Spectating the Dakar

[simondippenhall]

Brian: I have also signed up with Smeagol/Tim for the jaunt and am aiming to make the Portsmouth/Bilbao ferry on 27th. Good to hear there will be a lot of Morocco experience (not including me!)...what's your idea of what weather might be like? (I have looked at temperature and precipitation records for Spain and Morocco but as these are averages it would be interesting to hear of actual experiences).

regards

Simon

 

[Mike Werner]

Brian: I have also signed up with Smeagol/Tim for the jaunt and am aiming to make the Portsmouth/Bilbao ferry on 27th. Good to hear there will be a lot of Morocco experience (not including me!)...what's your idea of what weather might be like? (I have looked at temperature and precipitation records for Spain and Morocco but as these are averages it would be interesting to hear of actual experiences).

regards

Simon

Last year when I did the follow the Dakar thing, there were parts in the Atlas mountains closed due to snow. Once you're below Casa, you're OK and things start heating up. The treck through Portugal and Spain can be snowy as well....

 

[Gilbert]

According to Patsy there are often individual entries where a rider attempts the Dakar without a mechanic. So when these riders reach the bivouac on the air strip, as well as eating and studying the next day's course, they also have to work on the bike before falling asleep. I don't think any of these guys have yet finished.

Tim

At least one driver has finished the Dakar without a mechanic. In 2000 PG Lundmark of Sweden managed to finish 11:th Total, 3:rd in the Marathon-class and also claim a 2:nd place on one of the stages.

 

[simondippenhall]

Last year when I did the follow the Dakar thing, there were parts in the Atlas mountains closed due to snow. Once you're below Casa, you're OK and things start heating up. The treck through Portugal and Spain can be snowy as well....

Mike:
Sounds like I had better ask Santa Claus for a heated waistcoat, and get out my Damart catalogue! Thanks for the info. Simon

 

[Mike Werner]

Mike:
Sounds like I had better ask Santa Claus for a heated waistcoat, and get out my Damart catalogue! Thanks for the info. Simon

Two words for you: Heated grips

 

[Crapaud]

Still no reply about which hotel in Lisbon?

I've booked up my ferry Portsmouth Caen leaving 15.15 on Tuesday 27th getting into Caen at 22.15 French time. Plan to stop in Formula 1 Hotel in Caen first night. Wednesday 28th will ride from Caen to Biarritz. Very early start on Thursday 29th (my birthday) to hopefully make the approx 1,000 km to Lisbon (weather permitting). We should be passin gby Bilbao about the sam etime as the others are getting off in the morning of 29th. Found good deal on 4* hotel in Lisbon for 30th but don't know if its anywhere near the hotel where BMW party is being held.
Received party invite by email but my PC is playing up and won't open pdf files properly. Can anyone advise the name of the Hotel in Lisbon where party is and is anyone planning on staying there?

Took my son out on bike this evening and it was extremely cold. Invested in some heated grips so they will be getting fitted on Sunday morning. Also had to treat him to some new bike gear as he is still growing out of things.

Would be happy to meet up with anyone else, either on journey down, in Lisbon or over in Morocco.

Cheers

Sid

 

[sniper]

Seriously considering this...

As a long-time Dakar fan I've always fancied this and am considering going down to Lisbon/Morocco with my partner to spectate the start and some of the Dakar - not sure what to do about accommodation, but do not want to camp. We've never been to Morocco and haven't looked into what we need in the way of paperwork. Would be interested in joining up with other GSers, especially those with Morocco experience! I don't know what kind of tracks/roads you others have in mind, and because I will be two-up and riding on Tourances I don't know whether you'd want us to tag along (although I am experienced at off-roading and have a lightweight passenger!)?

Sid (Horman) - what you have in mind sounds ideal for us, getting the Portsmouth Caen ferry and riding down to Lisbon. From your previous post you have good Morocco experience and obviously know what you're taking on, and you're also riding two-up. If we do decide to go, would we be able to join you down from Caen?

We were thinking of going for a couple of weeks. I'll keep an eye on this thread to see what everyone's doing. One thing I wanted to check was does the ferry to Morocco have to be booked up far in advance?

Still unsure whether this is viable for us because of family/work commitments, but definitely keen and any encouragement would be appreciated!

 

[Tim Cullis]

Sorry for the delay in responding guys; was away for the weekend.

It looks like we have the start of a plan with possibly seven bikes, nine people. This is a summary of how I read the various posts and PMs.

Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry 27 Dec
Tim (Zmeagol, 1200GS, Eastbourne)
Simon (simondippenhall, 1150GS, Hampshire)
Brian (Rampant Stallion)
Errol (Sugarcube, , Northern Ireland)

Riding through France
Steve (ActiveMoto), via Calais
Sid (Sid Horman, 1100GS, Devon), via Caen two-up with son
Sniper (Sniper, 1150GS, Essex), via Caen two-up with partner

Those riding through France could link up--if they want--with those coming by ferry on the morning of 29Dec. Everyone has expressed a wish to make the BMW Party on 29Dec. If everything goes well I expect us to cover the 550 miles to Lisbon in 10 hours, which would mean around nightfall. Portugal is in the same time zone as the UK, so this would be at 6pm local time.

I'm suggesting we stay in Lisbon at the Ibis Lisboa José Malhoa which is in the heart of downtown Lisbon. It costs €55 per night but we can obviously double up (earplugs a good idea) which makes it about £20 pp pn (b'fast extra). I have already reserved one room for two nights; someone can share with me.

The BMW Party starts at 8pm and is at the Blues Café which is 4 miles to the east of the hotel, down by the docks.

The scrutineering on 30Dec is at Belém Cultural Centre which is four miles to the south west of the hotel.

Ibis José Malhoa: N38 44.191 W9 09.707
Blues Cafe (BMW party): N38 44.993 W9 05.783
Belém Cultural Centre: N38 41.806 W9 12.380

Until we know the route of the rally (details expected 23Nov), it's difficult to plan more than this.

What to do next?
1. If you haven't already done so, please email me at [email protected] so we can plan offline.
2. Book the BMW party (tel: 08000 131 282, £45)
3. Book your ferry from the UK
4. Sid and Sniper book the hotel directly (two nights), others please coordinate through me.

Tim

 

[Bert]

better still

Two words for you: Heated grips

six words for you heated grips/gloves and heated jacket

 

[Tim Cullis]

After being quoted £170 for solo rider/cabin, the cheapest Portsmouth-Bilbao fare I've found is by using a combination of offers and is for two people sharing a two-berth cabin, plus two bikes. This works out at £221, or £110.50 each.

Tim

 

[Crapaud]

Just to confirm all now booked up.

Ferry confirmed.

Hotels all confirmed.
27th Formula 1 in Caen nord Memorial.
28th Formula 1 in Bayonne (near Biarritz)
29th & 30th Ibis as noted above.
BMW party booked and paid.
Heated grips fitted over weekend. Why didn't I do this before??

Re Ferries to Morocco from Algerciras (a few miles West of Gib). In February this year it was just turn up, pay fare in terminal building and get next ferry. They seem to run every few hours and any ticket is valid for any differrent ferry company. Slow ferry takes about 3 hours and fast ferry about an hour. Everyone within a few mile radius of the port tries to sell you tickets but there is little advantage. They offered a discount on a booking of 10 or more so don't think we can get that. However, I may be able to book the tickets together with the Plymouth Dakar group when we get there and obtain some group discount. I assume that the ferries will be operating as normal on New Years Day as that was when I intended to cross to Tanger. Avoid Ceuta as it takes hours to clear Customs etc. We managed to get through Tanger in minutes and without paying any bribes or fixes/charges at all. I hate paying full price for anything and always try to blag things for free or discounted.

Looking forward to escaping the freezing weather here.

Cheers

Sid

 

[Sugarcube]

Simon?

Are you still intending to be on a ferry from Ireland on the 27th of Dec and then head to Plymouth for the evening sailing?

Errol.

 

[Mike Werner]

The itinerary is in:

Date Departure > Arrival Liaison Special Liaison Total
31/12/05 Lisboa > Portimão 186 km 83 km 101 km 370 km
01/01/06 Portimão > Málaga 65 km 115 km 387 km 567 km
02/01/06 Nador > Er Rachidia 237 km 314 km 121 km 672 km
03/01/06 Er Rachidia > Ouarzazate 56 km 386 km 197 km 639 km
04/01/06 Ouarzazate > Tan Tan 187 km 350 km 282 km 819 km
05/01/06 Tan Tan > Zouérat 336 km 444 km 12 km 792 km
06/01/06 Zouérat > Atâr 10 km 499 km 12 km 521 km
07/01/06 Atâr > Nouakchott 34 km 508 km 26 km 568 km
08/01/06 Rest day - Nouakchott
09/01/06 Nouakchott > Kiffa 30 km 599 km 245 km 874 km = 546 miles!
10/01/06 Kiffa > Kayes 1 km 283 km 49 km 333 km
11/01/06 Kayes > Bamako 50 km 231 km 424 km 705 km
12/01/06 Bamako > Labé 197 km 368 km 307 km 872 km
13/01/06 Labé > Tambacounda 7 km 348 km 212 km 567 km
14/01/06 Tambacounda > Dakar 107 km 254 km 273 km 634 km
15/01/06 Dakar > Dakar 38 km 31 km 41 km 110 km
TOTAL 1541 km 4813 km 2689 km 9043 km = 5651 miles

 

[simondippenhall]

Simon?

Are you still intending to be on a ferry from Ireland on the 27th of Dec and then head to Plymouth for the evening sailing?

Errol.

Errol: I am ferrying from Rosslare to Fishguard in the morning (0900 fastferry from memory, arrives 12h00) in the family cage then (all being well) jumping on the (pre-packed) motorbike at my home in Hampshire and riding down to Portsmouth (NB not Plymouth!) for the evening ferry.

regards

Simon

 

[Tim Cullis]

I've been looking at the Rally Route and what we might do.

Dec31: If we watch the start of the rally on Dec31, we're hardly going to be able to get ahead on the road to watch it come through later that day! So Dec31 we would only get to see the start. The overnight stop is at Portimão (near Faro) but we would be better off 'cutting the corner' and stopping near the following day's route. Tavira, for example, just inside the Portugese border. Rally miles 230, GSer miles 190.

Jan01: The next day starts at Portimão near Faro with a 40 mile liaison, then a 70 mile special stage whilst still within Portugal which we could watch. Rally bikes can then be loaded on accompanying vehicles for the long 240-mile liaison to Málaga and the overnight boat to Nador. We would be better off heading for Algeciras/Tarifa, getting a quick boat to Ceuta/Tanger and getting as far in as we can--for example, Meknes. Rally miles 350, GSer miles 380.

Jan02: The rally is covering Nador to Er Rachidia. We would have a relatively easy day to Er Rachida and could watch the end of the special stage. Rally miles 420, GSer miles 190.

Jan03: 240 miles of special stages on the way to Ouazazarte. Rally miles 400, GSer miles on surfaced roads about 380.

I think this is as likely as most people would want to go and would prefer to spend time within Morocco, but for the record, this is what COULD be done if anyone was interested in going further.

Jan04: The next stop is Tan Tan--the furthest south I've ever been in Morocco. Rally miles 400, GSer miles 400.

Jan05-07: the rally takes a bit of a dog leg through Mauritania before stopping for a rest day in Nouakchott. To reach Nouakchott at the same time as the rally would require covering 800 miles in 3 days.

Jan08: rest day

Jan09-Jan14: the rally takes a long loop through Mali and Guinea to reach Dakar. Going directly to Dakar would only require covering 300 miles in six days.

Jan15: final day in Dakar.


Tim

 

[Bert]

anyone?

Headed further south through Mauritania and Mali for the Desert Festival?
Get in touch!

 

[simondippenhall]

Tim: Itinerary sounds great. Tavira is a nice town with lots of Roman history...spent a great 10 days there 5 years ago. I guess as the ride progresses we'll have a better idea how far South we'll make

Q to Bert: What does trip to Mali involve in distance/time?

regards
Simon

 

[Rampant Stallion]

Another question to Bert;
What does a trip to the Festival au Desert involve in the way of forward planning this end, ie, vaccinations, carnets, visas etc?
Otherwise, I'm with Tim on this. Cut the corner, get there before they do. Algeciras~Ceuta is quick and we'll get nicely ahead. Everything else is fine with me.

 

[Bert]

Here is some info I hope helps you

Vaccinations-
you really need to speak to your doctor as I've no idea what you've had.
Yellow Fever is mandatory
You need anti-malarial
I have also had:
tetanus, Diphteria, Polio, Rabies Hep A, Hep B, Meningitis.
Can't remember which (o think it's polio) which 'clashes' with another vaccines so can't take them all together.
of course, the only mandatory one I know of is the Yellow Fever one. Other vaccinations are a matter of personal choice /risk taking etc
(some drink any water/others are more cautious!)

Carnets: Embassies will state that they are mandatory for Mauritania and Mali. Some Overlanders who have been before report that this is 'hit and miss' and you can get through without- nothing is ever guaranteed!

VISAS:
2 needed
Mauritania (obtainable in London from a very helpful lady called MMe Assoul at the Embassy of Mauritania, 8 Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 3AS tel: 020 7478 9323 - can be done by post too - or get it in Casablanca.

You will find the Mauritanian consulate at 382 route d'El Jadida, in the Quartier Beau Sejour. The opening hours of the consulate are: Monday to Friday from 8.30 AM until 3 PM, Friday from 8.30 AM until noon. You can call the consulate at 02 223 73 73. The visa costs 200 dirham (US$ 20). You will need to bring two passport sized photographs. If you file your application before 9 AM, you should be able to pick up the visa after 1 PM the same day

Mali get it near the frontier.

Insurance - Green card for Morocco - third party only from your insurers- or can be bought in Tangers.
Further south.....you're on your own might have to buy 'insurance' but prob. not worth paper it's on!! - you might want to speak to more experience people who have done this trip before.

Festival
Ticket costs €300 and isn't negotiable! provides entrance, food water, Touareg tent and mats and I think that's it!
web site here www.festival-au-desert.org

TIME
Good question! no idea but allow certainly 4 weeks. Not exactly European roads from what I have read up to so far. Buy Chris Scotts' book Sahara Overland- very informative.

Money
Sadly needed!
Moroccan Dirham, Mauritania Ouguyia and Mali CFA
Understod to need about €2000 to cover food, camping, fuel, some 'hotels'

Charity
If you'd like to contribute to worthwhile work, then I'd encourage you to donate as I do to SOS SAHEL. Helping with access to medical/water cleaning/engineering/urban development. etc etc.
They are on the web.

Distance
Depends on how many detours and how long is a piece of string!
Count (probably) on 10,000Kms maybe a few more

GS's...rid'em beyond the M25! ;0)

 

[Rampant Stallion]

OK, Ok, so I'll check with my quack......
Otherwise, what about visas, carnets etc?
Anything else I should know about before I get too excited????