Cruising Notes Oman  - Salalah 

Weather – The time to travel to Oman is during the NE Monsoon when the temperatures are lower and the wind if favorable for sailing. We found the temperatures refreshing after hot, humid Southeast Asia. It is very dry, with warm sunny days and cool nights where you actually need a blanket on your bunk! Just after we anchored, we experienced a sandstorm which put a fine layer of red dust all over and inside the boat. 

Cruising Guides – The best guide for this area and all up the Red Sea is the Red Sea Pilot, which has just been updated and is much, much better than the old version. This is the only guide you will need, but the Indian Ocean Cruising Guide has good information for Oman, Yemen & Djibouti. There are also copious Cruiser notes out there, and Jimmy Cornell’s Noonsite www.noonsite.com has up to date information, especially on the pirate situation. 

Anchorage – The anchorage is inside a large break wall and is a major shipping port. Therefore, it is very well lit and somebody is on the VHF 24 hours a day. It would be easy to come in at night except for 2 difficulties. There are fish traps that  go from around 20 miles from shore right up to the break wall area. They could be nets but we think they were traps – marked with one or two large jerry cans. We saw 8 or 9 on our daylight approach, but there could be many more at night. Also, within the yacht area anchorage, the holding is variable (not ‘good’ like the cruising guide says, so beware!). The boats swing in all directions if the wind dies and there is not much room. Near the head of the ‘bay’ is muddy and good holding but as you get further near the opening to the little bay is rock and rubble and poor holding. Many boats dragged out there. We anchored and tied a stern line to the rocks at the head of the bay and you can fit a lot of boats in a small area that way.As you get to within 5 miles of the harbour, call on 16, switch to 12 and answer the various questions Port Control will ask you. These questions include length, draft of your boat (in meters), registration number, tonnage and country, the number of people on board and their nationalities. The harbour is a fenced in and secured area – you must get a pass at the control house nearby & get it stamped each day you leave the port. You are supposed to be back by 7PM – if you plan to be out late, you must let them know.

Customs & Immigration – The officials come to you. Just leave your yellow flag up and wait for them. If someone comes into the harbour needing help, do not go aboard their boat until they are cleared. (If an emergency, just call the port control and ask permission to go aboard their boat). Clearance is very easy, one form to fill out and no charge. They take away your passports until you clear out.