Socotra Island, Yemen

In March, 2016, Sea Child crossed the Arabian Sea in under 6.5 days.  In all,  1,248 NM were sailed with average boat speed of 8.26 knots across the vast area between Uligan, Maldives and Socotra Island, Yemen.  The seas for the most part were flat with winds steady from the NE.  The crossing itself was pleasant, yet our watch system of 4 hours on, 4 hours off soon became exhausting.  We had always had others onboard for our previous long passages and this new system would take some adjusting.  The fatigue we felt during the Arabian Sea crossing enhanced the anxiety we felt at the upcoming Gulf of Aden (GOA) crossing, and since we were in the HRA (High Risk Area) of the Indian Ocean, piracy was on our minds.  We reported our daily position to UKMTO, a Dubai organization that maintains the security area that includes the tip of India up to the Suez Canal.  We had studied the information available, and while in Maldives, we had met two other vessels that were planning to sail up to Red Sea via GOA, easing our concerns a bit as we were not the only vessels interested in making the passage.

The other vessels we met, Laragh & Tamaida, had their own set of information to share with us.  Dave & Katrina on Laragh shared with us a noonsite.com article about Socotra Island, and the ability to visit and tour the island with Tamam Travel Agency run by Denis Romanov, a Russian expat living on Socotra (see www.socotra.info).  We made contact with Denis prior to our departure from Uligan and he sent us very interesting information about Socotra, inviting us to come visit.  After careful consideration, we decided that a stop in Socotra, after the crossing of the Arabian Sea, would be good for us.  Anchor down for a few days, catch up on some much needed sleep, and tour a new island, previously unexplored by many yachts. A rest before our sail up the Gulf of Aden.

All of our sailing books on board Sea Child, including the Red Sea Pilot, Ocean Passages & Landfalls, and Indian Ocean Cruising Guide (to name a few) have bold warnings about piracy and Socotra, placing the risk at visiting the island akin to visiting Somalia and certain harm.  The Red Sea Pilot does give a more positive review of Socotra, though the anchorages listed were not used by Sea Child.  The Indian Ocean Cruising Guide states that "Socotra Island at the SE corner of the Gulf of Aden has always been well known as an area to keep clear of because of the possibility of pirate attacks" and Ocean Passages & Landfalls states "The island of Socotra and the Somali coast have long been a danger area for piracy......the advice for the past 25 years has been to stay well away from Socotra..."   The idea of stopping there was not taken lightly.  However, the rewards outweighed the risks and Denis Romanov assured us that we are welcome and safe. He even went so far as to write in one email, "No pirates at all here 3-4 years.  Don't worry about it.  It was Lloyds project to raise insurance rates.  But now is better to avoid Yemen mainland and Yemeni Island in Red Sea.....I will give you more details later."  And with that, we decided to stop, take our much needed rest, and trust Denis.  Socotra Island was worth every minute of our time spent there.

Socotra Island is a little larger than the Island of Maui, Hawaii in length.  Over 70 miles long and +20 miles wide, Socotra is mountainous and dry, sand dunes mixed with steep rocky terrain.  The rocky peaks of Socotra became visible only about 5 miles out, and the white sand dunes that towered above the shore could be spotted as if splatters of white paint were thrown against the rock.  Our nerves, at first spotting the island, were jumpy and we tried to put the warnings of the travel guides out of our minds as we stared in silence.  Here we were, Socotra Island before our tired eyes, and as we continued to jibe up the coastline, we continued to squint through our binoculars at the flat, rocky buildings that lined the coast.  Within a few hours of sighting Socotra, we dropped anchor at the rough "Yemen Port", 12 degrees, 40,8 N, 54 degrees, 04,7 E at 1500 local time. 

After anchoring, Denis arrived at Sea Child in a long, Yemeni motor boat with 4 officials.  Being a Saturday and therefore a non-work day, the officials were all dressed in their custom attire.  Long, sarong like skirts, tshirts, and scarfs wrapped around their heads.  They came aboard Sea Child and marveled at her size, and the fact that just the two of us had sailed her across the Arabian Sea.  Denis translated for us and within a very brief period, they boarded their craft back to shore and took our passports and clearance papers from Maldives with them.  That was it, no search of the vessel, no lengthy paperwork to process.  Easy.  Denis offered to show us around Hadibo, the capital of Socotra Island and short 10 minute drive from the anchorage at the port.  We had little time at Socotra, less than 48 hours planned for our stop, so  we took off on a little adventure.

The diverse landscape that is Socotra is astounding, unlike anything we had ever seen before.  Houses and structures are all built single story out of coral rocks, un-reinforced concrete blocks, and a sand plaster type finish.  All buildings are a light brown color, and most buildings have some sort of crumbling damage. A recent hurricane threw two large commercial vessels on the shore, which stand out tall amongst the sandy background.  And rock walls were everywhere, low walls, high walls, all surrounding vacant plots of land, as if to claim the land for future use.  Some of the rock walls lay in crumbled ruin, as if knocked over by accident, other walls were of stunning beauty, tile and coral and rock in fantastic detail.

The capital of Hadibo is another world.  Its dusty streets are laid in a chaotic pattern of shops and supply stores, hidden deep within dark alcoves.  Shops are filled to the brim with all sorts of supplies, from Saudi cheeses to house paint to baby baths, and a little bit of everything else.  The local bakery is a gas fired oven, similar to a pizza oven, and the baker is busy with tiny loafs of baquettes and delicious pita rounds, throwing the loaves into the fiery furnace by the board, and pulling them out in an organized process.  The smell of the fresh bread carried down the dusty block.

We also found delicious hot house tomatoes, tiny fingerling sweet potatoes, delicious giant green squash, and a unique honey co-op that a French organization brought to Socotra Island.  Diesel was relatively cheap ($.70/liter) and the diesel jugs could be filled to the top, unlike Maldives where the 20 liter mark on our jugs were not the same measurement as the 20 liters that came out of their pumps.  The most unique thing we watched in Hadibo was the people.  They all were busy with their wares, local abaya-clad women totally veiled were selling their produce, the cobbler was repairing worn sandals as he sat in the dirt, even the goat sellers were offering their live goats to be hand picked, killed, gutted and filleted for the buyer.  The eyeballs of the goats would then be thrown into the dusty street, perhaps as a later delicacy for the Egyptian Vultures that fly high above.  We felt as if we were in a movie, some sort of adaptation of the sand people from Star Wars, so foreign was our perspective at life all around us.  The buildings bustled with people, while the rooftops crumbled and supports held leaning walls.  Life was in full view, as if the war across the GOA in mainland Yemen was the furthest thing from the Socotra mindset.  We were intrigued.

Denis arranged a special tour for us, up into the highlands of Socotra Island, to the village area of Dixam.  This unique area is rather large, with several hamlets scattered along the clean, large road that climbs up over 2,000'.  As we drove along the spine of the mountain range, several children were seen walking in the road in the heat of the Socotra sun.  A few would seek shelter under giant Dragon Trees, scattered across the vista.  These giant umbrellas gave a fantastic shady patch, a large area to rest as they walked to and from the local schools.  We took an offroad path that finally led us to a giant patch of Dragon Trees, where we stopped for lunch and gazed at the amazing canyons and vistas of incredible beauty in shady comfort.  The unique bio-diversity of Socotra Island is like no where else in the world, home to over 300 species that grow and thrive only in Socotra.  The Dragon Trees are similar to the ones in Canary Islands of Africa, so very far away from Socotra.  We were shown Bottle Trees that bloom tiny, plumeria type flowers on their canopy tops of thick trunks with smooth bark. They resemble a fat, stubby tree with random branches protruding out towards the sky with clusters of these tiny flowers.  Our eyes feasted on our surroundings, unique, lovely contrast of sandy structures against the stunning turquoise waters of the Gulf of Aden.  We were thankful that we took the chance to stop.

Denis was most professional during our time with him, offering laundry service, hot coffee, and his home-made yogurt & home-made jam.  He took care of our every need, translating our purchases in Arabic and extending his hospitality in his office/home.  His lovely wife, Anna, greeted us with a warm smile as she prepared a delicious local shrimp and rice dinner while Denis gave us many books to look at about Socotra and wonderful conversation was shared.  Sea Child can highly recommend Denis and Tamam Agency to any yacht considering a stop in Socotra Island.

On our day of departure, we secured our final provisions and received our departure papers in Hadibo.  As we made our way back to the anchorage at the port, we absorbed as much as we could, memorizing the scenery.  The papers had to be checked by the local port officials, who were found eating their lunch of a shared round plate of rice and meat, across the street from the tent security area they had set up at the port.  They were surrounded by a herd of goats, several fighting cats jockeying for position of any morsels coming their way, and there we spotted the words, "YEMEN PORT", scratched into the concrete steps.  Nothing else would have suggested that the man-made pier that was unloading a small Kenyan or Somali freighter would be a port of access for Socotra.  Another unique glimpse of life in a land that seems frozen in time.

Would we recommend Socotra Island?  Yes.  Was it safe?  Absolutely.  The biggest concern we had was on our departure, where the winds whipped up over 25 knots at the anchorage, and as we pulled up the anchor we started to drag.  We set the main alone and sailed a course of 270 down the coast of Socotra, gazing upon the structures we now understood.  Seeing Hadibo from the sea, observing the birds flying over the fish market, and catching a glimpse of the goats that were everywhere, now all made sense.  The rocky structures appeared as if tucked under the giant ragged peaks of the island itself.  If this is Yemen, its lovely. The people are kind and welcoming, the "tourist police" stopping to check in with us to see if we felt safe, the local Russian tour guide to show us a unique island that had we believed the tour books, we would not have stopped.  Its time to rewrite some of what has been written about Socotra. 

A passage from Maldives up GOA should include a stop in Socotra. For the rest, as well as for an experience of a lifetime in land of many discoveries.  And if you should find yourself there, please say hello to Denis at Tamam for Sea Child.  Bring him an English Language book to read.  He'll appreciate it.

Details:

Yemen Port Anchorage Location:
12 degrees, 40,8 NORTH
54 degrees, 04,7 EAST

Tour Guide:
Socotra Tamam
Denis Romanov
office@socotra.info
www.socotra.info

Costs (USD):
Port = $10
Immigration = $100
Papers & Agent = $250
Ride to Hadibo = $30 r/t
Dixam Tour = $70*
Diesel = $.70 / liter
*plus food/beverage purchased at Hadibo prior to heading out to Dixam

Other notables:
Clothing:
Women:  cover knees & elbows, head scarf in Hadibo town
Men:  Shorts & tshirts ok

Plan for extreme heat inland.


Sea Child location at time of writing:
Red Sea, off coast of Sudan
18 degrees, 34.9 N
38 degrees, 01.3 E

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