Hebron…our Zulu Boat Warrior. He was great in helping me with all the boat projects that were needed after sailing from Australia to South Africa!
Our fuel after polishing on the left. We also apparently had our fuel cut with paraffin. This is to save money for the fuel companies in Indonesia and Madagascar. Not very good for the engines. All is fortunately well!
Our fuel before “polishing” on the right.
They only come here once/month from Durban. We got lucky on this one.
A fuel polishing service just happened to be on the boat behind us at Tuzi Gaza Marina in Richards Bay.
These were NOT the worst. Some of them were absolutely black.
Bad fuel had gummed up lots of filter, fuel lines and our tanks were filthy.
Richards Bay approach.
Two days later and after bashing against some pretty good seas one afternoon in the Mozambique current, we entered the bight at Richards Bay, South Africa.
We figured out that we had a blocked fuel line and here we are approaching Linga Linga in Mozambique.
Last night in Madagascar. We hit a huge thunderstorm with lots of lightening. We turned around, got a good nights sleep and left the next day. Our port engine wouldn’t start too!
Leaving Majunga for Baly Bay and onto South Africa
Sunset at Majunga
Local dock where people would be picked up and dropped off from other areas around Majunga. We got a taxi here and did some shopping and fueled up. People had told us to watch out for theft here, but we had no problems.
Majunga’s very unpleasant and VERY shallow anchorage. It was down to 6 feet at low tide but there was no where else to anchor.
Local transportation.
Majunga.
Approaching Majunga.
Madagascar’s wild coast. Most of it is low lying and sandy. The water is very shallow a long way off shore in most places.
A local village en route to Majunga.
Small lizard – Moramba Bay, Madagascar
Local through the islets
Golden Baobob’s
Sunset over Madagascar
Baobob Forest
Lemur….as close as we could get.
We found evidence of them in the sand
One morning we went ashore really early to see if we could spot any of the lemurs up close.
The limestone is soft and easily undercut by the eons of wave, wind and tide.
The anchorage at Moramba Bay looks very much like Kelefisia in the Lau Group of Fiji and the Rock Islands of Palau.
Baobob Trees… Also in Australia and South Africa.
They are VERY shy
80 of the largest went extinct as they were hunted for food.
I couldn’t get much closer than this without having them run off. Given their history with man…I’m not surprised.
The lemurs today are a big tourist attraction and a local eco resort would observe them from their boat as well.
There were hundreds of species at one time before man.
These are the second largest of the species that are still in existence
Colqueri Safakia Lemurs
Lemurs!….of Moramba Bay
There is a big and bustling economy here in transporting goods from the main island to the outlying islands. Sailing skills are very important. Time is money.
Many for moving cargo.
Some just used for transportation.
The main feature of coastal Madagascar is the wide variety and numerous sailing craft.
s/v “Sunflower” at anchor (Norseman 447)
Nose Komba canoes
Local crafts….Kathy was in heaven
Scott, Nikki and Beach House at lunch with Dave and Kathy
Dave from “Sunflower” with a local boat transporting supplies
Local water taxi. – Nosy Komba
Nose Komba resort
Nosy Komba from Nosy Be (Nosy means island in Malagasy)
Hellville, Nosy Be, Madagascar. Locals for a small fee help with everything from where to check in to getting fuel.
Welcome to HELLville…Named after a French Admiral Anne Chrétien Louis de Hell.
Sakatia Island… Our second stop before checking in. Nell and Des from SA were VERY helpful on local knowledge and how to make the sail from Madagascar to Richard’s Bay, SA
Cap d’ Ambre Light at the north tip of Madagascar. Quite the current – wind against sea here.
Just before we arrived in Madagascar, Nikki did the “Flying Fish” clean up. A daily chore in the temperate waters of the tropical world.
