October 4, 2004

 We noticed that the anchor light was not working so after a hearty wholesome breakfast I bake bread while Wolf goes up the mast to clean the contacts, which is all it needed. We join Manatee for tea and they tell us that they have just heard disturbing news that their son Warren is in high-care unit for observations. As we were discussing this they receive a call from him to say that he was being discharged. Praise God! He had not suffered a heart-attack which is what they suspected.

Bi-color parrot

We take advantage of the pristine dive-spots and snorkel again over stunning corals and many varieties of fish. We see a bi-color parrot, formosa, angulata, checkerboard wrasse, midas, emperator and too many more to mention.

Back onboard Wolf is fishing for lula from the foredeck. He stands patiently casting and reeling in – then casting again and the next thing I hear him yell with glee. He has his first lula – it sprays ink all the way up to the surface and he has to scoop it into a bucket so that it does not stain our dive-platform. He cleans it and prepares it for a delicious dinner with garlic butter and salads.

We lie on the deck under the bright milky-way and watch for satellites and falling stars, chatting about our future and pondering this sailing life. Could we live like this permanently? It certainly is not an inexpensive live-style and without an assured monthly income could deplete the sailing kitty very soon. We had originally budgeted far less than what we actually spent. We discuss the reason for this and come to this conclusion. Because we were following Manatee, who are on a limited timeframe… moving at a fast pace and trying to see as much as possible as quickly as possible, we need to motor-sail much of the time. Between islands the winds are erratic and inconsistent so it is not always possible to sail; the other reason being that if we were on our own we probably would not have spent money on eating at restaurants along the way, which are expensive and charge in US dollars.

October 5, 2004

Across the channel from Chole Island lies the Mafia Island Lodge, we are eager to see what this is like so we move our boats closer and dingy ashore. We pass through the quaint little village of Utende then stop for tea at the lodge. Anna the manageress is very friendly, and chats to us about the history of the lodge.

She guides us around the grounds which are rustic and appealing. We have to time our exit through the narrow passage so wind our way through the maze of corals and sandbars, as soon as we are onboard.  The crystal water and coral gardens below look too inviting to pass up, and after donning our snorkeling gear we are in the water eyes dancing from left to right taking in the beautiful sight around us.

In less than an hour we are back onboard and heading to towards Kilindini harbour, a hard motor-sail in perfect conditions reaching our anchorage just west of the slipway by late afternoon. Wolf is not feeling well. He has stomach cramps and is running a temperature. He lies down and is instantly asleep – I radio Manatee and cancel dinner.

As I sit in the cockpit reading and now writing my journal I am fascinated by the activity in the harbour; People line up on the slipway waiting for the larger Dhows called Jahazis to taxi them back to the mainland. The Jahazis come in laden with goods, livestock and people. It is unbelievable to see just what comes off these dhows.

Wolf is no better, still feeling sick – he is burning hot and I decide to make a bed for him using the cushions in the saloon and placing them in the cockpit where it is a lot cooler. I check on him throughout the night. I am praying that he will feel better by dawn.

Ok so now lets see how many more posts we can get from our members.

I just thought about it, for those non South Africans readers who do not know the word "Stoked" I actuall mean that I am so excited.

Back then the outer clip rusted away and had to be replaced, however I was not able to see the inner clip, until last winter when the leg water alarm started going off again. I have managed to purchase a new stainless clip at $120 (wow a thin piece of stainless strip). Now the problem starts, I suspect that the engine and leg should be removed from the boat to effect this repair. I am trying to do it while still in the water, the new clip unfortunately is spot welded together in a nice circle, so no way of getting it in while the leg is still mounted. I have about a 10mm gap to work in so I am going to try and glue the rubber seal into place before I attempt to secure it with the band (clip). To get the band around I had to separate it and form a catch on the one end and hope that I can get the over centre catch to clip in. Once I have succeeded I will post some pictures of what I have done.

Pray that I can succeed as I do not want to strip the whole unit just to put this seal back.

We have a new subscriber today, so just a short note to welcome you to our Cruising blog. I for one hope that you get much pleasure reading the articles in this connection.

Please help us all by giving some details about yourselves and a post from time to time would be helpful to get the flow of information going. I am hoping that this is not a one sided dialogue. I would love to see some of your experiences here too, and if not an article how about a comment or two, this would help us in getting some direction.

Barbi our 3C's editor is currently visiting our son Robert, our daughter in law Karien and grand son Jack in Sydney, Australia so it will be a week or so before any further posts appear on this site.

From Wolf,

Happy cruising all.

PS, I have some maintenance to do on Karibu before the season really starts here in Canada.

PPS. A very warm welcome to our new subscriber... from Barbi in Australia - adding to Wolf's blog.

October 3, 2004

It my turn to host the ‘king’s breakfast’ which as usual is more like brunch served at 11:00am. We always try to make this special and come up with a different menu each time.

We receive an unexpected visit from the Marine Conservation Officers – they are really friendly, probably inquisitive and keen to chat to new visitors. They tell us where the good dive places are and we all decide to snorkel – the weather is warmer the water, cool at first becomes an inviting temperature once we are used to it.

Snorkeling within the protection of Chole bay, and around the coral reefs sand banks, is fantastically colourful and teeming with fish. The reef is scattered and we need to move from one coral head to the next but enjoy being in an environment which thrills us and makes us feel so at home.

Another afternoon nap revives us as we share tea served with my fresh baked warm apple-crumble and custard. One thing we do not lack onboard is a variety of superb food. Denise is a great cook and I really enjoy the meals and goodies she bakes. I like to believe that they feel the same about mine.

The guys go fishing for Lula (calamari) Wolf has yet to hook one, but fortunately Rhett keeps us stocked.

October 4, 2004

We noticed that the anchor light was not working so after a hearty wholesome breakfast I bake bread while Wolf goes up the mast to clean the contacts, which is all it needed. We join Manatee for tea and they tell us that they have just heard disturbing news that their son Warren is in high-care unit for observations. As we were discussing this they receive a call from him to say that he was being discharged. Praise God! He had not suffered a heart-attack which is what they suspected.

We take advantage of the pristine dive-spots and snorkel again over stunning corals and many varieties of fish. We see a bi-color parrot, formosa, angulata, checkerboard wrasse, midas, emperator and too many more to mention.

Back onboard Wolf is fishing for lula from the foredeck. He stands patiently casting and reeling in – then casting again and the next thing I hear him yell with glee. He has his first lula – it sprays ink all the way up to the surface and he has to scoop it into a bucket so that it does not stain our dive-platform. He cleans it and prepares it for a delicious dinner with garlic butter and salads.

 We lie on the deck under the bright milky-way and watch for satellites and falling stars, chatting about our future and pondering this sailing life. Could we live like this permanently? It certainly is not an inexpensive live-style and without an assured monthly income could deplete the sailing kitty very soon.

We had originally budgeted far less than what we actually spent. We discuss the reason for this and come to this conclusion. Because we were following Manatee, who are on a limited timeframe… moving at a fast pace and trying to see as much as possible as quickly as possible, we need to motor-sail much of the time. Between islands the winds are erratic and inconsistent so it is not always possible to sail; the other reason being that if we were on our own we probably would not have spent money on eating at restaurants along the way, which are expensive and charge in US dollars.

October 2, 2004

Denise and Rhett go ashore first – we drop them off at the beach and as soon as we arrive back onboard, we are visited by Marine Conservation Officers who come onboard to claim an entrance fee of $10 for the yacht and $10 per person per day for the crew. We are astounded as we were hoping to stay for at least 4 days. The US$30 per day seemed rather excessive – fortunately we are still being super friendly, offering refreshments and chatting congenially when Rhett and Denise radio us to fetch them.

Together we are able to smooth talk them into accepting US$50 per boat for our entire stay. One never receives a receipt and the prices fluctuate drastically as you can see by this incident so be aware before falling for the first amount requested. They hand over a few brochures and the regulations notice, governing the marine reserve and leave us with smiles as wide as Cheshire Cats; assuring us of their assistance if ever we need it.

It is our turn to explore the lodge, which is the only one on the island. The owners have cleverly and creatively incorporated the ruins (dating back to the 15th century from the first Arab settlers) into the boutique hotel so that when one approaches you have to go through the ruins which are overgrown, walls covered with thick vines and tree roots; it somehow makes one feel as if you are entering an enchanted, magical place (which is exactly what it is) 

The décor is rustic yet chic with an extravagant, extraordinary attention to detail while keeping it within the confines of this charming, amazing setting. The common area is a huge open air building under a thatch roof. It stands out in my memory as one of the places I was most captured with and one I would envision replicating in a beach cottage of my own.

The rooms are private; separate and away from the common area ensuring intimacy and romance which this environment evokes. They are simply but beautifully designed. Some offer the option of a room on stilts, or built on a platform between palm-tree trunk supports, most overlook the water.  

The ancient old village is close by and we walk past some huts with vendors selling the renowned Misuala – a woven flat grass prayer-mat used by Muslims throughout Tanzania. The ones woven here are cherished and coveted for their detailed design and colour. The women use thin strips of palm-fronds that are dyed in bright bold colours. I buy one which I have to this day – it has faded somewhat but still as fascinating and captivating as ever. One can really experience the friendly culture of the Swahili people here in Cholė.

We pass ruins of the old prison where slaves were held while the awaited their new masters – these were brought from all around Tanzania and held in designated area like this. We met some foreigners who are here to gather stories from the village elders, as passed down from generation to generation. Since there was no written record they are hoping to compile them in order to preserve this valuable history. We heard from them that the local people were paid a handsome sum of money for their children and they sold them willingly here in Cholė.

Cholė Island is home to a large colony of ‘Comoros Flying Foxes’ or fruit bats found mainly in Mafia and the Comoro Islands (although they do appear in the Seychelles Archipelago and Mauritius) we see them flying overhead in the early mornings off to their feeding rounds and back again in late afternoon. Fruit eating bats eat flower nectar and fruit juice. They only eat the juice of the fruit and they do this by squashing the fruit and spitting out the pulp. They are often killed and eaten throughout the Indian Ocean Islands

After lunch we move the boat to a nearby island called Juani, at last a quiet calm anchorage despite the consistent SE wind. We enjoy our sundowners and a mouth-watering prawn curry on manatee wallowing the in splendour of our new location.

September 29, 2004

village bandas

The wind blew consistently through the night nevertheless our departure time was scheduled for dawn. The tide is running out and we have to negotiate huge over-falls to get out of the mouth. By the time we are over the reef the swell is about 6ft – luckily we are heading only a short way to the island lying opposite the mouth. We spot the white sand beach with the lone palm tree of Rukira Island, and head straight towards it, hoping it will offer shelter from the wind and swell.

seabirds

The wind is a speedy 26-27 knots and there is no respite. We find an anchorage and decide to sit it out until the ocean becomes friendlier. 10:30am finds us reading in our cabin. The noise caused by the water slapping the hulls is deafening. By high tide our little beach and only protection is flooded – and we are completely exposed which worsens the slapping and rodeo-bucking motion.

Thankfully low-tide brings a few hours of relief, but this soon changes as the wind strengthens and blows a squall across our deck. We are out like a shot, closing hatches and rigging the rain-catcher tarp which Rhett has loaned us. We have had no rain since July 11, 2004 and would feel a whole lot better if we could catch water to fill our tanks. Wolf struggles in the wind to install it, losing a bungee-cord in the process.

rain squall

Finally it is stretched out ready to capture whatever falls into its funnel shaped surface complete with hose fed into the tanks. We wait with baited breath – the rain subsides… we notice about 20 liters slowly draining through the hose when all of a suddenly a gust of wind catches the tarp and lifts it, spilling its precious contents onto the deck. The lonesome cloud that had dumped its load moves off as quickly as it appeared, without releasing another drop.

Sea conditions have not changed much although the wind has weakened. We eat breakfast and unanimously agree to take our chances; heading on to Fangove Island about 20 nm northward. The sea is still rough and we encounter another area of over-falls as we move from a depth of 10 meters into the deeper channel.

Fangove island

We reach Fangove, a gorgeous Island which looks as if it belongs on a post-card, unfortunately as we sail closer we realize that as beautifully enticing as it is, the anchorage is still rough, and is right in front of a thriving fishing village with dhows heading back and forth from the mainland.

It’s still early enough to make our next desired haven Pumbavu, a little islet close to Songa Songa. The anchorage is no different from our last one but it is now 3:15pm so we drop our picks into the sandy bottom and ride the swells. Tomorrow we will get an early start and hope the wind plays kindly with us. This just isn’t the weather we ordered…

October 1, 2004

Another awful noisy, bouncy night! None of us slept too well… We weigh anchor eager to get moving, in these conditions it is usually easier just to be sailing. We hope to make it through the Jabundu channel on Mafia Island. This is an extremely narrow channel fraught with hazards; shallow sand bars, coral-heads, winds, tidal rips and local dhow traffic. We want bright enough day-light to navigate our wide catamarans through this channel safely with sufficient time to sail to the anchorage just off the lodge on Cholé Island.

Blessings are with us, because we arrive in the channel at noon under clear blue skies. The wind has dropped slightly, the water is crystal clear allowing me to stand on the bow and give directions to Wolf at the wheel. We pass through without incident and anchor as planned.

It doesn’t take long to realize that we are in for another uncomfortable night – although protected from the wind the tide rips past the point where our boats hang onto the chain for dear life. Water whacks and wallops the hulls with thunderous blows. It’s no point listening to our soothing collection of CDs and conversation is unpleasant when it is shouted between each other. I stuff earplugs into my ears in order to read. Nobody told me to expect this.

I am becoming depressed, and honestly miss my new Country, Canada 10,000 miles away.

“I’m tired, frustrated and I wanna go home!”

September 28, 2004

kilwa masoko

We had heard that the village of Kilwa Masoko was not too far from the lodge and decided to walk to the local market. I am able to buy luscious juicy mangos, papayas, watermelon, bananas and an abundant supply of fresh vegetables.

James from the lodge has sent a guide to show us the way and he takes us into the town where Wolf is able to buy a good pair of sandals.

market square

Back at the lodge after a successful shopping morning, we enjoy a refreshing cup of tea with Irvine Berserk.

The kids call us to look at the coelacanth that was fished out by one of the guests.

These are prehistoric fish thought to be extinct until one was caught of East London, South Africa – since then there have been numerous caught. This one is frozen and is being flown to the Smithsonian Institute.

After spending a little time on the internet uploading my newsletters, we make our way to Marta and Schalk Hanekom’s house on the hill, for a wonderful prawn-feast. Denise and Rhett have been invited to dine at the lodge. We enjoy our dinner with these new friends and we are astounded by their hospitality and kindness.

As we arrive Marta fills the bathtub with lovely clean hot water and hands us fresh towels. We soak, wash our hair and soak some more. It is the most wonderful feeling to dry ourselves and luxuriate in that tingly sensation of salt-free skin. It has been over 2 months since we have had this luxury.  What a wonderful gesture and another pearl to add to my treasure box of memories.

Heady with satisfaction yet sad to say farewell to these good folk, we are dropped off at the lodge. Our dingy is high up on the beach as the tide has receded. Wolf and I lift it and make our way to the water; it is not light and we  try not to drag it along the shelly beach. Little by little we move closer and then I wait holding it while Wolf runs up the beach to fetch the jerry-cans/plastic drums of diesel which he and Schalk had fetched in Schalk’s landrover.

With our precious cargo loaded, we make our way through the surf, managing to ride the first swell but getting dumped by the second. We are soaked. We offload them onto the dive-platform. By this time the wind has picked up and the swell is running high. Wolf carries each on to the front locker, but as he lifts one he realizes that the cap is not sealing and the diesel spills all over him. In my haste to wipe him off we are both left smelly (anyone who has ever been in there knows that nothing but another soaking bath can eradicate that smell)

Our bath and euphoria at being clean was short-lived, quickly forgotten as if it was a dream. Tired salty and smelling of diesel we finally get into our bunk – fortunately sleep comes quickly to transports us to a place where reality is smothered and everything is clean, soft and comfortable.

September 26, 2004

Not to be out-done or feel left out, the skippers head off in Duck Manatee to test their fishing skills. True to form they return with their bounty; 2 kingfish for Rhett and 1 rock-cod for Wolf.

visitors to Karibu

Denise is hostess for our “king’s breakfast feast” which as usual is outstanding. We enjoy this breakfast sitting in the cockpit watching the fish-eagle searching for his, as he pierces the stillness with his distinctive cry. A warm gentle breeze caresses our bare shoulders as we watch Kerry and Tyra paddle out towards us on a ‘paddleski’ and we welcome them aboard.

Kent, Kerry’s son, had visited us on Karibu before breakfast and had asked us all about the bucket aquarium we were keeping on the dive-platform. He is just 9 years old and so worldly-wise. I realize just how privileged these 2 kids are; living in this pristine environment – home schooled by their parents. They are well-mannered, polite and interesting.

Coelacanth

Their days are filled with kid-activities – swimming, fishing, snorkeling, and playing – their world is safe and free from the noise and clutter of the city – their family consists of their parents as well as all the staff and fortunate guests who happen on this piece of paradise.

The beach with its rustic, cool thatched bandas (Swahili for Beach hut) calls us and we dingy ashore long before sundown. It’s fun to mingle with the guests working on our social skills, and connecting long into the night.

A great connection we make is with a group of South African engineers who are working on the construction of the highway to Dar es Salaam.

September 27, 2004

Gereza Fort

At 8:15am we leave our yachts and pick up our guide, Saidi, for the day on the beach at the lodge. He leads us around the point into the harbour where Rhett and Wolf stroll off with him to buy a permit to visit the Kilwa ruins. With permits in hand we motor across the channel to Kilwa Island. The ruins of the old Fort stands as a testimony to the rich history of this area.

As surprising as medieval ruins along Africa’s coastline may be to many visitors, this striking island settlement with its disintegrating coral and limestone walls and somewhat intact remains of buildings such as, the old Fort the Sultans Palace and Great Mosque, offers an chance to explore into a period of East Africa’s history that seems to have been forgotten.

great Mosque

Saidi, who spoke excellent English, told us that Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara were Swahili trading cities; their prosperity based on control of trade with Arabia, India and China, through the 13^th and 16^th centuries, when gold and ivory from the interior was traded for perfumes, silver, Persian ceramics and Chinese porcelain. The remains of Kilwa Kisiwani cover much of the island with many parts of the city still unexcavated. We found this island steeped in ancient history fascinating.

We visited Gereza fort, on the northern part of the island, the cemetery with its curious tombstones, and the site of the Makutini Palace (palace of great walls) said to have housed sultans.

Husuni Kubwa

Most impressive is the ruin of Husani Kubwa on the cliff-top overlooking the entrance to Kilwa bay. In its day, this massive fortification had a roof hung from a central conical dome some 30mt high, covering 100 rooms and chambers.

It is awesome to stand on the site of centuries of history dating back to before the crusaders. There is so much to see; so much to absorb that our brains are oozing. What a fabulous experience and sheer privilege to witness it with our own eyes. We leave filled with a sense of awe at the mystique and secrecy hidden under the piles of rubble and in the graves of those who once helped make this a vibrant illustrious city.

We are back in time for an afternoon snooze and to bake fresh bread-rolls and a potato-bake for a BBQ on yacht Manatee. They invited Schalk and his wife Marta and Pieter; the South Africans we met yesterday. It was a pleasant evening spent chatting and laughing when suddenly we realized that Manatee was almost in the breakers – Rhett had to move into deeper water.

September 24, 2004

sundown beach

Perfection is a word which cannot always be attributed to life at sea, but today is an exception. The ocean is flat as a pond, the sky a clear brilliant blue, uncluttered by clouds. We have to motor all the way to Sangarungu Bay, where we settle in a beautiful cove, just off Mnara Island.

At 5:00pm we set off with a cooler and deck chairs to enjoy our little cove, complete with white sandy beach and enclosed by a half circle wall and overhang of rugged by sandstone; sculptured by the hand of time, wind, and sea. It forms a spectacular backdrop while in the foreground lie rock-pools inhabited by tiny fish, mantis shrimps and sea-snails.

sunset in paradise

We arrange our chairs with our backs to the walls and look out towards the mangroves and calm bay, where our sailing catamarans are silhouetted against nature’s canvas of fiery tones.

Thoughts of pirate ships waft through my mind. Today it’s hard to believe that these waters were once infested with pirate dhows as they visited prominent trading ports collecting their living cargo. Contrary to popular belief the perpetrators were not predominately from European countries but rather from the Arab regions.

songa songa

My thoughts are disrupted by the laughter from our little group enjoying the peaceful surrounding and the fellowship we enjoy together. I enter the moment, leaving behind my downcast mind-roaming. It has become darker and we pack up and head for the lights and comfort of yacht Manatee for our evening dinner.

The meal consists of grilled fish and a huge serving of Greek salad washed down by a cold beer-shandy (half beer, and half lemonade). With appetites satisfied, our eyelids begin to droop and we make our way back to Karibu and our cozy cabin; the lullaby comes from the calls of the night-jars; the splashing of fish jumping around our hull; and the high-pitched din of the painted reed frogs.

Footnote:

building where the slaves were held while waiting for the traders

Here is a short history lesson on slavery in this area - taken from www.histclo.com

The profits from the East African plantations induced the Sultan of Oman, Sayyid Said, to relocate his capital from Oman to the east African island of Zanzibar (1840). The Sultan's sovereignty at the time extended from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique. One source estimates that 1850 when the British Royal Navy was just beginning to turn its attention to the Indian Ocean slave trade that Arab traders were shipping about 20,000 Africans to slave markets annually.

trees have grown around the ancient walls in an amazing way

An even larger number of Africans would have been killed in the attacks taking slaves and on the sad columns of Africans that winded their way from the interior to the Indian Ocean coast. The mortalities in the Eastern slave trade were especially high because the Arabs were primarily after women and children which meant the men had to be killed. This was not, however, a largely naval problem.

The Arab slave trade had once been focused on bringing slaves to Middle Eastern markets. Now with the growth of palm oil and spice plantations, there was a need for large number of slaves in East Africa itself.

September 25, 2004

Wolf and Rhett are out fishing at the crack of dawn, but the fish are either not hungry or still asleep. We eat breakfast and move over to a nearby island called Sanji ya kati. Apparently there are ruins ashore but as we sail past scanning for them through the binoculars we don’t see them.

We continue along the inside passage which is really shallow and has us holding our breath as skim over the sand.

Fresh baked blueberry muffins

I decide to bake muffins and a batch of scones and while we sail side-by-side, I radio Manatee and ask if they would like some with their tea. Rhett has no hesitation, still sailing he gets Denise to take the wheel and he drops Duck Manatee into the water and speeds over, pulling alongside us. By the time he is back onboard, he has eaten 2 blueberry muffins. After all he tells Denise… they are his favourite especially when they are warm.

We pass the ruins on Kilwa Island; sail around the point and drop anchor in front of the Kilwa Lodge. James the manager of the fishing concession, comes out to welcome us and invites us to join them ashore.

kilwa lodge

We enjoy our mid-afternoon siesta (it’s a hard life this sailing – hehe) then freshen up and head for the beach. Aahh civilization, at last! The staff and manager, Alyn (not a misspelt) Myberg, are all ultra-friendly.

We order sundowners and soak up the atmosphere. Sitting under the big thatch covered - open-sided boma facing the beach on comfortable couches, telling our sailing adventures and listening to their fishing stories; which of course have Wolf and Rhett spellbound. We meet the whole Lodge family, Brigitte and Jason the restaurant managers, Kerry James’ wife and their 2 kids Kent and Tyra, Nick the Boat maintenance Manager, and Irvine Beserk (Captain Morgan) who writes articles for magazines like Ski-Boat and Fly-Fishing etc.

fishing

Kilwa Ruins Lodge is the only fishing lodge in a 400 kilometer stretch of the Indian Ocean spanning Pemba in northern Mozambique and Dar es Salaam in central Tanzania. Sport fishing is at its absolute best here. In fact as we sail towards Kilwa our catamarans pass over a reef. With fishing rods out over the back – within a course of a few minutes Rhett had 3 of his best rapallas (lures) and all his tackle snapped off his rods.

Wolf fights a hefty fish only to lose it meters from our boat. Yellow-fin and massive “dog-toothed” tuna abound in these waters tempting anyone who wishes to pit their strength against that of the mighty “yellow dog” of the sea. Catching 100 pounders almost borders on the mundane at Kilwa Ruins Lodge, with 200 pounders being landed as often as the strength and stamina of the angler permits.

An abundance of species, including sailfish, marlin, giant trevally, wahoo and dorado, to mention but a few, join in the feeding frenzy making a haul of four or five different species in one day is commonplace.