27 September Nosy Lava

1. 14.33.39S 47.37.81E 10m
2. 14.34.84S 47.36.71E 6m sand

Nosy Lava is a large island lying approximately north south. It is possibly the last safe place to get in the water and check the hull before departing for South Africa. All subsequent anchorages will be in rivers which have murky water and murkywater crocodiles.

We arrived late in the afternoon with Ngalawa and we both found the bays on the north east side were being blasted by a north west wind. The south side of the island, under a bluff gave us better protection and calmer seas.

looking north from 2nd anchor spot

light house by Gustav Eiffel

view from light house

Next morning the wind had shifted to offshore southerly and we could motor around to anchor off the old prison and old jetty. The Ngalawa's were faster out of the starting blocks than we were and were already on the island by the time we had anchored.

prison gates

Prisoner accommodation

Near the old jetty are the abandoned buildings of a prison which was closed in 2004 after a cyclone damaged it. Living in one of the old buildings is a small, sad looking family. We asked them which way to reach the abandoned lighthouse, an early Eiffel tower, designed by the same Gustav Eiffel of Paris fame, which sits atop the highest point. We followed a man made path until it ended at a stone building. From there we struck out cross country up gulleys, around hillocks on the zebu paths to the light house. As you would expect there were great views across all the island in luding spotting the path we should perhaps have taken. Going off piste once more we leaped like gazelles down the hillside to the path where we met the Ngalawas and their guide. They'd been to see the nest of the only crocodile on the island, but he wasn't there.

Back at the beach we spent another half hour walking through the prison, being shown the spooky isolation cells and blocks where 40 prisoners were held. At one time there were 1600 inmates. The French speaking guide was unable to understand, or us to convey, questions about when it was first a prison, but he did show us a lot of zebus and goats who now choose to live here.

We were back on our respective boats at 10 o'clock and underway to Moramaba bay shortly afterwards.