Zanzibar Leg

The Zanzibar leg was first undertaken in 2004. Many lessons were learnt from this inaugural crossing and these will be applied to this year’s event..

The basic provisional outline and details relating to this event are:

At this stage we envisage the crossing to take the form of a rally – not a race, this will be confirmed closer to the event. Please note that each competitor will need to bring some sort of mast head “buoyancy” that will prevent your boat from turning turtle. Competitors will have to prove the efficiency of their mast head buoyancy before departing.  This is to ensure that all competitors are capable of righting their boats and to prevent any mast leakage.

This is a crossing of roughly 40km and it must be remembered that whilst conditions are normally very favourable for sailing in this area, one must still respect the sea and take the necessary safety precautions. The crossing has been completed by DYC cats on several occasions and has taken anything from 2-10 hours. There have been no major incidents in past and safety is the highest concern.

Please note that you will be sailing in area that is about 5 degrees from the equator and sun stroke is potentially your greatest enemy! Boat checklists will be published before the event to ensure boat safety – this will include flares. The DYC Fishing and power boat section will assist the Tanzacat committee with the crossing by providing patrol boats and mandatory gates through which all cats must pass.

A power boat will be provided for competitor’s personal belongings and bags. We advise that you bring a small lockable waterproof bag. Non-sailing spouses, friends, companions etc will be responsible for their own transport to Zanzibar and associated costs. Scheduled flights are available from Dar es Salaam at around $100 return.

Arriving at Kizimkazi (on the southern tip of Zanzibar) can be tricky depending on the tidal height at time of arrival. In the event of a low tide arrival, there will be locals available to assist in carrying boats up onto the small beach and football pitch that will be used as a parking area. All boats will have to be de-rigged by the owners and a lock-up area will be provided for all equipment. The Tanzacat committee will provide 24 hour security guards to watch over the boats. We do however advise that all removable equipment such as sheets, blocks, travellers etc be removed form your boats as the parking area is in the middle of a small fishing village. 

Once all boats have safely arrived and all equipment has been stored, busses will take all competitors to Mtoni Marine just outside of Stone Town. This is approximately a 1 hour drive from Kizimkazi. There are several different accommodation options detailed below and Tanzacat has made a block booking of 25 rooms at Mtoni Marine (15 club rooms, 8 palm court rooms, 4 family apartment and 1 family house) – it is however your responsibility to make your booking within this block booking directly with Mtoni Marine (mtoni@zanzibar.cc). We advise that you do this ASAP – Tanzacat will not be responsible for your accommodation in Zanzibar. The Mtoni Marine website is www.mtoni.com and a Mtoni marine fact sheet is downloadable here.

Tuesday 16th September & Wednesday 17th September will be Rest days in Stone Town at leisure and at the competitors own expense. Mtoni Marine is a lovely resort on the beach were one can relax – refer to www mtoni.com. You are also free to explore the island, go on the famous Spice Tours, Dolphin Tours or explore the Stone Town Streets for a bargain! If number permit, the serious sailors may return to your boats to sail in and around the Southern Zanzibar tip – however this will not be part of the event and costs will be for your own pocket.

On Thursday 18th September busses will be provided to transport all competitors back to Kizimkazi where the boats will be rigged, launched and sailed back to Dar.

Competitors must bring their passports on this leg.