STRUCK DOWN WITH MALARIA

26 April 2025

The time has come to depart Star Harbour.  But, I didn’t feel well I was vomiting, had headache, body pain, dizziness, backache, lethargic, sweating and was pissing fluorescent urine .  I put it down to food poisoning from a dodgy crayfish. 

Three days later I was feeling a bit better, but still weak and wobbly.  Anyway, I decided to head on over to Santa Ana Bay some ten miles distant the next morning.  Logbook entry says, ‘feeling a bit better but still weak – stiff upper lip and carry on!’  For the last couple of days it’s been overcast and cloudy, no sun and no phone signal from the solar powered cell tower, therefore no weather forecast. 

We departed Star Harbour and motored across to Santa Ana Island, where the locals said I should be able to pick up a phone signal for a weather forecast.  Well, the phone signal was coming from the same cell tower as Star Harbour – I was out of luck, I didn’t get a signal or weather forecast.  Kids came out in canoes; I wasn’t very sociable unfortunately and didn’t do much trade.

At three the next morning we were on our way to Lata, 200+ miles away.  According to the last forecast I received it was going to be a slow but steady trip.  The plan was to arrive at first light in two day’s time.  The first day out we had a light NW’ly breeze and clicked off the miles easily averaging a leisurely 4.5 knots.  The evening brought more wind and then torrential rain followed by even more wind.  The speed picked up and I furled the yankee. 

We raced ahead through the night with just the staysail and double reefed main.  It was blowing gale force now and we were going too fast.  My illness had returned again.  I was in a bad way, sleeping on the cockpit seats.  I just had to let the boat go, Mickey (Windvane) was doing a great job of steering and I seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.  At one stage we took green water into the cockpit, I was washed off the seat into the cockpit well, sloshing around in the water with a bucket and a bunch of ropes.  I just climbed back on the seat and went back to sleep, soaking wet.  Truce could look after herself.    

We made such good speed through the night and all next day that we arrived off the entrance to Graciosa Bay in the early evening.  The wind was still blowing hard and there was a good sea running.  I thought about heaving to for the night and entering through the outlaying reefs in the morning with daylight.  But doing this would set me south of the island, I would have to beat back up to windward which didn’t appeal.  I decided to run into the bay, I had downloaded a satellite image of the entrance which showed the reefs quite clearly. I needed to get anchored and rest. 

The wind pushed us full speed towards the entrance, the night was pitch black.  I caught glimpses of the white surf breaking on the reef, close on either side, there was no turning back now, I was committed.  As we sped through the entrance the sea subsided, the motion was easier, the wind kept pushing us on.  Then someone on the shore started pointing a spotlight on us and flashing it.  I was alarmed, was someone trying to tell us we were heading towards the reef?  I double checked the chart – we should be OK.  I tried to clear my mind, concentrating and checking everything I could.  Looking outside was useless, it was pitch dark and raining again, I couldn’t see anything.  Still the light kept shining and flashing, this was unnerving, it wasn’t until we had passed the middle reef and entered into the big bay that the light shut down.  The sounder confirmed we were back in deep water.  This entrance had been far too stressful, I had malicious thoughts about whoever was shining the spotlight.   

Half an hour later I anchored at Shaw Point, thankfully the wind had dropped, I let out plenty of chain and crashed out on the salon settee, exhausted, bedraggled and half out of my mind.

The next day I stayed on board, sleeping mostly.  In the morning I had a visitor.  I told him I was sick and resting.  That evening my visitor returned with his wife, Hilda, a lovely lady who brought me food that she had made, even came with a flower.  So kind and thoughtful.  She looked at me and said – you are sick and need to go to the hospital, I will pick you up tomorrow morning and we will go across to Lata in a speedboat.  I readily agreed as by this time I realised that whatever I had was a bit more serious than food poisoning.  It had now been seven days, something was out of kilter.

The next morning the speedboat arrived with four strapping young men who were to accompany me to the hospital.  I found it difficult to walk straight and was stumbling around, I was quite weak and unbalanced.

The nurse at the hospital was all business.  She admitted me and then ran some tests.  I had lost a lot of weight in the last week, I was down to 70Kg.  The nurse announced the test was positive and I had PV Malaria, didn’t need to see the doctor, she would give me some drugs to clear it up.  I received some Coartem and Primaquine tablets, with strict instructions to complete the course of treatment. The hospital service was basic but quick and efficient, couldn’t wish for more. I was in and out in less that ten minutes with the magic drugs and no charge. 

Next, I was able to change some cash and once again in the money.  I returned to Truce, took my medication, lay down and slept until the next morning.  The following day I was feeling a lot better.  I was still weak and lethargic but had an appetite so started getting some food and drink inside me.

After a couple of days I was getting back to normal.  I was sleeping like a hibernating bear, couldn’t seem to get enough, I suppose that’s a good thing.  On easter Sunday there was a big lunch on the beach.  All the villagers turned up and we had a feast and a great time.  A really nice afternoon.  At the lunch I was asked if I was the yacht that had sailed through the reef entrance at night in a gale.  Seems they were talking about it.  I had cooled down now and was too diplomatic to ask who was the arsehole with the spotlight. 

I spent five days at Shaw Point.  The locals were very kind to me, I was very happy to be able to recover from my sickness in such a sheltered spot.  After all the easter celebrations were finished I was ready to continue towards Vanuatu.  The check out from the Solomons was easy, the officials come over to Shaw Point from Lata and we did the paperwork on the beach.  I had a going away lunch at Hilda’s house and she presented me with a present for my voyage, vegetables from her garden, what a lovely family.

I weighed anchor in the late  afternoon and cleared the reef entrance before sunset.  We sailed south towards Vanuatu in a light NE breeze with all sail set, the stars came out, Mickey was steering and I settled back into the sailing routine.  So nice to be moving again, sailing free and feeling healthy.