Shashas are inshore fishing craft built from reeds. They were still used locally until quite recently on this part of the Batinah coast and other places further up north in the Gulf. The 7,000-year-old remains of the earliest one known were found in Kuwait…
Whilst working as a sailing coach for Oman, we decided to ask a local expert (one of the few left) to come and build a typical fishing Shasha for us. Our boat builder (who wasn’t young!) came to one of our centers. He assembled an Acacia wood frame tied together with string, which formed a rough, double-ended shape about 10 ft. long. Rather like a kayak! Bundles of dried date palm reeds were then lashed onto this frame using string, again.
He mentioned that in the past he’d have used palm fronds! The whole boat took him about four or five mornings work to complete. We were all sailors and decided to make a mast and yard with a lateen sail. Our local expert had explained that some of these indigenous crafts were often just paddled back and forth from the coast. Some did have sails, which allowed them to be blown back to the shore. Regularly a decent sea breeze builds up on this coast from midday onwards.
Part of an old Laser sail was altered and fitted onto a yard. There followed a mad rush of volunteers, who all wanted to try out the new boat! Eventually, my own turn came. Using a paddle to steer, two more of us ventured out.
We were surprised at first just how stable the boat was, with the reeds seeming to act as buoyancy chambers! After becoming accustomed to steering with the paddle over the side with the sheet wrapped round a foot. Our new Shasha surprised us all with a very good turn of speed, especially when broad reaching off, downwind. Naturally going upwind wasn’t too special, with a substantial amount of the leeway. Normally these crafts would be paddled upwind.
Two of our expert Omanis sailed this Shasha over a hundred miles down the coast, taking three days, whilst most of us were away racing our Sigma 38’s in the Dubai/Muscat 360 miler. This boat then joined the annual festival of the sea south of Muscat.
What a superbly simple but effective inshore craft our Shasha turned out to be! Perhaps the only drawback being if the reeds become too waterlogged, it will sink! Which is why, after the day’s fishing, they were drawn up on the beach. Then, each boat was allowed to dry out in the hot Arabic sun. They’re only replaced when they become too porous.
