3:30 pm….leaving Crater Bay…8 miles…we should have time to make it before dusk?! …. by the hair on my chinny chin chin!
Sakatia Island….again: 13 18.9251 S, 048 09.6459 E
By the time we got our dinghy in the water and headed to shore it was just dusk. Our plan was to have dinner ashore and we knew a few cruisers who were already there. We had no idea where to take the dinghy ashore or which place to eat at….should we not go to and tonight?!….screw it…let go!
So we literally took a straight line from our boat to the middle of the bay where we saw lights. By the time we got our dinghy up the beach and meet up with folks for dinner it was dark but we were glad to see friends and a few new ones as well. They later told us that they watched us take our dinghy over reefs!….thankfully it was high tide (there is so much luck that comes with cruising) and we made it in safely and with no damage. I don’t think we could of taken another “issue” with the boat. The next morning, sure enough at low tide, we clearly understood how lucky we were as the reef was sticking up out of the water.
Google image of our anchor spot. Mind you there is a reef just NE of us. 35 feet of water, 180 feet of chain in mostly sand bottom. 
Seriously….take this route to shore…don’t be idiots like us!
Everyone had already eaten but they continued to hang out with us while we had beers and dinner. Dinner was fabulous, great meeting new people, and leaving shore the “right way” arriving safely at our boat!
The next morning, just hanging out….I hear a “pheppphhhh”….Holy batman…a whale!
In addition, our morning got even better when we received a message from our friends Claude and Louise on SV C. Coquin. They were just anchored up the channel from us so, excited and eager to see familiar faces, we hoped into the dinghy to find them.
If you remember, we successfully delivered diesel to a sailing vessel, SV Miss Lea, while we were in route from Reunion to Madagascar. They kindly agreed to retrieve our diesel jug and monkey fist rope from SV Miss Lea and return it to us the next time they saw us…..but it came with a few jars of honey?!
Claude and Louise (fluent French speakers) were able to tell us the story about SV Miss Lea: Father and son out for a weekend fishing trip on the sail boat. Mis-calculated diesel usage and ran out of fuel. It turns out that the father owns a honey farm/operation in Reunion so instead of filling our fuel jug with fuel (our request) they gifted us 2 jars of their honey! That was too sweet of them…(LOL)!
Thank you Claude and Louise for hauling this around for a month until we saw you again…it means the world to us!!!
After our visit with SV C. Coquin, we headed ashore to have lunch at Sakatia Lodge….what a cute place!
Beautiful grounds and very clean… 
They are located at the NW end of the beach… 
View from the restaurant…. 
Cute little bar…. 
Chicken sandwich, a beer and a bloody mary… 
They have a dive shop/operation here as well. 
Price list as of 2019….subject to change of course. 
View of the beach from Sakatia Lodge at low tide
After lunch…we walked over to the place where we had dinner last night….at which time Trevor singed us up for a massage at 3 pm today and lobster dinner at 5 pm….it was delicious! I will note the massage was interesting: they had 2 lounge chairs out with sarongs laid out right on the beach so I left my shorts on and laid face down, but when she asked me to turn over it was clear to me there was nothing to cover me up with….ok…”I guess when in Rome”…so there I am, completely bare breasted for all the other tourists to see as she massaged my front side….for those who know me…this was a very uncomfortable state!!!
I will be frank…the food here (2 dinners) had better flavor than our lunch at Sakatia Lodge…worth a visit for sure! 
Their establishment… 
“hummmm…what should I start with?”…. 
This is a dinner for 4 people..not 2! A huge plate of salad, a bowl of rice and a bowl of squid curry, 1 whole fish, and 2 lobsters that Trevor requested the night before….I literally rolled out of the chair!!! 
The girls…sweet and such beautiful smiles….they wanted to give us hugs at the end of the dinner…and asked if we wanted another massage (LOL)!!!
The fleet at Sakatia Island 
“Flo” sitting pretty at sunset
We only stayed here for a few nights and we headed back to Crater bay for a few more items in town, a few meals with friends, of course hanging out at the Yacht Club restaurant….then we headed to Russian Bay…again..to do it properly!!!
Up Next: Russian Bay, Nosy Be, Madagascar: Re-connecting with old friends and securing new ones!