Rodrigues
Journeys of Aardvarc
Ed
Fri 10 Oct 2008 11:42
position 19:40.7S
063:25.2E
Hi
all
Have arrived
safely (yesterday) in the small island of Rodrigues, which is 300 miles east of
Mauritius and part of the Mauritius group. It was named after a Portuguese
explorer ..Pedro Rodrigues in the 16th century.
Had a very fast
passage with strong winds all the way.
Did not use the
engine at all.
We covered 2000
miles in 10 days, a record for us, average speed over 8
knots.
It was quite
tiring as the passage was quite "bouncy" but we all coped well and feel a great
sense of achievement as we have nearly crossed another Ocean. Since Australia we
have covered 4000 miles in quite a short time and will soon be in South
Africa.
My back is nearly
mended, thankfully, just a little caution needed.
Rodrigues is a
small island with a population of 36,000 people, mostly
Creole.
They were made
independent of England along with Mauritius in 1967, but in fact, the Rodrigues
islanders did not want independence and voted to stay
British.
eedless to say
they are very friendly and welcoming.
The island is
very colourful and vibrant.
We will probably
stay for another day and head for Mauritius tomorrow.
The photos show a
few pictures in Cocos..the ones with the turquoise waters.
Also shown, local
shops, beaches, the Customs and Immigration plus hangers on who
visited the boat en masse to check our papers here.
Sam , last night,
could not decide whether a moustache suited him..I am sure you can agree
with his decision that it didn't and are relieved it has now gone. Robert
organised a search party to try and find it this morning and has set
traps!
