CAPTAIN'S LOG January - March 2005

After a fun trip to the mountains for New Year with a large group of friends, we began January by picking up a delightful South African family in Zanzibar. We sailed all the way around the island during the 5 day trip with stops offs for snorkelling and diving at various islands, reefs and sandbanks en route. In addition the family had the opportunity to relax and enjoy each other's company, explore Stone Town and experience dinner at Emerson's famous roof top restaurant. We also thoroughly enjoyed their company and hope to welcome them again sometime.

We have been so fortunate in meeting many lovely people in the short time that we have been offering our charters. The comments we receive in our Guest Book are so encouraging that we feel very lucky with our lifestyle.

During the remainder of January, February and March we did a few day trips for birthday celebrations, plus some corporate events. One of the more memorable trips was a friend's surprise 50th birthday party that had been organised by his wife in total secret! It was a fantastic day with everyone dressed in 'Tops & Tails' with beachwear below. They looked brilliant as they stepped onboard and believe me they were ready for a party....

In early February we were able to join in the annual Lazy Lagoon weekend, which usually falls on or around Lynne's birthday. Whilst we had fun on the whole, the weekend was sadly marred by the demise of one of the classic old wooden yachts from DYC, which ran aground on the treacherous rocks near the entrance to the lagoon. Fortunately, Eric was in our dinghy in no time along with our crew, Geoffrey and another guest, Jim, and they went to the rescue. The boat was very badly damaged but luckily the crew escaped relatively unscathed but very shocked.

In mid-February, our new crew, Wesley & his lovely wife Nadine, arrived from South Africa. They are a delightful couple, very enthusiastic, capable and ready to welcome you onboard. Visit our Crew page for more details.

At around the same time as the arrival of Wesley & Nadine, Lynne's brother and his wife arrived from UK for a 2 week holiday, so we had the luxury of 'chartering' our own yacht as guests for a change! What an absolute pleasure and I can highly recommend the food. It was superb. We went to visit all the usual places around Menai Bay, Stone Town and offshore islands, reefs and sandbanks to show both the new crew and Lynne's brother & his wife. Yes, and we also got to go on the Spice Tour & wear the silly hats & ties!! Great fun.

Easter fell at the end of March this year, however we still had our usual charter with friends David & Bagita and their boys, Piers & Henry. It was an exploratory trip for them and Wesley and Nadine, as it gave the new crew an opportunity to revisit the places we showed them in February and develop their own style onboard. By the feedback we received from D & B, all went well and despite a rather 'windless' and consequently hot few days, it was enjoyed by everyone. They explored the Menai Bay area and enjoyed some new dive spots around Pamunda Island and 'Centenary' Island, plus they explored and swam in the Pamunda lagoon and looked at the giant clams there. Wesley even got Bagita in for a few dives, as it had been quite some time since she had been diving and he took Piers with him for a shallow dive to check out the anchor chain, which delighted Piers as he loves diving down and snorkelling, a natural in the water.

For the rest of the time Wesley & Nadine have been busy settling in and exploring Dar es Salaam. We have been working together to market some exciting trips for you and establish links with Travel Agents and Tour Operators both within and outside Tanzania, so check out our Cruises and Itinerary page for a sample 5 day trip. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further queries or a particular itinerary in mind.

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