Here we are, poring over the maps. From left to right: Ben, John, Hans, and Bert. Our Land Rover in the background. And good maps immediately became our first problem. The best map of the Sahara was the “Michelin 153.” But it was no longer being printed. As long as Morocco and Algeria were in dispute over their border region, Michelin didn’t want to risk publishing a new edition of the 153. So we switched to highly detailed maps from the U.S. Air Force.
The foundation of all our preparations was mapping out the route. To do this, we used two books, both written in the 1970s by two traveling couples who had documented their experiences on various routes through the Sahara. This gave us a better idea of what to expect and allowed us to plan what we would need along the way in terms of food, equipment, fuel, and water.
There was a lot to do to prepare for the trip properly. But we also knew we could count on each other. So we decided to split the work between two teams. Ben and John took care of route planning, logistics, and navigation. Hans and Bert prepared the car. And of course, that also meant that one team would actually navigate us right through the Sahara, while the other team would keep the car running under any conditions. Getting lost or running into unsolvable car problems usually means “game over” in the Sahara.
The biggest challenge when it came to navigation was being able to reliably determine our position, whenever necessary. Since GPS wasn’t yet available for civilian use, we had to fall back on the sextant. Specifically, a sextant with an artificial horizon. At that time, KLM was still using those types of sextants, for example, for navigation over the North Pole with the old DC-8. And luckily, we were able to borrow one. Ben and John learned how to use it flawlessly.
Hans and Bert set to work preparing the Land Rover. It wasn’t just a matter of equipping the car so it would be suitable for the journey and the long stretches of road without supply points. We were mainly concerned with what could break down along the way and how to repair it. And the Land Rover, contrary to its image, had quite a few weak points. In other words, it was a matter of which spare parts we needed to bring along and what kind of tools.
Both “teams” had to prove their skills at least once along the way. Hans and Bert had to overhaul the rear differential when it broke down on the road. And Ben and John had to determine our position at a crucial moment.