Nosy Fainhi Day Trip

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Fri 20 Sep 2019 23:47
Nosy Fainhi Day Trip Aboard Canace
 
 
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We left Beez and climbed aboard Canace at seven. Kevin and Irma very kindly offered to take us on a day trip to Nosy Fainhi about ten miles away. Baby Beez happily trotting along behind us as lures were cast, bobbing expectantly. Everyone keen to catch a fish of any size....... Irma set the anchor at ten and we got ready to snorkel.
 
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A couple of tour boats were at this cute little uninhabited island, we set off to the right.
 
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No sooner than we were in the water than we were greeted by tribes of fish.
 
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A blue starfish poses as did a Mr Picasso.
 
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Hundreds of thousands of comb jellies floated by as well as thousands upon thousands of salps, most about eight inches long and pencil thin. We have seen them in the water around Beez since we arrived in Madagascar but only in single figures. We haven’t seen any since the huge one we saw in Indonesia - not very amazing ??? I think they are fascinating, they have the power to change the carbon levels in the ocean. Wiki says: A salp or salpa is a barrel-shaped, planktic tunicate. It moves by contracting, thus pumping water through its gelatinous body, one of the most efficient examples of jet propulsion in the animal kingdom. The salp strains the pumped water through its internal feeding filters, feeding on phytoplankton. The picture is of a salp with red cells (most had black), the poor point and shoot did its best.......
 
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A gang of chromis and a very elderly starfish, almost no colour left.
 
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Another gang passed by.
 
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Blue-tipped coral and a splash of colour.
 
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Usual suspects.
 
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In deeper water just one clump of anemone with a single orange skunk clownfish.
 
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A gaggle of chromis going one way and convict tangs going the other.
 
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Kevin and Irma show just how many fish there were at any one time.
 
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Next came the black and white damsels.
 
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Then everyone got together for a conference, after an hour or so we headed back to Canace. We enjoyed a cocktail and lunch of Boer War sausages, potato salad and mixed salad. The little island became host to a couple wanting very different wedding pictures complete with tiny canopy, little camera didn’t do the event justice. A cup of coffee and time to set off back to Sakatia. Whatever the reef here lacked in colour and soft coral, it truly made up for in fish numbers. Very enjoyable indeed.
 
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Kevin shows us his impressive ewincher. Bear thoroughly enjoying himself.
 
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Skipper checking the course.
 
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The sky began to turn pink. What incredible views these properties must have, especially in stormy weather.
 
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Irma lets off the genoa as Kevin winds it in after a smashing sail with gusts to twenty knots. How super to have sailed back.
 
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Baby Beez trots along behind, sadly the lures took no fish.
 
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Sepia tone for a change. This little island reminded me of Christmas Pudding Island in Opua, New Zealand.
 
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Rounding the southern end of Sakatia Island and safely anchored just on sunset. Lovely colours, lovely day, lovely friends. No sooner than we were back on Beez than Ken delivered two French sticks. Marvellous.
 
 
ALL IN ALL A WONDERFUL DAY OUT
                     A GREAT DAY OUT