The Reality of Sailing This African Delta Alone | A Map, $170 Tax, Beached boat & Bloody Foot |S7E30

Navigating the Casamance River delta in Senegal is as magical as it is nerve-wracking. In this episode, a pod of dolphins finds me—first following in my wake, then leading the way through the winding, mangrove-lined channels. These dolphins are here for a reason: they’re feasting on the river's abundant shrimp, and for a brief moment, they brought me into their world.But the beauty of the river comes with a constant challenge: the depth. With one eye on the horizon and the other glued to my depth sounder, I have to navigate carefully to avoid running aground on the hidden sandbanks of the delta

A Special Map from Ziguinchor
I wasn't just wandering; I was looking for a very specific spot. Back in Ziguinchor, an old French sailor shared his local knowledge with me, handing over a hand-drawn map of a secluded beach perfect for careening. Following those ink lines through the shifting sands of the delta felt like a true mission.But the clock was ticking. I’m not a rich yachtsman, and the reality of cruising in Senegal is that it's expensive. The authorities charge a $170/month navigation tax for the river. My permit was nearly up, and with the last of my funds going toward fuel, cooking gas, and food for the trek back north to Dakar, I was—quite frankly—broke.

The Solo Scrape: A 65-Year-Old’s Mental Battle
At 65, the stress of a sliced foot from a sharp oyster shell combined with the financial pressure was heavy.To prepare for the long trek back north to Dakar, the hull needed to be spotless. With the help of a local named Gilbert, I managed to beach the boat. But to avoid being "neaped"—stuck on the sand until the next moon’s high tide—I didn't push her as high up as I should have.This meant I had to finish the job alone, standing in waist-deep river water.Locals in Ziguinchor assured me the water here is too salty for crocodiles—they stay much further up-river in the fresh-water tributaries. But when you’re alone in waist-deep, murky water with a bleeding foot, logic starts to slip. Every ripple in the mangroves feels like a set of eyes, and the "spook factor" becomes very real.

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00:00 Intro
00:18 Old sailor's map
00:48 Sailing with porpoise
02:24 Close to running aground
04:58 Beaching my boat
06:38 Scraping the hull
08:03 Spooked in waist deep water
09:35 Two boats is a crowd
10:31 Net week

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