Overland vehicle build, where do I start?

 

Something I often get asked is where do I start with an overland vehicle build or what should I fit first? I’m Christoff, welcome to Get Out, Go!

Christoff; I’m joined today by Gavin who’s done 100’s of overland vehicle fitments and is, himself, a very experienced and passionate overlander who consults on overlanding vehicle builds and general overland topics. I'm often asked “where do I start” building an overland vehicle or “what order should I build it” so where do we start?

Gavin;

Before you can begin to decide what to fit you need to;

NB: Know that, by and large, you can overland without all the kit. Most 4x4’s are very capable without doing anything to them. This is a myth that all shops and magazines want you to believe.

1.       Your thoughts must be on reliability, simplicity and ability to access.

2.       If you’re going to have someone do this for you, then they should be willing to spend time with you, ask you all of the questions and then start. Most, not all, fitment centres are there to sell product as that’s where their money comes from – and they might not have YOUR best interests at heart. The best is to have someone independent working for you on this.

a.       Suspension systems are not all the same

b.      Roofracks are not all the same

c.       Canopies are not all the same

d.      Drawer Systems, dual battery systems, fridges, etc. etc. all have different strengths and weaknesses.

3.       Know your vehicle. Whether you have one or are going to buy one, research your vehicle – what you can / can’t do with it.

4.       Offroad driver training is a must. This should include at least an introduction to recovery techniques and tyre pressure management.

5.       Know what you’re going to use this vehicle for. Trail driving or overlanding. The two requirements are often different.

6.       Camping – roof top, ground or trailer camping? This has a big impact on space configuration and suspension requirements.

7.       Bush camping or organised campsites?

8.       Weekly, monthly, 6 monthly or annually? Your frequency will have a huge impact on what you decide to do and when you do it. Winter camping, summer camping, coastal or bush?

9.       If at all possible – before you fit anything other than a roof rack, you should possibly look at renting or borrowing as much as possible to ensure that this is a lifestyle or a once off – especially if there is a partner involved.

10.   In short, while the end results might look similar, there is not a once size fits all in deciding what to do and when to do it.

Christoff; okay so now I have a fairly good idea of what I’ll be using my vehicle for and what to look for before I start building, what’s next?

Gavin; Weight and high COG are NOT your friend.

11.   Apart from ride stability and consumption, which is massively impacted by weight and weight distribution, there is a finite gap between Tare and GVM on your vehicle. If your Tare is 1000 Kg and your GVM is 1900 Kg then your payload is 900 Kg. That 900Kg encompasses everything you want to load;

12.   Here is a “fun” exercise;

Items	Kilos
Driver and Passenger	200
Bull Bar	45
Winch	40	With plasma rope
Fuel 180L	170	You have 10L included in Tare
Rear Bumper	50
Rear Wheel Carrier	60	With Wheel
80L Fridge - Full	60
Drawer System	70
Roof Rack	15
Roof Top Tent	70
Gas Bottles x 2	10
270 Awning	30
Water 60L	60
Bashplates	30
Dual Battery	30
	940

 

13.   You’re already 40 Kg’s over and you haven’t loaded anything, AND you haven’t factored in your heavy A/T tyres.

14.   Overlanding is as much about what you need as what you want and remember, the guy fitting your kit will probably not tell you about this and your insurance company might not pay out if you’re overloaded.

Christoff; I know my load capacity and more or less what I want to fit, what’s next?

Gavin;

Quality Fitment

Do NOT skimp on the quality of fitment – especially with the electrical work. It must be properly lugged, crimped, heat shrunk and the correct cabling MUST be used. Time is money and to do it properly will cost extra, but it will also save you. Specify how you want your cabling finished.

There is much that you can do yourself and save yourself a bomb, but if you’re not confident or competent, rather don’t. The good thing about doing it yourself is that you know exactly how it works and where it is. However, doing it badly means a world of hurt coming your way at some stage.

If you’ve answered all of the initial questions for yourself, or for the person arranging your fitment, then you can start to decide on what your vehicle is going to need to accommodate your packing requirements. While Pickups and SUV’s are different, the fundamentals of packing and requirements are very similar. Storage is storage – whether it’s in the back of an SUV or a Pickup. Other than the actual detailed design, in my view, the only difference is in the quality of insulation. If it’s in the load bin – you don’t mind a bit of rattling, BUT in an SUV, rattling is going to annoy your after a few hundred kilos – especially if some of those are dirt roads.

Suspension and Tyre Size – From safety, comfort, reliability and durability points of view most these are the two most important accessories that you will ever do on an Overlander. They can be considered together and should be done last. Only after you have determined the configuration and use of your vehicle should suspension be considered – this is both to manage the lift and weight carrying capability and it’s really important to get this correct. Tyres are also considered at this stage as, with a suspension upgrade, you might want to consider a tyre of a different profile. Higher profile tyres are THE ONLY way that you can get more genuine ground clearance on your vehicle.

With suspension, if you are not prepared to spend the money to get a decent brand of suspension that has been specified for your vehicle, rather don’t make any changes. Anything other than doing this properly will be a downgrade – not an upgrade. Coil spacers, strut spacers, leaf spring spacers and extended shackles are NOT a suspension upgrade. They might make your vehicle look better and give you space for bigger tyres, but they will not improve your ride, your articulation or increase your safety – in fact it might well be worse.

A point of departure for doing it properly – as high as you have to, as low as possible. Anything over 2.5 to 3 inches and you need to change a whole lot more.

Recovery Points, Hi-Lift Jacking points – Do them. The order is irrelevant

Bull Bar – Frontal Protection, approach angles – if you’re going to tour anywhere in Africa, especially in rural areas, with donkeys, goats and cattle it is definitely worth considering. Make sure that it has built in fog lights – to provide the extra lighting that you might need. Be very wary of locally manufactured bars – purely from a safety point of view. There is NO local bar that has been airbag tested or certified, so check with your insurer.

Bars also come in “urban” (no loops) and “bush” (normally 3 loop) derivatives. The urban bars look great, but the bush bars deliver far better frontal protection.

Compressor and deflator – It’s a must have, the deflator is nice to have.

Snorkel – lots of wading and dust – Completely unnecessary for tar roads, or solo and short gravel roads. It’s a great idea where you’re going to do a lot of wading and long gravel roads, especially in convoys. Remember, once this is done, in most cases it cannot be undone.

Radio - For short trips with others, a handheld is fine. For longer trips a vehicle mounted one with decent range is a distinct advantage.

Dual Battery System – If you’re going to have a fridge, then this is a must. You can choose between expensive or cheaper – depending on your requirements. If bush camping is in your future it’s well worth considering solar input. If you can, it is preferable to put the second battery as near to the point of use as possible. The heat in the engine bay is not good for batteries, and some of the chargers do not handle those temperatures either.

Cargo Space and Storage – This is probably the most important part of the whole equation, and this includes the fridge size that you choose. The fridge size might well be what determines the design of your storage setup in the boot or load bin.

This is an area where you can really consider building or fabricating your own. While the bought ones come in a variety of sizes and designs and tend to have really good finishes, you can save a lot of money doing your own – especially if you have a pickup.

Fridge – There are those that will tell you to use a cooler box with ice. It is true – these will work on trips of shorter duration. Experience has taught us that a fridge is your second most important choice for longer durations. You cannot buy ice everywhere. Ice is like your wife or rifle – you simply do not make it available to your fellow travellers. On long overlanding trips this is a very valuable item.

Think carefully on the size, make and configuration of your fridge. If you’re prepared to practice fridge management on a daily basis, you can go smaller. This helps with your space and weight. A fridge slide is a must.

Roof rack – Unless you have a pickup with a canopy, a roof rack is almost a must for the extra packing space that you will require. If you’re considering any sort of roof top tent and awning, this makes up your mind for you and a roof rack is in your future.

Canopy – With Africa’s security situation and theft, a canopy becomes as serious consideration for a pickup, especially for extended touring.

You should carefully consider which you choose – remembering that the aluminium is lighter than stainless steel and seals better for dust than a fibreglass canopy. Remember, you MUST fit a tailgate dust kit – irrespective of whether the canopy has a positive pressure vent or not.

Winch? – This one of life’s bigger questions. In a convoy, not everyone needs one, but there should be at least one winch in the group. For solo travel it is arguably a must.

Spotlights – Unless you’re into night driving, these are definitely optional. In Africa, it is really not advisable to be on any road – tar or dirt – after dark. This is from security and safety perspectives. Rather upgrade your driving and fog lights to provide the extra brightness. If you really want them, then don’t go for the biggest surface area you can find – big spots play havoc with your vehicle’s cooling system.

While small, thin LED light bars make far more sense from a cooling and lighting point of view, be aware that they are illegal in many sub-Saharan African countries and might not be worth the hassles you might run into. There are some things you can do around this, but they might not always be successful with the local law enforcement.

Long range fuel tanks (for long range touring) – If you’re a long range tourer who needs extra fuel to safely reach and return from your destination, carefully consider a long range fuel tank – if your vehicle can have one. If you can get at least an extra 40L it becomes worth it. It is far for convenient, better packing and far safer than having jerry cans on your roof rack. For short tourers, it is probably not worth doing.

Extra Spare –This is worth having a separate heading for. It’s more than a nice to have on long trips into nowhere, but it does impact on your space carrying capability and the weight that your vehicle has to carry. If you can get a swing arm for this, without adding a steel bumper at the rear, this is a real win. Remember, adding it to the rear extremity of your vehicle can easily add 100Kg to your vehicle. If possible, consider carrying this on your rack, or in your load bin.

Underbody Protect – If you’re doing long range touring on bad roads, a sump and gearbox plate are worth considering.

Nice to have or worth considering (but not necessary)

Rocksliders

Brush rails

Christoff; quite a lot of info to consider but not to worry, in subsequent episodes we’ll be tackling each of the sections we discussed today, separately.

Please feel free to add comments and questions below. Thanks for watching, please like and subscribe. Until next time, Get Out There!

Bucket List #1 - The Serengeti

6 and a half weeks to the Serengeti to see the Wildebeest migration.  9 vehicles – 4 Defenders, 3 Prados, 1 Lexus 570 and 1 Hi-Lux. 2 vehicles had minor problems with only 1 tow required and all made it back under their own steam – with only 1 requiring quite a lot of attention. It was good to note that some of the larger African cities have really good workshops.

Our route took us through Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique to home. It must have been good timing as very few pre-bookings were made and the campsites tended to be quite empty.

Botswana

Our only stop there was at Elephant Sands.  As always, it was a fantastic stay. We arrived to a Wild Dog kill some 100 metres from the campsite. At the time, there was very little water in the area other than here and we were treated to elephant sightings and behaviour that kept us entertained for the duration. It was a great 2 night stay to start the trip.

Zambia

After a quick ferry  crossing at Kazangula and a typically confusing border crossing we made our way to Livingstone and stayed near the river in a well grassed campsite. With quite a bit of partying and site seeing and thrown in – the Falls and a sunset cruise on the mighty Zambezi, it was a very pleasant 2 night stop that allowed us to start getting to know one another.

Then off to Lusaka and the Eureka Campsite – a transit stop that served us well for refuelling and supplies. It was a clean and serviceable campsite with good ablutions. Driving through Lusaka the next morning was a nightmare and it rivals any traffic that Joburg throws at you.

From there we took a long detour to see Lake Waka Waka. This turned out to be a waste of time and fuel. Not much of a lake and, though the Community Campsite was adequate, the ablutions were far less so. It was, however, a very interesting drive to get there and out which sort of made up for the rest.

Kapishya Hot Springs was a revelation and a fantastic stop. It was a beautiful area with many photo opportunities for those so inclined. The campsite was great with good ablutions and hot water, which was to become a sought after rarity. Wonderful amenities, pub, restaurant and much time spent in the warm water of the springs. We left  there well rested for the next part of our journey.

Summary – Zambia remains one of our favourites. Beautiful countryside and wonderful people – but border entry is a pain and quite expensive.

Tanazania

The Border Post was everything that you’ve heard. The Tanzanians love paper work. It was manageable, expensive and took us 5 hours. This is when the acronym, TIA, came into its own and patience was a necessity, not a virtue. It might have been better to split the size of the convoy for that entry.

Utengele Coffee Farm Hotel was sublime. Most of us opted not to camp after experiencing that border crossing. The rooms, drinks, food and surrounds were an amazing fined and we had a fantastic stay - with much fun had by all.

After that, off to Iringa for a restock of all necessary items (Kilimanjaro Lager being one) and then onto Ruaha National Park for a 3 night stay in a wild camp on the banks of the Ruaha River. What a great park. Stunning Lion sightings and beautiful scenery made this one of our favourite places. The campsite was rudimentary, but functional, with running water warmed by the sun (but not by much).  It was a huge park – more than twice the size of Kruger and we saw only two other vehicles. How spoiled can you get?

Our next brief stop was the Tan Swiss Hotel – good campsite and very good bungalows if you were so inclined. We partied here as well – as we did in many other places.

In the next of distance forced stops as we made our way was the White Parrot. Not in the best location and showers were a problem. The other ablutions worked well and the campsite had stunning grass and a lapa that was well received. We had to keep counting people as the mossies threatened to carry us away.

Arusha was the final stop before a few days in parks. We stayed at the Colobus Campsite just outside Arusha. It had all the facilities, of which none worked.  It had been allowed to fall apart. So, unless it changes, avoid it. Arusha is big enough to aim for if you’re having vehicle problems – they had decent dealerships for both Land Rover and Toyota – and, in fact, had the parts that were needed. We were, however, lucky enough to have the clouds clear long enough for a beautiful sighting of Kilamanjaro, covered in snow.

At last we were starting to get closer to our ultimate destination and made our way, through more beautiful countryside, to the famous Ngorongora Crater. The initial site of it was breathtaking and we could barely contain the excitement. We stayed in the public campsite on the crater. Everything worked. Be warned, Overland Trucks come in there and they made sure that the ablutions were messed before they left. Camping there was one of the most unpleasant experiences, but this was because of the weather. Freezing, seriously windy and wet. The crater itself was an experience not to be missed, and probably not to be repeated. There was very little you didn’t see, but the animals were too used to humans and vehicles. The views, however, were spectacular and enough to make you forget any negatives. The drive, in and out of the crater, was absolutely amazing. Two nights there were more than enough and most couldn’t wait to leave.

The drive to the Serengeti was exceedingly picturesque, as was all of Tanzania, but we hit corrugations from hell. We tried to maintain a speed of 50km, which seemed to smooth them out. If your vehicle, suspension and accessories handle this road, they’ll handle anything. As we entered the park we were greeted by the first signs of the migration as the convoy stopped for 1000’s of Grey, white bearded Wildebeest to cross the road. Around them were massive amounts of Zebra, Thomsons Gazelle, Grants Gazelle and Topi. Just before we hit the public campsites we were also greeted by a Lioness high up in a tree, which was to be a feature of the Serengeti. Over the next few days we were treated to sightings that you only dream about. Because of the migration and the availability of Wildebeest young, we were able to see Lion, Leopard and Hyena – almost at will. With a few exceptions, most of the Lion sightings were in trees. The wildlife and birding in the Seronera area was amazing – the likes of which we have never seen before. Unfortunately the rains were late so the Wildebeest stayed in the area – many 1000’s of them – but there was no crossing of the Grometi River. While we would have loved to see a crossing, but the lack of it did not detract from the Serengeti experience.  Apparently they only move towards the river and then the Mara once feed and water become scarcer. Each night we were lulled to sleep by the sound of Wildebeest all around, accompanied by Lion and Hyena calls. We were even woken one morning by tourists in our campsite while a large herd of Elephant were right in the campsite. Amazing!!

The undoubted highlight was the balloon flight over the Seronera area. The pilots were good and the experience was mind blowing. Definitely worth doing – even at $500 per person. We saw a different perspective of the area.

The public campsites were functional and good with plenty of space, but be warned, the water was damn cold.

After a few days of this we moved camp to the Lobo area, in the North East extremities of the park. Fantastic views greeted us when we arrived and when we awoke. It was a really beautiful part of the park. Game was not as plentiful, but we did hear Lion and Elephant and Buffalo were pretty much in the camp. Again, the camp was pretty rudimentary with cold water ablutions. By now we’d almost forgotten what warm water felt like. And yes, even that close to the equator, it does get chilly at night. When we exited the park we reached our most Northern point of 1’58” South of the equator.

We were sad to leave as this meant  the start of going back. We were, however, keen to get to the next place we’d opted to go and have a look at Lake Natron and take the road around the South of the Ngorongora and retrace our route through Tanzania. This was the starkest, but most spectacular, part of the trip. The areas to and from Natron were like driving through the badlands – but what a trip. This area has to be seen to be believed. I don’t know much about volcanoes, but I’m sure that this must be one of the youngest around. We drove through larva beds, that looked as they’d run just a few years ago (obviously not), and this volcano has spewed ash less than two years before.

Some people believed that this part of the trip could have been skipped – my view is just the opposite. It was one of my personal highlights.

We stayed in a Masai Community Campsite and it was very special. They couldn’t have been more willing and helpful. Even the cold water wasn’t that cold and the ablutions were very good. It was a pleasant surprise.

Leaving there was the most amazing drive – where the dust particles even had dust. The views and starkness continued to be spectacular!! The only negative was been stopped 3 times along this road for “Community Area Tolls”. 320USD later!!

All vehicles were still good in Arusha so we cut the stop to one day. All that was required was the blowing out of air filters and get the vehicles washed. There were layers upon layers of dust.

We stayed at Karama Lodge to spoil ourselves with hot water and no camping for a night. A great place and, if you feel like lodging, definitely worth a visit.

From there we retraced our steps via the White Parrot, Tan Swiss. This time, however, we stopped at the Old Farmhouse Campsite. This place had come highly recommended for their food and ablutions. The ablutions lived up to their reputation, having the hottest shower for ages!! The food we didn’t get to test as we hadn’t pre-booked. It had a nice little campsite with little lapas to sit under. It was a thoroughly enjoyable stay. The trip out was to spend the last night in Tanzania in the same way we had spent the first – in luxury at the Utengele Coffee Lodge Hotel. Good choice!!

22 days in Tanzania were some of the best days ever in Africa. It is a stunning country, with views and surrounds to gawk at. Many times we were well over 2000m. It was dry, green, high, low. The roads were good and the passes amazing. Two things to bear in mind – if T4A says 8 hours, it’ll take 8 hours. There were so many trucks and busses to contend with, and the bus drivers make our taxis look like beginners. Tanzania is a must visit. Between it and Zambia you realise that African Countries can actually work. We had very few of the reported hassles with Police and roadblocks and those times that we did get stopped, the people were courteous and friendly. It was very seldom, no matter where you were, that you weren’t greeted with a genuine karibu (welcome). People would stop you to talk to you, openly and with interest, without wanting anything other than conversation. It really lifted the spirits – and kept them lifted.

The Masai I could do without. Their legend seems to have been diluted by the availability of tourists. They were pretty haughty and money grubbing. Even wanting to visit their traditional villages and take photographs led to a substantial fee. We skipped this.

Malawi

Entry into Malawi was a doddle – nothing like Zambia and Tanzania, and the drive to the border was amazing. The tea plantations, the passes – absolutely beautiful.

We headed straight for Chitimba Lodge and Campsite, on the North Western shores of Lake Malawi. It was immediately apparent that this country did not have the same feel as Tanzania. It was clearly poor and struggling, although driving was very easy and the roads were good. You very seldom went more than 300 metres without seeing people. A small, very heavily populated country, without the organisation of some of the others.

Driving along this massive lake was quite something. It looks like the sea, sounds like the sea, the fishing villages look the same as the ones on the sea – but there is no smell of the sea. It confused the senses. In the north there is no bilharzias and the water was clean and the beach thoroughly enjoyable.

Chitimba was a very good campsite with nice facilities and a great bar. Cold water at this stage, but apparently he is working on it.

We enjoyed our stay there, but had very coastal weather, in terms of wind, for the two days.

The drive away from the lake was also very picturesque as we headed towards Lilongwe for an overnight stop before hitting Mozambique. If the idea of the Lilongwe Country Club campsite evokes thoughts of camping in luxury on fairways, think again. However, by this stage, adequate campsites were starting to become the norm. It had grass, fireplaces and good ablutions. That was good enough and a decent overnight stay.

We left Malawi much as we found it. Not a country that engenders any feelings of closeness or love, but, to be fair, we probably didn’t give it its due.

Mozambique

The border crossing from Malawi to Mozambique was no hassle. There were no runners or officials giving you a hard time – only the ubiquitous money changers.

We headed for Tete, being the most likely big city and T4A showed a campsite. We refuelled (having very little available fuel in Malawai), Handlings (our saviour) for 2M’s , a data card and some food. The Tete Campsite was the campsite from hell!! Dirty, filled with building rubble and shocking ablutions and slap bang in the middle of a township. Most people’s faces dropped in dismay when seeing this. Only two of us got up the courage to actually use them. But, it was the only game in town and when the initial shock wore off, it had the most spectacular views of the Zambezi River. The campsite was right on the banks. This was also the only place that we experienced any negativity on the behalf of the locals as two tents were slit and some petty thievery took place. Anyway – onward and upward – we were going to the beach!!

As an aside – did you guys know that Mozambique had mountains? I didn’t realise that this part of Moz was so attractive!!

Next stop was Chimoio, again to restock. This was a really attractive city. We stayed at the Milpark Hotel and Campsite. The chalets were stunning, the campsite not bad, but the ablutions hadn’t been maintained.

Driving through Tete and Chimoio it was evident that there was a lot of development in this area and that money is coming into the country. Other than a spot or two, the roads were also very good.

Next stop, Baobab Beach Lodge in Vilancoulos. What a stunning stop!! Great campsite, good ablutions, nice bar and right on the beach. Well worth a stop and stay. We also managed to get a trip to Margarouk in on a Dhow. The snorkelling was good, if somewhat cold and we had fantastic meal on the island.

That was a great stop and just what the doctor ordered. We then went off to Tofo and stayed at the Mango Beach Resort. We lodged there – also a great stop, with a boozy lunch at Dino’s thrown in. We managed some fishing in Tofo and landed some decent Yellow Fin Tuna, which was cooked that night, to wind up the trip.

The Pike’s and Britz’s loved the Mozambique bit as much as any of the other. The others less so.

The trip had drawn to a close and it was with great sadness that we wound it up, via a stop at Honeypot, before heading home with only a 20 minute border stop at Komatipoort.

Mozambique had definitely benefited from the better roads and there is no doubt that their economy is picking up. With the exchange rate it is no longer a cheap stay for South Africans, but it is well worth it.

The whole trip was around 10,600 km’s. A lot of things we would do differently, some routes that we would change, but it is definitely something to do again. The whole experience was fantastic and it makes you fall in love with Africa all over again.

 

MadagasCAT

I was contemplating just what it must be like to be a male Weaver Bird. This poor guy does nothing but build nests all day, every day. And then, the little Weaver Bitch just tears it down – with no apparent rhyme or reason, for him to have to start the cycle all over again. What lead me to this contemplation – the fact that I have had to remove the debris of about 10 palm trees from my pool over this, supposed, summer. 2011 is shaping up to be the War of the Weavers.

I suppose that most people will be thinking “just how long can a report on sitting on your arse on a catamaran on the sea be?”. I don’t know either, time will tell. Read on McDuff!!

Apart from the fact that there was a little confusion on departure time which caused us to arrive 2 hours early at the airport, our departure and arrival in Nosy Be were uneventful, despite a moment’s concern when my luggage was the last off. Morgz’ experience was still fresh in my mind. Quickly changing some Dollars to Ariary from a lady on the side of the road at the less than advertised rate, we were swept off to our destination by Romeo (not a romeo) – with Nes and Di getting giggly at the thought of us being hi-jacked by a Johnny Depp type pirate (secretly Derek and I were quite excited by the thought of a scantily clad Kiera Knightly). It was already dark and the road taken made us think that the hi-jacking might occur sooner rather than later – only for us to end up at the grandly named “Nosy Be Marina” and jumped (okay, climbed gingerly) into a very small rubber duck that took us to our home for the next 5 days – Gecko.

We were greeted by Albert (the skipper), Jean Yves (the chef) and Maurice (the deckhand) who were our amazing hosts for this trip. We stowed our kit and got busy with the task of enjoying ourselves – and were welcomed with fresh crab and THB (the local beer, which we were to sample in fair quantities). But first, some background;

The craft. Gecko is 35ft Catamaran, registered in Cape Town. It has 4 berths – 2 en-suite and two smaller ones. The en-suite consists of a double bed, fairly small; a few cupboards, enough for our limited luggage; and the bathroom in a separate enclosure – with pump toilet (that took some getting used to) a hand shower and a basin. To shower, you simply held it and showered (with warm water) and stood in the bathroom. A pump would get rid of the water when you were finished.

There were a few portholes that allowed air into the cabin and bathroom. The bed had a large hatch above it which you could climb out of. If it was hot (as it was all of the time) you left the hatch open to allow the breeze in. If it rained at night you had to close the hatch, and the cabin quickly became a little sauna.

There was a stateroom that had a kitchen with fridges and freezers, table and a seating area. The crew spent their idle time there – we spent none, other than to step in and get drinks from the fridge.

Outside, aft, was another covered seating area where we spent all of our meals and used quite often to escape the sun. There were steps from there to anywhere else – including the water. You could walk down the sides of the stateroom to the fore where you could sit or lie on the deck, or in chairs on the point of each hull. There was more than enough room for each of us to be comfortable and spend quiet time if you so desired.

The craft had a depth gauge, speedo, wind meter and an awesome GPS. It also had an autopilot, which was mostly engaged. It had sufficient batteries to power the fridges, provide light and power the pumps.

We spent most of the moving time under power by two 20hp diesel motors which also charged the batteries. They were very quiet and not intrusive at all. The sails were used on occasion, when the wind was sufficient. They were managed by a sophisticated set of pulleys and ropes that made it all seem quite simple.

We were always comfortable and at ease. Sea sickness or queasiness was never a factor.

The food. Were I more gastronomically driven, I could devote an entire blog to this. Jean Yves was a wizard – a properly trained and committed chef. He loved what he did, and you could taste it in his food. Crab, prawns, calamari, veggies, rice, meat, eggs, pasta, spices, salads, bread where continually combined into a delightful, aromatic and tasty combinations and arrays of food. Beautifully presented and prepared. Our own catches (yes we did) were turned into the finest kebabs, sashimi (Coota and Bonita) and fish – baked, braaied, grilled, steamed – in sauce, no sauce. It was amazing – and no two meals even looked similar. Scrambled eggs, French bread, pancakes. Chocolate Mousse – made from scratch. It just went on and. He seemed to spend the whole day just preparing food and, for us, it was worth every minute spent. Other than breakfast, I don’t think we ever finished a meal, although we really tried.

We waited, in eager anticipation, for every meal to arrive. It was always accompanied by gasps of awe and appreciation. If food excites you – do this trip for that alone. It will be worth every cent – provided Jean Yves is on board.

We emerged from the Marina at Mossie Poep on day one and took a fairly long journey south. This was to be our regular waking time with the artistic side of Derek taking a porthole shot (that probably doesn’t sound right and could leave the mind boggling) every morning. We moved over the impossibly blue waters surrounding Madagascar. I dwelt, at length, on this in the last trip and won’t do so again, but there were times when you felt that you could see 15 meters down. We stopped to snorkel at (what we called) South Africa island and got our first taste of how inviting this water was to be in – all of us taking in some rays at the same time. After some relaxation (okay, it was all relaxation) and a small siesta we hoisted the mains’l (arrgghh) and made our way to our overnight destination – a wide estuary – further south, where we did what we learned to do best – drinks, dinner and just chill.

Another early rise and out of the estuary. I retired to the throne, and suddenly the CAT was all over the place. I dashed out to see what was going on. Nothing to do with my ministrations - there were seabirds diving and fish jumping. The CAT’s manoeuvres were our skipper chasing the fish and two of the rods had fish on the end. Two decent sized king fish were landed.

 It wasn’t long afterwards and we had a Barracuda and a Spanish mackerel on board as well. Derek and I had broken the duck of a number of years and had actually caught some fish. We definitely weren’t going to starve. After that excitement (and fun) we moved on to Nosy Iranja.

Those that remember our last trip will remember that this is the leg that we missed - apparently the natives were restless. As we neared these two small islands, joined by a sandbar, we realised that that was a load of codswollop!! There weren’t enough natives on these two islands to raise a decent bar brawl. It would appear that the Dhow skipper was just too lazy to take us all that way. This stop was to be one of the highlights of the trip. The water and surrounds were breathtaking.

It was still, windless and hot. We wasted no time in strapping on the snorkelling kit and dived straight into a school of 1000’s of small fish. It was amazing how the whole shoal moved in unison, as though connected. We’d never seen anything like this – and the clarity of the water gave us amazing sight of these fish – with the occasional Barracuda feeding on them. Incredible – we felt honoured to have been given this opportunity. So honoured, in fact, that when we reached the sandbar I was nominated to swim back to the CAT to load up a cooler box. This was obviously because of my “Thorpe like” physique and swimming prowess. It could not possibly have been that I might just have been too stupid to find a decent argument.

So there we were (most of us anyway), cracking a beer after about 4 ½ hours of being awake, on the sandbank connecting the two islands. Did I mention that this was about 9:30 in the morning?

We spent a bit of time on the bar and then whiled away the rest on the CAT – through another incredible feast and siesta (we needed these you see) and then made our way to Russia Bay where we were to shelter for the night. More stunning sunsets, more stunning beer, more stunning food and more stunning sleep. We were seldom to make it later than 20:30 before retiring to bed.

Bright and early (again) in Russia Bay, and we made our way to an island close by after an early morning swim. The water today was amazingly clear (again) and we watched apparently harmless jelly fish pass under the CAT on the way to this island. The name, as are many Madagascar names, was long and it escapes me. Nes and I dived in and made our way to the rocks to snorkel. We dived out just as quickly – there were little floating tentacles, a bit like a bluebottle tail, that stung and make snorkelling a little uncomfortable. This was apparently because of the neap tides that we were having, and these creatures didn’t get washed away. Oh well, no harm done, and we just watched the fish from the CAT – the clear water allowed us a bird’s eye view. These things weren’t going away so we went back to South Africa is land to snorkel a bit more and then spend some time on the beach. Very cool!!

Today is the day before New Year. We’d decided to go to Sakatia Resort for some R&R and time on land, so we made our way towards that on the roughest seas to date. Still no sign of sea sickness though (and no hangovers either). Wonder if they’re related? Some people remained on deck and some went for their regular siestas. It was at this time that we became aware of a stealthy thief in our midst – though one would never normally apply the word “stealth” to this individual. Two rods suddenly got hammered – I picked up one and Di the other – accompanied by an excited shout. This shout disturbed the thief. He appeared from below decks, grabbed the rod out of Di’s hands and despite my admonitions that his line was over mine he landed a decent sized Bonita. Because of this dastardly approach, I had to keep my fish under control until he finished.

While I was doing this a fair sized grey/brown creature came up and bit the back end off my Bonita – which was close to the CAT. Blood filled the water, I let the line out and the shark returned to take the rest, just cutting the line with its teeth. It was amazing and left the pulse racing. After the obligatory picture, the thief then disappeared below decks again, without having said a word. What a fiend!! After this, we watched our rods with care!!

I managed to hook a Spanish mackerel (couta) just before getting to Sakatia. I was so busy trying not to make a noise (in case the thief returned) that I managed to let the drag go and achieved a massive overwind. Despite this embarrassment, I still managed to land it.

We moored someway out and took the little duck to the resort, where we had a few beers and managed to see some Lemurs which came down very near the chalets. This was quite something, seeing them wild!! We also experienced our first tast of ground swell. Sitting in the lounge chairs we still felt as though we were on the CAT. While having these beers, we saw the little duck tracing erratic patterns in the water near the CAT. This was confusing as it was supposed to be fetching us and not going the other way!! Anyway, Maurice eventually arrived to pick us up. When we got back to the CAT, there was the biggest Kingfish that I’d ever seen, lying on the deck. When we saw it Maurice’s face lit up like a beacon. He had managed to hook this monster with a handline, and then jumped into the duck for this fish to drag him all over the place until her could land it. This explained the erratic movement of the duck. That Kingfish must have been all of 70Kgs – and Maurice had brought it in on a handline – and amazing feat (in our minds at least).

We’d decided to spend the night on the CAT, rather than at the Sakatia restaurant. Great decision as it turned out - our New Years Eve celebrations ended at 20:45, after the expected scrumptious feast – Bonita sashimi, grilled couta in sauce and veggies, and grilled Kingfish.

Happy New Year everybody!! Off to Nosy Komba (Lemur Island) today. We hadn’t spent a single Ariary to date and those of you that know her would know that Nes was getting itchy. After a short dive we went to the Island for the obligatory Lemur (Maki) tour – same as last time. Very canned, and just a little sad, but they sure are cute with wonderfully soft and inquisitive hands as they sit on you and eat the proffered bananas.

Then some shopping. Unfortunately (fortunately?), being New Years Day, many of the shops were closed, but Nes and Di still managed some acquisitions and then back to the CAT. We were going to moor near the little settlement on the island, but the sounds of the New Year celebrations were very loud and were expected to continue well into the night. Having got used to the quiet, we decided to move on and shelter from the Westerly and dreaded Southerly wind (remember this!). It was the most magnificent evening, with our first real experience of a clear Madagascar night sky since we’d arrived. We made the most of that and then settled in for the usual early evening. A very strong wind came up that night – a bloody Easterly. This was the only night that we felt that we might be thrown out of our bunks by the movement of the CAT, and had a somewhat disturbed sleep. Up early for a swim and coffee and an early departure. This was to be our last day and we were determined to make the most of it – today was Nosy Tanikily – the traditional last day destination – if twice can be tradition.

OH! MY! WORD!!! (or, “bloody marvellous”, as the thief would say) The clarity, stillness and warmth of the water did it for us again. This then was the other highlight. We jumped into the water at 08:00 in the morning and snorkelled until after 10:00. When we climbed out, our flesh was as winkled as a bunch of prunes. The colours and variety of the fish and coral just kept you going. We followed turtles as they just gracefully swam around, blissfully unfazed by our presence. As you swam you just kept trying to attract the attention of your partner, to point out something new and wonderful. I found Nemo as well!! We carried on frolicking in the water for ages afterwards, reluctant to admit that this was the last swim of this wonderful trip. It was with more than a touch of sadness that we made our way back to Nosy Be Marina to spend our last night on board the Gecko.

After breakfast we bid really fond farewells to the crew. They had been amazing and were far more than partly responsible for the success and enjoyment of this trip. Friendly, courteous, professional and efficient – it appeared that they found pleasure in helping you to enjoy a CAT trip of a lifetime.

Our flight was to take us from Nosy Be, to Antsinarana where we changed planes to fly to Antananarivo. It was apparent that little attention had been made to process and efficiency on Air Madagascar, and we had some head shaking wonder at times. But, so what? We had just had a fantastic rest and holiday and were not about to get upset by little things.

When we arrived in Tana, we quickly checked into a very pleasant hotel and took a trip into the town to try and get hold of some of the Madagascar cotton T-shirts and a few other things. We managed find a really good taxi driver who helped make our quest pretty successful. A point to note here is the pleasant surprise we had when we saw how Anatananarivo had changed last we were here. Whilst there was quite a degree of apparent poverty, the streets and town were really clean and many of the vehicles are new – on not just French. There are very real signs of an improving economy since the departure of the last president who, by all accounts, caused lasting damage to Madagascar due to his greed. This was particularly evident in Nosy Be which had seen no improvement and appeared to be treated as a poor second cousin.

When we had started out, we were quite dismayed and felt that a week wasn’t long enough. It turned out that it was, and we were ready to be off the CAT. This despite the fact that we had loved every minute of our time on board – for all sorts of reasons. In what appears to be a complete contradiction, it was a week packed full of rest and relaxation.

Four people was a perfect number and we again found that the Britz’s are the ideal travelling companions – each person giving the other the space they desired and the time we spent together was quality time. I’ve said it before in other accounts of trips – Derek and Di, you’re welcome on our CAT at any time.

Oh yes – I forgot. I love my car!!