Why after 20 years of bareboat charters around the world do you need a sailing qualification, Nikki asked? A very good question with a convoluted answer. In many parts of the world, a sailing qualification is not required to charter – sailing ability and resumé are much more important. European countries are getting more sticky, …
Sunday Öckerö. We woke up late and well refreshed after our mad rush the day before. We had another shower in the spotless facilities. Over a leisurely breakfast we chatted to our Swedish neighbours who were finishing a 3 week sailing holiday. They highly recommended Marstrand, which we had planned to avoid as it sounded too …
Sailing in Gothenburg – Part 2: The Bohuslän Coast Read More »
I love the first day of picking up a new yacht charter. It’s like it’s own voyage of discovery – the idiosyncrasies of a new boat, local provisions, making sense of the charts and orienting ourselves to the new environment and it’s generally rushed as you are eager to leave harbour and start the new …
Sailing in Gothenburg – Part 1: The adventure begins Read More »
Two years ago we bumped into our good friends Sharon and Fred in Kalk Bay, Cape Town of all places. We both live in Johannesburg.“Come to our daughter’s wedding – we’re having it in the Bahamas!”Well, of course we said yes! And we suggested a week of sailing ahead of Shawni and Craig’s wedding. The …
The changing tide burbles along the hulls, birds chirp in the trees all around and the murmurs of an awakening fishing village – hidden in the dense jungle upstream – drift across the water. As the first longtail clatters its way out to sea, the river slowly comes to life. We are anchored a mile …
A gentle thump against the hull wakes us. We look through the port hole and see a motor boat puttering away. Curious, we go on deck and there, at the stern, is a freshly baked pidebread, delivered by Captain Nemo. Still hot to the touch, the smell is mouth watering. We cut thick wedges, slather in …
“Welcome to Trat!” proclaimed the sign at the airport. We admired the green topiaries that had been cleverly crafted into elephant shapes. After all, Thailand’s third largest island after Phuket and Koh Samui, Koh Chang is fondly known as ‘Elephant Island’ because of its mammoth size and elephant shaped headland. 🐘 Forming part of the Mu …
I glimpse the moonlit road through gaping holes in the floorboard as we career through villages nestled in the tropical vegetation, dark shadows clustered around cooking fires, thumping music temporarily drowning the clatter. There is a bone jarring crash as the taxi hits yet another pothole. Conversation is impossible, so I am still in the …
Sailing from Madagascar to Richards Bay, South Africa Read More »
Water smashed over the boat, drenching us as the bow dug into another wave. I needed one hand for the wheel and the other to protect my eyes from the rain, driven horizontally like pellets by the howling wind. Lightening flashes pierced the gloom, revealing the harbour entrance steadily getting closer but not as quickly …
The sails flap as we thread our way slowly between the sheer limestone karsts of Phang Nga Bay, our wake the only disturbance in the pea-green expanse. The chatters of the swooping swallows echo against the imposing cliffs. We are in heaven. The limestone cliffs of Phang Nga Bay are calcium carbonate, which is generally white. …
50 identical, brand new, French built Catamarans stretch out across the sand. Their sails resplendent in the colours of the United Arab Emirates; their crews eager for the Race Committee’s signal to launch into the azure waters of the Persian Gulf for the first race of the qualifiers for the 1996 Hobie 16 World Championships. …
Les saveurs de la vie is a blog about lifestyle, travel, food, photography and other musings. We are Nikki and Geoff, married since 1995 and based in Johannesburg, South Africa 🇿🇦.