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A Morning on the Casamance

3/3/2014

3 Comments

 
Picture
Last November Vixen spent a month in Senegal, West Africa -- one week in Dakar and three weeks on the Casamance River. I keep thinking of that time on the river even now a few months later. This map is the best available of the area -- just a handmade sketch from some French cruising notes. Our electronic charts showed nothing but an angular indentation of the African coast. Here is the delta where the river meets the Atlantic but it continues fifty miles up stream to the town of Ziguanchor. We spent a couple of weeks in that Octopus-shaped maze in the middle of the sketch. 
On the whole river -- probably hundreds of miles of backwaters -- there was only one other yacht. 
Once you wind yourself back up into the mangroves the river is always calm no matter how much wind blows. At about five in the morning as first light could be discerned in the east the sounds of animals would rise from the jungle. Mostly birds but also frogs, crickets and other strange howls.
Here is a recording that gives a faint idea of the beautiful cacophony that greeted us every morning on the river. 

Picture
3 Comments
AgassizColes
3/3/2014 11:46:39 pm

Bruce , your sound video brought back memories of nights at Dan's house in Hawaii. I will try and get the sound of snow falling in our back yard.
J

Reply
Mum
3/25/2014 08:59:21 am

Hi Bruce, Tiff, Soli and Seffa,
I poured myself a glass of wine and read again of your voyages since January imagining myself there with you all. Your vivd descriptions, photos and recordings are amazing! Seffa looks more and more like Soli. Two girls with so many adventures to share with us all. In one picture I couldn't tell for sure who it was. It was such a treat to see you . Fair winds and much love,
Mum

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Home Organizers New Mexico link
2/19/2023 02:20:12 am

Great bblog you have

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    Bruce Halabisky is a wooden boat builder and sailor. He and Tiffany Loney are the owners of Vixen.

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