We arrived in Mauritius just before Midnight (GMT) on 13 October or
5am local time.
I have not been able to work it out yet, but this may be a record for a
long leg. After another epic Alex meal (did you know that in American,
pasta is pronounced posster?), the Skipper retired for a kip. It was as
well (from his point of view) that he did. He was woken by Alex rather
earlier than he expected, for we had arrived just short of our way-point off the
northern tip of Mauritius earlier than expected. The reason was obvious;
as soon as he appeared on deck we shortened sail - there was a sharp wind
acceleration around the point and between the islands. Then we dodged
between the brightly moonlit islands, slid past Mauritius's only powerful
lighthouse (which Chris spotted from 20 miles away) and then sailed down the
west side of the island to Port Louis. A short, sharp shower failed to
dampen our spirits, especially since only the Skipper was on deck at the
time. It was refreshing to find all the lights and buoys in place and
working as marked on the charts!
As we turned into the fair-way, a blackened RIB appeared alongside
us. It was the Customs, come to escort us into the harbour. It was
as well they did, for the harbour - excellently lit as it is - was crowded with
moored fishing boats, and large ones at that. And we are now tied up
alongside the Customs jetty, waiting for inspection and final clearance - they
started before 7am local time, and we expect to be here for a bit yet - it's now
well after 8. Then we can go and join our friends in Marina just across
the water from us. It looks a pretty exciting place, but we will let you
know!
All well with us, and best wishes to
everyone,
James, Norfy (Chris) and Alex