Midnight Mikindani

The day proved long.

The wind was weak and the currents obstinantly against us.

It's a great reminder: nature is indifferent to the plans of puny mortals.

So... may as well relax and enjoy the view. I did that. A lot. The sea was tranquil and smooth for the most part, a picture of beauty.
At 3 knots with luffing sails, we had a lot of time to appreciate it as we motored south.

As the day turned to night for the second time the wind had freshened and we were ripping along at 6+ knots. The blinding red disk of sun dropped into clouds and reminded me of a graphic print, so sharp and vivid.

The night proved some of the best sailing we had all day.

The harbor at Mtwara is deceptively large with a narrow barely-marked channel. Driving in felt like a video game as I stared at the nav screen and trusted Olivier to call out tiny fisherman canoes that my light-blinded eyes could not see. The 2 knot putter was torture to me. I just wanted it to *end*. My brain, exhausted and frustrated flipped through lists of grievances from the past; digging up memories to match the bad vibes I felt. To the people whose names I cursed... Sorry about that. Funny how my brain does that, finds reasons for the feelings vs. being present to what was needlessly upsetting me. Funny-not-funny.

As midnight drew nigh, we finally dropped anchor. We hadn't planned a 33hr transit but I'm pleased with how well it went. Grabbing 1hr catnaps with a thrumming diesel and the (usually) gentle sway of the sea was surprisingly restorative, but I'm tired. I've never sailed at night before and this was a challenging introduction to it. Full send.
The cathartic channel thinking left me more exhausted, still but... Maybe I let go of some things? One can hope.

We celebrated a safe arrival with a very short pour of very warm scotch and fell into a 6hr coma... I woke to glance at the sunrise but couldn't muster the will to leave bed until Olivier started coffee.... Ahhhh.... Magic bean juice from Zanzibar (thanks Julie!!). Add some fruit and cookies, happy time.

Now Olivier (France) and I (California) are seated happily in the Mtwara "Yacht Club" chatting with Diego (Argentina) and Anna (France) of The Tortuga. We throw spanish, english, and french around.... Switching fluidly and repeating phrases lost. They know a few phrases of Swahili and that bubbles up sometimes too.

I have the sound of a gentle sea lapping onto the sand, a tv blabbering, birdsong, and cars. There are mangroves and baobob trees surrounding a tranquil bay, and a gentle seabreeze refeshes us as we sit in 78° (26°) shade. I took a swim then a shower, washed my hair. Simple joy.

I'm grateful to have stumbled into this. I don't know exactly how I did but it is touching a part of my soul and I am happy.En savoir plus