Seafaring is his passion

Now a dhow captain, Hassan ventured out into the sea for the first time accompanying his mother, who was also a dhow captain who had been assisted by 15 workers, on one of her trips from Iran to the UAE. Unusual for a woman in this part of the region even now.

Hassan remembers people used to go on sea trips in groups, accompanied by their family members. The trips could last as long as 20 days then.

He says his profession and life in the sea have tremendously influenced his personal life, making him courageous, patient and work-loving.

He prefers to travel during night when the sea is calm and the weather is cool. He usually sets sail at dawn and navigates for least 17 hours, which is his sailing time between the emirates and Iran.

He joined this profession because it is rewarding despite the high running cost of fuel. The revenue is inconsistent depending on the seasons and periods of the year.

The commodities he ships from the UAE to Iran include sugar, tea, garments and rice and from his country to the emirates goats, dates and nuts from his country.

When he joined the dhows, he found it was an arduous and extremely risky profession. Some boats were small, manually operated, ill-equipped, with no shelter from the sun and rain and without communication facilities. They also used to depend on stars to determine their locations.

Now, he feels more safe and secured with automated boats equipped with television sets and radar and he is being assisted by skilled labourers. He says 95 per cent of the boats have communication facilities. He uses mobile phones and a wireless communication system to keep in touch with the family members as well as his trade partners.

He had learnt to determine the locations in the sea by the location of stars but the Geographical Information System (GIS) and air compass assist him in determining locations and directions now. These days, dhow captains do not set sail until they get enough information about the weather condition.

The number of boats has considerably increased in the sea. A number of UAE nationals, Iranians and Asians have joined this profession, he says.

Hassan likes his profession but says it is sometimes a tiring job. No wonder since he never gets enough sleep during his sailing trip. What he misses the most is quality time with his wife, nine children and grandchildren. He is only available at home during bad weather and off-peak seasons.

He is worried of encountering a sudden storm or serious sickness when in the middle of the sea. For a man who has survived many a storm, his advancing age is telling on his face.

amira@khaleejtimes.com