Dakhla (Morocco/Western Sakhara)

[timelessru]

Dear friends,

I'd be very grateful for any information on the possibilities of mooring/anchoring around Dakhla, especially in the bay of Dakhla. I haven't found any more or less reliable information in the net, so hopefully could get some here..

Main questions are:

1. Immigration/custom formalities - the same as in Morocco or different?
2. Is there a possibility to get fuel and water in Dakhla?
3. Is there a possibility to get deep into the bay for a boat with 1 to 2m draft and stay anchored near Punta del Dragon?


Many thanks in advance!
Slava

[Sailormantx]

Dakhla is part of Morocco, you will go through basically the same process as any other port there as Morocco requires that you clear in and out every time you move the boat. Presuming that you are coming from another Morroccan port, you will already have your number from the police stamped in your passport. Arrive with crew list and boat details in French and multiple copies of your passport. I don't know about water as I use a water maker. I have looked at traveling further up in the bay but didn't pursue that thought. The Navionics charts show adequate depths in the area. Generally I found that Morocco discourages anchoring, every port I have been in requires me to tie to a wharf. Check out my blog post from September 2015. If you have any questions, ask... I have been to most of the Atlantic ports in Morocco between Essaouria and Daklha. http://svnomad.blogspot.in/2015/09/. Other ports in Morocco are covered in earlier posts

[timelessru]

Sailormantx, thank you for information!

The plan is to arrive there from Canaries. I have visited Smir and Tangier, so i'm aware of formalities there, but it looks like it's not that easy in Dakhla (none of 2 latter required crew list and copies of passports, which have been made by themselves at the time of check-in).

So is there a birth for a 40-50ft sailing boat, or you had to raft up to some vessel?

Showers/toilets in port?

Still hoping to get some info from somebody on getting up the Dakhla bay and anchoring there, as this is actually the aim of coming there, because of kitesurfers on board ).

Slava.

[boatman61]

Well my charts show depths of 10metres along a winding contour line between 250m and 1nm from the maximum low water mark at the top end of the Rio do Ouro.. the Western side being closer and the N & E end further from dry land.. so yes.. you can get pretty far up there.. if they allow it.

[Sailormantx]

No facilities onshore, Dakhla is a commercial wharf. Plenty of space there, you will likely be rafted up to a commercial boat. Clearing in from the Canaries is no problem. I had been to Morocco a few months earlier and had their " police number" in my passport already. I sailed there from Los Cristianos Tenerife and cleared in with no problems. I did have an outwards clearance from the Canaries. You will likely have all the officials on the dock watching you tie up where they tell you to. Agadir was the only place I had to seek them out.
Agadir is the only Atlantic port I have been to that had an actual yacht marina with the usual facilities and Wi-Fi. All the rest are commercial/ fishing boat harbors. Rafting up makes it easier to get ashore, but you need to be ready to let the boat (s) on the inside out to work at any time.
I will be following this thread with interest as I am planning to head that way later this year and would really like to explore more of the country. I got the feeling that Morocco likes to keep you where they can keep tabs on you. The dock fees are the same for your boat everywhere in Morocco regardless of the facilities 🙄. Fortunately they use your registration length and not your LOA which helps a lot when you have a long bowsprit .
Approaching the Wharf from mid channel follow the south side around close to the wall and into the basin behind the wharf for ships. It's out there some distance from shore making for a long walk across the causeway to town although sometimes you can hitch a ride.