9-05-01 We've been cruising in and around the Nosy Be area of Madagascar for 15 days. Nosy Be is a busy cruising ground for yachts heading south to Republic of South Africa (RSA) or north to Kenya. It is a pretty area with a variety of anchorages in deep bays, rivers and small offshore islands. As in all of Madagascar, the locals are very poor. Their houses are bamboo/palm frond huts with no electricity or plumbing, they cook on open fires, their clothes are rags, medical care is almost non-existent ..... but still they are a proud and happy people. Smiling, laughing and singing. We read about consistent begging in Madagascar, and were concerned about how we would handle it. It hasn't been the problem we anticipated. Locals visit us when we anchor near a village and they always paddle out to the boat with something in their pirogue - limes, wild honey, bananas, crabs, lobsters, fish, shells, coconuts - whatever they have to offer. They don't come looking for hand-outs, but always have something to give. In exchange, they ask for clothing, fishing line, baseball hats, empty jars, medicine, fish hooks, etc. It's kind of a unique trading system. Yesterday we traded a pair of Colleen's denim shorts to a young boy for 2 huge crabs. Wish we had thought about it ahead of time and bought children's clothes in SE Asia before we left. We have a quite a few of our own clothes set aside to give, but no children's clothes. (Any of you future cruisers coming to Madagascar - stock up on kid's clothes at the local Salvation Army or Thrift Shop.) We understand as we go further south along the Madagascar coast, the poverty becomes even more apparent. We're hoping our clothing supply holds out. In the meantime, we are enjoying trading with the locals and introducing them to popcorn. When we visit a village we pop a huge batch popcorn. Most of them never had it and laugh when they realize it is made from corn kernels!
9-08-01 We're anchored about a mile up the Baramahamay River (nicknamed the Honey River), position Lat 13°42.7'S/Lon 47°54.1'E. It's a beautifully sheltered river with rolling hills, small beaches, and mangroves. There are 3 small villages along the shoreline and they all provide excellent wild honey and the biggest crabs we've seen yet. The honey is very tasty and you can either trade for some or pay $10,000 Malagasy Francs ($1.60 US) for one liter. Of course, you have to bring your own empty container as they have none. We've discovered a great combination of the two specialties of this river - a spicy crab cake recipe made with honey and a honey-mustard dipping sauce. Yum. Colleen is in heaven, with crab cakes for almost every meal!
9-12-01 Our peaceful, carefree spirit has been shattered with the tragic news of the terrorist attacks on our homeland. No local radio or television here, so we learned of the attacks through world radio - both Voice of America (VOA) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) just this morning. We've been listening throughout the day as more information is available. As with the rest of the world, we are numb. Our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow countrymen as we try to cope with the loss of so many lives. We did break out a new American flag to replace the weathered one on the stern of SIMMER. Our old one was rather faded from the sun, but now the red, white and blue really stand out. God bless America.
9-17-01 Been almost a week since the tragic news from home, and we're having a very difficult time accepting it. Especially since we haven't seen a newspaper or television report. Thank God our family is safe - we've had email from home reassuring us that everyone is ok. We wish we were home to hug everyone. We haven't done much in the last few days, haven't had the initiative. We did go ashore yesterday to see the black lemurs on Nosy Komba (Lat 13°26.6'S/Lon 48°21.1'E). Black lemurs are just one type of lemur found in Madagascar. The males are totally black, while the females are a much lighter brown color, with a white beard and white ear tufts. Lemurs are prosimians, a suborder of primates who love bananas and come scurrying out of the trees when you offer one. Colleen wasn't overly fond of them leaping onto her shoulder and head, but was a good sport for a few photos! They are very gentle creatures but it was still a bit overwhelming. A couple females had small babies hanging on, they were almost invisible on their mothers' torso, except for a tiny head with big eyes. Lemurs are considered sacred by the locals and are protected. Now that we've seen the lemurs, it's time to start heading south. We'll clear out of Nosy Be on Sept 20th and sail down the coast about 400-500 nm before crossing the Mozambique channel to Republic of South Africa. It's about a 1,400 mile trip overall to Richard's Bay (Lat 28°49'S/Lon 32°06'E) in RSA. We'll spend 3 months in the Richard's Bay/Durban area before rounding the Cape of Good Hope. No web updates or email til mid/end of October.
9-26-01 We're in Moramba Bay (Lat 14.53'S/Lon 47.20'E), after a week of day-hopping down the coast. The bay is quite picturesque with many sheltered anchorages. We've noticed the scenery here on the mid western coast is much different and drier than the rainforests of the north west coast. The small sandstone islands in the bay are crammed with baobob trees and bird life. We've included a picture of one of the most artistic baobob trees we found so far. They certainly are strange looking trees, all contorted in grotesque poses. A few more day-hops down the coast planned for the next week. We're in good company with friends on WINGS OF TIME and SCOOTS, also making their way south to hop across to South Africa. Unfortunately Colleen just developed a bad reaction to the vicious biting Madagascan beach flies. A couple bites have turned into tropical ulcers and she is taking antibiotics, while "Doctor" Pat provides intensive wound management. The ulcers are quite angry looking, but should clear up quickly with antibiotics and no swimming. Glad we have a well stocked medicine cabinet onboard.
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