Chagos

NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Fri 29 Jun 2007 02:59
BIOT
(British Indian Ocean Territory)
 
 
5:20S 72:15E
Ile Boddam, Salomon atoll
29th July 2007
 
 
The politics of the whole Chagos group of atolls that makes up the BIOT is a long subject.  Suffice to say that indentured labour was brought in mainly from Madagascar and Mauritius to farm the coconuts for the production of copra and coconut oil.  This lasted into the early '70s when the trade got very slack and the population was forcibly removed to Mauritius.  Just before this happened  Britain, who had a staging post 300 miles to the north on the Maldivian atoll of Gann, now called Addu, gave the Chagos atoll of Diego Garcia to the Americans.  Now it is a large airbase.  Yachts are not allowed near it and the basic labour there is Philipino and not the original Chagos workers.  They were not allowed to do this work.
 
The whole exercise has been a shabby but quiet bit of British foreign policy.  Recently the workers have won for the nth time the right to return in the high court.  However being realistic there is no way they could return. They could not sustain themselves nor would any amount of aid get them going as tourism is a non starter due to the lack of an airport.  The Americans are not likely to give up Diego Garcia nor allow it to be half commercial half military.
 
This leaves the only visitors as yachtsmen.  The latter are allowed to visit just two atolls, Salomon and Peros Banhos.  There is no doubt that the British would love to ban us from coming here at all but as these atolls are not a military area and the whole lot are British it would be very difficult for them to do so legally.  They are starting to make it quite restrictive and more expensive.  Permits at one hundred pounds per month have to now be obtained before arrival.  Apparently a patrol boat with British marines and immigration officials but run by civilians comes once a month.  We just missed their last visit and are likely to be gone before the next.
 
We came here not knowing quite what to expect as we had heard stories of long term drop out type people living off the land and growing marijuana.  We had also heard that there were lots and lots of visiting yachts.  The reality has been that we turned up just before the new cost structure kicked in, at least for those who were here, and the 17 yachts reduced to 8 fairly quickly and now as I write there are four of us.  In two days there will just be two.  No doubt the yachts on the Queensland, Darwin, South Africa route will be along in the next two months.  We came with the preconceived idea that the long term visitors were the problem and we have to admit that we were totally wrong in this.  Ile Boddam, where the main settlement was, is the home of the long term stayers and they are a delightful bunch of people who are proud of way they keep their shore facilities.  They respect the regulations and we could see very little damage being done by man to the environment.  Rubbish is incinerated where possible and cans and bottles collected by the patrol boat.  The volley ball court, the general sitting area, the incinerator and rubbish facilities, the well and the washing area are all kept very neat and tidy.  The trails through the jungle are kept open.  We did hear stories of a few real low budget types who rather rape the land and live off coconut crabs and cut hearts of palm but we met non of these.  Interestingly everyone who admitted there were a few all said they come from a country that lies just to the south of the UK and has a red, white and blue flag.  This information was given by American, Canadian, Finnish, German and British yachtsman.  I say no more.
 
What we have however found out was something about ourselves.  Whereas many of those whose company we have enjoyed come here for six or so months year after year we have found that living the basic life is something of an acquired taste.  The thing is that a long time without news papers, films, theatre and perhaps more importantly a local community has left us craving these things.  We never felt the same in Vanuatu where all of the former were missing but on each island we interrelated with the local village.  Here there is nothing but magnificently beautiful scenery.  We still feel privileged to have come and can only recommend the experience to anyone who gets the chance but we do know that whatever happens to us either family wise or financially we will not head for an uninhabited atoll to wind away our days.
 
As I write the plan is to set sail tomorrow for the Seychelles.  To this end we came up from Boddam through the coral bommies at midday with the sun high.  Leaving earlier from there is difficult so we will spend tonight anchored where we were for our first week here.  The exit through the pass can be made from here after ten o'clock in the morning.  I will send a report after a day or so at sea.  The passage is likely to be one of slight frustration with light winds and no doubt a fair amount of tropical rain.  However if we go expecting this then anything better will be good news.  We have some 500nm of diesel left so will motor at night if the going gets very slack.
 
Morning walk on Ile Takamaka
 
 
The lifespan of this church was not great.  Built in 1935, abandoned in 1972.
Apparently there was always a cronic shortage of women on the island.
  Thus whenever the missionaries tried to get the couples to marry the women
 refused as they wanted to play the field.  This was the reason it was as late as
 1935 that the church prevailed and started to dominate behaviour amongst
the labourers on the plantations.
 
Perhaps this picture sums up these atolls.
Man comes and man goes but, as long as the sea level
does not rise(!) the palm species goes on for ever