34:01.7N 006:49.3W

The forecasted NW winds did not materialize and with a 1 knot south going current we motored the 95 miles to Rabat at an average of 9 ½ knots under clear blue skies and flat seas. Is the Atlantic supposed to be like that?

We passed fishing boats large and small along the way and even tiny wooden rowing boats miles out at sea. We were also stopped by a coastguard cutter and asked where we had come from and where we were going to, all in a friendly manner and sent on our way with a wave and good wishes.

We arrived at the entrance and called up a pilot boat as both the charts and the pilot book shows the Oued Bou Regreg to be un-navigable due to silting.

However they have dredged a channel up river and built a brand new marina complex.

The people are really friendly and the authorities are relaxed and easy to deal with.

They have a large bucket dredger at the entrance and also vacuum blowers to move sand from the river bottom so seem determined to re-open the port and river.

The only danger was from 100’s of kids swimming across the river as you motored by and no room to motor around them. The guy in the pilot boat shepherds them out of the way, all good humored.

We plan to stay her for a few days and explore the two cities either side of the river Bou Regreg, Rabat on the south bank and Sale on the north bank.