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Published: December 4th 2012
Nosy Iranja
The sandbar leading to the smaller island of Iranja1998
First day on board Bossi and we left our overnight mooring spot heading south of Nosy Bé. Our holiday had started and as the boat moved, exhaustion took over from excitement and lack of sleep. Jacques and Philip took a catnap. That didn't last long though, because while we were moving we put fishing lures in the water and started trawling, We decided to take turns to catch fish and Jacques was first, seeing that he is the most ardent fisherman in the family. The first wzzz was heard as something took the line and Jacques jumped up, grabbed the rod and started reeling the fish in - quite exhausting as it took a while with the fish putting up quite a fight, but once it was reeled in,
someone had a very wide and happy smile on his face. His first big fish - a kingfish – a worthy prize after struggling for about 20 to 30 minutes. Dinner sorted!
We moored at a beautiful island called Iranja, where we went to shore and explored. It consists of two islands linked to each other by a sandbar that was only accessible at low tide. On
Madagascar
Tsakina, our chef, looking for stones in the rice the bigger island there was a village and a school with a lighthouse on the top of the hill. The rudimentary steps leading up the hill was actually carved out of the clay on the slope of the hill. Quite effective, considering poverty and difficulty of getting supplies out there prohibited them from making the steps out of anything else. The lighthouse was rather rusty, with bits missing, but the view from the hill was quite spectacular! The school was very basic, but I am sure the inhabitants of the island were very proud that their children could be educated there. One thing we have found when we visit these out of the way places – the locals always ask for books, something which is in very short supply. They are even happy if you give them an old magazine! The smaller island had no inhabitants, although it now boasts a holiday resort. Occasionally there are a few travellers that camp and sleep overnight, then move on to another island or bay. But there were no amenities on the island – no water, ablution facilities, apart from the sea and certainly no restaurants! We were very fortunate to have a
Madagascar
Jacques' first big fish - one happy smile very comfortable yacht as a base!
We headed back to the yacht for lunch and our chef, Tsakina, I think was her name, had made us a lovely light lunch of chicken soup with noodles, although it was about 30 degrees C, it was just what I needed to settle my stomach as it still took a bit of adjustment for me from land to sea. Next on the agenda was our first diving lesson. After some theory, we then did a bit of the practical side. What a performance to put on all that gear in this heat! Full wetsuits, bought for conditions along the South African coast – not humid and hot Madagascar! By the time we were kitted up, we couldn’t wait to get in the water, which wasn’t much cooler than the air temperature, but still helped to cool us down slightly. We did our first dive in about 3 meters of water and we all chuckled when Philip started 'talking' under water with his regulator in his mouth. He was more interested in the fish than the lesson. We couldn't understand a word he was saying, but together with him pointing at
Sugar loaf
The formation of some of the islands in Madagascar everything, we had a pretty good idea. Eventually our dive master had to force Philip to look at him and concentrate on mask clearing and buddy breathing.
And so our life continued on board, stopping off at islands or bays on the mainland exploring and observing the lifestyle of the local inhabitants, swimming, snorkelling, lectures and diving. At night we moored in a sheltered bay where we always had a delicious meal –either ‘catch of the day’, prawns, chicken or tasty coconut crab. Then with hunger satiated and thirst slated, we could have a peaceful nights sleep, rocking gently on the water. We were glad the mosquitoes didn’t bother us on the boat, like it would have in the thick of the vegetation.
Every time we moved around, the fishing lines were in the water. Paul's turn to fish next then Philip and even I got a chance! We were all rewarded with decent size fish. When we had enough for our meals we had to stop fishing eventually, because there was no place to keep it.
At one of the bays on the mainland, we met up with locals scooping
Nosy Iranja
Good craftsmanship their daily supply of fresh water from a small stream, with a coconut shell attached to a long stick – possibly bamboo, into a container. Quite an arduous task, with the appearance of the water not quite looking suitable for human consumption. Our deck hand, Albert decided it was time for a shower with some fresh water as fresh water on board was limited.
By now we were all adapting very well to this lifestyle and we had already spent half our time on the yacht. Time to turn around and head back to Nosy Bé for some fresh supplies then go north for the rest of our stay on Bossi.
NB: All our underwater photos are taken with a disposable underwater camera, so apologies for the quality.
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
I'm enjoying your blogs...
yachting off Madagascar must have been a trip of a lifetime, especially with your boys.