Africa – we made it….

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Nozy Mitsio beach

We ended up making the decision to come to Madagascar on a whim after not being able to anchor in Peros Banos, so the usual build up to a long crossing was absent.  I usually do some cooking for the night runs, have all the washing done, have a nap in the afternoon in preparation for the night watches, have all the charts checked and the route inputted to the computers, but this time we just made the decision on the spur of the moment and left.  This was to be our longest unbroken sail to date at over 1500 NM and we had expected it to take about 10 days.  There is an island called Agelaga which would be a great little stopover if we needed a break. Continue reading →

Chagos

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Arriving in gorgeous Chagos

Fully laden with provisions for at least two months, we set off for the long sail down to Chagos.  After the frenetic Indian lifestyle and muggy air, we were really looking forward to some peace and serenity in the archipelago of Chagos which is situated bangslap in the middle of the Indian Ocean.  The journey was tough – not because it was uncomfortable but because it was infuriating with winds coming from the south and currents pushing us east, we found ourselves doing a massive 100NM detour just to make headway to our destination. It is incredibly frustrating to find yourself sailing all day only to be 50 NM nearer your destination.

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Agra, Taj & Cochin

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After a hectic day seeing the sights of Jaipur we ended up back at the hotel and went for walk to unwind.  We passed a tailors and we called in to see if they had any cotton trousers for Ian.  They offered to make us some and have them ready by 9pm so we chose the material and true to their word they were made in a couple of hours and fitted perfectly.  While we were waiting we wandered round and came across a small festival where they were giving out fruit, ice-cream and rotis.  We became the instant attraction as all the kids milled around us thrusting drinks and ice creams into our hands.  It was a lovely end to a lovely day. -continue reading… >

The Golden Triangle…

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Of all the amazing sights India has to offer, seeing the Taj Mahal in all its glory has to be right at the top of the list but this was the last stop on our tour so let me rewind…

We booked a 7 day tour starting in Delhi and ending in Agra with  Indian World Wide Travel.  We asked the owner Soni for some ideas and he came up with a tour that covered everything we wanted to see.  These tours are amazing – they organised our return flights from Cochin, met us at the airport, private car/driver for the whole week, lovely hotels, Internet in the car, and personalised service the whole way. -continue reading …>

Incredible India…..

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Typical street scene

The day after we arrived at the marina we had to go back and formally check into the country.  This was a Tuk Tuk journey across town for a visit to Harbourmaster, customs and immigration.  All pretty straightforward so we thought….  but somehow India takes much longer than everywhere else, including a three hour stop at the bank to get a bank cheque for the Harbourmaster.  We had the cash but it had to be a bank cheque which involved four different desks and various stamps.  With said bank cheque we returned to the Harbourmaster, but were sent to another office and so it went on – for seven hours!   -continue reading ..>

A Passage to India

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India here we come

Day 1 12PM 28/2/18

The passage to India should take about 5-6 days depending on the weather.  We had good winds when we set off, north easterlies 15-20 knots but it was raining hard which was affecting visibility.   After about 5 miles, we hove to and Ian jumped in to clean the props.  They were covered in barnacles from our month in Sri Lanka and we hadn’t been able to clean them there because of the dirty harbour water and jelly fish.   Unfortunately because of the swell he was -continue reading …>

Sri Lanka – exploring the interior.

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The school kids all wear white and always look very smart

After 8 hours rattling along on the train, we arrived in Colombo. Colombo is a crazy place – frenetic, colourful, noisy and muggy.   By the time we got to our hotel we were feeling hot and tired so opted for a quick dip in the pool and had dinner in.  We were up early to go and arrange a Sri Lankan motorbike licence which we need to hire a Royal Enfield – the bike Ian had set his heart on.  Everything went according to plan with the paperwork filled out,  the forms provided and a couple of patient hours waiting in the queue. Just as they were about to have our licence granted they noticed – continue reading…>