Rodrigues to Mauritius

Bob - a proud fisherman with his catch - a good size dorado!

Fianl sunrise as we approach Mauritius

Entering Port Louis harbour

View of Caudan Marina on the right as we motor to the custom's dock

Maggie on the custom's dock

Maggie rafted to Tom Tom in the small Caudan Marina

Rodrigues to Mauritius

June 21 to June 24, 2016

Tuesday morning we met with customs, immigration, and coast guard to get cleared out. Four boats were leaving, Tom Tom and us to Mauritius and the other two to Reunion. By 10:30 we were ready to go. The first day was windy but sunny so covered a good distance. That night and Wednesday were squally so not as pleasant. I got dumped with salt water on watch. I'm writing the beginning of this on Thursday and it is much nicer again. The sun is out and the wind is down just a bit, although the seas are still high.

Rob got the wind generator repaired in Rodrigues. He wrote the company and they gave him the new wiring plan they now use. Our switch had broken and they knew that was a repair issue for owners. It was good to make the passage without having to use the generator to keep the batteries charged.

Winter has officially started this week. We have jackets, long pants, and a blanket at night in the cockpit. Latitude is close to 20 degrees South. We are passing many freighters as we are close to the path between Capetown and Singapore. We are lucky that we have a full moon which makes the nights more friendly.

We caught our first fish from the Indian Ocean, a dorado (mahi,mahi, or dolphinfish are other names). We fried some of it for lunch and the rest is all filleted in the freezer. Very delicious! Thanks to Bob for his perseverence in fishing and for the superb filleting job!

We are slowing down today to arrive Friday morning. Bob has a flight out Saturday. He is heading to South Africa, then on to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls, and then home.

The diesel leak, unfortunately, is still a problem. Once we were in seas, the fuel continued to leak into the bilge. Once the tank was half empty, the flow stopped. This is not going to be an easy problem to solve as the tank is closed with wood on all sides except the top where the hoses are. The hoses and top of tank are fine. It is inside a cockpit lazarette with an opening smaller than the tank.

I am finishing this entry from a dock in Port Louis. The arrival procedures went fine, although it took half a day, and docking is not one of our favourite things. The quarantine dock is a high concrete wall, especially at low tide with a full moon. We needed to stand on the stern rail and pull ourselves up another few feet. From there we moved to Caudan marina. It is just a small bay with room for about 12 boats around the walls and not much room to manoeuvre. Most boats have another one rafted to them. There was one small spot available which Tom Tom took. Then we came over and rafted up to him. It feels good to be secure for awhile. Time to get at the cleaning and projects and seeing Mauritius.

 

Farewell to Rodrigues

Hiking view to the south showing reef.

Hiking through farm land - pigs in background

Birds fishing on reef

Kite surfing resort along beach in background

Statue to the Dodo which was endemic to Mauritius - the Dodo is the one on the pedestal!

Farewell to Rodrigues 

June 20 2016

This morning we gave our 24 hour notice of leaving for Tues. There is a bit of an improvement in the weather (lower instead of upper 20's on the wind speed) until Fri. That should give us time to do the 330nm trip to Mauritius. Four boats have arrived in the last few days from Cocos so it is getting crowded here. We met Convivia in the port office doing their check in work. We met them first in Sabang and they took over the net from Alicia. They broke a shroud underway, as well as a few other things. With children aboard, they are looking forward to a long visit here with Mares and Caminante, who also have kids the same age.

For us, it is time to move on.  I think Bob is anxious to get home. Tom Tom and one or two other boats will also leave so we will have boats to be in touch with.  When we get to Mauritius we hope that we can do some travelling off the boat, especially to Madagascar.

Some of you have been asking why we would not be going on to Africa shortly. The trip to South Africa ( about 1500 nm) is best done in the spring or fall as the gales are more frequent and stronger in the winter, July and August. The temperatures here for June average between 15 and 25, which we are enjoying. But Durban in Sept, when we arrive, is more like 8 to 18. On the water, and/or in the rain it will feel cold. Some boats are following our route. But many are choosing to go to the north of Madagascar and down the Mozambique channel. That trip is longer and also rough and some of the locals have crime problems, but you see more places instead of paying for a marina to wait two months.

Thursday and Saturday we again had to vacate the harbour and return a few hours later. It is starting to be like a race to get a good spot. We won't miss that. Friday, Bob and I did another hike. (Rob has been fighting a cold so rested.) It was the best one from my point of view. Again we took a bus to the top of the island, and walked to a church that is the largest in the Indian Ocean. The Catholic churches here are more simple in architecture than elsewhere. The cemetery, on the other hand, was well decorated. From the trail head, we followed a creek for awhile. Then we passed through terraced farmland, and many cows, pigs, and chickens on the rolling hills. At sea level we followed the coast through two towns, had lunch on the beach,  and continued to a kite surfing resort before taking the bus back. There were over a dozen kite surfers out at all levels of expertise.

Back in town, we have done some more wandering about with regular market visits. Near the harbour there is a statue commemorating the once common bird, the dodo. This was its only home but it is now extinct. We also found the brewery, a school for handicapped children, and a few restaurants.

Friday night seven of us had dinner together on Padoja, from Halifax. Saturday night we had Gaia over for dinner. It is always interesting talking to other cruisers. Saturday and Sunday, Chris worked on replacing the forestay that he had ordered from England. Bob worked with him all of both days. Rob helped Saturday, as well. There are still some problems but he feels ok about getting to Mauritius. Today at four pm the press want to interview any sailors willing to meet with them. We will probably go in.

Just this afternoon, I decided to clean one section in the floor where I store milk. There was a small amount of diesel running underneath the container, but it was continuing to run. Rob has been working on finding the source and cleaning up for the last three hours. It looked like it was coming right from the bottom of one of the fuel tanks which would not be a good thing. The tank is down a quarter of its volume even though we are not using that tank now. But he closed the hoses to the generator and that seems to have stopped it. We will be leaving tomorrow, after all.

Boats and Chores Rodrigues

Sailboats at anchor inside the reef at Port Mathurin.

Outboard wasn't working so we had to row to shore - fortunately not a long way! Thanks to Alfredo's help we cleaned the carburetor and soon had it working again.

Carol and Laura on "Secret Island"

Boats and Chores Rodrigues

June 15 2016

A few more boats have arrived this week, from the north, Sri Lanka, Chagos or the Maldives. They also have had their worst passages yet. Everyone is working on some project. Surprisingly, there are three Canadian boats. The other two are from NS and Goderich, On. The larger group that left Cocos after us should start to arrive Mon. The highest winds this week are Sat and Sun. We will start to look for a time to leave after that. 

We still haven't run out of projects to do on the boat. I'm still at the cupboard and boat cleaning, getting rid of salt water. Bob has been working on exterior rust and the green waterline.  Rob has worked a lot on the dinghy motor and now has that working. Most of the rest of the jobs have been repairing smaller things. Fixing the leaks will involve rebedding deck items and stays. We need to wait to buy the proper supplies, hopefully in Mauritius. The sails need restitching in a few places but hope they also will be ok until the next stop as they need to be taken off.

We have been up to the hospital for some minor things at the clinic. Medical, dental, and meds are free here, even for visitors. It was an easy process. One of the other boaters who went thinks they try to fix most things with a bigger or stronger dose of medicine than at home. We have both had haircuts. It has been 2 and a half months since the last ones! Rob paid $2 and I paid $6.

No Regrets has emailed about their arrival in Mauritius. They did get a spot on a rough concrete wall in Port Louis where you need to check in. They are looking at other options to leave the boat. You are required to have a skipper supervising your boat, but there are people you can hire to do that. Tim and their crew have both already flown home.

Hiking on Rodrigues

Rodrigues coastline is often rugged - reef show in the background

Hiking group having lunch near end of a long hike down a rocky riverbed

Many lovely beaches along the coast. Always windy, however, as evidenced by the tree in the foreground!

Carol surveying the drying octopus skins

Local fisherwomen cleaning the day's catch

Hiking on Rodrigues

June 15 2016

Rodrigues is well known for its excellent hiking trails so we want to make sure that we try at least some of them. There are eight major trails that are all well marked. ( That is not to say that no one has gotten lost occasionally.) There is a map with directions to the trail head, length, and time to walk it, and which bus to take to get there. Generally you take a bus uphill and walk down. Other tourists that we have met are usually from France or Mauritius. It is much cooler here than we have been in the last few months which makes for pleasant walking. We even have the blankets out again.

Last Thursday, the ninth, we did the trail that followed the coast on the east side. We left town at 10 and were back about 3. It was pretty straight forward except for some scrambling over rocks and climbing a few cliffs. The wind was howling that day. It reminded us of a UK coastline in winter. Bob and Alicia had done the same hike earlier in the week and carried on further along the coast. But as Rob's arthritis was acting up that day, we took an earlier bus back.

On Sunday, the 12th, we had a bigger group of people from eight different boats, out from 8:30 to 4:30. This hike went further up into the hills and then followed the river valley down to the coast. There was a lot of hopping from rock to rock involved. It was more rigorous than some had expected.  Fortunately, we are finally past the wobbly sea legs days. More great views on this trek. There were some unique birds flying around the cliffs. Near the anchorage the noisiest birds come out at sunset in the shoreline trees, along with bats.

Bob and Alicia are the most avid hikers and have been out three more times for the full day. Then they have helped guide afterwards. Last night, we had a happy hour out on an exposed piece of coral behind the boats. Laura, age 11, on Mares, a Swiss boat, organized it all. She cleaned up the "island" and put up some decor from the available debris. Then she took their dinghy to each boat to invite people. It was a challenge to paddle across the shallow coral and return in the dark and wind, but fun to do. We have had dinner a few times in town. Tonight, many of the cruisers are meeting to have sushi prepared just for us at a local restaurant. The chef's specialty from a previous job, apparently.

Days 14 and 15 Cocos to Rodrigues Almost there!

Days 14 and 15 Cocos to Rodrigues Almost there!

June 5 2016

Every day seems like more of the same. But the winds are gradually abating, 20 to 25 kn today. The boat and crew are still rocking and rolling, but less salt water is splashing in. A reading light, timer and an ereader have died from salt water. We have a few bruises and dings in wood from things falling. But, on the bright side, all the motion has unplugged the head.

It is actually more pleasant down below than watching in the wet cockpit. We treated ourselves to watching a dvd in the afternoon yesterday. Even though we have seen Unbroken we wanted Bob to see it. Not that we wanted a reminder of what life in a liferaft might be like.

Gaia's autopilot and engine are both not working. We talked to them on the net last night. They were going to heave to overnight to get some rest. We should be quite close to them today, but not close enough to get them on the VHF or by sight yet. They should be able to sail ok and be close to the island Mon am as will we. Hopefully someone will be able to help them get into the anchorage.

We have been looking ahead at the charts and reference material on the upcoming islands. These are the Mascarene Islands, Rodrigues, Mauritius, and Le Reunion. They are high volcanic islands with surrounding coral reefs. Rodrigues belongs to Mauritius which is independent. Black slaves were employed on the sugar plantations during the time of French rule. English is the official language but French is spoken more. When slavery ended and English rule came, the blacks settled on Rodrigues. Indian indentured servants were brought in to work the plantations. Their descendants make up much of the population on Mauritius. Le Reunion remained French, and still is a dependency of France, like Martinique.

Bob's sister has cruised here on Cat's Paw4. She suggested that we not miss the great hiking on the islands. I'm looking forward to that but first finding a laundromat, having a shower and getting a good night's sleep.

Island Tour

Calm evening

Monument celebrating freeing of slaves

Island landscape showing extensive reefs offshore

Julian, our bus driver, at memorial to former slaves

Beautiful beach - best on the island

Carol and Tim ready for the cave tour

Island Tour

June 7, 2016

Tuesday should have been spent cleaning and organizing the boat. But No Regrets had planned an island tour with a van and guide and room for us. That sounded too good to pass up. Chris also joined the 6 of us. Rodrigues is only about 5 nm across and 10 nm long, but is high in the centre. The area of surrounding coral reefs is as large as the island itself. From the heights you can often see the ocean on more than one side. I really enjoyed seeing what the landscape was like. It reminded me of the wild coasts of England, Ireland, or NZ. There was a beautiful cool breeze blowing, a treat after all the heat.

We took an hour guided tour of a long, dark limestone cave with its stalactites and stalagmites. We also visited an old limestone quarry, a honey farm, a restaurant, and a beautiful isolated beach. Two stops were monuments and parks with info on the history of the island. They celebrated the freeing of the slaves here and the establishment of agriculture. The island was first settled by the Portuguese, then the Dutch, then the French. The English took over after the Treaty of Paris. The English freed the slaves. Their descendants are 90% of the population and still speak French or a Patois.

We have picked up a map of the hiking trails all over the island. We look forward to that one day. There are inexpensive buses to get around. Today, Wed, we are getting at the much needed cleaning and repairing, as well as vacating the harbour for a few hours.

Rodrigues Arrival

In dredged channel approaching Port Mathurin - freighter on main dock

Great to have fresh vegetables again!

Port Mathurin

Rodrigues Arrival

June 6, 2016

As planned, Maggie arrived Monday am. It was good that we were not too early as a cargo ship was also arriving at about the same time. All the anchored sailboats needed to vacate the harbour to leave enough room for the large ship to manoeuvre to the dock. Afterwards, they all returned, with us at the back of the pack. A repeat of that is due Wednesday when it leaves. An entrance channel and inner basin have been dredged out of the coral. It is a very convenient anchorage, out of the wind and close to a dock for the dinghies. You are then right in the centre of town. It was great to finally get rid of the garbage. But after that first bag, no more plastic bags, as they are banned on the island. It will be interesting to see how that works.

Most of Monday was spent getting all the formalities of checking in accomplished. Two departments visited the boat and another four we visited on land. Alicia from On Verra showed us around to the necessary locations, including the bank, cell phone office, tourist info, and bakery. That was an appreciated gesture. Also, Chris swung by in his dinghy with a loaf of bread and an offer to take us to shore and back. That saved getting the dinghy off the deck and back working. Everyone had a rough passage, so they knew we would be tired. We went to bed right after dinner for a good, long sleep.

There are currently a dozen boats in the anchorage. Three boats had left on Tuesday, as the wind dropped off with the passage of the front. Two more arrived Tuesday, including Gaia. As well as those from Cocos, some have come directly from Sumatra, Chagos, and the Maldives. Most boats have had to do some repairs. Amazingly, Chris has been able to order a new forestay and parts directly from England and have them arrive in 10 days.

Cocos Keeling to Rodrigues, Rolling Along, literally

Days 11, 12, 13 Wed June 1

Yuck! That about sums up the last three days. The winds have continued to build and, of course, the seas with them. We are now in a gale (over 35 kt) and have had a gust as high as 42. This is supposed to continue another 3 days, starting to diminish Sun/Mon. With the extra speed we will probably arrive a day sooner than expected, on Mon. we've been traveling with a bit of main and the staysail in the day. At night, we're going slower with just the main to be calmer. I feel like I'm half awake at night, and half asleep during the day.

The boat is handling things well enough with seas about 4 meters. Most waves are from the stern quarter and we ride over them .Occasionally one crashes into the cockpit and everything is wet. Sometimes the autopilot goes off with a bad wave temporarily. The SW swell is in front and occasionally crashes across the bow and decks. Water comes into the boat through one or more mystery leaking spots. I'm quickly running out of dry rags wiping up. The cockpit has clothesline strung around for drying them. It doesn't look much tidier down below. The last time we used the spinnaker it came down in the rain so we have had it spread out everywhere.

We're not doing too much except sailing and the necessities.