|
Sailing south down the west coast of Madagascar had our fishing lines running hot! These waters are the fishiest waters we have ever sailed as we are constantly reeling in prize fish. Spanish mackerel are the target species and our freezer is now full of this deliciously tasty fish as we caught more than a dozen in 12 hours as we sailed. We catch some Dinosaur Barracuda and some HUGE GT's. One fish is the BIGGEST Giant Trevally I have ever seen, period!!!!
0 Comments
Sometimes the hardest part of any journey is leaving familiar ground as you continually ask yourself if you have everything ready… therefore with the sun setting, we set off from Crater bay and the island of Nosy Be to begin our journey south down the west coast of Madagascar We had been waiting on parts for our inverter charger so it could be repaired but after 6 weeks of back and forth, we have left with the inverter charger still not working. We have loved our time in Nosy be, Although we have only touched the tip of what Madagascar has to offer. Cyclone season is closing in, and unfortunately we don’t have time to wait any longer as we need to start getting south and begin our journey towards South Africa. Our next month of sailing, we plan on cruising the entire west coast of Madagascar before crossing the Mozambique Channel to mainland Africa, with hundreds of islands and over 1000 miles of Madagascar coast still to explore, we are going to be busy. For the last month we have been enjoying our time exploring around the North west of Madagascar, with fun sailing, stunning anchorages, clear warm water with an abundance of sea life, and no other sailboats around, what’s not to like! Although ,we hadn’t planned to be in this area this long as we intended to be sailing south down the west coast by now… Upon arrival to Nosy BE, our Victron Multiplus charger inverter stopped working leaving us without AC power onboard and the generator not able to charge our batteries or run the water maker. However, Surprisingly there is a Victron dealer here on the island of Nosy be. Whilst he can repair the unit under warranty, we need to wait 2 weeks each time a part is to be replaced. We are now on our second delivery of parts, have reinstalled the Charger inverter but it is still not working… NOT ANOTHER BOAT in SIGHT!! The BEST type of Cruising | Sailing Remote MADAGASCAR!! Ep 3863/30/2025 The islands of Madagascar are really something else. We have been cruising the Mitsio archipelago in the north west of Madagascar for a week. With friendly locals, warm crystal clear water, stunning islands and rarely another sailboat, this area rivals any previous destination we have visited, if only there were more protected anchorages from the solar winds that blow in the high 20s every day. With the afternoon westerly beginning to settle in, we decided to utilise the breeze to head back to the island of Nosy Be so we can restock Nandji ready for the next trip. With 60 miles to sail, even though the wind is forward of the beam, without the presence of ground swell, the ocean remains smooth and Nandji 2 relishes in these conditions. It is fun sailing and we are slowly learning that the wind is always coming from where we want to go in Madagascar. When we first arrived to Madagascar we sailed direct to our clearance port of Hellville in Nosy Be. This happens to be 100 miles south from the northern tip and meant we sailed past some spectacular looking islands which we wanted to check out. Therefore we are heading north to the Mitsio archipelago to see what we missed! Heading north means returning to the stronger solar winds and closer to the northern tip where the wind often rips at 50 plus knots and therefore we have to decide where to anchor very carefully. It must be Protected in the afternoon westerly yet hidden from the morning easterly as the wind changes direction through the night. We study the charts and scroll through satellite images to find anchorages and 9 out of 10 times we are successful, but there is always that chance… Upon arriving to any country it is always the boats the first thing you see to realise you are in a new culture. Heading to land and seeing the animals is the next crazy realisation you are somewhere unique! We get to swim with the biggest and oldest wild turtles we have ever seen. Green sea turtles are herbivores and mainly feast on sea grass which is why they frequent this area of Madagascar. They can live for as long as 100 years and have been around since the dinosaurs! Sadly They now face further existential threats that have seen their numbers drastically reduced and to be at risk of extinction. Lemurs. What an animal these little creatures are! Madagascar has over 110 species of Lemurs that are all endemic to the country. Coming from Asia where we were always cautious of monkeys and their aggressive behaviour, Lemurs are the exact opposite. They are gentle, friendly and really are unfazed by us humans if you don’t provoke them. Madagascar. You are something else. We have sailed our own boat over 4000 nautical miles across the Indian Ocean. It has been a dream we have been working to achieve for over 5 years. To now be here in the country of Madagascar hardly feels real. There have been some wild days at sea to reach Nosy be, battling strong winds and a rough ocean. it has been a great challenge to our own skills as sailors and a test to our sailboat Nandji 2. Arriving into Nosy be we learnt that the Crater Bay Yacht Club had organised a regatta for the local and international cruisers to participate. The regatta consisted of 2 races, one upwind slog across to Russia bay and then the following day a down wind race back to the yacht club. With the fleet of 12 evenly matched with monohull and catamarans, it will now be a great test to ourselves and our boat to see how we fare against the other vessels. We have never raced or competed in a regatta before so we are excited to see how we go. Monohull vs Catamaran The nation of Madagascar is a place that can only be described as unique. We have arrived to the island of Nosy Be after a gruelling 6 day passage from Reunion Island. Arriving to a new country with a new culture and new way of life is always interesting when you first immerse yourself. It can be confronting, feel strange but the curiosity you feel outweighs all the feelings of doubt and we are intrigued to learn more and experience this unique world of Madagascar. Sailing is HUGE part of Madagascar life and stepping out from the yacht club, we experience first hand the commercial sailing vessels and the labour intensive work of the men on the docks. Madagascar is overwhelming, it is beautiful, it is full of friendly people and it feels like you have taken a step back in time 100 years. |
PATRONS ONLY
Gain access to the treasure chest by becoming a Patron!
Archives
March 2025
Categories
All
 |
RSS Feed
|
Please don't hesitate to contact us. We are always
keen on feedback and other human insights. www.facebook.com/Sailingnandji Instagram-sailing_nandji [email protected] www.sailingnandji.com www.sailingnandji-shop.com © 2015 Frothlyfe. All Rights Reserved. |
|