Game-Park

A possible route through the game park

The propeller shaft had been weeping saltwater into the boat and needed a new seal and bearing. Unfortunately, the crew did not know precisely what to buy, so the shaft required removal to identify the seal to purchase. Which meant Franda II would be out of commission for several days.

Franda II tied up to an old jetty below a hotel in Kilifi. The piles were still robust, but the decking was dangerously missing half of its planks. I was cautious and took care when negotiating the gaps left by the missing planks. However, Dad was not quite as diligent and fell into one of the gaps, losing a fair amount of skin off his left leg.

Franda II would float at high tide, and then when the tide went out, she sat on the bottom. The warps tying her to the jetty needed attention. The warps were taken in as the tide went out to ensure she did not fall over at low tide. They also required letting out as she rose above the jetty with the incoming tide.

When the tide went out, Franda II sat on her two-foot wide keel balanced against the jetty by the tight warps, leaving her stern "high and dry". On the first low tide, the crew removed the rudder.

Dad and my brothers started work on the shaft immediately after it was out of the water to maximise their work time. They quickly removed the propeller and withdrew the shaft before the tide returned. There would be many problems if the tide came in before they finished. They would have to put the shaft back in or stuff rags around it to slow the water from entering Franda II. Then, on the inside, someone would have to keep bailing the bilge to contain the water in one compartment. If the water escaped to other bilges, they also would need rinsing with fresh water and drying. The bilges are generally confined and hard to reach, so the smallest crew member would be headfirst in the space. It was not a comfortable position, but one I did not mind.

Finally, with relief, they successfully removed the shaft. They still had some time, as the tide was two hours away. A wooden cone hammered into the hole made a watertight seal. Now, they could order the new seal and bearing.

The resort's caretaker was an old, friendly sailor. He offered to watch over the guys looking after Franda II while the whole family left her overnight for the first and last time.

The day before Christmas, around 0430, we jumped into the small Corolla we had hired to visit Tsavo Game Park and see the wild animals. We could not afford a guide and probably wouldn't have even if we had the money. So we were happily going by ourselves.

We passed through Mombassa at about 06.30 and arrived at the Buchama gate into the Tsavo East Game Park at 0800. It cost the family 141 shillings to enter. After the wet season, the roads were rough and severely washed out in places. We often needed to pile stones into washouts. The Corolla had a small amount of clearance, so we had a lot of road maintenance to do.

At the first intersection, we took a right and saw many different animals: Oryx, Common Duker, Grants Gazelle and Impala. Excitedly, there was a herd of Elephants right next to the road. My brothers sat on the backseat window sills, with their heads higher than ours, to see more.

At about 1300 hrs, after seeing many animals in the deer family and some Burchell's Zebras, we arrived at our hut; I was surprised that it was big enough for the six of us to be comfortable. After a picnic lunch, we drove on towards Voi to get fuel.

Around a corner, Dad stopped in a hurry as there was a giant mud puddle with one 4x4 stuck in it and another van bogged. After some time and effort, we managed to get the 4x4 out, but the van driver "knew too much" and wouldn't listen to our suggestions, so we just left him stuck in the mud. If 4x4s couldn't get through, our little car certainly couldn't. If you can't go through, go around. Mike found us a path around the mud puddle, and Dad drove us through. Yet, another part of the exhaust system was left behind, and the poor old car sounded louder. We were grateful to return to our night's accommodation as the rain settled in.

A very quiet Christmas Eve 1977 as we had all been up since 0400.

Christmas day saw us on the move early again. More animals to see and more road repairs to make. We drove on the main road to the Maktau gate into the Tsavo West Game Park. We ended up on a very straight survey road, so we exited looking for a proper road but did not find anything in good repair. The return trip to Mombassa was challenging, with lots of washouts. After several dead ends, including a river with hippopotamuses, we reached a point where we did not have time to turn back. Two large washouts and not enough time to turn around, so while Mum and Kathryn made our Christmas lunch of Tomato sandwiches, I helped Dad and my brothers build a set of tracks out of wood and rocks across the washouts. After Mike had directed Dad across, we sat in the shade and enjoyed our Christmas lunch.

We were not treating the car very gently, but when an Elephant stepped out of the bushes beside us with its trunk raised, there was no thought of the vehicle. The elephant started flapping his big ears and charging. With an exhilarated "GO", the boys slid off the window sill and onto the back seat as Dad put his foot to the floor. The elephant soon gave up, and we slowed down, none too soon. Stu suggested Dad stop as he didn't think there was a bridge. He was right. The floods had washed another bridge away, but this one was a small creek, and my brothers were able to create yet another path for the Corolla. It was shallow, and they only had to move some rocks to make the track smoother. However, they did not shift enough rocks, and we left the muffler behind.

Finally, worse for wear, we returned the Corolla to the hire company in Mombasa. Then, with our belongings, we wearily climbed on a bus for the 1-2 hour ride back up the coast to Kilifi and home.

It had been a fun few days and a very different time for the family. I felt that we had as much enjoyment from creating roads where there were none and getting lost as seeing the wild exotic animals. The hippos, elephants and giraffes were all fantastic and frightening, at times, to see in their natural environment. It would not have been as enjoyable if we had tagged along with many tourists and stopped constantly.

Relief was felt when Franda II was still floating at the jetty. However, things were not quite right inside. Bewildered, the family found items not stowed for sea strewn on the floors. Then, the caretaker arrived and explained what had happened. The guys in charge had not tightened the warps as the tide went out. Franda II balanced for a while, then fell onto her side with a resounding crash.

The caretaker had heard the sound from his hut and had come to investigate. First, he had inspected what he could of the hull. It didn't even have a dent, and then he'd boarded Franda II and closed all the portholes and hatches just in case she did not float before the sea reached them.

He then sat and watched her as the tide came in, and she had just righted herself quite nicely. The family thanked him profusely. The only damage they could see was that the Barograph had flown across the companionway into the galley. It received a dent and some ink marks on the paper where they should not be.

The fact that Franda II survived the fall without a mark on her hull or damage to rigging or masts proved again to the family that she was indeed a well-built, strong yacht. We had even more trust in her ability to see us safely circumnavigate the world.

From then on, we would only all leave her for short times. At least one family member would be on board every night.