The J&B kayak quest

With the alluring thought of ice-cold lagers and a shower awaiting us at Pemba Dive & Bush Camp, we made short work of the drive to Pemba, arriving just as the sun hit the horizon. This beautiful camp is located on a magnificent coastal stretch and overlooks the second biggest natural harbour known to humanity.

Later that evening, with the drool-inducing smell of prawns on the braai, fridges full of frosted beer and a roaring bonfire on the beach, thoughts of missing home soon began to fade. Nourished and fired up for our adventure, it was time to gather information from the experts; aka the locals. From the outset, I sensed they did not share the same opinion about the outcome of our venture. I had to wait until the next day to find out why.

Early the next morning, and day four of the trip, we began prepping and packing our aptly named kayaks, The Krakons (large never-say-die vessels). Fresh out of Legend Kayak’s factory, the kayaks had been put through their paces. The sail proved to be a beauty and provided me with a 4.5-knot speed. The motor, on the other hand, was not as accommodating or capable and duly discarded.

As the sun dropped behind the bay, we felt fairly confident in our preparations and a celebratory lager was promptly consumed. All that was required now was a break in the weather, more specifically, a few days without a strong wind, which was howling at a steady 20-25 knots from the south. Combined with a 4-knot current from the north, it would make for a bumpy ride.

Shortly after our celebratory sundowners, a delegation of experts, led by Lynne, Pemba Dive & Bush Camp's Manageress, and Zsa-Zsa, a 20-year sailing veteran, explained in no uncertain terms the error of our ways. First, we would most undoubtedly encounter breakers on the open water and second, the ocean takes a few days to settle down after strong winds (this was completely omitted in our planning phase). Somewhat red faced, we had to concede our planning was off by three months. Zsa-Zsa reckoned the channel would resemble a fish pond between October and December; apart from the odd cyclone. Fortunately, we are not okes that dwell on past mistakes and soon a new plan was hatched; we would transport our kayaks to Comoros well in advance and cross the channel in October 2015. In the meantime, we decided to take some time out and explore this amazing part of the world over the next seven days, and so our packing resumed in earnest.

Ibo Island is approximately 100 km north of Pemba and renowned for its superb fishing.

Fishing was something both Brian and I were keen to try our hand at and were confident we could easily paddle to Ibo within three days, with the assistance of a following wind. At this point, I will spare you the details of the dark days that followed and why we could hardly accomplish 40 km in 48 hours. Suffice to say, hardships befell us and after getting stuck on a tidal beach, two options emerged; either find a road inland, then collect our vehicle in Pemba and drive to Ibo or find a sizeable dhow as a charter.