Stuck In Morocco

Two days ago we attempted to sail out of Tangier. Today we are still here.

Yesterday the British Ambassador to Morocco, Thomas Reilly, wrote a letter to the Ministry of Interior of Morocco on our behalf to ask that the Long Summer and her crew be allowed to leave the country and head to Spain or Gibraltar. (Any other pending questions with the police would be cleared in advance by the Ambassador’s office on our behalf.) That letter was received by the Ministry of Interior yesterday afternoon.

Today we found out that the British Ambassador’s request was rejected by the Ministry of Interior of Morocco. The response received was that they are not currently entertaining any private boats leaving Morocco. We have confirmed that we are caught up in a national border situation that is outside of the Wilaya’s (the regional government authority) jurisdiction. It is unrelated to any potential destination we might have had; the land, air and sea borders now appear to be shut.

The British Ambassador’s office is doing their best to build a case on our behalf and will continue to pursue the issue. As listed in the media, the current State of Emergency in Morocco is due to end in one week on 10 July. However, this date is unconfirmed by the Ministry of Interior, and has previously been extended a number of times.

Fingers crossed that 10 July will provide us with a gateway to exit the country, but there are currently no avenues for us to get out on the boat. We remain on the welcome dock in Tangier, poised for departure. This afternoon the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie (paramilitary police) entered the marina to check on us.

We thank everyone in Morocco and the UK who is working hard to assist our family, and remain hopeful that common sense will prevail. We are optimistic that it won’t be too long until we can continue on with our journey. Watch this space!