Sailing on a forgotten voyage

An 8-member crew sets off from Oman today in an old-fashioned boat, tracing a Bronze Age trip to India

There was a glint in his eyes as Tom Vosmer described a voyage that has not been attempted "in the last 4,500 years".

The 59-year-old Australian has recreated a sailboat similar to those believed to have been used about 5,000 years ago to travel from eastern Oman to India's west coast.

But this is a voyage with a difference. "Nothing like this has been tried in the last 4,500 years. We are using an extremely primitive method of sailing," he told Gulf News.

Today a multinational crew of eight including Vosmer, will set sail in the boat Majan from Sur, about 340 from Muscat, for the journey to Dwarka in India and then to Mandvi.
Oman's Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India are sponsoring the project.

"Since we will solely depend on the wind and use only primitive methods of navigation, we could take anything from 10 days to two weeks to complete our 500 nautical mile journey from Sur to Dwarka," Vosmer said.

"Navigation will be done using the sun, moon and stars, wind and wave direction, observation of the sky, water colour and birds flying, just as it was during the early Bronze Age."

The Majan will use only sail power. It has no engine. However, the crew will have access to modern navigation equipment. They will try to take advantage of the last of the southwesterly monsoon winds and favourable currents.

"We have planned our journey at this time because the southwesterly winds will not be so strong and risky for our primitive boat," he said.

Asked about the cargo to be carried on the 12 by 3.85 metre boat, Vosmer said it would carry most of the items used in the Bronze Age, except for a sample of fertiliser. "The fertiliser is a modern symbol of an India-Oman joint venture in Sur," said Hassan Al Lawati, Director-General of Archaeology and Museums in the ministry.

Fertiliser, which is an important present-day export to India, will be delivered to Indian representatives at a ceremony when the boat arrives in Gujarat.

The crew will also carry copper ingots, dates, diorite, shells, steatite vessels and hides.

Vosmer said during the voyage they would live on a Bronze Age diet of dates, pulses, dried fish, honey, bread and water, some of which will be carried in the traditional way - in goatskins.

"There will also be fresh fruit and vegetables on board for the first part of the voyage," he said, and added that there were no cooking facilities aboard. He agreed that as with any sea venture, the weather would be a primary concern during the voyage.

"We anticipate mostly fair weather, but unexpected changes could occur suddenly and the crew will be alert for such signs at all times," he said. Physically, too, the voyage would be very demanding on the crew.

"Life on board the Majan will be uncomfortable and sleeping will be difficult, which means that fatigue may become a problem," he conceded.

"With only minimal shelter on board, exposure to the elements may also prove challenging to cope with, but all crew members are confident they will be able to overcome these and other obstacles that may arise."

Talking about the need for modern equipment like a life raft, life jackets, a radio emergency beacon, navigation lights, a radar reflector, a GPS, a comprehensive first-aid kit and a bilge pump, he said: "It must be remembered that 4,500 years ago, today's large ships that ply across the seas did not exist. A small vessel as the Majan could easily be invisible to bigger ships, necessitating use of some of the above equipment."

Another ship will accompany the Majan on its voyage and carry scientists including archaelogists and a team of support personnel.

Describing how the seeds of the project were sown, Vosmer said that a joint Omani, Italian and French archaeological mission between 1985 and 1994 discovered approximately 300 fragments of bitumen during excavations at Ras Al Jinz.

"The bitumen, dating to 2300-2100 BC, showed the impressions of bound reeds, rope lashings and woven mats on one side, and the remains of barnacles or impressions of fully-grown barnacles on the opposite side of a large number of the fragments, indicating continuous submersion for at least three months," he said.

This was the first direct evidence of the construction of Early Bronze Age vessels in the Arabian Sea.

Vosmer said that combining the direct data of the bitumen with evidence from iconography, cuneiform texts and ethnography, and guided by principles of naval architecture, a hypothetical boat was constructed.

"It must be emphasised that this is not a replica - there is too little evidence to construct a ‘replica'.

"By building a reconstruction and sailing it to India, the sea-going capabilities and performance of the vessel will become evident."

Then an analysis of ancient navigation techniques would be conducted, as well as research into how life was lived on board such a boat during trading voyages at that time.