Dhow a dear...

For time immemorial the sea has been the lifeline for the people of the Arabian Gulf. Like the camel, the traditional dhow was a reliable mode of transport that took people to distant lands.

Over the years, sleek fibreglass ships have replaced these dhows but traditional fishermen still prefer their sturdy, hand-crafted vessels.

This picture of the Dibba shipyard shows a few dhows awaiting repairs to make them sea-worthy again.

"[Quite a few] dhows come to us for servicing and repair," says Nawaz Mohammad, an officer from Saif Mohammad Al Ghousi, a leading manufacturing and maintenance firm for traditional dhows and modern wooden race boats.

''Most dhows are made of either Burmese or African teakwood and use African hardwood for their ribs. They have to be checked, waterproofed and varnished to protect them against regular wear and tear. It takes us about three to four months to carry out basic maintenance work and polishing on an average-size (45 foot) dhow.

"We check all the wooden planks, sand them, and then coat them with marine varnish to make them waterproof. Earlier, fishermen used fish oil to polish their dhows,'' he says.

''The most important thing is sealing the gap between two planks. These days, we use epoxy coating to prevent any leakages in the boat. Epoxy coating also prevents the wood from rotting and helps extend the dhow's life."

The sleek modern dhows may look more stylish and elegant, but there's a certain character and bearing which make traditional dhows such interesting works of art.