by Judy Handley | Jul 14, 2010 | Madagascar, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 261, Year 5 Some Work, Some Play
Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Weather: Back to Fabulous Weather; Some Rain Overnight
Location: Bay SW of Nosy Kisimani, NW Madagascar
It was a baking day-granola and chocolate chip cookies, and another marathon day researching and naming fish photos. I now label every fish photo with the common name and scientific name, but with the limited resources we have onboard for this part of the world, it takes a search through four different fish identification books to finally decide on the right name. I love doing this and have no idea why, but I am starting to put together my album of Indian Ocean fish which I hope to share with my grandchildren when they are a little older. And now when I snorkel I no longer have to say that I saw a yellow fish. I can saw I saw a Golden Gregory. And I have so enjoyed ‘meeting’ the various anemonefish, butterflyfish, and wrasses. I now have names for them and I love that. While I worked on these things, Mark worked on his fishing gear, put a new tether on our anchor chain stop (locks the anchor chain in place), and put a new latch on the gate in the life line. I have not been able to open the gate for two years, and now I can. That and the fact that a young boy came by in his dugout and sold us a humongous mud crab and a smaller one for 5,000 Ariary has made me a happy woman today. The amount we paid is equivalent of $2.50 US. This same young boy had been rowing through the bay in his dugout with a small wooden replica of a dhow in tow. We had been admiring his little dhow and couldn’t resist buying the crabs from him. They will make a yummy dinner tonight.
Late in the afternoon, Ed, Mark, and I went out in the dinghy to explore the bay in which we are anchored. This little bay is just across from Nosy Kisimani. From Nosy Kisimani there is a reef that is only exposed at low tide that runs all the way down to Cape Makambi on the south side of this bay. The reef helps protect the anchorage and makes it calm and serene. Our explorations this afternoon resulted in no fish (we were dragging lines from the dinghy), but we did discover one little village, maybe just one family, on the southwest shore. We also meandered in among the mangroves in what seemed like a little river. We went about a mile or so, but finally decided that it was getting too shallow and turned around. We had some bird sightings-a few crested drongas, some fish eagles flying overhead, Madagascar bee-eaters darting about, and a heron perched on a mangrove branch that let us get very close to him. The shore was covered with deciduous trees dotted with Traveler’s Palms. These fan-shaped palms sparkled in the afternoon sun as if welcoming us. It was a fun trip, no fish caught, but a few more glimpses of wild Madagascar.
Tomorrow we will head go out of here the way we came as there is no other way out because of the protective reef. Once we get to the north side of Nosy Kisimani, we will then head south to Nosy Mamoka. We’re going to wait until noon to leave in hopes that we can sail using the afternoon sea breeze coming from the west.
by Judy Handley | Jul 13, 2010 | Madagascar, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 260, Year 5 Nosy Sakatia to Tani Keli to Nosy Kisamani
Date: Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Weather: No More Rain; All Sunshine
Latitude: 13 degrees 34.820 minutes S
Longitude: 048 degrees 05.112 minutes E
Location: Nosy Kisamani, NW Madagascar
The trek south has begun. We left Nosy Sakatia early this morning and picked up a mooring ball off Tani Keli at 9:30 am. Just this year Tani Keli has become an official national park and marine reserve, and as soon as you arrive someone comes out in an official national park boat to give you directions on where you can anchor or pick up a mooring ball. We arrived just before Constance, so we picked up the only mooring ball available for bigger boats. I would never spend the night on that mooring, but it was great for today’s use. We hopped in the water and swam over to the designated snorkeling area. Mark and I had on our 3 mil dive skins which protected us from the little stingy things in the water and kept us warm. Ed and Lynne only have thin Lycra suits and they had to get out before us as they were very chilly. But we all enjoyed the very clear water and the fish. We saw all the same varieties that we had seen at Nosy Sakatia, just more of them, plus a few new fish. The wrasse and coris which are always colorful fish, were really a highlight at Tani Keli. They were larger than we have seen before and therefore easier to photograph, so we got a few good photos of species that we have been trying to capture for months. We saw a huge grouper and a scary looking giant moray and then we saw a nursery full of baby butterfly fish and loads of anemones and different types of anemonefish. So snorkeling was a success and then we returned to Windbird to clean off the prop and the waterline. While we were cleaning we saw that the three Remoras that attached themselves to our keel in Nosy Sakatia have stayed with us. Remoras are commonly called shark suckers and they attach themselves to sharks and other large fish, sometimes whales, and in this case, to a sailboat. They’ll eat any good garbage thrown overboard and can’t hurt anything, so we don’t mind having the hitchhikers. After two hours in the water, we got out to eat and then headed to shore to take a short hike to the lighthouse at the top of the island and to see the fruit bats, lemurs, and birds that live on the tiny island. The lemurs were Brown Lemurs, different from the Black Lemurs on Nosy Komba, we were excited about seeing a different species. They charge 10,000 Ariary which is the equivalent of $5 US per person to enjoy the Tani Keli experience, but it was worth it. We will probably stop there again when we return from our trip south.
We motored three hours into the afternoon sea breeze coming from the west as we headed southwest to Nosy Kisamani. This is a little island just off the mainland. We actually decided to anchor in a bay off the mainland across from Kisamani, but we will explore that island by dinghy tomorrow. We are anchored off a part of the mainland that juts out to the west before heading south again, and we might spend a few of days in this area exploring other islands before heading to Russian Bay which is at the end of the westward jutting piece of mainland. Once there, we will probably spend a week or so before moving further south.
by Judy Handley | Jul 12, 2010 | Madagascar, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Captain’s Ramblings 1, Year 5 – Dinghies
July 12, 2010
Sometimes folks who follow our website write us with questions, ideas, or suggestions. Rich Corbett has written often and recently asked our opinion of dinghies. This is an area where everyone has an opinion and every prospective cruiser would like some suggestions. I know we would have liked more information when we were purchasing the dinghy we would take with us around the world.
In 2004, as we were preparing for our circumnavigation, sailing friends Suzie Klein and Jim Hammitt invited us to dinner with friends of theirs who had sailed around the world. We had hundreds of questions for Tom and Harriet Linskey. It turned out that Judy had just taken a “Suddenly Alone” course that Harriet taught. The point of the course was how to cope if something happened to your spouse and Judy only wanted to find out what to do with the body! But that’s another story. We had a small inflatable dinghy at the time and seemed to get wet any time there was the slightest chop. So Judy suggested to Tom that we probably needed a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) with a hard bottom and much larger tubes than the current dinghy. The purpose of the larger tubes would be to keep us from getting wet all the time. Tom replied, “Judy, didn’t anybody ever tell you that sailing is a water sport!” We bought the RIB anyway and it is much drier than our old inflatable, but we have more than once repeated Tom’s reminder about a water sport. When the seas are really rough and the wind is blowing hard, we still get some spray over the bow, but not often. We have learned a lot from the three dinghies we have owned and from many other cruisers with all sorts of different means of getting from their boat to shore or to another boat or to their favorite snorkeling spot. What follows is what we have learned.
Your dinghy serves double duty as a family car and a utility truck on the water. You use it as a snorkeling or diving base, to haul fuel and water jerry cans from shore, to carry tons of groceries and drinks, to visit cruisers on other boats, as a platform to clean the topsides and waterline of your yacht, and to sail or paddle around the anchorage to explore. Sometimes you even use your dinghy for fishing which requires top speeds. The uses you make of it will determine the dinghy you need. Some people carry two because any one dinghy won’t meet all needs. For instance, a hard dinghy (fiberglass, plastic, or wood) can be easily rowed and may be adapted for sail. We know one boat that never uses an outboard as they sail their hard dinghy everywhere. On the other hand, a hard dinghy is difficult to get into from the water. If you do a lot of snorkeling (and you will) then this may not be the dinghy for you. Of course, your age and agility also have an impact on this. On the other hand, a RIB is much easier to enter from the water, especially if you get a dinghy ladder. But a RIB is difficult to row and is usually much heavier than a hard dinghy.
Many boats carry a kayak tied to the lifelines. A kayak can be an easy and efficient way to get around. There are many times when we would love to not have to put the dinghy in the water, lower the outboard, get out the gas can, and hook it all up. A kayak could be a perfect solution in those cases. However, you won’t be ferrying jerry cans of fuel in a kayak, nor many groceries either. People who have kayaks always have another dingy on board.
Inflatable dinghies are the most popular choice. If you decide on an inflatable, you now have a lot of decisions to make. If you get a RIB, do you have enough room on the foredeck to store it? Even if you have dinghy davits on the back of your boat, you will want to store the dinghy on the fore-deck on passages. We sized ours to fit between the inner staysail and the mast. We are a cutter so room was limited; a sloop may have more room there. Another option would be to get a collapsible or roll-up dinghy. These are easier to store, but more difficult to set up when you need them. They also have less carrying capacity, tend to be wetter, and are even harder than a RIB to row. Though they will have something on the floor to stiffen them when inflated (either boards, slats, or an inflatable floor) the floor will tend to flex with the seas passing under the keel. Speaking of keels, collapsible and roll-up dinghies usually have a small inflatable tube beneath the floor which acts like a keel. However, it is not very effective at keeping the boat from skidding sideways on a turn. The deep keel of a RIB tracks and turns much better.
The most popular choice among cruisers we meet is an inflatable with a hard bottom. Rigid inflatable boats (RIB’s) commonly have hulls made of fiberglass or aluminum. Fiberglass is probably cheaper and can be patched by most cruisers themselves. Aluminum is lighter which may prove very important when you and your spouse try to haul the dinghy and outboard above the high tide line, but it will take special equipment to repair a gash in the bottom. Ours is fiberglass, but I would seriously consider aluminum if I were buying again because of the lighter weight. We had installed wheels on the transom of our fiberglass dinghy to help when pulling her up a beach. However, if the sand is soft, as it usually is, then they only add to the friction as they dig in to the sand. Some wheels are better than others. I would go for the largest diameter wheel with the largest rubber tire I could fit on the dinghy. Of course, this means even more weight!
The next decision involves the tubes: What material and how big? The usual materials are PVC and Hypalon. Both have their adherents. Ours is Hypalon which we bought because it is supposed to have superior UV resistance. However, the glue for Hypalon (you will need glue and patches for either material as you will get leaks) is expensive and should be stored in a refrigerator. Refrigerator space is already at a premium on a boat so this can be a drawback. PVC is easier to patch, and if UV is a problem, you can get a cover made to protect the tubes. You may want to do this no matter which material your dinghy is made of. But the most important thing about the tubes is the size of them. Get tubes as big as you can; seventeen inches in diameter is a good size. They make for a more comfortable ride and will keep you drier.
Your dinghy will come with a seat and oars. Our seat is rigid fiberglass and attaches to the tubes with end brackets that slip into straps built into the tubes. I think it comes out far too easily – just when you don’t want it to. Friends have a seat that lashes to PVC tabs on the tubes – much more secure! Some seats are inflatable – just another small tube set athwartships, usually attached with Velcro to the tubes. You will need the seat in order to row, which you will do from time to time–like when your outboard won’t start or you need to tilt the outboard up so you can go over coral. While we’re on the subject of oars, it is worth considering the location of the oar mounts on the tubes. Ours are outboard and require us to turn the oar upside-down to get it into or out of the mount. The effect of this is that the oar is usually still in the mount as we come along side of our boat and it sticks out so that it can scratch the boat. Luckily most dinghies we have seen do not have this problem.
Our dinghy has a double floor which is nice as it provides a flat floor in the dinghy while allowing for a “V” keel. Some even have storage compartments built into the bow. But remember, every little bit of weight added will increase the difficulty of beaching or hauling the dinghy on board. There are many options that complicate the decision making process, and we haven’t even discussed the outboard motor yet.
I will make only a couple of comments on outboards. First is that Yamaha and Tohatsu motors have world-wide distribution and maintenance facilities. Many other brands do not. Check on that as you will need parts and perhaps even professional maintenance somewhere along the line. Secondly, consider size and weight. Check to see what the maximum horsepower outboard your dinghy can handle. We had an 8-horsepower Suzuki when we bought our 15-horse Yamaha in Malaysia. We made a mistake when we got rid of the Suzuki. We love the Yamaha as it allows us to plane our nine and a half foot fiberglass RIB with four people onboard. But it is heavy and it is a desirable target for theft. The Suzuki was old and needed constant attention, but it ran and we wouldn’t have to worry if it were stolen. Ideally we would have two outboards: the Yamaha for big loads and going long distances and a smaller outboard (maybe 2- to 4-horsepower) for normal running around. The Yamaha requires a 5-to-1 block and tackle to lift it from dinghy to its mount on the boat. A smaller engine can be lifted with one hand.
Everyone has their opinions as to what makes the best dinghy. I am no expert. I can only speak from experience. We currently own an AB fiberglass dinghy with a double bottom and seventeen-inch Hypalon tubes. It has a hard fiberglass seat that broke once when we came off a wave so has been reinforced. We also bought a dinghy ladder to facilitate getting into the dinghy from the water and this is a real plus when snorkeling. This dinghy has served us well. However, it is heavy and the older we get the harder it is to handle. If I were to start over again I might choose an aluminum hull. I would get more patches and glue for my tube repair kit. I would make, or have made, a protective cover for the tubes. I would definitely look for one with better mounts for the oars and a better way to attach the seat to the tubes. And I would have a small outboard in addition to the 15-horse Yamaha. Your dinghy is your only way to get from your boat to land, so don’t underestimate its importance in your cruising plans and budget.
by Judy Handley | Jul 12, 2010 | Madagascar, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 259, Year 5 More Rain, More Snorkeling
Date: Monday, July 12, 2010
Weather: Rain Overnight, Partly Sunny Day
Location: Nosy Sakatia, NW Madagascar
As predicted by John Sheppard’s cook, we got heavy rain just around mid-night and it rained for a good two hours. The local lore tells us that if you are going to get rain in the dry season, it will be on the four days of the new moon. Well, that is what is happening. John thinks we will have even more rain tonight, so we shall see. Unfortunately, the rain catcher we made in Chagos doesn’t work very well, so we are not able to take advantage of the unexpected tears from heaven. Ed and Lynne, on the other hand, have a good rain catcher and they were able to collect about ten gallons of water last night. We are just relying on our water maker.
It was still mostly overcast at 9 am this morning, but it was slack tide so we decided to snorkel, sun or no sun. We wear our dive skins which are about 3 mils to protect us from the sun and from anything that stings, but today we were glad we had them on to keep us warm. Eighty degree water with little or no sun feels quite cool. We took the dinghy over to the headland by Sakatia Towers and did our snorkeling there today. We were amazed by the amount and variety of soft corals, even more anemones than we saw yesterday, and anemonefish that are definitely at the large end of their growth expectancy. Mark focused on getting video of the beautifully swaying soft corals and anemones today, but he captured a few good shots of the small fish. We didn’t see turtles or large fish, but we did see our first parrotfish in Madagascar. Tomorrow morning we pull up anchor at 6:30 am to head out to Tani Keli which is only nine miles from here. We will have current against us at that time of day, but we want to get there to snorkel before the turn of the tide and the arrival of hordes of tourists around 11 am. Tani Keli is a marine reserve and is said to have the clearest water and most abundant fish on the west coast of Madagascar. We hope the reports are correct. After snorkeling and possibly doing a walk on land, we will up anchor and head another twelve miles south to a more protected bay for the night. The holding is not good at Tani Keli, so we don’t want to chance staying there. Our goal for tomorrow night is Nosy Kisamani. So our venture south is about to begin.
Late this afternoon, Mark and I went in to Sakatia Towers to peruse some of John’s books on Madgascar and Africa. As always, John had so much information to share with us. He is just good company, but we cannot express how grateful we are to him for being so helpful. We are going to miss our forays up to the Towers, but we will be back here in a month and can once again enjoy talking with John. He told us this afternoon that if we would sit on his deck for an entire day, we would see about twenty-six different species of birds. So that is on our list for the return trip. We stayed late enough this afternoon to witness the circling of the bee eaters (birds) as they returned to the mangroves for the night. We were able to watch this event up-close and personal from the jetty where we tie our dinghy when visiting the Towers. This is a wild and unspoiled land and we appreciate it more and more every day.
Mark has written a “Captain’s Ramblings” on dinghies. It is being posted today and follows this log.
by Judy Handley | Jul 11, 2010 | Madagascar, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 258, Year 5 Raining, Snorkeling, Dining
Date: Sunday, July 11, 2010
Weather: Rain Overnight-First Real Rain in Madagascar
Location: Nosy Sakatia, NW Madagascar
Overnight, we got our first real rain since arriving in Madagascar. While in Apanasia Bay at the top of the island we had a few light showers on June 18, but since then it has been dry. But during the night last night we got a good rain that washed the boat. Thank you, rain! It was still cloudy this morning, but regardless we decided to begin our day by snorkeling. We were so excited to find some colorful coral, lots of anemones, and many interesting fish. We saw four-inch long pink anemonefish, the biggest we have ever seen, some two-banded anemonefish, more anemones than we have ever seen in one place, and some beautiful crinoids that look like underwater feathery flowers.. The water was clear, but certainly not the crystal clear that we had in some Chagos locations, but we saw a number of small fish that we have never seen before and that made it certainly worth the snorkel. In fact, we have decided to stay here another day just to snorkel again. Ed and Lynne aren’t snorkeling with us, but they have decided to stay anyway. We will both move on Tuesday morning.
I spent my afternoon baking and cooking things to store for use later while Mark read. Late in the afternoon we called our daughter Heather and had a great conversation while Sam streaked through the room every few minutes telling us he misses us and loves us. Jonah was a quiet one today, but we learned that his hair has gotten even blonder and that despite all efforts to screen him from the sun, he has become a little brown biscuit. I think he has more than his share of Handley in him as that is definitely a Handley trait. Mark and I can be in the same sun for the same period of time and I tan a bit while he turns brown.
We picked Ed and Lynne up as the sun went down and headed over to Sakatia Towers for dinner. Ed had zebu while the others of us had prawns and rice after a delicious tomato, avocado, and citrus salad. We had freshly baked bread and a delicious green pepper sauce to pour over our prawns. Dinner was delicious and we once again enjoyed the company of John Sheppard. Shortly after dinner, he was headed to Sakatia Lodge at the southern end of the island to watch the final World Cup game between Netherlands and Spain. He was wearing his orange shirt and rooting for the Netherlands, but the owner of Sakatia Lodge is from Portugal and John expected some good spirited fun once he arrived. We’ll check in with him tomorrow evening to find out the outcome of the finals.
by Judy Handley | Jul 10, 2010 | Madagascar, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 257, Year 5 To My Sister–Happy Birthday!
Date: Saturday, July 10, 2010
Weather: 21th Gorgeous Day Although Slightly Cloudy
Location: Nosy Sakatia, NW Madagascar
Today is my sister Patsy’s 77th birthday. Other than my Aunt Ethel who will be 95 in September and certainly looks like she is no older than 77, Patsy is the youngest looking 77 year-old I have ever known (she’ll kill me for giving her age). She is beautiful inside and out and I miss being with her today so very much. Maybe next year we can be together on July 10th. In the meantime, Patsy, enjoy your special day.
We spent most of the day on the boat working on our respective computers. Mark was working on the financial end of things and I was writing long over-due emails to friends. Mid-afternoon we took a break and walked up rocky hillside behind Sakatia Towers and went over the top and down the other side to the western coast of Sakatia. Ed and Lynne went with us and when we returned they stopped by for drinks, conversation, and our first tasting of home-roasted Madagascar peanuts. You buy the raw peanuts by the cup at the market and then pan fry them in just a bit of olive oil, shaking the pan as you would if popping popcorn. You then drain them on paper towels, salt them, and enjoy. They are really good.
Tomorrow morning we will try snorkeling at low tide which is early in the morning. We are not sure what tide level is best for snorkeling here, but we do know the water is clearer before the tide starts to come in, so we will give it a try. Ed and Lynne have some strange 3-4 meter creature hanging around under their boat. I’m curious, but not sure I’m curious enough to want to see it. But I am assured that I will see anemonefish here, so I’m looking forward to that. And a couple of turtles would be nice as well.
