Ok so picking up the trip report again.
After our stop in Boujdour the plan was to take the coast road upto Laayoune then head east in land to Assa and the Anti Atlas ending up with crossing Lac Iriki to Zagora.
We were up early and after a stop at a patisserie for croissants and pain au chocolate the next on the list was fuel. For the trip from Smara we started with full tanks and 80l in Jerry cans. I knew from 2011 this was more than enough and both my 95 and the ISZuZU were fairly equal on consumption.
The first fuel was closed but hey there are others (I did mention Boujdours strategic location earlier didn't I?), I remember driving up the main street commenting how everyone had their Friday Best on but it was Friday so that's nothing unusual. Next fuel was also closed. Still we had plenty theres another fuel stop a small sand blown hamlet further up the coast so of we went.
Exiting town we laughed at the Chinese knock off hum vees the Moroccan army have now, stopped with the police for the obligatory checks, bad jokes and light corruption. Next fuel was closed, mmmmmmmmm this was more than a "normal" Friday. Laayounes a big city so surely they'd be fuel there, or maybe there was a fuel supply problem locally. Never mind Laayounes not too bad, we'll get fuel and lunch and off we go. Now with our planned route this was our last chance to refuel for 2 days and we'd be getting low when we got there.
Got to Laayoune for Lunch after more police, checks, bad jokes and light corruption. First few gas stations closed, ok somethings definitely not right now. Heading into the centre we saw a load of bikers from European and figuring their range was much lower they'd be looking for fuel as well. Success we followed them and found fuel.
Next plan was a civilised lunch before the next few days, again nothing open so we got some supplies from one of the few shops open and heading off. Leaving town were more police, these guys were maybe a different unit or something as hey had a new process, checks, light corruption and then bad jokes. Variety is the spice of life and all that.
Next 100km was bad tarmac blocked by regular dunes blocking the road then a route I found on google earth. I'm always slightly cautious with my own routes as theres sometimes a chance the piste isn't there or is a goat track or something else. Only happened once in the High Atlas where a mistake can waste a full days travel. In the WS if there isn't a piste theres always a way round.
Anyway this track was there a big rough and boring but no problems with the planned route. Stopped for a coffee mid afternoon and plugged my laptop in for a charge on my cheap ass invertor. Always had trouble with this and again it was playing up. Got back into the truck and every warning light on the dash was on. Weird I thought to myself, and remembering the sterling advice IT professionals give you when your brand new pc doesn't work I switched it off.................intending to switch it back on again...........nothing just a feeble click from the starter. Jumped started think hat I'd drained my batteries a little over the last couple of day (I don't run a split charge system but a much cheaper solution of disconnecting one battery overnight).
Drove off for a bit, warning light kept coming on and off. At this point we were about 30km from a main road from Tan Tan to Smara so decided to take the direct route to tarmac rather than complete out planned piste section. We found a spot to camp a few km from the road a broke out the tools.
Didn't really get very far, we established well not much really, it was electrical but was it duff batteries, a drain in the system (other than the emergency beer system) or something else. So we did what all good overlanders do in a crisis................stuck some gaffer tape on it and cracked open the Flag Special before watching the stars.