Chagos to Mauritius ( 10th June to 23rd June 2012)

On the 10th of June, after our 2 weeks in Chagos, we set sail for Mauritius. As our radio had failed and we were unable to download weather GRIBS we relied on the generosity of other yachties to give us a predicted forecast.  Apart from the first day it was a pretty boisterous with winds steadily around 20knots, gusting to 25, with confused seas and a most uncomfortable motion. Cathy was seasick from the second day and it took 3 days to settle down before she got her "sealegs" so the pre-prepared meals in the freezer were appreciated by Eric and Ralph. After the 3rd day she was able to do the night watches (as the sea state wasn't so visible) and was back to normal with the help of medication (scopolamine patch- behind the ear)  At times Ralph couldn't read his kindle due to the motion! So that's saying something!

After 7 days at sea, covering good distances of 140-150nm/day we decided to seek shelter behind the Cargados shoals. The winds were increasing and predicted to be around 30knots

This chain of small islands and sand cays are around 200nm north of Mauritius and are not often visited..

                                  

As we came behind the reef the seas died down. There were many shipwrecks visible on the reef.

 We anchored in good holding sand and for 3 days it blew 20-30knots constantly with gusts to 40knots. The wind swept across the sea and whipped up spray over the small reefs.

There were 2 buildings ashore which we assumed were fishing lodges.

The colours in the lagoon were spectacular

As we were unable to celebrate Ralph's birthday at sea we had made a "raincheck" so we celebrated the day after we arrived.

Breakfast- Banana and almond hotcakes with fruit and drizzled honey - Glass of bubbly

Am tea- Chocolate cake with choc icing and candles      Perc coffee                      

Lunch- Pizza and "Bloody mary's"                                                      

Dinner-  Pre dinner drinks and nibbles  

                                    Prawns, crayfish and smoked fish chowder  

              Creme Brulee and cheesecake 

We occupied our time playing games, reading and watching movies.

There were at one time 12 Remora under our boat and we had great fun feeding them and could even touch them on the back. Eric says we have a new method of washing our dishes (Fisher/Paykel style!)

                                                               

On the 4th day ( 21st June) Ralph phoned brother Peter on the sat phone in NZ to get a weather forecast.  Conditions were settling, particularly south, so we headed back to sea.

The first few hours was pretty uncomfortable with 4m swells and winds to 30knots but it settled the further south we went.

We caught 2 tuna and 1 good sized wahoo on the way

We arrived at 0145hrs on the 23rd of June and set anchor until daybreak when we could enter the harbour for clearance by quarantine, immigration, customs and coastguard. It was exciting to see the day unfold and view the sights of Mauritius

Entering the harbour in Port Louis. The customs dock is in the right lower side of the google map with a long trapezioidal grey roof. The marina is in the lower right, to the left of the Google earth writing

The town basin with quarantine dock by the windmill

Erica tied up waiting for port clearance

Port officials

After berthing "Erica" in the marina, giving her a fresh water hose down and sending our salty/dirty clothes and linen off with the laundry man, Ralph generously paid for a night in this hotel on the 6th floor. We were  pampered with limitless hot water, enjoying a soak in a bath and a calm nights sleep

Lift views

Views from the room

Erica in the marina

So here we are enjoying the culture and scenery of Mauritius

Cruising Notes

Chagos to Mauritius:

Our HF had Failed so we had no gribs. Fellow cruises helped us out. In the three weeks that we were in Chagos watching the gribs 27/5/12 to 10/6/12  we never saw what would be an ideal weather window for this up hill passage. That being said we steeled ourselves and had a boisterous but safe and fast passage to the south of the Cargados shoals. The grib files we had when we left proved to be reasonably accurate for the 7 days of the passage. We tucked up behind the lightly vegetated sandcays that make up Coco Island. We new the charting was out . We actually found it quite accurate enough if you give things a wide berth. The anchorage is on lovely coral sand in around 6-12 meters. Friends that left just behind us tucked up in the north. The north has a Mauritius coast guard station. The CG was happy so long as they didn’t go ashore. You can get a permit but only in Mauritius! The winds lightened a little after 4days so we continued on to Mauritius with the winds lightening as we went south.

Mauritius:

We arrived at night and anchored in Tombeau Bay ( 20' 06.2604S 57' 30.2726 E ) as others had done before us and others have done since. The charting is accurate as it is in most of Mauritius. Approach squarely as there is fringing reef to the north and south. There is a sand bottom.

Mauritius has no army or navy but a police force with a well organized and equipped Coast guard branch. They monitor AIS transmissions. Call the Port Louis port control on approach. They will ask your details and give you permission to enter and assistance to find the Coast guard / Customs / immigration tie up right at the back of the harbour if you need it. The official language is English but every one speaks Creole and French and switch effortlessly to good English when needed.

Of late every one has been given 30days of visa waiver on arrival. After that if you what to stay longer you must go to the visa extension office in town with... A quarantine form customs arrival form (make sure you get one on arrival this all seems new and customs don’t normally give any thing.) Also the usual crew list plus a Photo Copy of the front page of your Passport and a Passport copy of the page with your inbound stamp. Plus a photo copy of your named bank account showing sufficient funds to support yourself.. There are Photo copy facilities in the building. Also be prepared to hand write a letter stating you need extra time due to engine problems. This is the only bit of bureaucratic bull shit we have come across so far. We will resist saying anything about the attitude of the immigration officer.

The little marina is often over crowded and you may need to raft up. It seems that you just show up and tie up somewhere. Then see the numerous pleasant security guards that will send you to the office. Its around $10 us a day all inclusive. If can organize between yourselves and other boaters a better tie up then tell security what you're about, that seems fine.

Nearly all the Mauritians you meet will be lovely folk, proud of their country and helpful but be aware that there is a criminal element particularly around Port Louis. In the short time we were there, three boats were boarded in broad day light. One of the perpetrators was caught by security and one of the numerous security cameras. One boarding was by subterfuge, so don’t be scammed.

You will be approached by Rashid the taxi driver. He is a genuine chap, making a living but keen to give you a fair deal. He can take you to get LPG and Diesel, or get it for you. Diesel is also available at Grande Baie (on water) but with only around 1.5 meters Depth. Deodath the laundry man will also approach you. He is expensive by standards we are used to, but he makes a good job even getting rid of stains that we thought were there for good. We had sails repaired by MU Sails. We were very happy. Professional workmanship is at reasonable western prices.

If you import something into Mauritius it must have a value even if it is a warranty replacement item that has cost you nothing. This will then have a VAT 15% charged on it.

The alternate procedure is to import “Yacht in Transit” . However this then requires that a broker receives the parcel, does the customs formalities and then delivers the parcel to your vessel in a bonded vehicle . This can add up to more than the value of the goods!

Passage to Chagos and the Chagos experience ( 9th May to 10th June 2012)

On the 9th of May we left the West Sumatran, Mentawai Islands bound for Chagos (BIOT) 1800nm west in the Indian Ocean. Friends aboard SV Leto accompanied us until we changed course to Chagos. They were heading to Rodrigues.
We set off with blue skies and flat seas apart from large 4m swells rolling up from the SW. There were lots of flying fish and we sat on deck with our dinner and watched the sun setting.

On the second day we had squalls from the east, which meant rain cells and shifting wind, so we were able to fill our water tanks and do some motorsailing for brief periods. We had a spectacular display of acrobatics by a pod of dolphins, leaping about 12' into the air.

By the 5th day we were sailing well as we entered the SE trade winds. We occupied our time watching movies, singing and playing musical instruments, reading our kindles and enjoying hauling in fish. We caught mahimahi and tuna and enjoyed fillets freshly cooked. When a fish was caught there would be a cry of "Kindles below" and we would clear the cockpit of breakables and squabs and prepare to bring the fish in.

Cathy's brother Ralph with Mahimahi (Dorado or dolphin fish)

On the 9th day out our HF radio failed so we were unable to send email position reports or contact family but brother Ralph had a satellite phone with him and made regular contact with family.

We continued to have occassional squalls to 20knots and electrical storms, but they were very brief. We had some running repairs to do to the genoa (foresail) as the ring came adrift from the clew, probably due to poling out the sail and periods of flogging as the winds died, then changed direction with squalls. As the sails are 12 yrs old, stitching comes away due to exposure to the elements. Eric did a good repair job with some spectre cordage, which was ok for the rest of the trip
On the 12th day we started to see ships and Eric had an interesting conversation from a watch captain from the Phillipines who had been 9mths away from home between Australia, Singapore and was on the way to Africa. We had to be vigilant at night and were grateful for our AIS monitor.

These ships passed on Cathy's watch

 

On the 17th night a Booby bird landed on top of one of our solar panels and stayed the night. The next day we sighted land. The last 45nm we had calm seas and motored most of the way..We had bets as to how many boats would be anchored at the Salomon atoll. Eric won the bet, guessing 8. We made 9....


We arrived on day 18, tired but happy. It had been a pretty good crossing but we were keen to have a quiet still anchorage. The constant movement and noise at sea is not easy

Ralph raising the Chagos flag

celebration breakfast

A permit is required to stop at the British Indian ocean territories and only 2 areas are granted. Salomon and Peros Banhos with a charge of 50pound/week and limit of 1 mths stay. This is granted through London with boat insurance covering salvage and medical evacuation insurance a requirement.
We snorkelled over 2 submerged yacht wrecks and another from last year was on the reef/shore.

These noddy birds were unafraid of human presence and perched only a few inches from us

We went ashore to explore and walked around the island

The Boobie birds were nesting in the trees

and there were plenty of chicks

 The noddy birds were protecting nests in the sand

Cathy pointing to a turtle in the shallows. We watched a moray eel leap out of the water and slither across the rocks chasing crabs but weren't quick enough to capture it on film.

There were lots of coconut crabs

and hermit crabs

On our return we enjoyed cooling off in the shallows. The water temperature was refreshing
after such a long time in the tropical waters of Asia. We were wary of the black tip reef sharks cruising by

We put this one back after Eric hooked it!

 A visit from the BIOT fishery patrol was interesting. They were keen to know if we had seen any suspicious fishing boats on passage

Eric fishing off the beach

Cathy snorkelling with the kayak alongside incase of sharks

The water was very clear and the coral untouched. Some of the best we've seen. With little human presence, restricted anchoring areas and out of the cyclone belt it is pretty protected from sustaining damage

After 3 days at Ile de Fouquet and Takamaka we moved across the lagoon to Ile Boddam

Past cruisers have set up some washing facilities near a well so we able to wash all our salty and dirty linen and string them to dry between coconut palms.

Some of the boats at anchor

We organised a gathering ashore with fellow cruisers which was fun

Cathy cooking battered fish in the wok ashore

There used to be a settlement here with an excellent infrastructure, as there was in the other islands in the Archipelago, however the people were expelled from their homes in the 60's and 70's by the British government whot traded their islands to the USA for the cost of 2 polaris submarines.

It's incredible how nature has reclaimed back the cleared areas of the island and trees and roots have entwined the buildings

                  

The fishing was fantastic. A baited line was taken often before it had reached the bottom

Eric had a smoker made in Malaysia (pictured beside his head ) and he produced many tasty smoked fillets

After our 14 day permitted stay we set sail for Mauritius, 1300nm to the south

Cruiser notes.

Sumatra to Chagos.

We began this passage by following the route that Passage Planner recommended. We motored SW until we found wind at 7 degrees . Passage Planner had recommended 8 degrees. In hind site I believe that we would have found almost as much wind at 6 or even 5 deg . Getting way from the Indonesian coast seemed as important to get breezes as it was to head south. Staying north would have saved distance and made it easier to fill the sails. The biggest curse are as always the little rain squalls that puff up to 25 Kts and then there’s nothing until the light trades recover.

On the whole it was a slow but easy passage and we arrived feeling as though we had done a much shorter passage.

Chagos.

Amazing place. It is astounding how quickly nature takes over after humans leave. We lived on fish. We only met the fisheries patrol folk. The customs never visited during the two weeks we stayed there. We had a lot of moderate Northerlies while we were there. We had anchored clear of the reefs and the anchor held well. It would be well worth looking up the history of Chagos before visiting.