Day 3

A very pleasant day – with winds around 15 knots and swell of under 2m and not much wind waves.  We had to reef the mainsail as sailed between Mauritius and Reunion as the wind got up to over 20 knots and kept it all until we arrived.  We had to gybe twice (very cautiously due to the pole fitting repair) and then during the night sailed with mainsail only for the last 6 hrs. The island was lit up like a fairyland – ahh the excesses of civilisation!  Just as the sun was rising we were off the north east end of Reunion, with 10 miles to go to the harbour – perfect.  We’re now checked in with customs and in our place for the next week or so. 

First impressions – very French, quite industrial around the ports, and judging by the lights it looks like there a quite a few towns/villages along the north coast. The interior seems very mountainous, lush and green.  So we’re looking forward to having a break here whilst we watch for a weather window for the last part of our crossing of the Indian ocean.

Total time taken:  68.5 hours; Total distance: 499nm;  Average speed 7.2kts  (although we may have to have another stewards inquiry into the distance – according to the chart it should be 476 miles so the GPS may be a bit wonky!) 

Position on 12^th October 07.30 local time (GMT+4 hours) S20:56:444 E055:16:984

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