Location: anchored off Nosy Saba
Sunday 12:00, 11.05.2006

We spent a lovely peaceful Sunday anchored off Nosy Saba. Now (1830) we are underway for a 90 NM night passage, planning to arrive Nosy Be tomorrow morning about 0900. Why travel at night? We’re good at it, and why not? It will give all day to play paper chase with the Nosy Be bureaucrats.

When we got anchored last night, we settled in to have a little party, celebrating the arrival with Hannah’s chocolate cake. The cake was very nautical as the pitching of the boat had set it in rather a wave. The evening was perfect with Hannah discovering that dark rum went very well with our tropic fruit drink, Frank testing the South African wine, making sure it was still good in another country, Willis drinking all the cold beer, and Bori acting as designated driver.

I slept on deck as the temperature was perfect. Waking at 0300 to check the anchor and pee, I was surprised to see large birds flying quite close to the boat. With the light on them, I was even more surprised to see that they were crow-sized bats (fruit bats?) somehow attracted to the boat. It was rather like Hitchcock’s “The Birds” but creepier. I woke the crew so that they could get a good sense that we weren’t in Kansas any more.

During the day we snorkeled all around and saw wonderful fish. Then I took the Reep to row around the island (it is about 3/4 by 2 NM) and Hannah, Bori and Willis went to walk over it. I got some marvelous photos and saw two turtles. The three met a construction watchman and saw the site of a future rustic hotel. The watchman gave then some coconut milk and announced that there were exactly 15 lemurs on the island, but very hard to see.

As we raised the sails just after sunset we were greeted by the marvelous full moon, which will light our way to Nosy Be.

All is well.