Page 116 - The Tigris Expedition

Problems Continue

area, and we hoisted again the only sail we had, the thin downwind
canvas. The proper tacking sail, with cringles and reinforcements,
still lay in pieces on the cabin roof. It could never be hoisted unless
we first got to Bahrain where an experienced sailmaker could
restore it. The problem was to get to Bahrain without it. But at least
the thin downwind sail was bigger and gave us better speed.
Compared with previous experiences, we certainly rode very
high on the waves three weeks after launching. And with the big,
light sail we moved with great speed away from the anchorage and
the tanker channel. The wind increased. It turned even more
southerly. The best we could do with the rigging we had was to
take the wind straight in athwart and hold a course of240°-250°. If
we tried to do better we quickly lost leeway.
The sea now ran white-capped everywhere and we saw neither
land nor ships. With this course we were heading in the direction of
Failaka Island, that lay in front of Kuwait. This was really good
sailing and it did not yet take us totally off course. We had to get
further west anyhow in order to avoid the busy shipping lanes in the
central part of the gulf. We had to get closer to the shores of Saudi
Arabia. Before we came too close, the wind ought to change and
resume its normal course, and, with the fine speed we were making,
a good north wind should take us to Bahrain in four days.
But the wind did not turn to its normal course. It blew ever
stronger from the south and our speed westwards increased. The
fresh southerly dug up a choppy sea with deep and narrow troughs
coming at us athwart and making us roll heavily. We had to straddle
to keep upright on the wooden bridge. Some of the men began to
get drowsy. Asbjorn gave us a seasick smile and apologised as he
crawled to bed in the forward cabin. The long mast legs began to
jump and hammer. They were tightened to their shoes by Carlo.
We saw a few porpoises but no other sign of life and kept on the
same steady course westwards in the direction of Kuwait. If this
southerly wind were to last for some days we would have to drop
anchor somewhere along the coast of Failaka Island and wait for a
change of weather. Ancient navigators might have done the same.
They lacked many modern conveniences, but were never short of
time.
With this wind there would be shelter on the north coast of
Failaka. But our navigation chart showed no harbour or anchorage
in that area. In fact it showed no details at all in the broad belt
between the island and the mainland north of it, for this area was
marked as unnavigable, due to unbroken shallows. But with our
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