Africa 2

WE lived in Oyster Bay on out skirts of Dar and thats the beach described in my poem African Skies all the government bungalows were in an acre of land and had a separate garage with servants quarters at the back of them.

Oyster Bay is a wonderful beach there are cliffs to the left as you look out to sea which we used to scramble up and tried in vain to hook an eel they always took both bait and hook.

video of beach

Oyster bay beach is approx a quarter of a mile long and crystal clear waters ideal for snorkeling and oh friends the wonders you could see as you swam in waters warm as a bath. No sharks or barracudas because of the reefs sand one minute the next coral reefs and wondrous pools with all sorts to find in them. Once we saw a squid but my Mum said don't touch it they bite, then with a cloud of ink it vanished.
My father built a trimaran in our garage hull by hull took him 2 years what fun we had on her. Cassarobo was her name main hull was 30 ft side two hulls 24 ft span of 18 ft and she slept 6 before that we had a 15 ft catamaran and one day we sailed out of Dar-es-Salaam harbour on our way to Inner Makatumbe island (locally know as honeymoon isle) about one nautical mile away one hull flooded and although my sister and I didn't realise we were in grave danger of sinking. Luckily for us eventually some other boats moored up on Honeymoon Isle saw our plight and rescued us I doubt I would be here today otherwise.
On another occasion we were sailing up Dar creek on our way to a beach now this creek turns to fresh water as you go up it.
Suddenly we heard Crack, crack, crack and round the bend doing the butterfly stroke came a hippo. My Dad warned us don't move or make a sound so we sat quiet as church mice as it swum past us and away into the distance (this was also on the catamaran I think she was a fated boat).
My father also build me a small boat called a dab chick now this is a boat that has two planks forged together with a helm and centreboard and a mast with 2 sails they were forever turning turtle in gusts of wind and you leaned on the centreboard to get them back upright (Similar to surf boards just 2 boards with hollow between them) One day us kids were out int the harbour racing each other from the yacht club to the sand spit on the other side of the harbour when it got Squally now every one else had the sense to go back to the yacht club but my dab was flying and I stayed out turned turtle twice and got her back up then, the next time we went over as I tried to right her she hit me hard on the head and promptly turned turtle again. Dazed I sat on the upside down hull as we drifted closer and closer to the harbour wall.
we were pretty close when the lifeboat rescued me. Needless to say that got me grounded from sailing her for the rest of the summer. It even made the local newspaper teenage girl nearly drowns lol There's been many times in my life I should not have lived to tell this tale some you will hear of as I narrate on
continued in Africa 3