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The Mighty Osprey
By Anthony Williams
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Mohomed Ali with his 11.18lb bass, caught at Darwendale on a Zoom frog in the late afternoon.
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Osprey has 12 cabins and is rated to sleep up to 26 pax. She is ideal for entertaining large group reunions, serious fishing trips, with “after wedding” parties being very popular. In spite of her size, small group bookings are encouraged too as evidenced by their pricing structure. Kariba Houseboat Cruises have used her for day and sundowner cruises entertaining up to 60 guests on board for the afternoon, while she has also been the venue for on-board weddings. Due to her considerable width (nearly nine meters), she boasts considerable space not normally found on smaller houseboats and an amazing five bathrooms each with shower (with two 150l solar geysers with 220v back-up elements), toilets and hand basins... no queues for amenities on this craft.
Sitting at the Harbor View Cafe overlooking Andora Harbor where Osprey is moored, I asked owner Keith Balantyne why the modifications to her had been made. “I’m probably going to need a wheelchair myself one day!” he joked. But more seriously, his experiences with the old age home and disabled people had shown that very few craft on Kariba are adequately equipped for their needs, and given Osprey’s ample size, she could easily be modified. Converting the back section of the top deck with an additional four bedrooms - two of which are now easily accessed with a wheelchair - he also added a separate wheelchair friendly shower/toilet with hospital style grab rails conveniently placed next to the shower and toilet to assist in using these facilities, and a purpose made and adjustable shower chair to complete the facility. Consulting with a friend whose father was wheelchair bound for many years, Keith was also able to fine tune other aspects of the boat. The top deck toilet has been heightened to suit those moving in and out of a wheelchair, while a ramp and winch system easily and safely transports wheelchairs between decks. All beds on board have been replaced with slightly higher versions to aid those with physical difficulties, while a state-of-the-art wheelchair has been added for use by clients not easily able to bring their own. Once on board, and should they choose, wheelchair bound guests never have to move below decks - quite an advantage.
Osprey’s two pontoon tender boats are also wheelchair friendly and Keith has designed a retractable ramp system from the mothership onto the tenders for those in wheelchairs. While the 7m pontoon has a roof and is suitable for longer outings, the smaller 4.8m pontoon is open and more suited to serious fishermen. Powered by small outboards, they are not designed for long distance, but rather exploring and game viewing close to the mothership. We used the smaller open pontoon primarily for fly-fishing, an application which suited it perfectly. The fish were not overly impressed with our efforts, but the two anglers on the boat were both able to cast without any hindrance, making the most of the stable platform.
Osprey’s other amenities include a top deck Jacuzzi under shade, sun deck, dining area, bar (with kitchenette), fully equipped kitchen, three 20cu/ft deep freezers, 12v/220v lighting and power (with two generators) and a 3m square swimming cage which is lowered into the water for those wanting to get close to nature when swimming.
Our cruise took us across the lake to the Gache Gache river where we hoped once again to catch the tigerfish running up river to spawn. Early February was wet across much of southern Africa and Kariba was no exception. Low scudding cloud and afternoon thunderstorms swelled incoming rivers, littering them with muddy water, floating logs and other debris. We saw plenty of tigerfish jumping and swirling on the surface, but had limited success. The hits we did get had no real pattern to them - some in open water, others along the banks or old river course, but the upper reaches of the Gache Gache were far from ideal. Fishing from the pontoons offered a great and very stable platform as they are large and robust and very stable. Poking our way up-river, dodging logs and pods of hippo, I never once felt threatened, simply due to our imposing tenders. Admittedly, they did not go anywhere fast, but then they are not supposed to.
Our return journey to Kariba met with a stiff westerly which had been blowing since early morning. Quite a swell had some of us feeling more than a little seasick, but never worried about safety. Osprey’s twin 130hp Cummins diesel engines just seemed to push her through the waves. Chatting to Keith later on, it was interesting to note he actually assisted in the building of Osprey in 1995, along with a good many other boats on Kariba over the last 30 years. Owner of KB Engineering in Kariba, he is fortunate to have the wherewithal to modify and maintain Osprey as needs dictate.
Osprey’s crew - chef, captain and deck hands - a great bunch of guys.
Ramps onto the tender boats, and down the stair well very easily move wheelchairs around the boat.
Osprey eloquently kitted out for a wedding.
Osprey’s crew - chef, captain and deck hands - a great bunch of guys.
Osprey Houseboat a Hit with Seniors
Once again, we would like to extend our grateful thanks to Kariba Houseboats for the use of their Osprey houseboat, to host the old folk from Chinhoyi on their annual Kariba getaway. In addition, many donations were received from the community and other caring individuals, and their support is much appreciated.
Annually, Kariba Houseboats donate one of their craft and her crew for the benefit of some of Zimbabwe’s Senior Citizens. This group of Seniors are treated to a holiday they may not otherwise experience due to financial restraints, and often physical limitations too. The Osprey was recently re-fitted to better cater to people with physical limitations, making the craft entirely wheelchair friendly, from the winch system up the stairs to the top deck, to the wheelchair friendly ablutions, bedrooms and even fishing pontoons. Says Dave Mathews who helps organise the trip “There were 26 of us on the boat, and definitely the wheelchair system works wonders as we had to use it on a number of occasions. The staff were fantastic to everyone taking them fishing and seeing that they were all OK.”
Attached are several pictures of the adventure, which aside from fishing and leisurely cruises apparently included rowdy pool parties, and the odd bit of pole dancing! Who says life begins at 40!?
Our four day trip was very pleasant, though with only six of us on board, we sometimes lost each other... not always a bad thing when houseboating with other people. The crew were outstanding, and though we had four members on board (the captain, cook and two deck hands), when operating with a full pax, she will go out with five crew. Keith prefers to keep her operations close to the eastern basin as far as the Umi river, and has a rescue/back-up speed boat which he can deploy should there be a problem with Osprey or any guests on board. Quite a comforting feature.
Although Osprey is a huge boat, her rates have been structured on a WET or DRY rate - as well as a sliding scale making her competitive for smaller groups too. Dry rate pricing ranges between $500 - $900 per day dependant on number of pax. There is also a fully catered option available for those who require it, and this service is supplied by Harbor View Café.
For more information and bookings, visit their website at www.kariba-houseboat-cruises.com or email them at karibahouseboatcruises@gmail.com. Alternatively, you can call Cally on (+263-61) 2292 or 2293 or cell (+263-774) 578622 and (+263-774) 502677.
All cabins are open sided with a private view over the lake. Two of the up-stairs cabins are open on two sides, giving great ventilation as well as views.
The top deck cabins with central, wheelchair accessible bathroom fully fitted to assist those with disabilities.
The dining are, easily seating 26 pax.
All cabins are open sided with a private view over the lake. Two of the up-stairs cabins are open on two sides, giving great ventilation as well as views.
We used the smaller open pontoon primarily for fly-fishing, an application which suited it perfectly. The fish were not overly impressed with our efforts, but the two anglers on the boat were both able to cast without any hindrance, making the most of the stable platform.
The Mighty Osprey
The large, comfortable pontoon tenders offer safety (from hippos) and are ideal for a day out on the water.
We used the smaller open pontoon primarily for fly-fishing, an application which suited it perfectly. The fish were not overly impressed with our efforts, but the two anglers on the boat were both able to cast without any hindrance, making the most of the stable platform.
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