The rhythms of life in Madagascar
Magical is the first word I can think of on the first few days after clearing in to Nosy Be. Here the rhythms of the wind dictate the work and movements of people and goods.
The afternoon brings a lovely breeze pushing the dhows out-of-town and suddenly the bay is alive with lateen rigged dhows carrying both cargo and passengers back and forth amongst the islands.
Rushing to get to port
Coming back after a day of fishing
Old and new
Finally off the boat and going home
Captain in training
Happy crew
There are few places left in the world today where sail power forms the principal engine to move goods and people. Purely from an esoteric point of view the result of this reliance on sail power provides a principal rhythm in the lifestyle. Nothing can be rushed. All is dictated by the movements of nature and one just has to wait for that moment when the gods have decided things can be moved. Frustrating if you’re a tourist on a 2 week vacation package!
For us it’s a welcome relief from the travails of movement on the wide open seas. Madagascar has given us a chance to kick back and relax other than to repair damage done on our crossing and repair the engine salt water pump.
We have only had a chance to go to one island other than Nosy Be and that was Nosy Komba. There are quite a few tourists who head over to Nosy Komba as there’s a national park and hikes to walk along. The town has taken advantage of the influx of potential customers and uses their skills to produce lovely needlework.
Blues
More items for sale
In the meantime, while everyone else is rushing off to the other beautiful anchorages, we sit at anchor hoping the mechanic will appear with the magical parts. Then…
Memories of the Seychelles
There is no doubt that we loved the Seychelles
However, the Seychelles would not be every sailors favourite island grouping. There are numerous reasons for this. First off, in their winter season the water is not all that clear. The south-east trades blow in with force. The strength of the wind stirs up the sands and the SE swell sweeps around almost every headland and a lot of anchorages are either untenable or simply downright uncomfortable as one rolls from side to side and the boats surge forward with the swell causing the boats to get yanked back by the anchor chain.
So why did we enjoy ourselves so much? I think simply the timing was right. We had been moving constantly since leaving Thailand in January and we arrived in a place with a safe, quiet and convenient harbour for living onboard. The town of Victoria was small enough to get around on our bikes and offered most supplies if one dug around and deep enough. Victoria also had good market, albeit the fish choices were limited. And if one were looking for those special French cheeses, wine and duck confit they were all available at the specialty stores and at special prices.
But what I think really makes the islands of the Seychelles special is the kind of development that has occurred. Granted it’s a major tourist destination but the few large and luxurious resorts are hidden away from sight. Most accommodation is made up of small ‘self-catering’ units. Many of these are located in someone’s backyard or they are clustered together 5-10 on a property. These self catering units are scattered all over the islands so one can choose a place closer to larger settlements or in more secluded areas. Although the focus in the Seychelles is on tourism it still feels accessible and is not an overloaded tourist economy.
The other part of the Seychelles we loved were the national parks with their great trails and vistas from on high overlooking gorgeous bays and beaches.
Marcia taking a trail break
There is always a secluded beach to find with virtually no-one around. And at the end of some of the park trails there’s a shower to cool you down.
Ah, a fresh shower after a long hot walk
Of course, the people make a difference. With only a population of just over 100,000 there are people from all over Asia and Europe who have flocked to the Seychelles for work. There are a huge number of Italians and French and we met and saw many working construction and even policing who came from Nepal, Bangladesh, India.
But we love the kids
Adieu Seychelles. Until another time.
Seychelles to Madagascar
Departed Anse La Mouche, September, 2015 and arrived Hellville, Madagascar September 14, 2015
Summation of damages incurred during this period:
1 – clogged fuel filters –
2 – broken forward handrails –
3 – dislodged mainsheet track from mast
4 – bucket lost overboard
5 -torn jib
6 – shredded Canadian flag –
7 – all towels, linen etc salt encrusted –
8 – bent stanchions –
9 – torn drifter –
10 – bruised egos
Neither of us want to repeat this kind of trip.
In the winter season the south-east trades blow with a great deal of strength and we witnessed that from our sail around some of the islands in the Seychelles. So, we were not looking forward to what’s well-known as a ‘slog to windward’ to get to Madagascar.
We checked out from Victoria and went to an anchorage to await a propitious weather window in which to start of on the 800 mile jump south, south-west to be exact.
As fate would have it, getting to the anchorage to await the weather window we blew out our mainsail. Yes, a squall, and an older mainsail, caught us off guard and we tore off the leach of the sail. That took a lot of mending and have to say a big thank you to Dave and Marcia on Strider who came to the rescue with a sewing machine. After a number of hours of hard sewing the job was done but then an eye infection put another halt to our plans while I went to the docs. Needless to say with all this happening it took more than a few days.
In company with Strider we headed to the last scheduled anchorage on the west coast of Mahe, Anse La Mouche. On the way there we were motoring in some very choppy seas when the engine stopped – clogged fuel filters. However, due to weather conditions we ran back to an anchorage for the night and tried to effect a change of filters. This didn’t solve the problem as engine must have had an air leak. The following morning we headed up to Anse La Mouche under sail thinking no problem as there has been plenty of wind here for the last three months. Well, the one and only time we have seen no wind happened. We were left bobbing around with no steerage and a non functioning engine. Strider came to the rescue again and towed us the last 2 miles into the anchorage.
The next day we managed to expel the air lock and got the engine going. This left some time for final departure and at least a bit of a break in the constant squalls and incessant rain.
After a few days of hanging around in the bay and after some vicious scrabble games it was time to go. Boat’s ready but we’re not and never will be having an inkling of what this trip would entail. We hanked on a small working jib, double reefed the main and slipped out of Anse La Mouche under the threat of more rain and squalls. We smoothly lifted the anchor and with no engine slid out of the bay and out of the protection (?) of Mahe.
Departing Anse La Mouche (photo by Marcia Reck)
Departing Anse La Mouche (photo by Marcia Reck)
Once clear of Mahe the wind steadied and the squalls dissipated and left us with winds of 20 knots and on a very close reach in order to maintain our course line. Needless to say the seas were rough and movement on board uncomfortable but we were finally on our way.
I won’t go into more details of the actual sail south other than to say we think it was the most difficult sailing trip in all the years we have sailed offshore. The main reason for this is due to the fact it was not downwind sailing. We struggled to keep on course at times where the wind was over 30 knots and where the wind never dropped below 20 knots until we got into the wind shadow formed by Madagascar. And even there the only break we got was a decrease in the wind but we had to tack back and forth for the last 150 miles to get to Hellville, Nosy Be.
Needless to say we had a rough time. We found a tiny portion of the cockpit that was out of the spray but at times with waves crashing over the boat every so often everything eventually got soaked both outside and inside. Once things get salt water on them they never dry in those conditions so eventually the dampness permeates below and one just has to accept putting on damp cool clothing when heading out for ones watch.
The one very dramatic moment came one evening when, just after a watch change, and after the sunset, I was below having fallen asleep, when suddenly the boat made a hugely violent motion and salt water was pouring in on top of me through the dorade vents. Connie was screaming, I was confused but I knew it was imperative to get out on deck and assess the situation. We weren’t hurt, we weren’t sinking, the mast had not come down, we were alive. We lost a few things, broke a handrail, damaged the mainsail track, tore a sail, bent a stanchion and added a few bruises to our battered bodies. Like a lot in sailing we shook ourselves, hoped that this type of incident would not happen again and carried on.
Approaching our destination, Nosy Be, we were not left without incident. Not wanting to try to start the engine until the very last moment of arrival we sailed into an anchorage 5nm from Nosy Be at 0330hrs and anchored in 15m of water. We got up at 0700hrs to be greeted by overcast skies and light rain with little wind. We went to use the windlass and it was frozen. We affected a quick repair and ghosted out of the anchorage. We sailed on to Nosy Be and in the process blew out another sail.
Does this sound like fun!
The two things gained from this experience are:
1 – an increased confidence in Sage to carry on
2 – an incredible respect for our wind-driven self steering system built by Hydrovane. In reality we set our wind vane to work on leaving the Seychelles and virtually never adjusted its settings for the entire trip prior to hitting the Madagascar wind shadow.
In retrospect we made a mistake in choosing the route to the Seychelles from Chagos. We loved the Seychelles but…The problem with the routing from the Seychelles is there are no options other than through the pirate infested waters between the Seychelles and Mombassa. It’s not like the movement of highs and lows where one can heave-to for a day or two and wait for the wind to decrease. The wind blows like this for three + months. Once one makes the decision to leave the only option is to turn around and head back to wait out the season or, if you are lucky watch for a weather window and GO. For us, South Africa beckoned.
Addendum
A big thanks to Dave and Marcia on Strider for their help in repairing our mainsail in the Seychelles. While many things got broken the mainsail stayed up through it all and survived
Sailing the Plateau
Last weekend was Assumption. Here in the Seychells it is just known as ‘The Fete’. Not being Catholic I venture to say it’s just an Italian invention so they could sit down and eat again. Not that I’m complaining. I could sit down and eat anytime but my cardiologist says that’s not a good idea and my wife likes me svelt. Well somewhere along the line I have to make someone happy.
Anyway, here in the Seychelles the real party is on an island called La Digue. It’s a small and quite touristy haven. Most people get around on bikes and there’s always a secluded beach not far away.
We had been to La Digue several weeks prior to the Feast of the Assumption but the local yacht club was organizing a club race across to La Digue. However, they weren’t staying in La Digue as the harbour would have been chocker block full and with 7 bands scheduled to play within 4 blocks of each other it was decided to end the race in La Digue but anchor for the Friday and Saturday night in Praslin, a neighbouring island.
Nives, our cruising guest, holding a coco de mer in the UNESCO world heritage site on Praslin Island.
The sail over from Victoria to La Digue was wild. Sailing out to the islands from Mahe is commonly called “sailing the plateau”. The reason for this is that the group of islands that make up the majority of the Seychelles are located on an almost circular plateau.
The screen grab below taken from our tablets navigation app by Navionics shows the underwater contours of the plateau. The plateau depth is generally 100-200 ft whereas the ocean around the plateau is upwards of 10,000 feet deep.
This sharp rise in the plateau gives to wild seas on the plateau and we were not disappointed. We had a jolting 30 miles to cover which took us about 4 hours 15 minutes to get to La Digue but wild and wet it was.
Starting off out of Victoria harbour we thought we had a chance of winning when we saw this boat motoring out to the start line.
Yes, we thought, a fighting chance and our spirits were lifted. However, they were soon dashed as we watched other boats arriving and saw what the competition was like.
So what are we supposed to do to beat out this South African guy. It wasn’t only once she went screaming by us doing close to 20 knots but twice, once on the way and then of course once on the way back.
However, our spirits were buoyed by this pretty little boat sailed single-handedly by Peter. A real gem built, I think, in 1956 by Abeking and Rasmussen in Germany. Draws 50cm with the centreboard up and sails to windward beautifully but wet.
As normal photos of an angry sea are hard to get to show what it’s like but below I can verify these guys were not dry once past the finish line.
It was a great weekend. Meeting people, talking sailing of course and the prerequisite dinner and drinks. We owe a heartfelt thanks to the racing boats of the Seychelles Yacht Club and all the people who welcomed us foreigners and temporary intruders no matter how much we bragged about our fast boat!
More Pirates
Last seen were these two heading out to sea from the Seychelles on their pirate ship. Only first names are known – Sebastian and Tony
Are the Seychelles Expensive?
For sailors planning on coming to the Seychelles I thought I would give you an update on current expenses you can incur.
The Seychelles can be expensive not only for the food but for all the additional costs a foreign yacht can incur during a three month stay. There are ways around some of these costs but some cannot be avoided. Here is a list of probable costs a yacht can incur.
1 – visits to anchorages located in National Parks – 250 rupees (Cdn $25) /night- avoidable if you stay out of the area of the national parks. As long as one is anchored more than 200 metres from the shoreline of a national park then no fee is applicable unless you go ashore. In some areas there is also a fee of 200 rupees ($20/person) for going ashore
2 – initial clearance fee with the Harbour Master = 300 rupees (Cdn $30) – unavoidable
3 – Seychelles Yacht Club – fee for the use of their dinghy dock, showers and temporary membership = 125rupees/week (Cdn $12.50/week). One can avoid this fee if you are willing to tie up your dinghy elsewhere and not use the SYC facilities.
4 – La Digue – 150 rupees (Cdn$15) for water. One ties med style in the small harbour and a hose is obtainable from the harbour master and this can be used to fill up water tanks, doing laundry and/or washing off the boat. This is a one time use fee and is to be paid on a per use basis
5 – Clearance fees. These are unavoidable. The costs below are for yachts of less than 20 gross tons:
For a visit of between;
0 to 120 hours = 75 rupees/day
120 – 240 hours = 60 rupees/day
more than 240 hours = 50 rupees/day
For our boat 12 metre sailboat, Sage, a Wauquiez 38, and a three month visit, the total cost is 11,220 rupees or Cdn $1,112. These charges really call into question whether the Seychelles wants itinerant cruisers to visit. These charges, in our experience, are, next to the Maldives, the most expensive we’ve encountered. Is it worth it? Come and decide for youselves!
Broke but enjoying ourselves.
Pirate or Fisherman
Talking piracy in this area of the world can lead to real trouble. There are still armed guards on all large fishing vessels and cargo ships unloading here have their rails covered in razor wire. Piracy has decreased in this area due to the efforts of the international community which has been patrolling the area between here and the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa. Found recently in the yacht anchorage was this pirate as per a previous postings.
Our own Mexican pirate before he went on a raid
Since the international community here is being quite diligent on following up on piracy this particular pirate, named Rio, was captured and spent some time in rehabilitation.
The results of his rehabilitation have been very positive and he was recently seen, with his ex-accomplice, in a local fishing tournament in which he won a prize – see picture below.
Rio with his trophy for the smallest fish caught in the tournament
Rio, the ex-pirate’s accomplice – Ben. Ben is now roaming the seas having failed rehabilitation. Warning – approach with caution. Dangerous and armed. He has a very beguiling face but can turn violent in a moments notice.
I guess all is well that ends well. Rio and his accomplice were last seen heading south to Madagascar and we are hoping the owners of the vessel he signed on with know of his past. We hope to catch up with this lot in Madagascar or South Africa.
Mon Kontan Sesels
With nothing better to do we decided to go up – up to Trois Freres. It’s not that we don’t have anything to do but we love getting out-of-town when we have the chance. As our friends, Bob and Elaine,
Bob and Elaine
had a car we suggested a stroll up the path to the 438 metre high Trois Freres mountain that looks down on our anchorage and over the town of Victoria.
Most of the boats you see at anchor here belong to locals
We climbed and climbed and had some great views over the islands. The day was perfect with a strong breeze blowing and with added increase in height the temperature was perfect – about 28C.
We only made it 2/3rds of the way as Elaine was recovering from a bout of the flu and we didn’t quite make it to the top. We’ll save that for later. We were taken with the view and can hardly wait to make it to the top to see both sides of the island.
Connie at the highest point we reached
Tony at the highest point we reached
On our way down we met a few wild creatures providing a little fun with the camera. We’re quite happy there are no threatening animals in the Seychelles other than tourists like ourselves
Found on the path
And a spider or two stringing webs across the path to catch tourists
Of course, with all the energy expended getting up and down the mountain a stop at The Station is mandatory.
The Station Spa and Hotel
The Station Hotel is beautifully situated at the beginning of the trail to Trois Freres – it’s too tempting a spot to miss. Beautiful views over the town and a very relaxed atmosphere makes it a great place for a coffee or a meal after the hike.
The lounge dining area has a great mural map of Mahe
A great example of the indigenous Coco de Mer – a palm only found in the Seychelles
A Sunday stroll around town
Everything here shuts down on a Sunday – kind of like Canada in the 1950s. It’s wonderful – the city is quite a distance from most of the tourist accommodation so the tourists aren’t strolling around and the locals know there’s nothing open so they stay away. One can almost walk down the middle of the main street and not have to worry about being run over and you can take your time gawking in the store windows looking at plastic buckets next to razor blades or anything the merchandiser can find to add to the window that might sell.
So this is a pictorial of a Sunday stroll through Victoria.
The official Seychelles logo with sailfish, turtle and coco de mer – Finis Coronat Opus (The end crowns the work)
Entrance to the main market – expensive but huge amounts of fresh tuna and snapper
80% are catholic here but can still here the call to prayer from the Mosque
The movie theatre – hasn’t yet been a movie we want to see but we keep hoping
The clock-tower roundabout in the centre of downtown
Gorgeous blue sky with frangipani flowers (plumeria rubra)
Being the tropics plants abound and quickly take over
A stroll down by the art centre
Land turtles abound
People to meet on Sundays
The yacht club is very close to downtown so returning to the club for lunch and reading of the local papers is a good idea on Sundays
Friday night party time
Seychelles etc
Not our boat – Ferry harbour, Victoria
Oh yes, we have been very lazy. We are so enjoying the time here in Victoria that we haven’t been out to any of the outer or inner islands. Time has flown by and we are coming up to our fourth week here.
It doesn’t mean that we have been able to go anywhere anyway. The first order of business was to get the fridge back in full operation. That we did quickly with local assistance. The next order of business was to get the spare part installed that came from San Francisco – $80 for the part and $130 for couriering!
With those two items done we thought we would head out for an extended weekend to one of the closer anchorages. Went to start the engine, which it did quickly, but with an odd sound. With Connie down below and the engine running she called up to say there was smoke. Running down below we determined it was coming from the starter motor. Okay, turn off the engine and cancel the night of music at the bar in Eden Island and cancel the quiet anchorage in the national park.
Entrance to the botanical gardens
We solved our problem fairly quickly with again land based help. Hauled out the starter motor, gave it to Tony for repair and he had it back in 18 hours (no island time here) and we got it reinstalled on the Monday and the engine up and going again without having to turn the fridge off (no sun).
That was great but now the weekend was gone and we awaited the arrival of our friends on Pipistrelle, Elaine and Bob. They have been the two unluckiest sailors we’ve met and we were hoping they had a good trip from Chagos to Seychelles. We followed their progress and were relieved to hear winds were good and they were doing well. As they approached the Seychelles the weather deteriorated and being cautious they anchored to wait till the morning to enter the quarantine anchorage and clear customs. We now have 11 foreign boats in the area – Pipistrelle, Nightfly, Garamar, Divinity, Totem, Imagine, Paradocs, Utopia, Zephyr, Helias and ourselves. Most are anchored out in the quarantine anchorage but Nightfly, Paradocs and ourselves are in the Inner Harbour.
The harbour holding is not great but we are on a mooring close to the yacht club. We are serenaded every night but the live music at Club 55 on one side and the Japanese, Korean fishboats on the other side and then occasionally by announcements forward of the bow by the either Oz, American, British warships/submarines that are in and out of the harbour on the hunt for pirates.
As for the weather – the favourite subject of Canadians. Here are the local headlines – Strange Weather.
Strange weather
Excessive rain, cloudy, high winds etc. Climate change? Certainly makes it a challenge to predict where to go and what to do. Yes, it’s cloudy but you know what we are enjoying it. Above the anchorage lie the mountains allowing cooler air to cascade down the hills in the evening spreading a cool scent laden layer across the anchorage making sleeping at 4 degrees south of the equator a pleasant experience. We have no complaints even though it rains intermittently every day.The article talks about Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) by Wikipedia interacting with a low over the Arabian Peninsula. Interesting but complicated. One learns something new every day which is wonderful. This is something I have not heard about before and it’s quite complicated and not something easy to explain. Read the Wikipedia if your are interested .
In the meantime we will enjoy the Independence Day celebrations and watch closely the political antics that are starting due to an upcoming election
Stay tuned
Sage on sail 