That night, undoubtedly, the water would again reflect the Milky Way and a fish eagle would greet the dawn. Hippos would burp and bubble and Chauya would be tempting bream with a worm

dona National Park and elephants were everywhere. It seemed a good place to launch a tiger hunt. We cast off the tender boat late afternoon and headed upstream on glassy, sky-blue water. An elephant ripping up grass on the bank warned us off with an ear flapping display as we passed and hippos munched contentedly, ignoring us.

Our destination was Tiger Bay, named for being favoured by the lake’s legendary fighting fish. On the way, we trawled colourful lures with names like Black Fury and Super Vibrax but caught only weeds. The low sun was floodlighting purple thunderheads that flashed and rumbled in the east and became ever-changing abstract art in the ripples of the boat’s spreading wake.

In Tiger Bay, we threw more lures to tempt our prey but mostly got lost in the trance-inducing repetition of cast out and reel back. Being in such natural beauty seemed reward enough and catching a fish merely a distraction. Suddenly, my son’s rod bent and the reel hissed. The tiger was leaping and fighting all around the boat. It hurled itself into the air, flashing its legendary black and gold stripes; then, just as suddenly, it was gone. The rod flicked straight and Captain Life sighed.

Hard mouths,” he said, “you have to keep the line tight or you lose them.”

The light was fading fast so we left it at that and made our way back through the gathering darkness lit by flashes of sheet lightning and the welcoming glow of the Lady Jacqueline. Despite returning from the hunt empty-handed, we didn’t miss out on fish for supper: Chauya had been busy over the side with worms. There’s clearly a difference between sport and practicality.

Gordon’s Bay, our last stop, was a place of hippos and we had a chance to become acquainted. They’re giant, aubergine-shaped, air-filled grass eaters and pretty grumpy as well. At night, they emerged silently from the lake to munch the green swards beside the boat.

As dawn pinked the horizon, they gently eased themselves back into the water with all manner of orchestration. The most prominent sound was their standard complaint – “eep erferferf” – but the most dramatic was a rip that exploded in bubbles and rumble from the other end. In between were the deep sounds of large stomachs working their way through a night of grass and emerging as spectacular booming burps, followed by satisfied sighs.

As the sun heated the windless air, their largely aquatic life made good sense. I’d like to have emulated them, but the slide marks of crocs on a nearby sandbank suggested that remaining on board was the most prudent course of action.

By the time we reached Kariba, we’d done more than 200km in 36 hours of travelling time at an average speed of around four knots. We tied up in Marineland Harbour among dozens of houseboats. That night, as a parting shot and in a blaze of almost continuous lightning and rolling thunder, the sky hurled down everything it could. Rain was blasting almost horizontally, hurling deck cushions into the water and threatening to do the same with everything else not

Clockwise from top: Hippo at home in Lake Kariba (Photo: Sean Peter/Unsplash); With its own master chef, meals on the Lady Jacqueline are delicious; Waiting for a tiger fish to take the lure; the master cabin of Lady Jacqueline; Checking out the neighbours on Lake Kariba. Photos: Don Pinnock

tied down. The shade awning ripped off; a nearby fuel pontoon broke its moorings and crashed into a nearby houseboat.

In the morning, as we said our farewells, the sky was innocent blue again and there wasn’t a breath of wind. That night, undoubtedly, the water would again reflect the Milky Way and a fish eagle would greet the dawn. Hippos would burp and bubble and Chauya would be tempting bream with a worm. But we’d be elsewhere.

Maverick Life readers can take advantage of an exclusive adventure at half the standard rates: R36,000 a person for two people. Extra adults are R9,740 each and children under 12 are R6,320. Package includes return flights Johannesburg/ Harare, self-drive 4x4 hire to get you to Kariba, and six nights full board with your own chef. Contact Maxine at maxine@ flameofafrica.com and use the code FoaMav2021. You can hire the boat for $600 a night self-catering. It sleeps 10.