The 48-year-old Skanda comes from a family of carpenters and dhow builders in Lamu. Now, he wants to be known for much more than building dhows and ornate doors. “Things have changed.

Sathyan builds his dhows on riverside land he has rented. From there the sailboats have to be towed 10-15m to the river and taken to the Beypore harbour, which isn’t large enough for onsite ...

The new dhow will further cement Beypore’s reputation ... Expressing his pride in the craftmanship, ‘Khalasi moopan’ Abdurahiman said, “Building an uru is not just about wood and nails.