Swahili racing teams come together several times a year to compete in traditional hand-crafted arabic-styled Mashua dhows in the Lamu Archipelago just off Kenya's northern Swahili Coast.

Intense village rivalries build over the years, often reaching pitch fever on race day. This magnificent racing dhow and crew are in the lead as they move into the final leg of the race. They are the ultimate winners and will return to their village on the island of Pate with team bragging rights and a certain village swagger that will likely last several months until the next race.

Six crewmen in the lead dhow are perched on an adjustable plank that hangs out over the choppy waters for added balance, speed, and stability. About sixteen young crewmen all together are crowed into each dhow to give the necessary weight and stability against a stiff coastal trade wind.

The art of Swahili dhow racing requires considerable team skill as the dhows tack and manoeuvre back and forth through the Manda channel and ultimately out to the edge of the open sea. The finest dhows are selected from each village to race under sail through a complicated series of buoys, combining speed and balance with elaborate tacking and maneuvering competence.

The races are usually organized in conjunction with a cultural festival or an Islamic religious holiday. This particular Shela-based race on the island of Lamu is organized yearly by Peponi's on New Year's Day. expl487

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A Swahili crewman is perched at the far end of an adjustable dhow plank that hangs out over the water for balance and stability as this traditional hand-crafted arabic-styled Mashua dhow sails the Lamu Archipelago off Kenya's northern Swahili coast.

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Swahili racing teams come together several times a year to compete in traditional hand-crafted arabic-styled Mashua dhows in the Lamu Archipelago just off Kenya's northern Swahili Coast. Intense village rivalries build over the years, often reaching pitch fever on race day.

These four magnificent racing dhows are in near-perfect formation, positioned towards the noonday equator sun on the first day of the New Year. They are in the lead as they prepare to tack around the buoy (top left) and change course back again to the starting point at Shela, a small Swahili fishing village on the island of Lamu. The winners will return to their village with team bragging rights and a certain village swagger that may last several months until the next race.

© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved

Dhow Culture | Social Documentary | myFaves

Tags:   Swahili Dhow waterscape landscape dreamscape Motion Awe Competition Nature Nautical Vessel Horizontal Outdoors Kenya Orange Sky Cloud Sea Sports Race Horizon Water Indian Ocean DavidSchweitzer DocumentaryPhotography StreetPhotography HumanInterest VisualAnthropology PhotoJournalism people DhowCulture CloudPorn Mashua MashuaDhow Lamu racing island shela buoy sailing tacking wind coast crewman Africa boat Movement

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Swahili racing teams come together several times a year to compete in traditional hand-crafted, arabic-styled Mashua dhows in the Lamu Archipelago off Kenya's northern Swahili Coast.

Intense village rivalries build over the years, often reaching pitch fever on race day. The winners will return with team bragging rights and a certain village swagger that may last several months until the next race.

These four magnificent racing dhows are in rare perfect formation, positioned towards a rising noonday equator sun on the first day of the New Year. They are in the lead as they prepare to tack around the buoy (top left) and change course back to the starting point at Shela, a small Swahili fishing village in the Lamu Archipelago. Several dhows capsized at this challenging point in the race.

About sixteen young men are crowded together into each of these hand-crafted dhows to give the necessary weight, balance, and stability against a stiff coastal wind. The seasonal trade winds have been instrumental in the evolution of Swahili culture and commerce since it was first established in the 14th Century as a strategic Omani outpost and settlement on the classic coastal run between Zanzibar and the Arabic world further to the north.

The art of Swahili dhow sailing requires considerable team skill as the dhows tack and manoeuvre back and forth through the Manda channel and ultimately out to the edge of the open sea. The finest dhows are selected from each village to compete and race under sail through a complicated series of buoys, combining speed and balance with elaborate tacking and maneuvering competence.

The races are usually organized in conjunction with a cultural festival or an Islamic religious holiday celebrating the birth of Abraham or the prophet Mohammed, including the Maulidi Festival in early June, the Lamu cultural heritage festival in November and Peponi's annual Shela-based race on New Year's Day.

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Tags:   Swahili Dhow waterscape landscape dreamscape Motion Awe Competition Nature Nautical Vessel Horizontal Outdoors Kenya Orange Sky Cloud Sea Sports Race Horizon Water Indian Ocean DavidSchweitzer DocumentaryPhotography StreetPhotography HumanInterest VisualAnthropology PhotoJournalism people DhowCulture CloudPorn Mashua MashuaDhow Lamu racing island shela buoy sailing tacking wind coast crewman Africa boat Movement art

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Big style, amplitude, and skill reign supreme at the Official Whip-Off World Championships, an elite Pro Invitational jam-style event at Whistler Crankworx's international mountain bike festival. A serendipitous photo op moment as an airliner soars overhead. Coast Mountains, British Columbia.

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