And the next instalment – Devils Island (iles du Salut) off French Guyana.

The run up from Fernando was great, 7 days of constant sailing and no motoring, great. We’re also now back in the Northern Hemispheres after around a year of being  down South, crossing the equator in our usual style with a bottle of Bubbly of course!

All going well until the afternoon before arriving, wherein we came across an enormous fishing net in the sea, perpendicular to our course. So head off to run along the net and get round it – 2.4 MILES later we finally come to the end! Another 3-4 miles on and almost back on course and yet another fishing net – this time could see the boats laying the net in the distance so a mile race-up to get round them. With nets like that I’m surprised there are many fish left in that area! Still thought would be an idea to run a fishing line out – few hours later and got a BIG bite, so big that it almost ran all our line out, but it finally managed to shake itself free, complete with our lure!

So managed to time it to arrive into Devils Island (actually 3 quite small islands) just as it was starting to get dark, ideal. Dropped the hook and settled in for the evening with nice food and couple of bottles of South African – this is the life!

Next morning time to explore and what a Gem, beautiful old colonial style French island feel complete with lots of wild-life and an abandoned penal colony in the middle, in semi ruins, but being partially restored – must have been flipping awful back in the days in a small 4 x 8 foot cell with no direct view and with some cells having no windows!

It’s hard to capture how quant and differently beautiful the islands are. Certainly at only about ½ mile log they ain’t big, but are scattered with old ruins and surrounded by a lush forest. On the opposite side to the anchorage there’s a salt water pool where we sat and shared a recently fallen coconut whilst just chilling and watching day trippers lulling around in the pool.

The island even has a restaurant/bar, mainly for lunch time (to cater for the visitors from French Guyana), which is typically French – super baguettes and a plat de jour of local fish or chicken bits, washed down with a rose of course!

Luv & hugs,

Paul & Trish

Photo’s:

a)      View to ille du Diable across the way

b)      Local tour guide

c)       Locals monkeying around

d)      Great shot of Babe

e)      Cell all to myself

f)       Another couple of criminals

g)      Children’s graveyard

h)      Chill time

i)        Hospital – what a building

j)        Kiddy Karting

k)      Local Rat – yum

l)        Eating coconuts by the sea pool