Nouakchott

After setting camp the previous night to avoid high tide we awoke to a really strong sand storm. The camping equpment was covered in sand and steves tent had taken a real battering. we had to wear our scarfs and goggles to just be out and about. We were hoping that the tide would start to go out about 8am but nothing happened until midday. We dug the cars out and managed to finally have a great fun drive along the beach back towards the fishing village and try and get Andys car off the beach. 
When we reached their car the damage to he radiator didn't seem so bad. There was a small hole at a mounting point. I managed to fill this with a silicone gell and hoped it would seal quickly. We then had a complete nightmare pulling them off the beach.

The sand was so soft and we kept getting stuck ourselves. Thankfully there were a few other teams around and and they all pushed my car as we towed the other one out. I thought we were going to blow our car up and the clutch was smelling really bad. The situation wasn't made any easier by loads of kids from the nearby fishing village getting in the way and constantly asking for gifts.
Eventually after about half an hour we managed to get the car to a paved road and thought it would be much easier. As we towed them we came across a dune that had formed on the road. I hit the brakes but unfortuneatly as the car being towed didn't have his engine running his brakes did not work properly. Well, as I bounced and landed heavily on the other side of the small drift I heard an almighty crunch. They had smashed into the back of my jeep. Jeep 1, car 0. Their headlight was smashed and bonnet(hood) completly wrecked. Could things get any worse!! I did feel a little bit bad, but at the end of the day it was them that took a car onto a beach and we were the ones helping them.
Finally we made it to the main road and we filled their car with water. My temporary repair was holding and they were able to drive the car. It was a distance of about 120km to the next city and hoped they could make it.
After all of this excitement and stress we then had a thankfully uneventful drive to Nouakchott. Although we have noticed that our alternator is not charging. The end point was a camp site with some chalets but we opted to go into the centre and find a hotel. It cost about 40 euros but I didn't care. After the last 48 hours I needed a proper shower and a bed. That shower was fantastic and I felt like new again.
We were a little concerned as our Norwegian friend, Hans, that we were travelling with was missing. He had taken an alternative route through a sand dune national park to the beach site. We decided not to go this way as i was worried about the sand storms blowing up.  He was also still not at the camp site in Nouakchott. We were told that the police and army had searched the park and made sure everybody was out. This was hard to believe considering the size of it and the weather conditions. This is 2 nights now. Something is not right.
We met up with our new Hungarian friends and went for a meal in a local restaurant. Although we were all worried about Hans we had a relaxing evening. He has travelled extensively in Africa and knows how to look after himself.