Seychelles to Chagos

Seychelles is a convenient stop over half way between Kenya and Chagos. It is pretty, has the coco der mer and is exorbitantly expensive. In 1996 a small cabbage cost R40. Our budget did not include visiting exclusive resorts or eating at overpriced restaurants so we paid a brief visit to La Digue and Praslin where we encountered many coco de mers and some safari clad tourists, did some lovely walks and swam in the gorgeous turquoise water. We got our washing done and rested up before heading on to Chagos.

The archipelago of Chagos lies in the middle of the Indian Ocean a few degrees south of the equator. It is owned by Britain and leased to America, and consists of the main island Diego Garcia on which there is an American military base, and many atolls and smaller uninhabited islands scattered over a fairly vast area. Over the years, various policies regarding accessibility of the area have been adopted, but in 1996 it was still a yachtie haven, free of charge, where yachties from all walks of life sailed to a enjoy the slow paced, currency free island existence. When first leased to the USA, the inhabitants were relocated to Reunion and Mauritius amidst a fair amount of controversy. There remains on Salomon Island the ruins of a once flourishing copra industry, a church, bakery, water well etc, as well as an eerie graveyard tucked away in the coconut palms, figtrees and breadfruit trees. Life on Chagos was as sociable or as isolated as you chose. There was a strong sense of community which respected each boat’s right to enjoy Chagos. For us the first month started in the isolated atoll of Peros Banhos, where we enjoyed the solitude of private anchorages, snorkeling, swimming and island excursions to explore and discover. We found paw paws and bitter oranges, visited bird colonies and peeped at sharks, were given a display by a school of dolphins which we watched with our faces partially submerged so that we got the action both below and above the water. We bundu bashed for miles, once getting so disorientated in the dense tropical jungle that we ended up on the windward side half a day later and had to circumnavigate the island to find the lagoon and Gambit! We experienced a vicious squall and dragged anchor close to a treacherous reef, and spent lazy days beach combing and doing daily chores. But our good friends Ian and Chrissy on Cruise had saved us a bombie at Boddum, the most popular anchorage in Salomon atoll, and we eventually made our way the 20 or 30 miles there to join the community lifestyle of the ‘French Camp’ at Boddum. There were several yachts with children aboard, which was a good change for the kids, so a daily routine established itself…school and boat chores, laundry and cleaning in a quiet anchorage, interrupted only by the intermittent swims between lessons to refresh hot, clammy, weary children, but as lunch time approached so activity escalated with all manner of dinghys and boogie boards and pool noodles being launched and children escaping to the beach, palm trees and shallow waters for the afternoon. Fishing trips to the nearby reef were organized for the supper menu, bread was baked in the remnants of the bakery and the kids disappeared into a world of their own. Later we would get together on the beach for volley ball and collect water from the well for a bath, before rustling together salads and sundowners of dubious description for an evening of laughter and shared suppers at the french camp. The photos are mostly of life at Boddum, birthdays, activities, and some of the scrapbook entries done by the children.