The island is covered in dense forest and there are no permanent settlements there.
Nosy Mangabe has plenty of fresh water from rains that washes the island practically all round the year.
More than 160 inches of it falls on this 1,300-acres island in a year.
Some wrote the name of the ship, its captain, their date of arrival and departure.
Over time, an ingenious system of messaging began to develop.
Some of these inscription told amazing stories.
It was anchored there for a good seven months while it was being repaired.
It is quite amazing to think that they managed to reach the bay without masts and sails, saidDuivenvoorde.
Once theMiddelburgcrew finished building a new mast, the ship continued its voyage back to the Netherlands.
Unfortunately, it never reached home.
However, theMiddelburgdid stop briefly at Table Bay, South Africa, to deliver a parcel of crew letters.
So the Dutch ships began employing locals to hold letters.
Indeed, postal stones are aunique partof the South African postal history.
Three months later another the crew of another Portuguese ship found the letter and delivered it to Portugal.
Wendy van Duivenvoorde inspects a postal stone in Nosy Mangabe.
Arrived here 9 April 1632 from Batavia and departed 15th ditto."
Photo credit:Andrew Massyn/Wikimedia
