Exiled in Namibia

It all at started with car trouble (we bought a second-hand car specifically with a road trip to Namibia in mind). The day before we were due to set off, a strange suspension error message flashed up on the dashboard screen. We took the car to the garage and they were confident they could fix …

Durban to Cape Town

We didn't expect this to be a walk in the park and we knew we had to carefully plan and time our rounding of Cape of Good Hope (aka The Cape or in Afrikaans: Kaap die Goeie Hoop). Seathan had been studying the local weather systems for a while and his experience of many years …

Richards Bay

Our first stop in South Africa hasn't disappointed. After nearly a month off-grid in Madagascar and Mozambique, it was nice to be back in 'civilisation' with access to luxuries such as online grocery shopping, a well stocked chandlery, a choice of local bars and restaurants, shopping malls and cheap internet data. To be honest, our …

Bazaruto, Mozambique

The Mozambique Channel is a challenging bit of water to cross, with regular intense southerlies coming through, different weather patterns meeting each other and strong currents flowing in various directions. While we were in the Barren Isles, a brief weather window became available. It wasn't long enough to allow us to sail all the way …

Madagascar Part III (of III) – The Barren Islands

After Moramba we continued to Baly. We caught a delicious wahoo fish on the way and also a bluefin tuna. Unfortunately, the cover in Baly wasn't great and we had to drop a stern anchor to stop Rehua from violently rolling around. Delicious wahoo fish A few days later the weather looked good to continue …

Madagascar Part II (of III) – Moramba Bay

We left Nosy Lava early in the morning. Continuing south along the coast, we enjoyed flat seas and a fresh breeze and had a brilliant sail. We entered the huge bay of Moramba in the afternoon and browsed through the many anchorages we could choose from. The bay is connected to a network of river …

Madagascar Part I (of III) – Nosy Lava

I love waking up in a new place, especially after having arrived in the dark. Nosy Lava didn’t disappoint. The landscape was absolutely stunning, almost alien-looking like the set of a Star Wars movie. We had to pinch ourselves, we really were in Madagascar. How awesome was that. Waking up to this view - wow …

We’re In South Africa!

After having been off-grid for nearly a month, we are back online! We arrived in Richard’s Bay this morning just before 5am. We will post more detailed updates of our time in Madagascar and our brief stop in Mozambique in the next few days. We left Madagascar on November 15th and split the trip into …

Mayotte to Madagascar

Rehua at Nosy Lava A short 170NM overnight passage and we are in Madagascar. Hook down just after dark. Thanks to satellite images and the fact there were no fishing nets laid out in the bay. This morning we finally got to see the island called Lava (Nosy Lava - “Nosy” meaning “island” in Malagasy). …

Mayotte

Whoa. We love Mayotte! It's so different from anywhere else we have been. Mayotte is surrounded by one of largest lagoons in the world, featuring a unique double barrier reef. As a result, the sea inside the lagoon is very calm and flat. The clarity of the water is some of the best we have …

Welcome To France

"Welcome to France!" Those were the words of the French police, who came to check us out in their fast RIB as we approached Mayotte. But only after they questioned who we were and what we were up to. They also informed us we were not allowed to enter the lagoon using the pass on …

Kilwa

Brief stop in Kilwa on our way south. The calm anchorage was a welcome relief after the choppy seas we experienced on our passage from Mafia to Kilwa. After a night at anchor, appreciating a good night's sleep, we spent the next day admiring the views, catching up on chores and schoolwork, getting some afternoon …

Mafia Island

Yup, that's the official name. No Italian connection. The name "mafia" is derived from both the Arabic word "morfiyeh" (meaning "archipelago") and the Swahili expression "mahali pa afya" (meaning "a healthy dwelling-place"). There's a lot of history here. Mafia was part of the sultanate of Kilwa during the 13th century. It prospered as a settlement …

Zanzibar

Zanzibar sunsets are the best! We weighed anchor just after dawn, leaving the comfortable anchorage of Tanga which was still packed with other cruising yachts, all heading to South Africa later this year. We motor-sailed for a few hours and then the afternoon breeze picked up and we sailed the rest of the way to …

On Safari In The Serengeti

Now that we are in Tanzania we couldn't miss the opportunity to visit the world-famous Serengeti and after looking through various options we booked a 10-day trip. Rehua was safely anchored in Tanga and a fellow yachtie agreed to keep an eye on her and regularly check the batteries. After a 7-hour drive we arrived …

Indian Ocean Crossing – Part III

We arrived in Tanga, Tanzania after a fast crossing from the Seychelles. We covered just over a thousand nautical miles in four days and sixteen hours. It was a rollercoaster of a ride but Rehua handled it really well. The trade-winds are well established by now and continue to blow strongly. As we left the …

Off To Tanzania

It is hard to believe it’s been three months since we arrived in the Seychelles. We could easily stay here longer. It's been one of our favourite stops EVER. Such a stunning group of islands with many comfortable anchorages, friendly locals and a great yachting community. We've become temporary members of the Seychelles Yacht Club, …

Another Month In The Seychelles

Favourite anchorage of the month: Anse Major, Mahé After re-stocking on fruit, veg and other necessities in the capital Victoria, we returned to the islands north of Mahé (Praslin, Curieuse and La Digue). It was our second little tour of the islands but this time we had plenty of new anchorages to enjoy as the …

Island Hopping In The Seychelles

We've been in the Seychelles for two weeks now and so far it's been amazing. Before we left Singapore, we had been worried about finding other boats with teenagers. Soon after arriving in the Maldives we caught up with Zatara, who have three teenagers onboard. We've been traveling together for the last couple of months …

The Seychelles

We're in the Seychelles and we are very happy to be here after a 12 day non-stop sail from the Maldives. It was a challenging trip. We had the wind and currents against us for much of the way and we had to do a lot of motoring. It was the first time in our …