Day 179, Year 5: Ile Fouquet to Ile Fouquet
Date: Friday, April 23, 2010
Weather: Overcast, Squally, Seas 1.5 Meters, Winds SE to ESE 15 Knots
Location: Ile Fouquet, Salomon Atoll, Chagos
Latitude: 05 degrees 20.299 minutes S
Longitude: 072 degrees 15.768 minutes E
Remember the rule-never leave port on a Friday. Well, we broke the rule today and paid the price. We had a bumpy, squally ride to Salomon Atoll, but we are here and anchored in front of another Ile Fouquet. Constance called on the radio last night and said they were thinking of leaving today so we said we’d tag along. It was either leave today or tomorrow as the winds are supposed to die out by Sunday. That would means we would have to motor, but as it was, we had to motor half of the day anyway. We had wind but it was often on the nose and we had to use the motor to assist. We made it with just an hour to spare before dark. This Ile Fouquet is much bigger than the one we just left in Peros Banhos and not as dramatic looking, but I do love the tree on shore that is full of some sort of white birds tonight. I will be anxious to check that out tomorrow.
The REALLY good news of the day is that Jonah was a real trooper and now has those tubes inserted in his ears. He was a little fussy in the recovery room, but by the time he got home, he was ready to go to the backyard and play with Sam. We got this news from Heather when we sent the log last night, so we slept peacefully knowing all was well. Now we just have to hope that the tubes work and that Jonah does not get repetitive ear infections.
Tomorrow we will begin to explore Salomon Atoll, beginning with Ile Fouquet. Next door is Takamaka (I love that name.) and we might take a peak there as well. We will stay here for a few days before moving down to Ile Boddam. Like Ile du Coin in Peros Banhos Atoll, Ile Boddam was populated at one time. It is the go-to island in the Chagos for most cruisers and has an active social life. There are volley ball games in the afternoon and cruisers are there that come here year after year from Southeast Asia. I think being there will be a bit like summer camp, but if the BIOT boat comes at the end of the month and has another barbecue for cruisers, it will be at Boddam and we will venture down there to take part. So my best guess is that we will be here for a week and then move to Boddam.
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| 100423 Day 179 Salomon, Chagos–From Peros Banhos to Salomon Atoll |
