowly the sun sets, we see a large flock of birds making all kinds of beautiful figures in the air. They are pink and make a particularly strange but funny 'Donald Duck-like'. sound. Flamingo's are not, maybe geese? We do not know exactly, but it is a beautiful sight!
Number of nautical miles:
33        
Anchor position:
13 27.586 N
16 08.111 W
 
Friday 12-01-2018
Suara Creek - Sankuia
At sunrise, 7:30 am, we leave the Suara Creek to continue to sail up the river. The 'Immaqa' & lsquo; speeding first! It is still early, but now we have the tide as much as possible. Vincent is still sleeping, after all his holiday is not true! As we continue on the river, the color of the water changes to brown and the water becomes sweeter. On the shore we see a white heron standing with its paws in the water. When I sit and drink a cup of coffee in the cockpit, suddenly a very large grasshopper jumps into the tub. I am frightened!
Fortunately, Vincent is already awake when I call Koen and Iris in the morning that a large group of black dolphins swim past us. The dolphins jump out of the water full of enthusiasm. Although we have seen a lot of dolphins in recent years, it is always fun, but for Vincent this is of course very special to experience.  
Fred checks the watermaker and finds that the filter needs to be replaced to become. Left the dirty and right the clean!
We sail past the village of 'Tendaba & lsquo; where we have the' Yemanja & rsquo; from Guus at anchor. Guus we got to know in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Apparently he is not on board, because he does not respond to the radio. We meet fishermen and see herons and pelicans (I think this is beautiful animals). As the day progresses the temperature rises and we would have a lot of it to take a nice dive. Early in the afternoon we come close to the anchor spot that we have in mind, but here it appears to be too deep and we sail a bit further. Suddenly I see something lying on a dry bank and grab the viewer and yes it is a crocodile. The first one we see, at least I, because Fred and Vincent do not see him, but it was really a crocodile! I call the 'Immaqa' & rsquo; but they also see nothing, because the crocodile has slowly slid into the water in the meantime & hellip ;. Here we are not going to swim!  
At the places & lsquo; Farafenni & rsquo; and 'Soma' is a ferry that connects the two main (fast) roads from Senegal to Guineau Bissau through Gambia. It is nice to know that many of these ferries come from the Netherlands.
At this moment people are busy building a bridge and there are already some pillars in the river. Because of the work we have to look closely where we can sail in between. It is very busy on the shore. About 4 miles past this bridge, under construction, we find a suitable anchorage between Sankuia and Karantaba Creek (see page 62 of Cruising Guide West Africa 2009, at the word jetty).  
Today we have a drink with us and we discuss the impressions of this day and make further plans. In the evening we try to bring in the drone that Vincent brought with us. The drone is put together and Fred and Vincent look closely at the descriptions. The operation of this drone does require some practice, but Fred says, after a while, 'dry & rsquo; practice that he has it under control. We notice that when the drone suddenly flies through the mosquito net from our sleeping area & hellip; & hellip; .... Let us try it on the land soon, at least we have the space!  
Number of nautical miles:
42        
Anchor position:
13 29.688 N
15 30.303 W
 
Saturday 13-01-2018
Sankuia - Kau Ur
Again we get up early, not because of the tide, but also because it is still a bit cool. We set up our bread baking machine to make a fresh sandwich for lunch.
 
The river is becoming somewhat narrower, more winding and gradually we see the banks change. The trees are getting higher and greener. We use the autopilot and do not have to do so much. Occasionally adjust the course bit, but enough time to relax. Sometimes some fishermen come along, but other sailboats are omitted. We sail as close as possible to the banks to have a better chance of seeing animals. Our monocular viewer is at hand to scan the banks. Koen enters the mast of their boat to do a job and immediately makes a few nice photos from our boat.
We are passing 'Elephant Island' and 'Seahorse Island' . The latter was so named by the Portuguese because they saw hippos here for the first time and called them seahorses. Vincent has a good time and keeps an eye on things. There are a few fish banks in the river, which are three floaters with two horizontal poles in between. We warn the 'Immaqa' & rsquo; that is not were watching ... And we also see fishing nets with floats in between large parts of the river and you do not want to get them into your propeller. The temperature is rising, we measure 36 degrees. How happy we are to have a bit of shade from our bimini!  
       
Then the landscape changes and there are high red sand mountains with buildings on it and a group of women in colored clothes. We sail past large Baobab trees, banks where small huts stand, women who carry large containers on their heads and do the laundry in the river.
Along & nbsp; a peanut factory we see two large barges on the shore. On the side a number of people are gesturing wildly that we can lie next to them. We get help from the friendly owners of the push barges (boats without motor) and a little later Koen and Iris put their boat next to ours. First relax while enjoying a cold glass. A man comes to us and a whole incoherent story begins to hang up. The only thing we understand is that he really wants to have Fred's slippers. Those of him are indeed worn out, but he does not like Fred! It continues to get used to that there are many people who always want something from you. Vincent goes into the village together with Koene and Iris in search of something to eat. They are a bit on the late side and there is little to get. The only thing they could buy is a piece of goat, but that did not look very appetizing now. When we return, we drink something cozy after. Now I hear you immediately think: "who do nothing but drink". When the sun is almost below we suddenly see a well-known boat approaching, the 'Yemanja', with Guus and temporary (family) trainers. They put their boat for ours. They stay here for a day to make a round-trip and then return to Banjul.
 
Number of nautical miles:
31        
Location:
13 41.548 N
15 19.455 W
 
Sunday 14-01-2018
Kau Ur - Kuntaur
The morning we will stay here and will leave around midday because of the tide. A nice opportunity to walk to the village to see if we can now save fresh vegetables, fruit and meat or fish. Together with Vincent, Koen and Iris I walk to the village. We pass the peanut factory, where very high mountains with peanuts lie. There are many decorated trucks on the site that are loaded with bags of peanuts. These peanuts are also transported to Banjul by barge. We walk on a dusty road towards the village. Along the side we see donkeys (I have a weakness for them), stray goats and some bulls in the wet, swampy country. Vincent quickly smeared a sandwich with chocolate spread before we went on the road. Soon some children walk with us and Vincent gives a piece of his bread. They are walking alongside him, that's nice! We pass a place where stones are baked to build houses. Wherever you go, there are mountains with waste, especially a lot of plastic. Iris soon has a 'girlfriend' & rsquo; there and together they walk hand in hand. On the market it is busy and we are being looked at a little suspiciously. For these people we are a bunch of weird 'Tubabs & rsquo; what means whites. We are looking for the best fruit and vegetables. We skip the fish, there are so many flies on & hellip; & hellip; and we do not see meat at all. Another man Koen and Iris is trying to make money by saying that they have to pay to be on the market! I have put a stop to this. It should not get any crazier with that asking for money! After the market we walk around a bit on the way to a bakery and meet a tailor who uses an old-fashioned 'staircase sewing machine & rsquo; clothing. The number of children has now grown to about 20 children. We arrive at a square where we buy bread 'Tapalapa' . Because some children always say that they would like a ball, Iris and Koen are going to see if they can buy them in one of the shops. But then things go wrong. When we are standing in a shop there is a net with balls and while Koen negotiates with the seller, there are suddenly 20 pairs of hands on the balls. There is even a fight between the children and it goes pretty hard. A small child who is sitting on the ground is almost trampled on. There must even be a police officer to take the children apart and send them out. This we really did not expect, that children would finish each other for a football! It is decided to give the ball to & eacute; eacute; n of the parents who then have control over it. Then we quickly return to the boat because we have been away longer than we had planned.
In the beginning of the afternoon we sail on again. Even today the temperature is quite high again, but fortunately there is a bit more wind. The environment turned into high 'elephant grass', palm trees and in the background the famous 'cotton or kapok trees '. We now see more and more fishing boats passing by and throwing their nets. These nets sometimes lie across the entire width of the river. Usually you can see how the nets are on the floats, but it remains a thing. Occasionally we zigzag across the river to avoid them and if it can not be done somewhere else in the middle. We have been lucky so far that nothing has fallen into the screw. Then a boat comes to Koen and Iris and asks if they want to have fish, a big & lsquo; captain's fish & rsquo; for 500 Dalasi. We listen through the VHF and discuss the asking price. After consulting with me, the 'mommy & rsquo; of this family, they come out at 300 Dalasi (& euro; 6,00). So at least we have a good fish for tonight!
On the way we come across a village where a lot of people are standing on the quay looking at those two strange boats that pass by. At the end of the afternoon we sail at the bottom of 'Deer Island'. when we cross the banks in an increasingly green environment, from mangrove and very tall palm trees. We hear more and more sounds coming from the side and that is why we sail very slowly. See the branches of some trees go back and forth violently and then our patience is rewarded with the view of some monkeys! Unfortunately, hardly visible on the photos.
We are approaching our anchorage at the site & quot; Kuntaur & rsquo; and sail past a number of large factory buildings with the text: 'Kantaur Rice Mill'. . & nbsp; Past the place where a ferry crosses the river, there is a Lodge on the shore. There is a white man with a pair of binoculars peeping at us. On the other side we anchor and while we're still busy a small boat with four young boys is getting involved. With a big smile on their faces we are greeted warmly and they introduce themselves as: 'Papa, Abdul, Samba and Cherchernoboy'. Then they immediately ask whether we have a football for them, that Vincent immediately picks up and asks them questions about the football teams of their village. Then they spontaneously start singing the national song of Gambia for us.  
National song of Gambia
For The Gambia, our homeland,
We strive and work and pray,
That all may live in unity,
Freedom and peace each day.
Let justice guide our actions,
Towards the common good,
And join our diverse peoples,
To prove man's brotherhood.
We pledge our firm allegiance,
Our promise we renew,
Keep us, great God of nations,
To The Gambia ever true.

 
We promise to buy a football in Janjanbureh and give it to them on our way back. They also ask whether we still have waste, preference for plastic bottles and cans. Koen and Iris invite us for the evening meal. The fish is expertly filleted by Koen and prepared on the BBQ. With couscous and a delicious salad, we love the fresh fish! Because of the mosquitoes we flee inside and there (with a glass of gin and tonic) we all play the game 'Perudo & rsquo; . This is played with dice. We do not know this game yet, but after a few pots we already know that this is the beginning of a real addiction! You must have a real 'Pokerface & rsquo; for and some of us really do not have that! It is a very nice evening and there is a lot of fun. Tired and satisfied we roll our bed.
Number of nautical miles:
29
Anchor position:
13 40.139 N
14 53.598 W
 
Monday 15-01-2018
Kuntaur – Janjanbureh (Georgetown)
Despite the unfavorable tide we leave around 10 o'clock towards our final destination on this river. Just before & lsquo; Kuntaur & rsquo; The 'River Gambia National Park' begins The five small 'Baboon Islands'. consist for the most part of peat bogs, savannas or gallery forests covered with palm trees, Baobabs and fig trees.

On & lsquo; Baboon- Islands & rsquo; since 1979 there is also the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project to release chimpanzees liberated from captivity back into the wild and a new home in the jungle of Gambia. Here is even more chance to see monkeys, hippos and crocodiles. We constantly peer through our viewers and make the other boat aware when we think we see something. The radio frequently speaks: "hippopotamus on starboard or port". We see for the first time a large wooden 'tourist'. boat sailing, for the rest it is very quiet on the river with the help of the fishermen of course.
2 Park rangers come to us to ask if we want guidance. But we have a good map and information enough, so we reject this. It is only a disguised way to ask for money for their services. We sail between the first two Baboon Islands when Iris calls that she sees crocodiles and yes, two large specimens lie on a dry fallen bank in the sun.  
It's a busy day with all kinds of animals. Vincent photographs a little on these days, pelicans, beautiful large trees, strange birds and possible hippos. In the 'Ka-Ai Islands' we see some dark spots in the water, hippos? Yes, they swim there! On a dry, fallen bank there is even a very large hippopotamus, which is fantastic to see. He walks quietly to the water and then takes a dive under water to come up again later with a lot of roar. It is an almost terrifying sound. This he repeats a number of times.
Just after the turn of the 'Kai-Ai Islands' , the' Immaqa & lsquo; stuck on a sandbank. Oops not paying attention! There are even branches visible on this sandbox. The depth gauge suddenly shoots down and we can happily move to starboard on time. Still nice that we are sailing right away!
Before we get to 'Pagon Island' and 'Mac Carthy Island', there are noisy noises coming from the shore and seeing the branches go back and forth. Then we see a few large 'Baboons' in the mangrove. They are just as curious about us as we are to them. There are also very small 'velvet monkeys' around. There is even a monkey on an old bike standing against a tree! It is as if we are sailing through the zoo, what a beautiful sight! You can see from the attitude of the monkeys that we humans are clearly descended from the monkeys.  
Along the bank are more and more buildings and then the power pole of Janjanbureh is in the picture.
We will drop anchor just before the ferry and the low-hanging electricity cable (16 meters) that hangs over the water at 'Janjanbureh & rsquo; . What a great day this is! So many animals and some impressions. We have gained so many impressions today that we have been reasonably "lapped out" & rsquo; arrive. But the day is not over………………..
From the side there is already someone to wave where we can land. The dinghy of Koen and Iris appears to be leaky and so we are going to the side with his fives in ours. Also a big advantage if you are with 2 boats, because what else should they have done? On the side we are welcomed by a group of people and I get help from the dinghy. One starts me right away "Mama Gambia" to name and Fred 'dad Gambia'. We immediately brought 2 jerry cans with water, because the water tank needs to be replenished. Without questions, our jerry cans are taken over and there is a discussion between a number of people who is going to get water now. We meet a man who welcomes us and immediately appoints himself as a guide. He immediately arranges who will get water and then we see our jerry cans disappearing in the distance. Any doubts as to whether we will see them again will be taken away by & lsquo; Sax & rsquo; our guide. He would very much like to take us everywhere, but gradually we are more ready for a cold beer than a tour over the island. We might say later. We walk through a number of streets to a bar / restaurant where we end up in a sort of courtyard / garden. A table is arranged for us and then there is cold beer! Sax is a real talker and told about the history of the country and overwhelmed us with information. We indicate that we now want to recover, because we have had so many impressions and are reasonably tired. After the second round, Sax happily continues with his story and even creates a whole discussion. He is a smart man and his English is pretty good. He was an English teacher and asked to come back to his village to give the tourists good and honest information. He did not charge a price, but you could decide for yourself what you think it worth. He let it in the middle. But in the end it always comes down to the same, how much he can earn from us! Sax tells that there will be a party tomorrow in the city that his oldest brother & lsquo; chief & rsquo; from the village. It is an international festival 'Kankurang' , sponsored by UNESCO with the intention to bring together and connect different countries and peoples more. We get a taste when there is a sort of parade with music going through the streets.
After we have eaten, chicken and fish dishes for less & euro; 4.00 per person, "Bass" comes. sit comfortably. 'Bass' is the village's ADHD official who will serve our palm wine. A smell of vinegar with silver onions or pickle with a peculiar taste, not really our thing. According to 'Bass & rsquo; it cleans everything inside and he drinks 5 liters a day. Would he therefore also be so hyper? & nbsp; At the end of the evening there will be another man who is silversmith and shows off his beautiful bracelets. Then we say goodbye and walk back together with Sax to the dinghy. The filled water jerry cans are well prepared for us there. We must have a little more confidence in humanity. & Nbsp; All in all it is quite late and tired we dive into our bed.  
Position crocodiles / pelicans:
13 33.170 N    
14 57.158 W
Position Hippo:
13 33.411 N
14 52.265 W
Sandbank position :
13 33.413 N    
14 51.390 W
Position of monkeys:
13 33.803 N    
14 49.235 W
Anchor position:
13 32.694 N
14 45.823 W

----------
 
 
27-02-2018, reactie van Ludmilla
Lieve Lientje & Fred, wat een mooie en uitgebreide blog, zrg!
Wat een avonturen.... (niks voor je ouwe vriendinnetje... hihi)

 
28-02-2018, reactie van Ria & Carel
Tjonge, jullie hebben er wel werk van gemaakt!
Heerlijk om over jullie 'avonturen' te lezen!
Maar .... hier is het lekker fris (-5)
 
3-03-2018, reactie van Joke Laene
wat een lang en mooi verhaal en zeker de foto's zijn erg mooi
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