What the ocean taught a generation of dhow builders

Travel Stories

What the ocean taught a generation of dhow builders

Along East Africa’s coast, an ancient craft continues to shape lives and journeys.

September 23, 2026 · admin_destinationsplug

On the beaches of Lamu and Zanzibar, dhows are still built the way they have been for centuries — by hand, by eye and by memory.

The craft is passed from one generation to the next, and so is the knowledge that comes with it: how the monsoon winds turn, which timbers hold in salt water, how a hull should sit when fully loaded.

Spend an afternoon at a boatyard and you begin to understand how deeply the ocean shapes life along this coast, and how travel here has always moved at the speed of the wind.

Continue reading

More from the journal