NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Thu 1 Jan 1970 01:00
4:37.5S 5527.6E
Arrival and first few days in
Seychelles
As I said in the last webdiary we are not hard
to please. The weather decided to be nice and for the last few days the
wind blew out of the south at between fifteen and twenty knots and perhaps more
importantly the seas settled so we enjoyed a fast beam reach to our
destination. Even the entry over the Seychelles bank was almost
uneventful. Here the sea bed goes from being some three km below the keel
to just about fifty metres. This happens in less than four miles.
The sea shortened but despite there being several spikes of only thirty metres
depth near us at no stage was it worrying. The moon shone making the scene
almost like an eerie daylight and with a knot or more of current with us we
sailed on. Regular readers will know that we usually manage to get to
places in the dark and often have to wait. This time it was perfect and we
dropped our anchor in the quarantine anchorage off the port of Victoria at
0800hrs local time. We had taken just two hours less than six days for
1015nm. At 0930 we were boarded by no less than five officials and with
much jollity and endless form filling we were 'in'.
Since then we have been anchored in the small area
off the yacht club surrounded by fellow water travellers, a tuna cannery,
commercial docks and an American Frigate. The latter bristles with
radars atop a slab grey superstructure in which large doors can be
seen. Apparently they open when the missiles are fired. Over us
tower the granite cliffs and green jungle which are topped by the peaks known as
the trois freres. The only thing
that we have been unable to find is any signs of international news papers or
magazines. We are told there is no hard currency available to import
them. The BBC world service is however on a FM relay. The two
contacts we have here, both young men working in the environmental world have
come up trumps and we have learnt a lot about the place. In a few days we
will begin a slow sail round Mahe and then head out to the islands. It all
promises to be most enjoyable.
When the odd jet comes flying past the cliffs as it
does a rather Hong Kong type approach to the airport it brings back
memories. I was last here in 1981, with Annette on the trip, when the
attempted coup took place. Mad Mike Hoar's last folly. One thing
that has not changed is the Seychellois. They are always very friendly and
helpful. The girls are a delightful mixture of Afro and European and range
from quite black to very pale. The results are often spectacularly lovely
to look at. I am sure Annette would say the same about the men, I have not
noticed.
Some Chagos
Wildlife
Booby hovers just above my head
Noddy tern at speed with the wreck
of a fishing boat in the background.
The reef edge can clearly be seen.
Noddy terns will let you get to within a few metres but then
enough is enough
and they are off.
Two hermit crabs with nowhere else to go! Or 'I am the
king of the
castle and you are the dirty rascal'.
When you get too big and cannot find a shell you have to make
do with an old coconut
shell. Apparently after that you die!
The only tree of any size to grow on an atoll apart from the
palm is
the Takamaka. The Boobies use these as their nests and
roosts.