Page 191 - The Tigris Expedition

The Tigris Expedition
dhow picked up speed and left us at peace with the wind and the
natural rhythm of the waves.
We had been told by Said to steer from Ras Rakan, the northern
tip of the Qatar peninsula, towards Halul island, which was sup­
posed to be high and to have a light tower. I was sound asleep when
the steering watches woke me up. The lights from Qatar were gone
but the silhouette of the dhow was back with us and Rashad shouted
that Captain Said now insisted that we must be towed. I was
surprised and refused blankly, as the steering watches confirmed
that we were making precisely the course Said had determined. We
now learnt that the proposed tow was not for our sake. The sea was
too rough, and the old dhow could break to pieces because it had
sprung a leak and was being pumped out continuously. Its motor
could not go as slow as we were sailing, and if it went in circles the
big waves would hammer the hull to pieces. If it had us in a tow, we
would steady the dhow and keep the motor working at a proper
speed. Captain Said refused to continue unless he had us in tow.
This was a bizarre situation. Now, when we were at last able to
sail as we wanted, our pilot was upset because we did not let him
tow us. To gain time I asked for an hour to make up my mind. Said
reluctantly agreed and they disappeared out of view. The last we
heard from Rashad was his suggestion that the dhow be sent back to
Bahrain whilst we should sail on alone. Many on board took the
same view, but Carlo and Yuri agreed with me that until we were
outside this confusing gulf with all its obstacles and traffic, its
changing winds and tides, we had better have the dhow as a safety
precaution.
An hour later the dhow was back and Captain Said was now all
goodwill. He was here to serve us; anything we said he would obey.
But could we please give him our position and estimated time of
arrival at Halul island, as he had lost all bearings due to circling
around. In the moonlight we could see the dhow rolling badly, and
Rashad confirmed that Tigris looked like a sturdy mole compared
with the frail cradle he was on. Their pump was running continu­
ously. Their lifeboat seemed even less secure than the old dhow
itself, but Rashad insisted on fulfilling his liaison mission. Clearly,
Said would feel safer with our sturdy raft-ship lashed on astern, but
fearing to be sent back to Bahrain alone he agreed to honour the
original arrangement. We sailed on in triumph, independently.
Except for some wooden crates and other flotsam the sea
appeared surprisingly clean; I had expected it much worse in the
gulf. In the early afternoon the dhow had not been seen for hours
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