Dhow

A Christmas Day with a difference. In the morning as we were sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, Santa Claus arrived and gave presents to the 20 or so children and teenagers on board, then we all sang carols. It was a good distraction from probably the most dangerous waters we sailed through. There is a US and British naval presence, with Iran in sight to the east. We arrived in the Omani enclave of Khasab and sailed on dhows up the fjord. A pod of dolphins enjoyed playing in the wake of the boats.

The extra is taken in Khasab harbour and shows some of the hundreds of power boats that take one and a half hours to get to Iran. They take electronic goods to Iran and bring spices, goats and sheep on the return journey. The locals explained to us that it wasn’t really smuggling as they pay “taxes” (or at least bribes) at each end (and you can see the police boat in the foreground keeping a close eye on us but ignoring them). So much for any trade embargo!