Saturday 3 November 2018

Decided not to stay until Monday and didn't want extra bogus charges to clear out on the weekend so did it yesterday, told them we were leaving at 1600 - didn't. They don't care (or notice) unless you're staying over 30 days, which incurs additional cost, probably sanctioned, to extend visa. More bogus fees were demanded. Port captain wanted 35K for port clearance, which he got, then immigration wanted 80,000 ariary, but when we pushed back decided 40K was the correct amount, about 11 USD. They asked for 160K from Liberte. Madagascar is almost as expensive as Australia and they don't even use the money to infantilize their citizens (for their own good of course).

Three trips across town with six jerry cans got us a full load of gasoil (diesel) and a wee dram of petrole or sans plomb (gasoline). Trip from Reunion was sorely lacking in sailing so used a lot of fuel. Under normal circumstance wind would have been strong to excessively strong in which case no top up might have been needed to continue on for Richard's Bay where too little or much too much can be expected. The Mozambique Channel seems to alternate between small breezes from the north or gales from the south against the Agulhas Current, which kicks up seas into the "kiss your butt goodbye" range. What comes next is just idle maundering and not to be sanctioned under any circumstance because it is wrong, but if one didn't need fuel one could pass up the ports of entry, Iles St Marie, Hellville and Mahajunga, and spend as much time as he wanted in Madagascar. Immigration and customs infrastructure is non-existent because none of the money taken is used for it. Anyone who might notice is probably trying to scam you (northwest side park, for example) and is afraid to turn you in. This suggestion is absolutely, positively wrong and should not be done. By the way, this is exactly the technique used in Mozambique when hiding from ugly weather before continuing south. They apparently don't mind, particularly if they don't see you.

Bewilderingly, a large cruise ship came in this morning. Apparently Hellville gets one every couple of weeks. The port was a madhouse of cruise-ship-looking people. Changed our plan to visit Lemuria Land due expected inundation of humanity. Ship leaves tonight. We'll go early tomorrow and depart anchorage for somewhere close. At least that's the current iteration of the pliable plan.

Jack