Seychelles to Madagascar
NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Tue 21 Aug 2007 07:57
Seychelles to
Madagascar
12:54S 48:34E
Maribe Bay, NW Madagascar
As soon as Richard and Ann left us we set about
preparing for the voyage to Madagascar. Basically we had three
options. Go direct, go via Mayotte or go down towards Mayotte and curve in
to Nosy Be on Madagascar. The big attraction of the first course of action
was that it was several hundred miles less than the others. There was also
the option of anchoring at several uninhabited Seychelles islands on the way
south. The wind forecasts from our faithful source, 'Uncle Sam' and his
GRIB files, showed there to be a window of oportunity on Wednesday so for this
we prepared. I should perhaps explain that August is the period of
strongest South East Trades which combined with a north west going current north
of Madagascar gives the possibility of a very hard close hauled sail. Thus
the likely neccessity of bearing away twenty degrees and going to the French
Comores island of Mayotte. Saying good by to friends, shopping, and
endless trapsing around government offices to get the neccessary clearance
papers and to pay our port dues was all completed by Tuesday evening. Only
one thing remained to do and that was very important, was to get our
passports back from the immigration people on the dockside at
departure.
Wednesday dawned wet and gusty, not a day when
going to sea comes to mind. This combined with the fact that it was a
public holiday and the Port Control told us we would not get our passports until
next day put a damper on our spirits. A German Najad 49 was coming with us
and he also was not amused. Over the radio I pointed out that we had
reminded the immigration authorities of this holiday but they had assured us
they would be there. I rang everyone I could think of from the airport
immigration department to the customs authorities at whose dock we were due to
go. I will never know if this worked or they were coming anyway but just
as we were becoming resigned to a day's delay and a precious weather window
severely reduced in size the radio told us to get ourselves to the customs dock
in order to receive our passports! In torrential rain we did just
that and in a few minutes we were underway.
Passing down the coast we both found ourselves
feeling that our stay on these islands had been one of the many highlights of
our world cruise and that it was very likely that sometime in the future when
the English winter was at its worst we would come for a spell of revitalisation
amongst these lovely people and their exquisite scenery. With Mahe
dropping astern the squalls arrived and a hard night followed. This was
however the last of the nasty stuff and two days of close reaching in perfect if
a little boisterous conditions got us well on our way. After two days we
were level pegging with our German friends to our amazement and I think their
irritation. Approaching the dreaded Cape d'Ambre at the top of Madagascar
at dawn on the third day we scanned the seas ahead. The current was
causing us to track thirty degrees off our heading and so we were only just not
closehauled with 25 knots across the deck and a ver confused sea. Suffice
to say we dropped the hook that afternoon in a bay five miles down the western
shore having logged 590nm in three days and four hours. Just one hour more
than our Judel/Vrolijk designed companion. The next few days showed us how
lucky we had been as the wind went back from ESE to SE and to its more usual
thirty knots plus. In fact in the morning we had to get into action
quickly as a forty knot squall came through and we started to drag. Unable
to speak to each other in the screaming wind and with Nordlys unwilling to do
anything but go downwind we left under bare poles and then sailed under
staysail thirty miles south to a calmer anchorage.
As I write this we have still to go ashore but have
enjoyed the unfolding magnificence of the scenery and the attentions of several
outrigger canoes with locals wanting to trade. If we are lucky we will
have fish and lobster by tonight. We already have paw paw, eggs, limes and
bananas. The trading is not easy as they never seem to know what they want
and if you produce something that they do not want they say so! My fishing
lures were rejected although they were almost exactly the same as he
described. Line was either too thin or too thick etc. All this is
not because they are pushy but because they are very reserved and taking for the
sake of it seems to be against their nature. With limited French the
only language in common communication is often difficult as both sides hunt for
words. The next six weeks promise to be very interesting.
Beating down the coast. The landscape looks very much as
if it was the last
thing the creator made and he had only odd bits and pieces
left!
As we entered this bay the above dhow was loading what looked
like thatch from a pile of the same onshore.
Then it slowly sailed past us and anchored near the
beach. We have since learnt that in a few days it will
sail the thirty odd miles to Nosy Be to sell the
product. Having powered in with our diesel we were
rather humbled by the beautiful sight of this engineless
craft at work.
Happy times to our readers
David and Annette