It was a cool evening with a light drizzle as we prepared to sail from Kirongo landing site on Buvuma Island to Kiyindi landing site on the mainland in Buikwe district, central Uganda.

We were aboard the creaky Kiyindi/Buvuma ferry, on Lake Victoria. A light wind stirred the calm waters.

“The sailing is going to be fine, the weather is OK,” Luke Mutebi, a regular sailor on the lake said, as I nodded my head, acknowledging his view, because I have never experienced trouble on my previous sailings especially when  crossing to Bugala Island on Pearl.

At exactly 4.30 pm, the ferry arrived at Kirongo landing site on Buvuma Island; it was carrying trucks, motorcycles, and passengers. And within 10 minutes, we had hopped on.

The one-hour journey began, with passengers lining the rails as the distance between the ferry and the island widened.

Wearing red life jackets, we enjoyed the beauty of the lake’s waters. However, when we were in the middle of the lake, the vessel started shaking, leaned over to the side where I was seated, and water flowed onto the deck, wetting my shoes. I was scared and sweating profusely, expecting the vessel to capsize.

I held tightly onto a heavy metal bar behind my chair and leaned towards a woman close by as though I could restore balance to the ferry. Everyone else seemed to be holding their breath.

A prayer by one of the passengers made me more uncomfortable as I imagined he was praying for our last moments.

If it is true, as Julius Caesar said, that cowards die many times before their deaths and the valiant never taste of death but once, I can confidently state that I am one of those who died many times in my lifetime.

Buvuma Island is bordered by Jinja district to the north, Mayuge district to the east, Tanzania to the south, and Buikwe district to the west. It has diverse fauna and flora in its dense tropical forest, with a range of rare birds, animals and plants.

With a population of 89,960 people, the Island has unspoiled sandy beaches and good camping sites. Subsistence agriculture, fishing, tourism, logging and charcoal burning are the main economic activities.

Traditional wooden boats, which hold anywhere from five to 60 passengers, cross the waters ferrying people to and from the island. The boats are the most common means of transport, at a cost of between Ush2,000 ($0.6) and Ush5,000 ($1.5) depending on whether one is carrying luggage.

Florence Nabakoza, a businesswoman on the island, says she is not afraid to use the boats because she has never had a bad experience on them.

“I do not see any problem using these boats. I have used them to cross the lake several times,” Ms Nabakoza said, as she prepared to load firewood on one of the boats destined to the market on the mainland.

At 6pm, we reached Kiyindi landing site in Buikwe district, and asked the vessel’s officials what had gone wrong on the journey.

“This ferry is old, it does not have necessary devices to measure depth of the water, direction or the weather. We simply use our traditional knowledge to sail,” said one of the operators, who preferred anonymity.

I am happy that, in the end, we arrived safely.