Mustafa arises with the sun and heads to the wharf, picking up a sweet roll and two healthy sandwiches of ham and cheese. He also brings along a small jar of pickled eggs for snacking.
At the Wharf he runs into his boss I see you have been drumming up business. Don't be gettin' into that old boat o' yers.  You now have Sedric and Huber workin' fer ye and ye will be sailing the Misstress o' the River o' there. Them Arabs wanna go home in style it seems.

The Mistress is a 50 foot long galley with both a square sail and a lanteen sails and 8 or locks. It's way more than this little group needs, but you know she is rumored to be faster than anything else around and handles well to boot.  Getting to captain her is a feather in your cap for sure.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 1):

Mustafa looks over the new vessel with interest. It will be nice to Captain her, but he knows that it comes with greater responsibility as well. He looks her over well to be sure, evaluating the number of crew needed to row her upstream, and the amount of supplies she can carry.

[OOC: Still at sea, but have some connection. Expect to be back next week]

You have little time to assess your new Boat as Omar and his fellows show up shortly after you do and want to go back to where you picked them up. It will be the same routine as last time, you'll wait there and then bring some people back to Zornath. Judging by their actions and the big stupid smile on your boss, they paid him, not you.
The Arabs pile into the boat and the owner has his guys untying the lines before you are even settled. You order your two crewmen to get shore and hold the vessel against the dock until things are stowed to your satisfaction. The owner is nodding and smiling.

Once ready, you have them push off and the two crew each take a sweep and propel the boat out into the river. There the sweeps are shipped and the Lanteen sail raised, the wind is moderately strong and the boat fairly skips across the water. By sunset, you are back to the Magnaflume. This new Boat really moves! It take 2 ½ days to reach the same point Omar pointed out the first time, you beach the boat partially and tie it securely so the current can't take it away.  Omar leaves one man with you as a guard to assist the three of you. The rest take off over the embankment and into the dunes.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 4):

Mustafa found the new craft very capable. But it would also be a prize. He had the men set up camp on the boat, only going ashore for firewood and the campfire, they would always need to have at least one guard aboard.

Then it was the waiting game. He carefully looked around at the local area, noting areas where problems could sneak up on them.

Two days pass with no one showing up. The two sailors with you try to use hand signals to the Arab, to ask when they were coming back, but he just smiles and shrugs.