Sailing Canoe on the Rio Geba
This dug-out canoe was one of half a dozen which operated a ferry service across the river Geba, in Guinea Bissau. The ferries sailed from the tiny capital town, of Bissau, across the muddy waters to the far-flung villages to the south.
Since a dug-out canoe has no keel, nor even any lee-boards, the craft is not particularly stable. The sails can only be used when the wind is aft or on the beam. More to the point, the sails can only be used in light airs. When a squall hits, the Rio Geba ferries all drop their sails in a hurry! While the wind blows, and the rain pours down, the passengers find inadequate shelter under the sail, and the boat drifts idly. Fortunately, the squalls do not last for long. Within ten or fifteen minutes the sun will be blazing again, the canoe will be underway, and the passengers will be wringing out their scanty clothes.