The U-Turn
"Traditional African lake sailing, the once in a life time experience!"

No buyers, hence dhow bookvalue down to zero. I am offered free mooring in this beautiful harbour, 7 km from Kampala centre.

Harbour. ^{[zoom out to see Kampala] [Paste location harbour entrance in Google Earth "Fly to" box: 0.272585 32.637901]}

So, I  seem to live comfortably and beautifully in Kampala ... for free! Special features of this mooring: I am on land in one step, my car and motorcycle (the ideal traffic jam-vehicle) next to the dhow. The harbour is closed, there is no free access from the lake side, nor for the land side. There is 24/7/365 security, no need for a dhow guard, I can come and go any time, of days, weeks or months. Since living in Kampala has, for a muzungu an average cost of at least $ 1000 a month, just sitting and smoking cigars already earns me a lot of money!
Now reconsider the plan I planned to suggest tour operators interested in my dhow (nobody even came to listen to it!): the dhow would continuously sail with the prevailing wind at the Uganda coast, and a shuttle boat should take and bring tourists and supplies. That would permanently require a captain, 2 crew, and a cook  But operating from a safe city harbour, a supply boat would not be needed, I could live on my own like I do, until customers appear, then call and hire staff only for the period the dhow is hired. This means: no pressure of staff wages to be paid in idle times. The cost of the plan are for things also increasing my personal comfort. The only new requirements are:

• Upgrade the berths to bed steads (which allow upright sitting, can be closed, have light, socket and shelves)

• No more dripping inside during rain storms: new improved dhow tarpaulin (the old one had to be replaced anyway)

• A pump toilet/shower, $300

• Doubling electrical power capacity. 50% more solar. Solar dips, slightly more frequent due to more power use, to be filled with generator. A 24 VDC to 220VAC inverter A strong battery charger. Second solar battery from car to dhow 

• Mobile fridge/freezer from car to dhow

• Change to a canoe large enough to hold, say, 10 people if absolutely necessary, mount a 15 HP outboard.

• A cat. Mooring in a harbour brings rats. Hence feasibility study for cheetah.

Here you are, that's $5000/= or 5 months of sitting and smoking my cigars in my free Kampala house! Then, most of it improves my personal comfort at a cost lower than most could dream of: who would not want to have a freezer and minihuts to receive up to 10 guests comfortably? An if no customers ever come? No problem. If they come? The profit rate on the investment can't even be calculated: the dhow has no value and there is no investment  unambiguously dedicated exclusively to the business. What about the trips, planned after the dhow sale, with my truck through East Africa? Remain possible! So I decided to make the U-turn, increase the comfort of the dhow, maybe a bit beyond what I would ever do for myself, but once it's all there I will surely enjoy it.

The moment I remember first starting to turn was when I was drinking Roland's Weizenbier for the first time and saw there this painting:

This totally enviable bridge would cost another $1000 dollars inclusive the mounting of a train rail under the keel for stability. Fun when useful and to consider I really start regularly to see customers. Not top on the list of refurbishments, but to keep in mind!

Obviously, the inevitable upshot of all this is the start of a new technical journal, The U-turn Journal, my fourth (see list).

The new name of the dhow is "The U-Turn"

View booking agenda  and contact "The U-Turn"