We do many things to prepare for offshore passages, but one of the most critical is notifying our VIPs of our plans. In discussions with other cruisers lately, it came to my attention that many cruisers do not file a float plan with anyone. What is a Float Plan? A float plan is a collection…
After our boat tour and lunch in St Lucia, South Africa, our driver, Anand, took us through the gates of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park for a safari while we drove up to Cape Vidal. Getting to Cape Vidal We had hired a driver for the day through Bush & Beach Tours. Anand was fantastic and…
Our first trip out to see South Africa’s famous wildlife was to the St Lucia estuary to look for one of the most dangerous animals in Africa – the hippo! That’s right, hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. They are aggressive, weigh up to 4,000 lbs, and have huge teeth. More…
After a month in Madagascar, it was time for us to tackle the next big hurdle – the Mozambique Channel. The forecast included a mix of wind directions, but we knew we would get some sailing in with winds coming from the north, and those were the conditions for which we were waiting. That, and…
After a four-day passage from Seychelles to Madagascar, we dropped anchor in one of the most exotic – and poor – countries we will visit while cruising. We spent 35 days in Madagascar, mostly in Nosy Be, which is one of the (if not the biggest) tourism hubs in Madagascar. Chartering in Madagascar I was…
Traveling full time means you never know who you’ll be spending your birthday with next year, and odds are very good it won’t be the same people from year to year. Last year for my birthday we were in Bali, and enjoyed a birthday dinner out with our friends on S/V Slow Flight. Imagine my…
David and I have been trying for SO LONG to swim with whale sharks! We’ve tried several times to find them on our own, but also we paid for two trips to see whale sharks – one in Ningaloo, Western Australia, and one in Ari Atoll, Maldives. Neither time was successful (we even got a…
We’d already had a big adventure at Lokobe Park, but our day trip around Nosy Be wasn’t over. One of the top 10 things to do in Nosy Be is watching the sunset at Mont Passot, but it’s worth it to spend more time at the park than just sunset. About Mont Passot While this…