TANZANIA, ZANZIBAR & DAR
Shayile at anchor off Dar Yacht Club
Shayile at anchor off Dar Yacht Club
23rd NOVEMBER – 20th DECEMBER 2005
Dar, Dar Dar!! The next month or so can be broken down into sections, not dates!
Engines, partying and waiting!
As the month progressed, Dar es Salaam became our temporary home. Running through the Dar experience, was certainly centered round Shayile and the engine repairs.
Over the past 6 weeks or so, the engines (and in particular the starboard engine) had started to show signs of possible problems. They were smoking badly on start up and, when revved, there was a black sooty / diesel discharge from the exhaust. It was not a very positive sight and this got progressively worse. We needed to attend to the problem.
Once back from our Zanzibar
Three appointments later and no sign of Hans. The last was arranged for 9am on a Saturday morning. Come 11am, I tried to phone. No answer. I then sent an SMS and later got a reply to say he had another job to complete and could not make it. Great service and a week wasted. With this I wrote off Hans as a bad idea. If his service was anything like his time keeping, we were in trouble!
Dan playing Boa' in a restaurant with a local chap
Next up, after some serious searching, was Isa. Fortunately he did eventually arrive, albeit late. With not much English, and no tools, he diagnosed the problem down to rings and told me the engine had to come out!!
I, and others, battled with this diagnosis and I decided to get another opinion. Phil from the club arrived and over a few days assisted me with pulling out and reinstalling the fuel pump and injectors. After taking them out and having them tested, we had found the problem – worn injector components possibly due to inferior quality fuel. (I could only assume this was the fuel bought in Madagascar) Next up, after some serious searching, was Isa. Fortunately he did eventually arrive, albeit late. With not much English, and no tools, he diagnosed the problem down to rings and told me the engine had to come out!!
I also needed the fuel pumps repaired. Spare parts in Dar? No way and these needed to be imported from SA. I set about doing this but decided it best to re-assemble the engines. We had more visitors arriving in Dar shortly. Belinda’s brother Kevin, his wife Dawn and family were to join us over Christmas.
Kev and the family had arrived in Dar to spend a month with us cruising Zanzibar and Pemba. We were all very excited on their arrival, especially Dan and Jenna. Their cousins Megan and Bianca were here for a month and play time was on!
The Cuzzies have arrived to see us!!!
I, in the meantime, had to reassemble the engines and at least get them going.
Well, the assembly did not go well and I managed to jam the fuel pump – solid! All efforts by a number of mechanics, including Isa and Phil failed. We were now down to one engine, until the spares arrived.
I decided to chance it and go on one engine. With much excitement, we all packed and prepared for the sail across to Zanzibar! However, some 500meters out of Dar Yacht Club, I realized something was seriously wrong. No power, lots of smoke! There was no way we could go with just half an engine. We were now well into the Kaskazi season monsoon weather) and in the event of an emergency we needed power. Besides that, we were using a lot of electricity on board and needed the batteries charged by the engines. With morale low, we sailed off to the nearest island and anchored up.
The position to date: ½ an engine, no mechanics, no spares and, oh yes, no water maker. (Remember?)
Moored close by was another Maxim and I decided to swim across and see who serviced his engines. By this stage I was ready to fly in a mechanic from SA!! Mike Philips put me on to a local chap by the name of Hashmook.
Another week went by!
Within a few days Hashmook came out and checked the problem. His diagnosis was injectors and fuel pump, not rings! After a few non starts he got his team to pull half the engine apart to get the jammed fuel pump out. In the meantime I had placed the order with Seaport Supply in SA for spares and Stan at Durban Deliveries was arranging the delivery to Dar. The plan was to overhaul the injectors and fuel pumps.
Whilst we waited for the parts to arrive, the families all left for
Whilst the rest of the family left for Zanzibar by hydrofoil, I remained in Dar for another day sorting out parts. Fortunately they were able to stay at a friend’s house and our family based themselves there for the next week. Kathryn, who worked on a huge schooner called “Midsummer”, had come to the rescue. Her parents lived on Zanzibar and it just so happened that both parents were away in Pakistan Zanzibar
Within a few days, I caught the ferry out and joined the rest of the gang at Kathryn’s folk’s house. What we did not know was that this house would be our “holiday home” for the next 16 days! It was not planned as I was to return to Dar, get the yacht fixed and dash back to
Kathryn and the kids – Dar es Salaam
Josh & Dan on spice tour
We enjoyed our days at the holiday house but the nights were not too pleasant. It seemed like there was a mosquito breeding plant on the next plot and every night we were inundated with squadrons of mosquitoes! They got in everywhere and even the nets were not that effective. With the heat and mozzies, sleeping was not something to look forward to. Kevin had a great plan and we tried to stick to it as best we could. RUM and KONYAGI! Hey, it had a double effect – 1. Mozzies did not like alcohol and 2. If we could drink enough, the mozzies would be the least of our problems!! Yea right!
3 days later, on the 17th December, I left early in the morning for Dar to await the parts which would sort out our engine problems. Yea right number 2!!
Unfortunately the parts got a bit delayed somewhere and soon it was the 21st December. 4 days to Christmas. Would I get back to
Finally the parts arrived on Thursday the 22nd at 3.30pm. Unfortunately they had to go to Bosch for installing, so Friday it would be. 2 days to Christmas, no Shayile and the family are all in Zanzibar
Next morning I dashed off to Bosch and got the parts all fitted and fixed. This was a whole day affair and I only got back late that afternoon. The mechanic was on standby for me but when I phoned him he said it was too late and that he would come through in the morning!
24th December and 1 day to Christmas. Belinda had come back from Zanzibar
The mechanic and I worked the whole day on the engines. Come 4pm, we tried to start them. The port engine ran but the Starboard engine would have nothing to do with it. No luck at all. Hashmook, the head mechanic, arrived to check things out. The plan was to return next day and continue fixing them. Christmas day!! I confirmed with Hashmook that tomorrow was Christmas day, but he confirmed work as he was a Muslim and did not celebrate Christmas day. Fair enough. B and I decided it best to “postpone” Christmas and get the engines done once and for all.
We phoned Kev and Dawn and told them the plans. We would all keep Christmas day a secret and quietly postpone it until the 26th or 27th. This would give us time to sail across to
Christmas morning dawned and, as I and B sat in bed and drank our morning coffee, we exchanged a few Christmas presents. I got a pair of socks and handkeys. She got a Tanzanite gem stone! So what happened to one of those “toys for boys?”
B: For the record…. I haven’t seen any socks or hankies anywhere in this country and why would you need them anyway, we live in slops and Rob's hay fever is virtually extinct. Plus I have no money, yet still managed to get him a fabulous kikoi, great shirt and a guide book to Thailand! The gem was a wonderful surprise on a very sad day and has been dispatched home for setting at a later date. Maybe I could get a new stone in every country! Hands up those who think I deserve it….. Thought so!!
Distant islands off Dar yacht club
Later that morning I phoned Hashmook to confirm his arrival. “This number is not available, please try again later” story. Here we go!
To cut out the long sad stories, the whole day went by with no sight of Hashmook or any mechanic! We had been stood up on Christmas day and the engines were not getting fixed. Frustration and anger on Christmas day!
That evening ourselves, Sue Brown and another Sue went off to the Angiti Restaurant (Indian) for Christmas dinner. A great meal but not the way to spend Christmas day or Christmas night!
26th December – Hashmook arrives at 9.30am with a pearler. “Call out on Christmas day. Out of cell range. Could not make contact!!” Yea right and Tanzania Zanzibar
To give him a little credit, he worked the whole day. As darkness approached it was time to give the engine a run. You guessed it – not a peep of life! Eventually we flattened the battery trying to start her up. Hashmook then confirmed no compression and maybe the rings were the problem. He said the engine would have to come out!! According to him the good news was that the port engine was fine and we could go on the one engine. With that he left. B and I had been preparing for departure and had stocked up on all sorts of provisions, petrol, diesel, etc.We phoned Kev to say we were on our way; on one engine! Action time and time to sail! One engine was apparently fine and we had places to go!
At 9pm we upped anchor and motored out of the yacht club.
Within minutes I realized we again had problems. No power at all and billowing black smoke from the exhaust. I tried to correct it but we could hardly get 2 knots of speed. This was with no wind at all. This was certain trouble if we were to head into weather and needed power to get us out.
With no power or speed, billowing black smoke, and us going no where quickly, we made a decision to turn around. Our sailing trip with Kev, Dawn and family was over. Shayile’s engines were in serious trouble and needed major attention. We limped back into the yacht club, totally frustrated, pissed off and B in tears!
We phoned Kev and told him we would be catching the hydro in the morning to
Kathryn’s parents home and our “holiday cottage” on Zanzibar
B: We definitely have experienced the whole range of emotions in the last few weeks and our elation at being off finally was tempered in equal measure by powerless to change any disappointment. I spent most of the night ferreting out food supplies and all the Christmas presents sent by our wonderful caring families, all of which had been tucked away from prying eyes. But I was amazed at how the children were calm and not at all hyped up about gifts, something I put down to no TV and media advertising which really is evil and leaves kids feeling hard done by when they don’t get everything they liked in the brochure from Toys-R-Us.
We knew Dan would work out when Christmas day was and, with the help of kids in the hotel pool and watching some kids TV, he told us that it was Christmas Day and we had worked out the how many sleeps to Christmas? All wrong.
Next morning, the 27th, at 7am we were at the harbour and off to Zanzibar. It was time to celebrate “Christmas day” with the kids. With presents, food, dive equipment and clothes we arrived back at the “holiday home”. We immediately got to work and put out the presents for the kids. We all gathered in the lounge and we all began opening presents and enjoying the moment. It was great and the kids were none the wiser that this was the 27th.
Or were they? On the “real” Christmas day, Kev, Dawn and the family went down to a local resort and swam at the pool. With other kids there, Daniel soon got to understand that this was infact Christmas day! He confronted Kevin asking, or telling him, that today was Christmas day as all the kids had received their presents and why had they not!?
With some clever side stepping and juggling, Kevin was able to divert attention away from the subject! Close call, but Daniel was not entirely convinced. 
“Christmas Day” (27th December) at Stonetown with the Pickerings!
B: We explained that Fr Christmas had delivered the presents to Shayile as that’s where we were supposed to be?!
Once presents were open, we went on to feast ourselves on a fine spread prepared by B and Dawn. As the day wore on and the bottles of rum disappeared, we realized it was all about the family and not about the day. We were together on Zanzibar
With no sailing on the cards, the need for beaches was now on the agenda, Dawn got to work on the internet and soon we had a resort on the east coast of Zanzibar booked. It was time to get in a real beach holiday and not just hang around Stonetown.
Kevin in the Christmas spirit!
Megs and Bianca
We got hold of a taxi and on the 30th December we headed up to Nyota Bungalows situated on the east coast of Zanzibar. (Nyota is Swahili for Star)
The resort was kind of rustic but great none the less.
The East coast of Zanzibar has a large reef running virtually its whole length. This reef is about 300 meters off the beach and protects the beaches and creates a kind of bay where one can swim and play in safety. Well, this normally is the case but in true Zanzibar fashion, it seems there is another natural imbalance within these reefs running up the coast of Zanzibar. The inside of the reef is infected with sea urchins! So much so that it was difficult to wade out to the outer reef. Hundreds and hundreds of menacing sea urchins and we could only put it down to the area being fished out of all sea urchin predators. The fishing and netting that takes place within the reef is frightening and no living creature has a hope of escaping the barriers of nets. The result is an infestation of sea urchins and therefore a very unpleasant beach to try swim or play in.
With swimming not really on the cards, we resorted to building sand castles. With Kevin and I as project managers we got busy on some serious sand castles. Soon we had every kid on the beach watching and then participating. The great thing about castle building here was the sand. Very fine, clay like sand when wet. Soon we had a great big castle and task completed!
Life's a beach!!
B: This area is known for farming and harvesting seaweed on long strings in the water, like rows of beans which are apparently sold to the USA for use as a thickening agent. It is a lovely rural scene with, mostly, women in long dresses tending to their crops. Staring early in waist-deep water and cutting seaweed at low tide and hanging it in the sun to dry on racks. It obviously works on an honour system as the racks appeared communal. It was lovely to watch but sadly swimming was a non-starter.
The Beach Babes : Bibi, Jenna & Megs
Then the dreaded sea urchins took their first toll. With the tide rising, we went for a swim. The tide had risen sufficiently to be able to swim with sand under our feet, or so we thought. Poor Jenna stood on, what we think, was a sea urchin or the remains of one.
She is a tough little one but this had to be a very painful experience indeed. She screamed with pain. Without seeing any spikes in her foot we were concerned with what she had trodden on. Even the dreaded Stonefish came up as a possibility. With Jenna screaming blue murder, we tried everything to reduce the pain. Soon locals were on the scene and they applied green paw-paw juice and kerosene to the area. Belinda administered pain killers and for the next hour Jenna battled through waves of pain. As time progressed, the pain eased and finally she fell asleep. Not a pleasant experience and certainly put a damper on our New Years Eve celebrations.
I must say it was a scary experience not knowing what she had stood on. To this day we are not certain. Usually sea urchins break off in ones foot and a tiny black spot is visible.
There was nothing in Jenna’s foot, just 2 nasty pricks surrounded by a swelling. Could the spines not have penetrated? Was it something else?
That evening, with Jenna asleep on a couch, the rest of us all had dinner together in the boma overlooking the beach. We eventually retired to one of the bungalows with a bottle of the local gin called Konyagi, and chatted way into the night. Without realizing it, we had missed the golden hour and it was after 1am in the morning. Bed time!!
Wild dula dula (taxi) ride to Nungwi
Over the next 4 days we relaxed and enjoyed our time together on the beach. One day we caught a taxi up to Nungwi and spent the day on the beach. The road to Nungwi was quite something and it took us an hour to travel some 40 km’s. For a major beach tourist attraction on Zanzibar
As previously mentioned, Belinda and I were in Nungwi some 8 years previous and the area had expanded incredibly. Where there was just a rustic beach camp, there are now major 5 star beach hotels and resorts. It really is the Development of the infrastructure to the area was not very apparent. Sad, but life up here goes on.
Our stay in Nyota Bungalows was great and the kids really had a fantastic time playing together.
Soon it was time to head home; home being
View from House of Wonders
Again, as we entered the Zanzibar harbour, we were surrounded by local “porters” trying to organize our every need; from tickets, to bags, to food, etc. etc. We immediately set about buying tickets back to Dar, but then realized we had a problem. Half the ferries were not running as they were supposedly broken. There was no 2pm ferry and the 4pm ferry was full. Although trying every avenue to try get on a ferry, we had no luck and finally resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be spending another night in Stonetown. We bought tickets for the 7am ferry the next day and then set about trying to find accommodation. Not easy trying to get a place to stay at the last minute, but we got busy and made the enquiries. Soon we had secured the same hotel that B and I had stayed in 8 years previously. We all jumped into a taxi and headed off to the Kaponta Hotel in Stonetown.
On arriving at the hotel, Kevin and I decided it best to check out the rooms first before the rest of the family moved in. Well, not too cozy was our opinion. The rooms consisted of little prison like cells with a few beds, and a tired picture on the wall. With that it was back to the taxi to inform the rest. Fortunately the taxi driver knew of another hotel and soon we were outside the Pyramid Hotel. After first checking out the rooms and negotiating with the owner a room price of 24 dollars, we all moved in for the night.
Next morning, we were all up really early and off to the harbour. After getting all our belongings onto the hydrofoil, we were off back to Dar. Our holiday in Zanzibar
Daniel & the Zanzibar Crew!
B: I have to agree, Zanzibar is so different and interesting but having spent a long time there I feel it will soon fall out of favour with tourists. The place is filthy and I get the feeling that it is being raped of all its natural resources. Tourists are being fleeced at every opportunity and are constantly being harassed by street touts. The Forandhani night food market was filthy and littered, and on seeing the area in the day time I vowed not to eat there again. Also I hate having to pay “Mzungu” (White or tourist) prices for the same produce. By example local people pay R65 for a fast ferry to Zanzibar, we had to pay R260 each way! The only bright spot was the famous House of Wonders that has been turned into a museum but all public areas are filthy, littered, neglected and packed with opportunists.
The Street of Zanzibar and harbour market
As luck would have it our best meal in Zanzibar was at The Archipelago restaurant where we went on our last, enforced, evening. It is a lovely coffee shop/ restaurant, halal but we were invited too bring our own Konyagi, which we did and had a wonderful evening. The clear difference was excellent management which seemed to keep the staff motivated and on-the-ball. It was a great ending to our rather dodgy holiday. The fact that the Pickerings mis-set their alarm due to the hour time difference and we ran to the ferry is irrelevant, we got there.
Out exploring on a remote beach off Zanzibar
7th JANUARY 2006
Back to Shayile. I must say it was back to a rather sad Shayile. She looked almost miserable out there on the water. I know she wanted to be out with us, sailing and enjoying the different destinations. However she needed some serious engine maintenance.
Next day Kev, Dawn, Megs and Bianca headed back to SA. It was fantastic having them with us and the time just flew by. We, unfortunately, did not enjoy the sailing holiday we anticipated, but a family holiday was had. Different, very different, but a big THANK YOU was extended to Kev and Dawn for everything they had brought across to us from SA, and for everything they did for us whilst in Tanzania. They were fantastic and their hospitality and tolerance under the circumstances was so positive.
Dingy ferry to and from Shayile at Dar Yacht Club with Rashidi
8th JANUARY – 1st FEBRUARY 2006
We were back on Shayile and about to try round 8 on the “Fixing engines saga.” At this stage I had no idea from whom I was going to get assistance.
Well, as life has it, things happen! A fellow yachtie, Peter on his yacht Belagaer, gave me a number of a South African guy living in Dar who fixed Yanmar engines. With nothing to loose, I gave Mike a call. Mike was fantastic, and within minutes I had received another call from his mechanic. I explained the problem and he promised to come out to Shayile and check it out. True to his word, he arrived and we went through the engine symptoms and possibilities. The agreement was easy. Both the engine heads (top) needed to come off and the cylinders inspected.
As good fortune would have it, Derek on the yacht Ilanga had arrived in Dar. I knew Derek from Durban
We removed both heads. Derek took one look at the Starboard engine and said it would have to come out. There were definite signs of slight wear and damage to the cylinders.
We had the engine out and that same day, the components were picked up by a MACS truck. The next day, Derek and I went through to MACS Engineering just outside Dar to meet the team and discuss the problems.
Zanzibar restaurant
There I met Allan, a co-owner of the business and a guy from Zululand in South Africa. MACS serviced and repaired many of the diesel motors used in the heavy duty industry in Tanzania. After showing us around the workshop we went on to discuss my engine problems. In conclusion, I needed a major over haul to the one engine and the head reconditioned on the other. We listed the parts required and with a positive outlook, I returned to the yacht club.
Within days I had emailed Yanmar SA and ordered the parts. Unfortunately they did not have all the parts and I would have to wait some 2 weeks before they would be available.
So with the engines out of commission and parts ordered, that was about all I could do with progress on the engines. The waiting game went on!
Daniel & Simon sharing a lunch together!
B: While Rob was stressing about engine parts and putting up with his tearful wife, we carried on with numbers, reading and writing. The enforced stop-over has had the benefit of getting a good school routine going and we have learnt to conserve power and shower in cold water. Having no engines meant relying only on solar power as our wind charger has also died! So we shared a reading light at night, sipped warm beer by candle light and ate out often…..out of tins. OK, we also had the odd pizza and never missed braai night on a Friday but that’s ‘cos the drinks were half price. The kids have been no DVD’s or computer games and Lego has been the order of the day or just swinging on the spinnaker halyard. Mom’s you may think your kids can’t go without TV but they really can, it just takes time before they start to entertain themselves and get more creative.
Uncle Mark and Penny gave Dan 4 Roahl Dahl stories on DVD for Christmas and they have been fantastic. Dan will lie and listen for 2 long stories with a far away look in his eyes.
They also both love the New Testament Bible stories with David and Goliath, and Samson being big hits.
Uncle Mark and Penny gave Dan 4 Roahl Dahl stories on DVD for Christmas and they have been fantastic. Dan will lie and listen for 2 long stories with a far away look in his eyes.
They also both love the New Testament Bible stories with David and Goliath, and Samson being big hits.
I would be lying if I said I love home schooling, I think all Mom’s need a good break from there kids and what better time than school. I’m so tired of always being the disciplinarian and believe me Daniel is always testing, pushing and harassing me. I don’t know if all almost 7year olds are like this but I often despair at his single-minded pursuit of what suits him! Jenna is an angel by comparison but hates being caught doing something wrong and gets very defensive and tries to blame everyone else. Plus she has turned into a real mess-maker, all in the pursuit of long-winded games involving lots of small toys and every sheet and blanket on the boat, followed by a lack of interest in clearing up. But making tents is fun and I remember doing the same to my folks, Sorry Mom and Dad for all the chairs and sleeping bags you had to replace after a cave and tunnel making exploit.
A bit about Dar es Salaam
As we sat in Dar, trying to deal with mechanics and water maker repair people, we had to occupy ourselves.
The club was great and the kids had a ball with other kids, the pool, beach, play grounds and ice creams!
I spent most of my day working on something or trying to find someone to assist me!
Fortunately we did have some serious parties and some early mornings! An infamous spot in Dar is the (mentioned) Q-Bar. Simon was always keen for a night out and the Q-Bar always featured. On quite a few occasions, we returned home to Shayile at 5am after an all nighter!
The Casino at the Sea Cliff Hotel also saw action and one morning, I only got back to Shayile at 7am! Not to be out done, B also had her fair share of late nights.
Most evenings out we were together but, with the kids, we sometimes assisted Simon individually, supporting him in his quest to meet every girl in Dar!
A favorite “special occasion” spot in Dar was the Ngithi Curry Restaurant. On no less than 4 occasions we visited this restaurant. What fantastic curry and, if in Dar, be sure to go there!
View from Dar Yacht Club
Midsummer anchored up off Dar Yacht Club
2nd – 23rd FEBRUARY 2006
B: It’s Tuesday morning and Rob has taken the children in the duckie to help Simon beach Karisma on the sand and scrape the hull. I climbed back into bed and read the guide to Thailand. Bliss to be alone, even if the breakfast dishes were waiting and the bathrooms need cleaning.
Last night Rob and most of the other cruisers went and ran a 6km Hash. The kids and I had 2 minute noodles and watched the DVD, “Madagascar”, before bed. I was struck that it was the first time I have been alone for more than an hour in months. Rob is so busy sourcing suppliers and welders etc that he has no time for child-minding. I have been trying to establish a school routine but it is really difficult to focus on it and keep up with the daily chores and cups of tea and coffee for visitors and friends. Sue Brown was a constant visitor and a very helpful friend but I found it tiring to constantly chat, especially as we had nothing new to talk about. I really miss my time out, reading a book or magazine, going to the movies alone or just the mindless browsing in shops that we women do while getting things done.
One of the upsides of being stuck in Dar has been the cementing of a friendship between Rob, Simon and I. Simon Miller of Karisma (from UK, via Portugal and SA) has been a wonderful, caring friend to me and always makes me smile if I’m feeling a bit down. He is also so kind and loving towards our children and has really become part of our family. We met Simon’s 16yr old son Josh, from the UK, at Christmas and its no secret that Simon misses him terribly so all hugs from Dan and Jen are happily returned. Kev commented that Simon reminded him of Buster, (Adrian Skea, a school friend of ours) and they are definitely cut from the same kind of cloth. Simon was planning to settle in Dar but we have convinced him to continue cruising on to Thailand where he can sell his boat, and possibly ours, and then return to Dar.
Dinner together and trips on Karisma
We have realized that due to all the setbacks we are not going to be able to get to Kenya, sail across to Seychelles and then Chagos before the winds change and blow into our faces.
The day after planning to meet my Mom and Dad in Seychelles Rob, on one of his frequent hull wiping missions, discovered the port rudder hanging by a thread. Apparently something was not properly earthed and it has caused the rudder pole to rust right through. More repairs, more delays, more tears from me.
Anyway, everything is on order and we just have to hurry up and wait, while throwing out anything we haven’t used in months.
We are buying provisions for about 4 months and then having to find place to safely store them, and try to keep out weevils, moths and roaches! Sadly we won’t be stocking up on the delicious cheese and other produce that comes from Kenya but at least have a Shoprite here so some products are familiar. Marmite is R25 for a small jar! (Found it for R50 at another supermarket). Seafood, spices, peanut butter, cashews and dates are the only things I’ve found that seem cheaper but very little is produced in Tanzania and most foodstuff is imported. I’m now about to try and work out how long a toilet roll, tube of toothpaste, bottle of mayo, etc lasts and then write a very long list!
The dreaded rudder saga!
Yip, you guessed it and to think that we did not have enough setbacks, repairs and running around to do! Further to B’s introduction to the rudders, let me fill you in.
The engines were out and being fixed. The wind generator was not working. The water maker was dead. The outside radar screen was dead. We had virtually no power and not to mention the other 40 “minor” tasks that need attending to!Otherwise we were doing great!
As the hull of Shayile got quite dirty with us sitting in Dar, I had to ensure she was clean and free of any barnacles and other growth. One day, as I swam down to one of the rudders, I found it was completely sheared off just below the hull! Fortunately it was held on below by a small bracket which prevented it from disappearing down on to the ocean floor! I could not believe it! Not now, no way!! Out with a rope and we hauled the rudder on board.
Cleaning Shayile’s hull with Daniel
Why, what happened? How could a rudder just shear off like that? On closer examination we noticed it had not sheared off but had corroded through. Although electrolysis was the point of discussion and possible answer, why had this happened? The answers were not clear right away, but as the days passed, it came to light. The ground wire from the wind generator had been connected to a metal component that was in contact with the rudders. To further complicate matters, this ground wire had a certain amount of charge to it and electrolysis had occurred. Within weeks, the rudder shaft had been literally eaten away! I could only blame myself as it was me who connected the wire up, trying to get the wind generator to work and not understanding the effects of electrolosis.
I got hold of Maxim Yachts in Durban Dar es Salaam
The rudder shaft : Electrolysis is a wonderful thing!!
Now with no rudders, no engines, no power on board and 46 other things to fix, we were in great shape!
With Simon Miller’s assistance we prepared the rudders and took them off to a local engineering works to get welded. These guys did a great job and soon we had the rudders back together again. From there we had to apply epoxy to the rudders to finish the task.
With this all done, it was now time to get them back in. With B’s help and Rashidi, the boat boy on Karisma, we got them back into position. Unfortunately we could not complete the task at anchor and would have to wait until we beached Shayile to complete the task.What a saga, and another “tester” thrown at us!
The engine Saga continues!
With the starboard engine out and the port engine half out, (just the head went in for work) we were again without power, fridges, hot water, etc. etc. Believe me; life is not that easy on a boat, at anchor, with no power or hot water.
Thanks to Stan from Durban Deliveries, our engine spares were delivered timeous to the yacht club. Stan and I did quite a bit of business together whilst I was with the Adwarehouse. He service was always above the call of duty and Durban Deliveries certainly did their part in getting the spares delivered to the Dar yacht club.
As soon as the spares arrived, the guys from MACS got busy. Within days we had the port engine head back and that same day, had it running. Unfortunately there was still the dreaded smoke and diesel coming out of the exhaust. I was told it would soon clear, but it was not looking good.
Soon the starboard engine was back and going into position. Now getting a Yanmar 3 cylinder diesel engine into Shayile and into position is not easy. We had to load it onto a dingy, transport it out to Shayile, get it onboard, and then down steps and into the engine room!! Not an easy task but we managed. Many niggles and a few days later we had this engine running. This was a reconditioned, over hauled engine and she purred like a cuddled kitten.
We took Shayile out to give the engines a trail run, albeit without rudders. The bad news was the port engine was not happy. Just as we thought we were about to “win”, a decision was made to remove this engine and do the same over haul to it. Fortunately we had the spare parts and there was no need to order any in from SA.Within days we had the port engine out, over hauled and back in. Shayile now had her 2 engines back and they were sounding great. No smoke or oily diesel from the exhaust.
So far, so good.
We had been waiting almost 3 ½ months for this day. It was the 23rd February and we had motors and power back on board. What a fantastic feeling and I now realized that the Seychelles
We had planned to meet Belinda’s parent, Bill and Sally, in the Seychelles on the 8th March. It was now a possibility.
Dan & Jenna watching a DVD
Just to throw in a curved ball, our electronic gas regulator, had packed in. No gas, therefore no cooking. I tried everything to restore gas but no go. This device detected gas if it leaked and did all the safety precautions needed to keep Shayile safe from stray gas.
Eventually we found a “fundi” (expert) and within hours he had modified our existing one and it was back in operation.
24th – 28th FEBRUARY 2006
Friday morning and we wake up to no power on board Shayile. Hey, hey, hey!! Not one amp of power on Shayile. Further to this, our extended visas expired that day and we though it best to check out of Tanzania
Our plan was still for the Seychelles , but in the event of Shayile not being 150% sea worthy, we thought it best to sail up to Kenya Seychelles
Kate, kindly offered to take us into Dar to check out and to assist us with finishing a few last minute purchases. We met Kate and Dean through mutual friends of ours in South Africa.
We drove into Dar and arrived at the office that I knew as customs and immigration, only to be redirected to another address. At this address, I was redirected to the port. At the port I was sent to another office and from there sent back to destination number 2, where I was redirected back to the starting point!! Here I was now told that this was the right office, but I had to go to the port for clearance. Back to the port, again, and finally I obtained clearance. Then back to the start and within 3 hours and some 7 addresses later, I finally managed to get the paper work done. Isn’t Africa just great!! When I say we had to wake people up at their desks, I mean it. Most offices had so many people mulling about I never knew who the “workers” were and who “guests” were.
A new skipper on board!!
With the clearing completed, we headed off for a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop. It was great to be able to sit, relax and enjoy a great cup of coffee after a some what stressful morning! On leaving the coffee shop we returned to Kate’s car only to find it gone! According to the locals it had been towed away by the tow truck. Bearing in mind there are no yellow lines, parking bays, parking meters or any form of parking rules in the streets of Dar, we were left wondering why the car had been towed away. To us, we were legitimately parked, but obviously not to others. A taxi was summoned and off we went to the pound.
There we found the vehicle, but no payments were accepted there. We had to go into town, pay the fine and return to collect the vehicle. Now there are no fixed prices at all in Dar, not even at the police station. Kate had to bargain and with 85 dollars the starting price, Kate got it down to 50 dollars. Back to the pound and the car was returned, not before Kate took note that others had paid some 35 dollars to get their vehicles.
This was turning into a great day out!
We then went off to Shoprite to try find Daniel a birthday present. There are no “Reggies” or “Toys R Us” in Dar. There were only Chinese gift shops with oriental Barbie’s and Jackie Chan Spiderman! Other than that, not a whole lot made after 1972. We managed to get a few presents at the local Shoprite and then headed off to the best butchery in Dar – The Home butcher. B placed a huge order for our coming crossing and then it was back to the yacht club.
What a day – but it was not yet over. Still no power on board and no sign of any reason why.With that we all went off to happy hour at the club and decided to drink a lot of fantas!!
Provisioning for the crossing to the Seychelles
Saturday morning and the MACS fundis arrived to make a few minor engine adjustments. I then got the phone call I was looking for. Alpha, the electrician, called to say he was coming out to Shayile to try sort out the wind generator and other small electrical issues. Soon he was on board and I had him hard at work trying to solve the power issue.
If you’re ever in Dar and need an electrician, Alpha is your man. What a talented guy. He really knew his stuff and for the rest of the day he worked on the problem. It could not have been an easy one, however at about 8pm; he restored temporary power to Shayile. He had found the problem and said he would return the next day as it was his brothers wedding that evening and he had to go. We could not believe this guys commitment! Stayed late to fix our problem, whilst his brother was about to (or had) got married!
Next day he was back and within a few hours we had full power restored. He went on to fix the wind generator, (related to the power loss problem) and a few other minor issues.
Later that morning Peter and Rose from Belagear joined us on Shayile for a cup of coffee. With them was Dale, an Australian guy who would join Peter for the crossing to the
For the first time in ages, I felt like we were getting somewhere. We had 2 engines, power, a wind generator, gas and, believe it or not, I had fixed the outside Radar repeater. All by my lonesome!! We were now getting somewhere and as soon as the rudders were on, it would be time to go.
So what good happened whilst we sat in Dar? Yes, through all the drama, there certainly were great times. Believe it or not, Dar Yacht Club was a great place and we certainly could have been “stranded” in worse places!
One day, as we were enjoying breakfast, we noticed a few dolphins swimming close by. With the kids keen to go swimming, I grabbed our fins and snorkels and we all dived in. I swam like crazy trying to catch up with the dolphins. Not easy, as these mammals certainly move with grace and speed. All of a sudden, there they were. I dove down and swam along side them. I did my best dolphin impersonation, trying to gracefully glide along with them. It was fantastic and I really had a special time down there. Soon Daniel was along side me and we swam off together trying to catch the dolphin. Dan yelled, as joining us, were 3 dolphin. “Dad, I can see them, they are swimming with us!” A great moment, but all too soon they had turned and headed off out of the bay. We all swam back to Shayile with Dan grinning from ear to ear! Certainly a great experience for a 6 year old! Chalk that one down in “special memories and moments”!
On another occasion Daniel and I were on the club dingy heading for shore. As we passed by a few of the other yachts, I noticed some decent sized fish pass under us. “King fish!!” Dan and I were in the mood and we went back to Shayile, picked up out tackle and set off on our rubber duck. Within minutes we were in to some great battles with the big boys. I landed about 6. One was unfortunately foul hooked and so we kept him for the pan. A great days fishing and Daniel and I went out quite a few time to catch them.Although not the biggest fish, it was great fun catching these 2 – 3 kg Kingy’s on fly!
Going out to the islands on a Saturday or Sunday was always great fun. The Yacht Club is situated in a great big bay called Msasani Bay
At lunchtime we would go ashore and a few entrepreneurial locals would cook up a meal of fresh fish and chips. We sat under grass shelters, at lunchtime and washed it down with a few beers.
And what did Daniel and Jenna get up to as the days and weeks passed? Without going into the mundane duties of the day, both spent a lot of time in and around the club.
Daniel spent many hours playing with the other kids who’s parents lived in Dar and frequented the club. However most of them were older than Daniel and he did his best to “fit in”. His “mates” were really part of a rat pack; school mates having fun after school. Poor Daniel did his best and I had to give him top marks for his efforts. Often he was the outcast as the older boys did not want him playing with them, but he persevered and often had to prove his worth by jumping off high walls and leaping into the sea from rocks. He never gave up and although there were tears from time to time, he slowly gained acceptance into the “rat pack”. He even tried the nasty, “if you cannot win them over, buy them over”. I discovered one day that Daniel had bought his mates cool drinks, biltong and chips on our bar account! He even had a neat little squiggle for a signature! Although a few dollars down, I gave Dan a debriefing on not buying mates! He went on to spend many late nights out exploring the club grounds and getting up to no good, of that I am sure. From a distance I could see Daniel almost developing and learning as he mixed with these older boys. Unfortunately his vocabulary also increased and we had to severely reprimand him when he came home with some new choice words, and they had nothing to do with the Queens English!
Jenna kind of hung around the fringes of the pack, finding friends and kids to play with all the time. When none were there, she just got on with her own exploring and playing around the boats and club grounds. Again I could see her toughening up and gathering further points towards her “street wise’ personality. The Friday night braais and happy hour were always a hit. With a DJ playing, the kids used to dance the night away. Jenna and Daniel just loved the dancing. Dan with his 3 left legs and Jenna still trying to find that thing called rhythm! Often I was up there with them dancing which only can be called barn dancing.
The great part of this cruising game has to be the many people one meets and interacts with. Some add value to your life, others develop into long term mates, others have led very interesting lives and others are not worth any further interaction with. Together it all makes this life interesting and certainly builds character!
Shayile anchored up off Dar Yacht Club
On the sailing side I could mention many individuals and countless stories about interesting experiences.
There was Richard and Karreen. They had been sailing for some 20+ years and had started their sailing in a 26ft monohull. Richard had some serious sea miles and yet he was a very modest yet interesting guy, who has even spent time in a life raft. One of his yachts sank off New Zealand in a storm and he and his crew had to spend some 30 hours in a life raft before being washed up on a beach, before almost drowning when his safety harness got caught in rocks!
Then there was Kim and Sinead from Ireland sailing all over the world on their 28ft monohull. Kim had circumnavigated and done most of his sailing alone. Sinead only joined him when they got married some 2 years previously. Also extremely modest and not one to talk his mouth off, Kim had the experience of being run down by a cargo vessel. Whilst sailing in the Malacca Straits, it happened. He was asleep one night whilst on a passage when all of a sudden he awoke being thrown from his bunk and the yacht on its side. All around was a thundering noise. Straight away he realized he had been run down. As he looked up, all he could see was a metal wall – the ship passing by. His next fear was the huge propeller as it passed. Luckily it did not affect him and the ship went on quietly into the night without even realizing what had happened. Kim on the other hand had to be the luckiest person on the planet at that particular time. He had been T-boned by a ship and lived to tell the story. Although he yacht was badly damaged and his mast bent, he managed to limp into the nearest port and carry out the necessary repairs. His next purchase was radar! A great couple and we were to meet up again in Chagos.
Then there was young Uli, a German, sailing all over the world in a tub! It must be some 25ft long and would appear not seaworthy for a trip across Durban Bay! However Uli has been all over. India , Maldives , up the Red Sea, Egypt Somalia
Next up was a Swiss guy on a 45ft ketch. A great yacht from the outside but apparently a shell on the inside. No cabins at all and also no engine. He has no power on board, only gas to cook the food. How the hell this guy managed, we had no idea. To make it more interesting, on board were his 2 kids, aged 9 and 7, and a maid. How guys like this do it, I had no idea?
However, here we were with everything that opens and closes and we could not even get out of Dar Yacht Club!!
Next up is the yacht club and here there are some weird and strange people. Top of the list had to be Toni, a woman about 78 years old who thought she owned the Quarter Deck Bar. She followed a strict routine. She was at the club virtually every day from 11am to 4pm. There she sat and abused people. She was full of the proverbial and for some reason, hated me! I had absolutely no idea why, but I was not the only one. She had many “enemies” including ALL children! She abused them at every chance. A sad old lady, whom I would imagine, had brought on the sadness all by herself. Hard as nails and will change for no one. Dan and Jen were certainly scared of her and avoided her at all costs!
The Q-Bar!
The finishing touches to Shayile!
We were winning. Two engines, and now power on board Shayile. The rudders were fixed and just need to be installed. The plan was to put them on in deep water and then beach Shayile to do the final tightening and positioning.
Getting them into position was no easy task and it took a lot of rope, holding breaths and every effort to get the rudder shaft up into the hull again. Once in place, we discovered that the welding burr would not slide up into the rudder shaft so off they came again and I had to file the welding down.
Again I tried and again no luck. Off they came again and just to add insult to injury, one of the rudders came loose from the ropes and sank to the sea bed about 14 meters down and no where to be seen. Fortunately our boat cleaner Rashidi came to the rescue. With lungs like a whale he went diving down and after a few attempts, located it. Soon he had a rope tied around it and we lugged it back to the surface. With that, we decided to beach Shayile and sort out the finer fitting on the hard.
A hard days work on Shayile!!
Dan, collecting mud worms!
With the tide right, we beached Shayile outside the Slipway Shopping center
On our next attempt, the wind was blowing too hard and we had to wait 3 days for it to calm down. As we were desperate to get the task done and leave for Seychelles
After some 3 hours of sleep, it was back to Slipway and onto the hard once again. Finally we got the last of the work done and the rudders were on. As we motored back to the yacht club, I tested the rudders and, although a bit stiff, they were working! In theory, we were now ready to go.
I asked Steven, the mechanic who did the engines, to come out and do sea trials with us. Both bilge pumps were running all too often and I needed him to look at it. (Water was leaking from somewhere in the engine room and it needed to be sorted out) We went out for 2 hours or so and gave the engines a good burn. They were sounding great. Steven then tackled the bilge issue. The port engine he explained was all ok and that it was just excess water from the “problem days”. (I should have known better!) The starboard engine needed a jubilee clip around a hose. This was done and my engines were given the all clear.
The rest of Saturday and all of Sunday were spent filling up with diesel and water, sorting out last minute buying and settling the account with the club.
All done and it was time to leave Dar for
Early on the morning of the 3rd March, we motored out of Dar Yacht Club. We had been there some 3 ½ months! Not out of choice but as a direct result of our engines and all the hassles we had with them.
As we motored out into the blue sea, we reflected on the time there. We certainly enjoyed Dar, the folks we met, and the club, and we certainly could have been stuck in a worse place! However we were glad to finally leave Dar and head for new destinations.A westerly wind picked up and soon we were under full sail and heading for Seychelles.
