Cruising on the Kusi

You don’t have to be a millionaire to holiday on a yacht. Reader Theo Schumann explored the islands of northern Mozambique using a home-made sailing kayak.

My family and I have lived on Ibo Island in northern Mozambique for the past seven years. My wife Mignonne and I work as missionaries. We live with the Mwani tribe – “mwani” means “people of the sea or tidal flats” – and indeed, day-to-day life runs according to the tides. At low tide, food like shellfish and octopus is harvested from the tidal pools.

“Kusi” is the Mwani word for the southerly wind that blows during the winter months. Many years ago, Arab traders used this wind to sail home, their dhows loaded with ivory, animal skins and slaves from East Africa. From October, the “Kaskazi” blows: a northerly wind that would usher the traders south back down the coast of Africa. After seven years on Ibo, I know these winds well!

I hatched a plan with my friend Andries Schwartz, also a missionary, to sail north on the Kusi from Ibo Island to the mouth of the Ruvuma River, on the border with Tanzania – about 240 km as the seagull flies, with about 30 islands along the way.

My friend Anli Asani and I had done a similar trip a year previously, sailing between Pemba and Mocímboa da Praia. As I sailed that time, I dreamt about exploring the islands even further north. Andries and I would also need sailboats this time around – nothing fancy, just a kayak that could catch the wind. So we each built one…

DAY 1 Safari ngema

We depart at high tide, watched by friends and family on the beach. “Safari ngema,” they say, which is Mwani for “safe travels”. Things go smoothly, but we’re soon aware of a few simple design faults on our boats. We fix these on Matemo Island.