Where on earth did 2018 go? I cannot believe we are now in 2019! I had big plans of doing a bi-weekly blog, but that went out the window when December’s “Silly Season” started and tourism in Kariba went crazy. Plus, my husband and I had a trip away to Hwange, to familiarize with that particular National Park.
Early December brought about our wedding anniversary and we found ourselves discussing how ironic it was that 4 years ago we paid big bucks to fly back to Zimbabwe from Zambia to spend our anniversary on Spurwing Island. And here we are now LIVING in Kariba! We wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary this year and realised we had the perfect opportunity doing an activity that Mystic Tours offers – an overnight yachting trip!
Neither Woody, nor myself, ever had any interest in sailing before but earlier this year we both attended the prize giving of the annual Yachting Rally held in Kariba and after having a look around some of the boats we were convinced we needed to experience it ourselves. As always, Nigel at Mystic Tours was very accommodating and organised the trip for the date we requested. He told us what we needed to pack. Which included whatever groceries, ice and drinks we would need for our meals for 24 hours (including for our skipper). We did not need to bring bedding as it is already provided and there is a fully kitted out galley that has everything you will need, including a little 2 plate gas stove, as well as a skottle braai. Drinks and meat are kept cold in a cooler box, so ice is an essential. If you want to fish, then make sure to remember your rod, tackle and bait.
Woody and I arrived as eager beavers a little early at the Cutty Sark Harbour and our skipper, Justice, arrived shortly after at precisely 10a.m. After paying for National Parks lake entry and fishing, we were soon on our way across the lake. We couldn’t believe how quiet and peaceful this mode of travel was. We are so used to being on a noisy speedboat on the lake, that within half an hour both Woody and I were so relaxed and at peace that we fell asleep on the deck benches!
We had an uneventful crossing to the Gache Gache area. There was a lack of wind power at one point, so we used the little 15HP Yamaha back-up engine, which worked most efficiently. No sooner had we tied up, than Woody had the fishing rods out and we tried our hand at both a bit of bream and tiger fishing. Sadly, we never landed anything. We were in prime position though to witness the most gorgeous sunset across the lake, so not catching any fish really didn’t matter.
While we enjoyed a couple of gin and tonics, Justice prepared our dinner on the skottle braai. After a simple braai meal, the cooking items were cleaned and cleared away. Justice expertly rigged up the mosquito net that covers the entire top deck, so we could sleep out under the stars, as opposed to below deck. We are very blessed to have amazing night skies with hardly any light pollution in Kariba, I can honestly say I have never seen the stars looking as beautiful as they did from the deck of the yacht – they looked like one continuous curtain of jewels, sparkling all night long. I will never forget being lulled to sleep by the gentle lapping of the waves against the yacht.
We were woken bright and early the next morning by a juvenile fish eagle making a huge racket trying to get attention from his parents to feed him. It was most amusing to see the parents ignore him, until eventually the noise was too much and one of the parents dive-bombed him (in my opinion, like an adult telling their teenage child to grow up and get out and get a job).
While Justice got the yacht in order, Woody cooked us breakfast on the shoreline, what a beautiful spot to cook and eat a meal. Soon it was time to head back, but not without us learning to do some proper sailing. Justice was very patient with us and we learned a lot. I am still not confident enough to take out a yacht on our own, (luckily, we never will with the likes of Justice and his colleagues who can assist us) but we now know which sides are Port and Starboard, what it means when the sails “laugh”, and a few more basic yachting moves and common phrases.
For anyone wanting to do something a little different when they come to Kariba, I can highly, highly recommend the yachting trips. You are able to hire the yachts out for more than one night, so you can plan your ideal number of days that you want the peace and quiet of the yacht and the lake. Although we didn’t see much game on this trip due to the thickness of the bush, previous groups have seen anything from elephants to lion kills.
Just imagine sailing off into the sunset with your partner for a couple of days in paradise.
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