To Musoma
250 km in 4 days

071025  07:00 (saa moja) Departure Ukerewe-Musoma-Kisumu (Kenya) E 2 freshening 6. We do not wake the sleeping Bronkhorst family for goodbye.

Photo: Canoe "Mtoto" though unstable (one person on the side makes it capsize), behaving remarkably well when towed in big waves (nothing of the water inside had come over the boards). Note the mast foot and mast beam, she will sail!

Philemon wants to head NE for the channel, I know better, but wait for him to change his mind and yes, he also starts to realize our golden chance with E 6 is to go NNW and round Ukerewe West before the NW wind sets in. Ton calls. We do not answer. We do the astonishing 63 km and just fail to round the point. We are mooring 14:45 at point 25/10 of full screen sat lake photo (in separate window).

Photo: mooring West Ukerewe ( point 25/10 of full screen sat lake photo (in separate window), nicely protected from evening West waves by an island.

071026 07:00 E 4 freshening to 6. We head N to position ourselves for the afternoon NW. 09:15 We anchor lee side of Kamassi island, waiting for the wind turn. Wind turns 16:00, very late, to N 3 freshening to 6. Normal is NW or even W. We barely make it through the channel between Ukerewe and Kamassi (photo below) and reach Ukara at sunset, where we moor. 

Photo: one of the probably 100 or so lake beacons from colonial times, with two fish eagles. Maintenance and lighting is considered an overtone of western civilization ever since independence.

071027 07:00 SE 4, crew, sleeping, wakes up at sound of my coffee grinder. Philemon deems departure not urgent, counting on afternoon wind to reach Musoma (112 km). I think different: this wind's beam reach port is N. If afternoon wind would be like yesterday we should make 45 km on that morning heading to reach Musoma.  But after all, what is my hurry? I let Philemon have his way and make another coffee.

Photo: Pelicans at Ingiro Point, Ukara Island

Photo: storm developing behind us, above Ukerewe (island out of sight)

13:30 afternoon wind NW 1 freshening to 4 only enough to reach the lull of Buruza Island 43 km E 20:00 (pitch dark, sun down moon down). My option would have yielded 30 km progress more and a mid lake mooring (waves, not funny).

Photo: Philemon and Kos go shopping at Buruza Island (not much more than a rock) trading centre

071028 07:00 E 4, no hurry: our profit from morning wind is short. 10:00, after some shopping, we leave. Wind had shifted to SE 5, no question of waiting for afternoon wind: we head over port only 18^o down course, VMG  90%, 11:00 shift back to E 2-3, hence heading N. Afternoon wind sets in 13:00 NW 3 freshening to 6.
19:00 arrival Musoma (the day's total 74 km!). Crew now united in opposing captain's evening swim, since Mara River infested with crocodiles, captain complies.

Photo: Sunset arrival at Musoma harbour in Mara River Bay
 

In the evening, full moon shining inside through our hatch, we received two of Philemon's previous crew (three others are now dead, one on land, one sinking and drowning, one falling in the hold). Seeing our halyard winch one said: "if I would sail on this one I would get fat".

Photo: Philemon and full moon