East African sailing trip – log 45
SAILING LOG45
October 5, 2004
Across the channel from Chole Island lies the Mafia Island Lodge, we are eager to see what this is like so we move our boats closer and dingy ashore.
We pass through the quaint little village of Utende then stop for tea at the lodge. Anna the manageress is very friendly, and chats to us about the history of the lodge.
During the Nyerere period some hotels were built, Mafia Island Lodge, erected in the 1960s to replace the old Fishing Club which had attracted big game fishermen from abroad for many years. This Lodge has recently been privatised and is in the process of being upgraded and expanded.
She guides us around the grounds which are rustic and appealing while continuing to share information about Mafia island.
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Mafia has a rich history, going back over 2,000 years. It was the most important trading post of Shirazi influence between the 12th and 15th centuries AD. It has occupied the major position in the East African trading routes between Kilwa and Zanzibar for centuries and ruins from these times can be visited on Chole and Juani islands. In more modern times, Mafia was the base used by British forces in World War I, when in 1915, they assembled their aerial forces to scout for the German battleship, Königsberg, which was wreaking havoc with British shipping, and was hiding out under thick foliage in the nearby Rufiji Delta.
We are gripped by this Island with its spectacular dive sites within the protected cove of Chole Bay. At depths ranging from 5 to 30 meters, making it ideal for snorkeling and diving, the bay provides a natural defence from monsoon winds. The conveniently situated islets in the Mafia archipelago guarantee the bay is emptied out and refilled again on a six-hourly tidal basis, which provides a natural water change, enriching and refreshing the marine environment, and also guaranteeing excellent protection against coral damage inflicted by seasonal changes.
We have to time our exit through the narrow passage at high tide so we wind our way through the maze of corals and sandbars. Midway, the crystal clear water and coral gardens below look too inviting to pass up, and after donning our snorkeling gear, we are in the water eyes dancing from left to right taking in the beautiful sights around us.
In less than an hour we are back onboard and heading to towards Kilindini harbour, a hard motor-sail in perfect conditions reaching our anchorage just west of the slipway by late afternoon. Wolf is not feeling well. He has stomach cramps and is running a temperature. He lies down and is instantly asleep – I radio Manatee and cancel dinner.
As I sit in the cockpit reading and now writing my journal I am fascinated by the activity in the harbour; People line up on the slipway waiting for the larger Dhows called Jahazis to taxi them back to the mainland. The Jahazis come in laden with goods, livestock and people. It is unbelievable to see just what comes off these dhows.
Wolf is no better, still feeling sick – he is burning hot and I decide to make a bed for him using the cushions in the saloon and placing them in the cockpit where it is a lot cooler. I check on him throughout the night. I am praying that he will feel better by dawn.