Cruising the Gulf

This weekend we had the opportunity to join friends on our first ever Dhow cruise on the Gulf. The wooden boats or dhows are traditional Arabic fishing boats and can be seen in all of the harbors in Doha.

As with most events in Qatar, we weren't really sure what to expect. The four of us have never been on a dhow cruise and we were only told 3 things. A BBQ dinner would be served, bring a bathing suit, and we're allowed to bring a cooler with booze since we'd be on international waters. That's all we needed to hear! 

There were over 30 of us total. We boarded the boat at around 3:00 pm and headed out onto open waters. We went straight to the top deck to enjoy the sunshine and the nice breeze. Traditional Arabic seating, which consists of cushions on the floor and pillows to lean against, were arranged the entire perimeter of the top deck. 

Our hostess very graciously brought tons of appetizers to hold us over since dinner wasn't served until much later in the evening. But the first line of business was serving margaritas! Always a good way to kick off a trip.

The 90+ degree weather quickly became bearable with the sea breeze. We sailed for about 25 minutes and pulled within 100 yards of a small island (made from reclaimed land). Since this was our first go, we weren't sure exactly what was going to happen next. So we just continued to enjoy the food, the drinks, the gorgeous view, and the company. Our crew had music playing continually and we enjoyed an eclectic mix of tunes. The waters were busy on Saturday. Jet skis, boats pulling tubes and water skiers, and other dhow boats filled the waters. The jet skiers took our presence as an opportunity to show off to the passengers, flying by us at top speeds and circling our boat. 

Here is another dhow boat which closely resembled the one that we were on.

The sun started to set and the crowds started to calm down. Our BBQ dinner was finally served! The crew cooked on deck and provided grilled chicken, beef and vegetable kabobs, lamb kabobs, hot dogs, salad, curried coleslaw, rice, pita bread and hummus, and an assortment of fresh fruit. 

We had the perfect seats to enjoy the gorgeous sunset.

The sun receded below the horizon, our belly's were full, and our coolers were starting to empty. The calm waters provided just the relaxation we were all looking for. Right about that time a few passengers thought it was the perfect opportunity to go for a swim. Kris and I were a bit hesitant, but as we watched the others jumping about 20 feet off of the top deck and into the waters below, we had the urge to join. It had been a while since I've had a proper dive (maybe even since my diving days in college), so I was pretty excited. My only fear was what's lurking below in those dark waters...

Our hostess handed out glow in the dark necklaces to ensure that no one was lost in the water. What a great idea?! Kris and I took the plunge together and cooled off with a bunch of others. I performed my best dive (thankfully it was dark) and we swam for a bit. Besides the warm and cool spots that faded in and out of the water (Kris promised it wasn't him), we thankfully didn't encounter any sea creatures. 

We were back to the dock around 8:30 pm, relaxed and well fed. A great experience all around and we would definitely do it again. I think we'll probably wait until next year because the heat is beginning to rise and I can't imagine being out there when it hits the 120's, 130's dare I say the 140's.

Till our next Blog, a belated Happy Easter to all and sending our Love from Qatar.