Madagascar to South Africa ( Leg 43)

November 2025

Ally and Shawn went ashore at 08.45 on the 1^st to get a taxi bus to the supermarket in Toliara. Again they had the company of 4 guys from the village, including Frodo, as well as a couple of pick ups along the way. The shopping was fairly straightforward with 3 of the guys pushing the trolleys but when they returned to the village, they were absolutely swamped by everyone grabbing at the bags trying to carry them to the beach. Shawn had to be firm and allocate people, telling them all to carry 2 bags each, but it didn’t quite work out like that. Of course, they knew Shawn would give helpers a little cash, so even those that hadn’t taken anything were holding their hands out. It was noisy and chaotic as everything was loaded into the dinghy, everyone wanting money, kids yelling for bonbons…it didn’t matter how many times they were told no bonbons, they continued on their quest. Ally felt dreadful…all the shopping they had bought and these people had helped carry…it must have been torture for them to see it all but not have any of it. To make matters worse, the winds had picked up creating choppy waves and before they’d even managed to get into the dinghy, Ally and Shawn were very wet and by the time they got back to Imagination, they were soaked from head to toe and much of the shopping was also sodden! They had an hour to get organised and put everything away having dried it first and then Shawn returned to the beach to pick up Erik and Vaidotas. They were both due to fly in that afternoon, but the time was changed and so having landed late morning, they went straight to the supermarket and then on to Efaty to board. Again, they and their shopping arrived at Imagination thoroughly soaked through – what an introduction to life on the ocean!

To leave for South Africa it’s better to head back up the coast before going across the Mozambique Channel, so the 2nd and 3rd meant two days of good downwind sailing, giving Erik and Vaidotas time to sit at the helm and familiarise themselves with the equipment, lines ( ropes), motion and noise. Late morning on the 4th, Erik and Vaidotas swam ashore to go for a walk along the coast near the town of Andavadoaka and then Vaidotas went back with his camera to take pictures of the area. Once he was back, there was a 3nm motor to Nosy Hao where Ally and Shawn went shell hunting, finding some rather pretty shells they had not come across before.

On the 5^th , the boys went snorkelling in the morning and Shawn came across the longest pipe fish he had ever seen, as well as a couple of nudibranchs. When they got back to Imagination, they moved a mile North to a small sandy island where they spent time snorkelling and shell hunting with Ally finding another large shell of the same variety as last month. By now it was lunchtime, so they ate on the move as they sailed up to Nosy Andrahombava 7nm away. They arrived at 14.45 and decided to go ashore almost immediately. Ally and Shawn had one big bundle of things to give away, and this remote island seemed like the perfect place. As they got to the beach, a large number of very excited people had gathered. It didn’t take long for utter carnage to erupt. Unlike other communities that they had visited who had sat patiently and waited to be handed gifts, these people crowded in, grabbing roughly, helping themselves, tearing the bags and shoving Ally around roughly. The worst culprits were the young lads who just took it as a game, so Ally broke free to try to hand over some things to those waiting on the outskirts who were thankful, but then she was pounced on again, so she just let the bag go. It all seemed very unfair as things that should have gone to the children, were hoarded by the young lads with no gratitude, just greed. It was a very sad, somewhat violent last interaction with the Madagascan people but a sign of their isolation and lack of supplies and visitors.

They were going to be spending the next couple of days in the area while waiting for the best weather to cross to South Africa, but a forecast download that afternoon showed a system that would appear along the South Coast of Africa, moving up and across the Mozambique channel from the 13^th onwards. Rather than wait for another week to let that go through, they decided to leave that evening and so at 18.05, after an early dinner, they were off. The first couple of nights were fairly choppy with several waves breaking over the front of the yacht, but on the 7^th, it calmed a little during the day. However, it picked up once again overnight with the 24kt winds whipping up the waves which lead to a rocky, bumpy, noisy and sleepless ( for some) night. The 8^th was a fast day! The sea calmed and the wind direction moved to the beam so at times, they were moving at 8kts so progress was good. The night was a very settled one as the wind lessened and moved from the beam to aft which continued through the 9^th. While on watch from 6am to 8am, Ally caught sight of a large False Pilot Whale that swam across in front of the bows from Starboard to Port and then disappeared. Not long afterwards, two others, smaller in size, swam around Imagination for a while, returning again for a short while a little later.

The rest of the sail was good and they arrived alongside the clearance dock in Richards Bay, South Africa at 06.00 local time on Tuesday 11th. With the prearrival requirement to register with OSASA ( Ocean Sailing Association of South Africa, created by yachties to streamline and speed up the clearance process) at least a week before arrival, they were soon visited by Elmarie, an OSASA volunteer. She explained the process and also that the nearby Zululand Marina was completely booked up with the arrival of the World Arc Rally boats coming in so they may have to stay alongside the quarantine dock. Clearance was simple and completed by late morning and soon after that they were told that, under to busy circumstances, they had been given permission to move around to the anchorage just off of the marina and could use the Marina facilities. That afternoon, Erik stayed within the marina complex while Ally, Shawn and Vaidotas went into town to firstly have lunch and then buy SIM cards. Coming from smaller island nations and especially Madagascar, the contrast was massive as they were surrounded by modern shopping malls with well stocked stores selling anything and everything one could ever want. They all had a beer together at the marina bar and organised a hire car before returning to Imagination to have a rest before going out for dinner that evening. On the morning of the 12th, they all went to the airport to pick up the hire car and then to the mall to do a little shopping and run some other errands before heading to a popular place selling local foods, where they all tucked into Samoosas, roti’s and Bunny Chow!

Being back in his homeland, Erik left on the morning of the 13th to return to East London and having dropped him at the airport, Shawn, Ally and Vaidotas travelled up to iSimangaliso Wetland Park where they did a self drive safari through the park. It was a vast area and even on the plains, the animals kept themselves well hidden. They did mange to spot Water Buffalo, huge Kudus, Hippos, Warthogs, Impala, Dung beetles, a Trumpeter Hornbill and Vervet Monkeys. It was a good day!

The 14th and 15th were overcast with a great deal of cloud and latterly stronger winds and heavy rain. Vaidotas took the kayak ashore to go for runs and exploration and Ally and Shawn went back into town to arrange keeping the car for longer and to run other errands, but much of the time was spent mooching onboard where laundry and other tasks were done.

On the 16th, they all left Imagination at 07.30 and drove up to the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve where they spent 2 days on a self-drive safari, staying 2 nights at a lodge outside the reserve. It rained in varying degrees ALL day on the 16th and periodically on the 17th which made some of the tracks a little daunting, but it didn’t spoil the experience and they managed to spot many animals including many White Rhino, Elephants, Giraffes and Buffalo. Sadly, no big cats showed themselves and neither did any of the canine species.

On returning to Imagination on the 18th, Ally and Shawn met up with Elmarie ( OSASA volunteer) to discuss the departure procedure from Richards Bay. Due to the proximity of this Port to Mozambique and a history of drug smuggling, this is the only place in SA that requires “domestic clearance” to depart and so they had to complete a 7 page document to present first to the marina office that afternoon, and then at 08.30 on the 19th, Shawn had to take it to Immigration, Customs and Port Police before returning to the office so that they could inform Port Control all the formalities had been completed. Vaidotas went ashore on the kayak and spent the day exploring the area on foot. Just after 4am on the 20th, Port Control gave permission for Imagination to leave the harbour, and they were on their way to Durban. It was a long 15 hour day of motor sailing and on arrival at Durban Marina after dark, they discovered they had been allocated a slip way too small for Imagination. Thankfully, the Director of OSASA, Vince, was waiting for them and was able to redirect and then help them reverse into another nearby slip. He joined Ally, Shawn and Vaidotas onboard for a coffee and chat for a while before leaving to let them eat and then rest. On the 21st, Vaidotas went off to do his own exploring and Shawn an Ally headed into the nearby shopping area to buy buckets (2 were lost overboard in the past month!) and garden hose. The UK government website and the marina staff warn of no go areas and to be vigilant etc, just as you would be in any major city and before they headed out, Ally and Shawn did more online research to find out the reality of crime in SA. 10 minutes into their walk to the nearby hardware store they found themselves on a very busy shop lined street where a young guy started talking to Shawn and poking him in the chest with increasing pressure. Shawn didn’t catch what he said, but both he and Ally noticed an older guy to the other side of Ally, obviously with the younger one. They then both caught sight of the knife that the young lad flashed at them and without even thinking about it, Shawn told him, in no uncertain terms, to go away and lifted a fist to punch him. The look of surprise on his face was comical as he and the older guy very quickly disappeared into the throng of people. It was shocking that even in very crowded place, they were prepared to threaten tourists where they can shout, scream and attract a lot of attention as to what was going on, but the young lad obviously got more than he bargained for in Shawn’s reaction. Ally was shaken up for a while and was glad to get back to the security of the marina once they had finished shopping, where they went for an icecold beer at one of the yacht clubs. The following day, they went for a walk along the promenade, a good 20 minute walk away. Vaidotas had visited there yesterday and had no issues, so Ally put her big girl pants on to go out again. It was a very pleasant afternoon and they didn’t encounter any more issues or even feel in the slightest bit uncomfortable. They just had bad luck on their first walk! Ally and Shawn spent the day onboard on the 23rd. Shawn fitted a new starter motor onto the Port engine ( finally!! haha) and Ally did some deep cleaning before they both relaxed for the afternoon. Vaidotas went out for the day again to shop for gifts for friends and family on his last full day in SA. After a very wet, thundery and windy night, mid-morning on the 24th, Vaidotas left Imagination for the final time to go to the airport for his flight home – it gets said every month, but having had crew onboard for a few weeks, it always seems too quiet onboard when they leave! Shortly after he had departed. Ally went to get her suitcase out of the very forward cabin only to find it was sitting in 3 to 4 inches of sea water! Disappointingly, rather than spending the day doing not very much, she and Shawn ended up emptying the whole cabin of hammocks, sunbathing mats, sails, ropes, etc etc etc, before bailing all the water out and then hosing everything down with fresh water or putting it through a quick wash in the machine. With the cooler conditions, the rubber seal on the hatch had shrunk leaving a half inch gap which is how all that water had got in!

It was time to pack on the 25th, ready for a week long road trip Shawn had been organising over the last few days and at 08.30 on the 26th, they made their way to Europcar in downtown Durban to pick up their hire car. As they drove up to Underberg, the Drakensberg Mountains gradually showed themselves and Ally and Shawn enjoyed the scenery and were surprised at how green and lush it was everywhere and not unlike the British countryside in places – not quite what you imagine when you think of Africa! In Underberg, they bought some provisions before driving up the Sani Pass road as far as the SA Border Control. It was a beautifully sunny day and the scenery was both dramatic and stunning, and it was so peaceful with only the birdsong and a gentle breeze breaking the silence across the vastness. They arrived at their beautiful accommodation in Helmsville at 16.30 – a small thatched cottage adjacent to the main house, Rosemary Cottage, all set in a very well maintained large garden. The owners had thought of everything and all those added extras made it even more special.

At 08.10 the following morning, they were picked up by their driver/guide, Mo, and were joined by 4 German student teachers and a lone young man from Texas on a 4×4 drive to Lesotho via the Southern Drakensberg on the Sani Pass which is approximately 47.5 miles long in total. Once they had completed immigration out of South Africa, the tarmac road disappeared, making way for dirt and gravel and it became very bumpy, steep and windy for the final 5.5 or so miles hence only 4×4’s are allowed on this part of the road. There are plans to tarmac those last 5 miles to make life easier for those living in Lesotho who regularly travel that route for trading, shopping and holidays which would be fantastic for them. Again, the scenery going up was gorgeous and with the top of the vehicle lifting up, it was possible to see the height and beauty of the mountains as they travelled along. They stopped for a coffee on the way up during which Mo talked about the history of the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho…he was so knowledgeable and had a way of explaining things that made him very easy to listen to. At the top, they checked in with Lesotho Immigration before driving across the plateau of grassland dotted with sheep, goats, roundhouses and the people that live there, (know as the ” blanket people” as they shield themselves from the elements with thick double sided blankets which also serve as symbols of identity and social standing as the patterns have different meanings). The vehicle parked up next to a shearing shed for a while where the Merino sheep were waiting there turn to be shorn using hand shears. Wool, knitted garments, mutton and diamonds are exported from here as well as fresh water that they sell to South Africa from several large damns that drain into the Vaal River System. They all then went into a roundhouse where Mo talked about the local customs and way of life and they all got to try some freshly baked local bread which was delicious! It was then on to the highest pub in Africa where they enjoyed a local beer and lunch. During that time, the weather changed dramatically and as they got back to the vehicle for the return journey, the clouds were very low and heavy. It started to hail very heavily and they all got battered and soaked as they ran across to the Lesotho Immigration building. When the hail stopped, the heavy rain began and the dirt road looked like a river as they wound their way back down to the South African border control. From here, the rain got even heavier, the clouds grew very black and there was a prolonged thunderstorm. Ally and Shawn were dropped at their accommodation at around 4pm and they were wet through by the time they got inside. Thankfully, the cottage had a gas heater and the place was very cosy once the curtains were drawn and showers were had.

The 28th was a full day of driving and they arrived at their overnight apartment in Newcastle late afternoon. The place wasn’t nearly as good as the previous one, but it was comfortable enough for one short night, which was disturbed by rain and strong wind and around 4am. Again, the 29th was a driving day as they made their way up to Phalaborwa and their apartment for the next 3 nights, Kudu Kottage, which was another great place with a more modern feel than the thatched one a couple of days ago. At 06.40 the next morning, Ally and Shawn were up and out and driving the 3km to the Phalaborwa Gate to the Kruger National Park, somewhere Shawn has wanted to visit since we was a child living in Cape Town. They had a great day making their own way around just a small portion of the park over the course of the day, enjoying a picnic lunch part way through. Shawn managed to see Lions way off in the distance, but Ally didn’t get a glimpse and they didn’t see any other cats, but they did see Wild Dogs for the first time as well as several other animals.

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