Trading to EAT in remote Madagascar | Sailing MADAGASCAR... Ep 385
4 January 2025 · 21 min · 27K views · Nosy Be
What this video covers
Nandji - Frothlyfe is cruising the northwest corner of Madagascar near Nosy Be, heading north along the coast toward the Mitzi'o Archibaldi archipelago to revisit islands bypassed during the initial clearance stop at Hellville on Nosy B. The area offers a distinctive diurnal wind pattern — easterly in the morning, westerly in the afternoon — but the northern coast sees 50-plus-knot trade winds, making anchorage selection critical.1:06 The crew navigates largely uncharted, reef-strewn water using satellite imagery and a bow watch, since charts lack detail.1:48 A first anchorage fails when the wind shifts to the northeast instead of the expected southeast, blowing straight into the bay and leaving Nandji - Frothlyfe exposed on a lee shore near a reef; Josh stays awake all night monitoring drag alarms.4:42 Underwater, barnacles on the prop shaft and rudder boot are traced to extended marina stays in Thailand and Réunion; a dive reveals the prop speed coating (marketed in Australia as One Speed) still has its slick surface and the growth pops off easily.9:28 The crew trades snorkeling fins, a mask, and a spear-gun rubber with a local fisherman named Olbeyan for fresh cod, then tows his dugout canoe five and a half miles back to his village against a building westerly chop.16:53 Baobab trees on a nearby island — some species living over a thousand years — are explored on foot, with the crew staying clear of what appears to be a rock-marked sacred site.18:22
Boats in this video
More from Sailing Nandji - Frothlyfe
From Sailing Nandji - Frothlyfe — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.