Exploring Southern Africa
When we left England in 2013, our expectation was to be living aboard Freebooter for the forseeable future with periodic visits back to the UK to see family and friends. … Continue reading
The Old Postal Road
Up in the Cederburg mountains, a trail links Biedow Camp and the Tankwa Karoo Reserve across a mountain plateau. The name comes from the 1800’s when a 19 year old … Continue reading
Les Chutes de Carbet
Much is made of these waterfalls, some of the highest around. Coming in a set of 3, the 2nd is the most popular attraction (110m drop) with its bathing pools, … Continue reading
Red Rock
Before anyone gets the wrong idea, Annemarie took this photo! These Herero ladies seek to show the traditional way of living, including grinding the red sandstone rocks to powder and … Continue reading
The Red Sands
There is a renowned petrified forest at Sossusvlei. Set in the middle of huge red dunes, the contrasting white ‘lake bed’ with its dead tress is both vast and haunting. … Continue reading
A Girl’s Best Friend
Namibia is famous for its diamonds. In fact a large part of the country is ‘off-limits’ without a guide and a permit for fear that you might go off-piste and … Continue reading
And for dessert…..
Namibia has a lot of sand. We saw a lot of it on our road trip, and a lot of it ended up in the car, the sleeping bag, etc. … Continue reading
A Profitable Death
Funerals in Ghana carry a different slant. If you are ‘someone’ this can involve taking out full page colour ads in the local paper, listing all the principal mourners and setting … Continue reading
A Whistlestop Tour of South Africa – Part 2
A six hour trip took us to Birds of Eden, the largest aviary in the world, where you see everything from Macau’s to Flamingos to Fruit Bats flying free in … Continue reading
A Whistlestop Tour of South Africa – Part 1
When our Australian teacher friend, Wendy, asked if she could come and visit us in South Africa, the brief was broad – she wanted “to see as much as … Continue reading
Homelessness
It is winter here in Johannesburg, and as I write the wind and rain is lashing the windows, we had hail earlier, there are snow warnings in the mountains, and … Continue reading
Okavango Delta
After yet another very early start, we drove up into the Okavango to stay in the Moremi reserve. The Third Bridge Camp is a very long way in, and … Continue reading
A Trip to Botswana
The close proximity of two public holidays, one for the local elections, gave us the opportunity to go and explore Africa some more. Our nephew, Max, has joined us … Continue reading
Pets and other critturs!
Staying in the same place for a few days helps one to make friends. A boat’s hull makes a great hiding place from local predators as they cannot see you … Continue reading
Nature at its best…
There are dolphins, and there are dolphins! At dusk off St Vincent, we were treated to a huge pod of these wonderful mammals, spread out over around half a mile. … Continue reading
Beggars
I know we have mentioned this before but… Johannesburg has a growing challenge with all sorts of begging at the robots (traffic lights). The presentation of their visual pleas ranges … Continue reading
Beauty and the Beast
Whilst South Africa ran away on holiday for two weeks, thanks to three public holidays in 10 days, some people were stuck with having to work through with just Good … Continue reading
The Pink Globe
The spectacular Zulu Memorial at Blood River showing the shields of the different chiefs. One always likes to think of one’s country as a peaceable entity, … Continue reading
The One-Legged Army
One-Legged Army? Looking for somewhere different for a day out, a colleague suggested Parys, (pronounced Par-ace). Apparently named after Paris, the two places could not be more different. A quaint little … Continue reading
Unusual Luggage, escaping dinghy, and best laid plans…
One of the perpetual challenges for cruisers is electrical power. We all get a bit paranoid about leaving the lights on, even if they are all LEDs now. Then there … Continue reading
Where next – Marie Galante and beyond
Getting back on board seemed a bit strange for once. We were surprised by the number of things that had decided to stop working whilst we were absent, so it … Continue reading
Seasonal shift
A good time to bail out is when Johannesburg starts its rainy season. Having lived in the UK for most of our lives, we do not share the locals’ enthusiasm … Continue reading
Its all been a bit hectic…
We have been rather quiet, so here is a bit of an update After a manic decommissioning of Freebooter in Grenada at the end of June, it was back to … Continue reading
Hijackers!
We were invited to a supper evening by friends from church. As it was not far away, no need for the satnav said Annemarie. The street was easy enough to … Continue reading
Bully on our doorstep
Anchored off Frigate Island, (part of Union Island), there was a very rare photo opportunity. Within a few feet of the boat, a brown booby had caught a fish … Continue reading
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