MMMMadagascar!

St. Pierre is a windy place for sure. It just seems to funnel down from the hills and we left with a good 25 knots behind us. We headed offshore a little while and then jibed around to head north but still later that day we ended up in the lee of the island and had to motor for 20nm until we found enough breeze to sail in again. The course for Saint Marie Madagascar was set and the wind was straight behind us so we decided to not sail directly but have the breeze on our quarter which made for faster more comfortable sailing with less rolling. We probably sailed an extra 100 miles with all our zigzagging but it was a really  fun and enjoyable passage and we were back on a palm tree island in just under 4 days.

We dropped the anchor at 3am off Isle Nattes at the bottom of Saint Marie and then woke up at dawn to what looked like a postcard. A few casual fisherman rowing around in dugouts on the back of the reef and white sandy beaches ashore. Is always a great surprise after arriving in the dark!

Our Finnish friends on "Ever After" and "KasteHelmi" arrived also and the champagne was cracked just after noon and that set the scene for a fun afternoon!

The next few days were just about exploring and doing a bit of fishing. Didn't have much luck in the fishing department, we did catch 1 big Kingfish but let it go. The locals seem to be pretty fond of their nets here and I think there isn't a lot left close to the island. We walked around the island stopping at a couple of places for a beer in the way. We went past 1 very nice bungalow and after saying g'day to the people got invited in for a beer. They were South Africans and live out here for 6 months at a time and also another young South African couple there that are building a resort. Very interesting people that have found this little slice of paradise and don't want to leave.

 There are a few nice places to stay for tourists but it is very quiet with hardly any around, which is nice.

The locals are super friendly happy bunch all smiling and saying Bonjour and going about their things. We have heard quite a few stories of other yachts getting stuff stolen here in Madagascar, mainly in the bigger towns but we are told there is absolutely no theft going on from this island which was very nice to hear!

Saint Marie was a real life pirate hang out back in the day and they used to hang there and rob the spice ships that went passed. We went and checked out the pirate cemetery which had a few dodgey old graves from the early 1800s.

We also went to town to get some  supplies including a couple of samples of the local rums. The good bottles are between $3-4. We invited Vincent the fella building the resort over and got pretty carried away testing the samples but they all passed!  Was a great fun night but had a cracker of a hangover 

the next day.

The weather forecast was looking good for rounding the north Cape Ambre later that week which is just over 300nm away so we struggled on with the mighty hangover and got the anchor up and were out of there! 

A very special place to visit and we would highly recommend to anyone looking for a bit of a different chilled out holiday!

Cape Andre

Saint Marie to Cape Andre is about  330nm or just under 3 days sailing for us and the weather forecast was looking good for the Sunday morning so we timed it to be there for sunrise. In Jimmy Cornell's Worlds Cruising Routes he talks it up saying it's like a witches caldron and we have heard other peoples tales that it's not too nice. Forecast was for 16-20knts but we had 25 for the last night and that morning. Our problem the last night was trying to slow Sunflower down. We had 3 knots of current  with us and put the 3rd reef in with just the clew of the headsail poking out and were still doing 7 kts easily! So we just tried to stall a little and at daybreak our Finnish friends on KasteHelmi and Ever After were also around. The plan was to go as close to shore as possible to round the cape as it's out of the current and meant to be nicer but heading in there we saw whales all over the place so jibed back out to sea. Anyhow it was a bit rolly but in all pretty good sailing not near as bad as we thought it was going to be. Once around the cape in flat water with still 20+kts alongside KasteHelmi we got a few good photos which was nice and good to see a pic of us with the 3rd reef in!

We had a great sail 25nm south to an island called Nosey Hara and managed to get a fish on the way which was nice. Didn't expect much of this place so it was a great surprise to see how beautiful it was and a great anchorage for shelter from the east. Us 3 boats there and later Freya from Germany arrived. It's a national park with 2 young guys living in a little hut to look after it. We had the grand tour of the hill and into a cave and realized how unfit we are! Was good though. They have a BBQ there also so the next day Julie and I went and caught a decent size Mackeral and made a BBQ for the 10 of us. Was a great laugh although I did get a little carried away with the local rum which is pretty lethal!

We also went to Cathedral rocks which is a really beautiful place in itself just a couple of miles from the anchorage.. We went by dingy towing a lure but didn't get anything but arrived amongst these islands going ashore to one of them for a swim to what looked like an abandoned beach bar. Was unreal, like a movie set. All these little bungalows built into the mountain that felt haunted! Very creative minds that built this place and it turns out that people come to stay here that are into rock climbing. Unfortunately the camera was out of battery so we didn't get many pics of the place!

The next day I took  the local lads out fishing but unfortunately we didn't have any luck.

It was then time to leave and we headed for Nosey Mitsio 50nm away and had mixed sailing but last few hours were great. We also got a couple of fish on the way enough for the next few days easily.

Mitsio is a great sheltered bay with just a few little villages each with 20-40 people and all very friendly. A young guy called Francis offered to show us around and introduced us to a few people. He is building himself a little hut on the beach and plans to sell beer to passing yachties which is a great idea and surely going to be a winner! They really live of the land here and have just the VERY basics but are happy out and healthy. Guys come out in dugouts with a couple of coconuts or 3 eggs or whatever they have to trade which isn't much. They have been very happy with my old shirts and a few fishing hooks!

Yep, this place is another world:)

Bonjour Isle La Reunion!

Well after a great sail here with mainly plenty of wind we arrived in St Pierre in 24hrs on a Sunday morning. They say any swell over 2.5m and the waves at the entrance to the harbour starts to break. It was about a 2.3m swell with calm conditions and we were fine. We tied up alongside the main wharf and were told immigration ect could be done the next day Monday, very casual. 

The harbour is right in the middle of the town which is very touristy. Lots of people checking out this yellow boat and then as it gets dark all the "HomeBoys" start hanging out around there with their suped up 1.5ltr diesel Peugots with the loudest sound systems possible blaring out gangsta ragga and drum and bass! Ha, a little different to quiet old Mauritius, we have arrived in France :)

Michael and Sheila on Kantala arrived shortly after us and we arranged to hire a car and go up into the mountains. Definitely wasn't our idea but we woke up at 4am to do the 2 hour drive up into one of the cirques to see the sunrise, awesome and was well worth it! Absolutely stunning up there with massive canyons and beautiful winding roads. There was no way I was driving on the wrong side of the road so luckily Michael who is from Canada did it all and done a great job without loosing the €1000 deposit!

The rest of the days there were spent around town and doing a few little "jobs". I changed all the fuel filters and then noticed that the raw sea-water pump was leaking water. This is were the fun begins and you don't speak French. Tiny little Johnson water seal but it's a little harder than you think with the language difficulty! All was well though when I ended up spotting a mechanic working on an outboard in the harbour and after taking the pump off and giving it to him he ended up finding me a seal by the next day, perfect.

We tried to catch a bus but even that was quite hard working it all out but we ended up succeeding and seeing a bit more of the island which was nice. We also met a couple of the local yachties which was great and had them over for a couple of beers and get to know a little more about this island.

Friday night came and Julie spotted some flyers for a Colombian band that were playing in town. We got tickets and didn't know really what to expect. It was in a nice little theatre/club with a really good mix of people and 2€ beers. First up was a local band playing drums and some sort of sitar sort of instruments and bells, was different but really good. Then came the Colombians.... Ha, was like bam! 13 of them on stage with congos, sax, 3 trumpets, bells, whistles, keyboards you name it! Young fellas full of energy playing mambo, salsa and sort of jazz was really great fun. Great vibe with everyone having a good time! Great to see some good live music and it was a great night out.

 The harbour is great and gives you the first 3 days free and then €15 a day. Fuel we have heard can be got duty free at euro 80c a litre which would have been great if we had of known before filling in Mauritius. Everything else is pretty expensive as it is all shipped in from France. Although saying that it is still cheaper than Australia :)

Good to see a little slice of France in the middle of nowhere and a seriously beautiful rugged place once you get inland.

   

Thank you Mauritius!

Flying back to Mauritius after being away for 7 weeks I was very surprised to see Julieta at the airport as I was about to look for a taxi! Very nice surprise indeed as Sebastian had offered to come and pick me up. I had a great 5 week swing at work and a really good catch up with family and friends in Perth but it was so nice to be home with Julie and back on Sunflower. Arriving back to the mooring Sunflower was looking pretty sexy with her new charcoal grey boom cover (Julie was also). She had gone a little crazy while I had been away and bought out a shop  in town off all their canvas. There were grey covers everywhere!! BBQ, winches, Chartplotter, liferaft and of course the boom cover! Yep, Julie had been busy. The varnish was all looking perfect once again inside and out and everything very well organised and clean, but not for long :)

I brought back a new solar panel to add to the collection so got busy with that over the next few days having Gadel the Stainless steel guy get started on a new frame to mount it alongside the others, he did a perfect job at a great price. Now we have 350w of solar and it seems to be just enough to keep us going without having to run the engine.

Julien from MU Sails also came down and fitted the new headsail. They did a great job on it and we are very happy indeed and glad that we made the choice of having them make it. Sunflower is hopefully bulletproof once again! We hired a motorbike and finished storing up with all the goods ready for Reunion and Madagascar. Grand Baie is a super easy place to do this with a couple of really good supermarkets all close to the boat.

Our good friends Diane and Sebastian offered to take us away for the weekend on their 30ft Wharram Tiki. Was great! We had a blast, weather was perfect and we went around the top of the island to an island off the east coast. Their friend Ben who also has a Wharram joined us as well, was great to see the 2 boats anchored in the little cove. Julie and I camped on the beach in a tent they had leant us. We lit a fire and had a BBQ and a few beers. The next day we went for a bit of a "Tiki" tour around the island and through some mangroves in Bens boat. Great little 26 foot fibreglass Wharram he bought in Thailand and sailed back to Mauritius, just like a big Hobbie Cat!

Great place to live Mauritius, and we were very lucky to get to meet a few of the locals and make really good friends. Is great to see inside and see how the people really are and not just from a tourist perspective. Such friendly chilled out people the Mauritiuns! Nothing seems to really phase them.

After being back 10 days Sj Sunflower was ready to go once again. The forecast was good for a fast sail to Reunion Island. We said our goodbyes to all the great people we had met here and made our way to Port Louis just 12 miles away to check out. Was a great sail with our friends Michael and Sheila on Kantala. The headsail was perfect and we had 20kts on the beam and Sunflower was doing 7-8kts in the flat water. We tied up alongside the customs wall for the night to check out first thing in the morning for the 140nm sail to Reunion. The easiest check out possible with no cost at all and we were off by 10am with a fair breeze, life is good!

Mauritius

A lots gone on in the last 7 weeks since we arrived in Mauritius. I am now back in Aus and captain Hooly has taken the helm on Sunflower on a mooring in Grand Baie.

We arrived in Port Louis and it couldn't have been easier with the officials, after half hour we were cleared in and had a 3 month visa with no cost at all and very friendly officials. We then made our way over the other side of the harbour to the marina. For $12 a day you have water, power and hot showers right in the middle of the town, it's great. It had been nearly 6 months since we had had a proper hot shower and to say Julie was very excited would be an understatement! Sunflower thoroughly enjoyed a freshwater scrub also. We stayed for 3 nights and had a look about the town and ticked of a few jobs also. The main job was meeting up with Julien from MU Sails to repair the head sail. The sail was pretty trashed and the fabric very old so we ended up deciding to go with having a new one made. He gave us a very competitive price and the sail is now ready to pick up from his loft as soon as I get back which will be very exciting (amongst other things:)

Port Louis was a bit of a shock also to us after life being so quiet, it is bloody busy! With the main population of Indian descant it can get pretty hectic in the markets but still relaxed compared with India. The vege markets are great with everything you could ask for and the prices are pretty good also.

 After a few days of doing that and our washing we had had enough though and were looking forward to being on anchor again so we headed up to Grand Baie up the top of the island and anchored in  front of the yacht club. There was a regatta on that day and Julien the sailmaker was racing on his dad Phillips boat so we went for a few beers at the clubhouse when they got in. Was great, there must have been about a dozen boats racing and most of the crew involved were reasonably young and the club had a really good vibe and we made a few new friends very easily. And that was it, we slipped into the Mauritian lifestyle very easily, Julieta more so as she is still there enjoying herself and making more friends. Other cruisers we had met previously were also there and coming and going which was great so there is always someone about. The World Cup on the big screen in town took up quite a few good nights with a few beers also which was good fun with our friends from Holland, Brazil and France and obviously Julie's from Argentina and very passionate about football so it was a good laugh.

We hired cars and motorbikes on different occasions normally to do boat jobs but we did do a little sight seeing but have still got to go for a proper look down south for a couple of days were it's meant to be really nice. 

It was quite a shock though how modern Mauritius is, I didn't imagine massive shopping Malls and the biggest supermarkets I have ever been in! Big duel lane motorways with really good roads but the driving is pretty ordinary to say the least, I think they definitely brought their skills from India.

We managed to get a few boat jobs done like re galvanise the anchor chain, service sewing machine, big service on outboard, some stainless work, finally finishing the cockpit table and the most important job of all was having a new burner fabricated for the BBQ. 

Julie is still really busy ticking of loads of jobs as I write this now! The star that she is, busy varnishing, painting and got lots of sewing projects on the go. Through a friend she managed to find in town a fella selling Sunbrella canvas for the bargain price of $13 a metre for the charcoal grey we wanted. So there's grey popping up everywhere, new liferaft cover, BBQ cover, winch covers, covers for covers and even talk of a new cover for the mainsail!

When she's not busy with jobs she has been having a fine time with friends she has made. A young Mauritian couple we met, Sebastian and Dian have been really good. Dian always inviting her out for lunch or to parties and introducing Julie to a lot of new people so she even had the opportunity to go diving the other day which she really enjoyed. The Mauritian people couldn't be friendlier, it's great. 

Phillip, Julian's dad has leant us his cyclone mooring which was also a really great thing. Just before I left we had a couple of 30knot days and since then Julie has had quite a few more. It's quite some job for her raising and lowering the dingy alone when it's blowing so some days she is confined to the boat but so far she hasn't gone too crazy :)

If it wasn't for the cyclones that sometimes make their way there it would be a great place to make a base for a year and see some of the islands around there. But it would be too hard for me to leave the boat to come back to work and not have somewhere safe to keep her so we plan to move on when I get back hopefully to South Africa via Madagascar but it is also subject to change with work!

I've got a couple of weeks left of work and thoroughly enjoying it after having so much time off. Making the most of the chef cooked meals and freezer full of ice cream makes it even easier to deal with and the cash injection hasn't hurt either.

Whale of a time!

The breeze died a little yesterday afternoon and we were left rolling around in lumpy seas doing 4-5knots. Julieta and I chatting away in the cockpit I decided to go down and make a toasted sandwich. With the wind behind us like this the mainsail sometimes bangs around, making a cracking noise and sending a shudder through the boat. Just as I got down the steps a noise like this only with a lot more momentum and almost a crunching noise I thought maybe we had a problem with a piece of the rigging?? Julie then yells out we have hit something..... A whale! I race outside and it is just passing down the starboard side of the stern. Sunflower got pushed aside and it was definitely a whale. There was a lot of blood, the poor fella didn't look too good at all. As bad as I felt for it the fear for the boat was much worse. Only a few days ago we were speaking with a Frenchman on a 55 foot Amel, a quality, very expensive boat. He was heading down the coast of Argentina when he also hit one but also put a big hole in the stern but luckily he had watertight doors so he made his way into Buenos Aries for repairs. Anyway with all this going through my brain quickly checking bilges but we were fine(I think so anyway). The chances of this happening are super slim but luckily we have a super strong boat that seemed to just shrug it off!
Anyway the breeze has just picked up a little now and we are still on track to make Port Louise tomorrow morning.

Rodrigues, thank you it was great!

The last 2 and a half weeks at this place has been great, it's a very special unique kind of place. Just can't get over how friendly everyone is and nothing is a problem at all. The last couple of weeks we had been getting pretty bloody lazy though but it was great. A few walks, lunches with a few beers, couple of boat jobs, go back to the bakery, walk around the town or just go and chat with another yachtie and have another beer.
Its a pity we can't speak French. Even though most people speak a little English you still can't have a proper conversation which is something we really miss out on. I think if we stayed a while we would slowly start picking up the language alright though and that would be fun but it's now time to go. A few yachts the last couple of days came in that we only got a brief chance to meet but hopefully we will catch them further down the line.
We left yesterday(Monday) lunch time with a good forecast for the next few days with all the wind supposably behind us at 15-20knots which is perfect. So far it is about right. Mauritius is only about 350miles from Rodrigues but is just that tiny bit too much to do in 2 days so we are just cruising and planning to arrive in Port Louise daylight on Thursday morning making it a 3 day trip. It's a little rolly at the moment but not too bad, still managed to do a roast chicken with veges for dinner last night. The weather is a little chilly, we have to put on long pants and a jumper at night which really is just not on! Already looking forward to getting back to the tropics.