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Chaotic weather conditions in Tofo!

For three days here now – we have had an intermittent deluge. With a blasting onshore to boot. As we write this, the storm surge has breached the high tide bank at Tofo Beach- and we still have another half metre of tide to come! Local radio has issued a flood and cyclone warning…although it’s not clearly a typical cyclone system.

Obviously fishing has been out. Only surfers here are holding out for some waves. Even the market is shut down! In EDM’s credit, they have kept the power on right throughout this three day storm.

But for the most, it’s indoors.

Check out this fabulous indigenous weather website: http://www.weatherphotos.co.za/ for continual updates.

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Offshores in summer!

Waking up to a magnificent offshore wind blowing uncharacteristically brisk for summer…something weather-wise was surely up (pity the waves weren’t!). Our 9am launch put us into the teeth of the day’s heat…cruising to Linga Linga to snorkel for sea horses and panzy shells – and hopefully look out for them elusive Queen Mackeral (Natal Snoek) – that were running this time last year. By mid day the sun was so hot, we had to take shelter. Linga Linga to the rescue again!

After delicious lunch with refreshments…Henry, Jean, Ronald, Graeme and Allison and us headed back to Barra into the strongest Southerly we have had to endure for a while. 35knots plus! Our 25ft Cat was just enough…anything smaller would have had us wet and uncomfortable.

We dragged a few lures on the way home, but the Snoek stayed hidden…the only way to know – is to go! The weather looks great for this next week…stay posted!

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December Blues!

Huge winds and waves kept us in the bay yesterday – yet even at Linga Linga the tide vs the wind made for some rough going! Deon and John up from Maputo joined Keith, Farhad, Paul, Buck and I. Trolling into the main channel the birds were looking interested but after 2 hours with no strikes we were angling for the Linga Linga bar. When all of a sudden the port side Rapala screamed. Paul grabbed the rod and after chasing the big fish for 20 minutes, it eventually threw the hooks. Would love to have seen what it was – the one that got away. Today again the sea and wind are calling the shots – but there is always tomorrow.

Some of the regular “local” OET guys have been having a great time – reports of large catches of couta and snapper are filtering through…

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Malaria #15

This is how it happens to me, personally…Paul Cook and I at this time of the year, besides having our own boats to fix, get called up from all over the place. Carbs oiled up, holes in boats, gearboxes etc…usually from the boats being unused for many months at a time.

In Morrungulo… Bonito Bay, another sprawling lodge with the works. Beautiful pool overlooking the ocean…casitas, houses, and dive centre…where we had three sets of carbs to get stuck into. This is where it gets complicated. Bonito Bay sent a bakkie to fetch us, but without a canopy. Anyway, a jury rigged shade cloth had us on the road. 2 And a half hours later, we realised the shadecloth  was not helping much. But, we got the motors all firing proper, and back on the bakkie, in the heat of the next day. From Maxixe we rented a sailing dhow and crossed the bar to Inhambane. Back at base. Next day a launch in 35 degrees. Next day fix a hole in a brand new boat, and more carbs, all in the baking heat.

That’s when it hit. A searing set of pains through my body – feels like lightning and thunder in your muscles. Knowing I had to get pills quick, but that the clinic was a few clicks away, I took a Neodal painkiller, and laboured on. Beeeeeg mistake.

Anopheles Mosquito carries Malaria
Anopheles Mosquito carries Malaria

The three more hours it took me to get treatment, was too much. By evening I was a shrivelling wreck, and could not understand how it could have got me so fast and so severely. This is my 15th time, but I never knew anything so severe before.

So the pills went down at about 3pm. Normally I feel an improvement after 6 or 8 hours…but not this time…no waaaay! By midnight I had soaked through jeans, a long sleeve T, a sweater, and a hunting jacket…!

But the little monsters within would not budge. I was feeling the usual waves, but the respites were short and sleep impossible during them anyway. By the next morning…no improvement. Can’t eat. Can’t walk around. Can’t sleep. Can’t think. Malaria really confuses you, luckily I had Paul checking on me every hour or two, through the night and day.

Later this day, I had my first decent respite…took a long hot shower and ventured to the restaurant. Watching Capt Norm Isaacs on DSTV was a treat, but soon the little monsters within returned. With vengeance. The diarhea hit at midnight. Like a sledgehammer. With vomiting. Until everything was out. Luckily I had taken the evenings gourmet course of pills way before, and they were way digested.

I never though malaria could be this bad! And it just would not let up!

It’s Saturday (6 days later) as I pen this, it really is the first day I feel clear…although it still feels like I am hungover as hell.

Some malaria information…

  • It takes about 7 to 10 days for the parasites to start their dirty work. And they can take up to 6 months to get going too! So once bitten…
  • Symptoms include but limited to: muscular and joint pains, lower back pain, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, feeling cold all the time, sweating, confusion. Any of these in combination or even singularly (joint pains), deserves a test at least.
  • The cure – artesunate(from Chinese Wormwood) in many variations, is freely available here in Moz. Go to any roadside clinic, make a donation, and get a few packs. You really should keep some with you, anytime after you have been in a malaria area (mal-area translates to bad area)
  • Once you have the disease. Do not drink alcohol. This is how you will die. Malaria attacks the liver mainly, and the liver under attack cannot deal with alcohol at all. Sugar as we get it in processed form is also not good at all.
  • What is good? Eat oranges and other fresh sources of vitamin c. Fruit is definitely the way forward. Eating is almost impossible but you have to concentrate and force food down. Oily food will make you vomit straight away, and again, oil is too much for your suffering liver. Freshly squeezed fruit juice or smoothies will taste like heaven though, as will herbal tea. Coffee is out…to much caffeine. Water, water, water.
  • After you have got better, a course of anti-biotics (doxy usually) will complete the healing process. Staying off alcohol will stand you in good stead, and a generally healthy lifestyle needs to replace whatever it was you doing before, that may have gotten your immune system down.
  • Stay out of the sun when you have malaria. It aggravates your condition and symptoms.
  • Relapses occur. If you do not get yourself back to tiptop condition before you resume your normal lifestyle, expect a relapse. Funnily enough, I still get malaria beginning each December…UNLESS…

Tinctures of Chinese Wormwood. Available all over and on the internet,if you take a few drops of this stuff every day,you will NOT get malaria. There are enough of us in this town to be able to make assumptions about this – families and individuals living here for ages swear by the stuff and the results are plain to see.

Unfortunately, some staff saw me taking my drops, and thinking they were magic muti or whatever, drank my entire bottle in a day.That was August. I had this malaria coming…

Please note that the above is my personal experience of malaria. I am not an expert or a  doctor. But this is what 15 bouts has taught me…

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