21 September 2010
Five years ago we sailed as far as Fiji with Mike and Donna Hill in their yacht Baccalieu. They went on to complete their circumnavigation with the last WARC. Today we received an email. They said "make the most of it for it is the last taste of paradise that you will experience on this round the world trip." Arriving in Cocos Keeling is an extraordinary experience.
Topographically they are just like the San Blas Islands or the Tuamotus, coconut palms standing straight and tall like the candles on a birthday cake. But unlike both of these desert islands destinations this tiny archipelago is much more remote than either of the latter. We surfed in here in a three metre ocean swell more reminiscent of our time in the Atlantic. With the ocean floor rising from over 1000 metres to 10 metres it was quite amazing how quickly the seas flattened and before we knew it we were within the encircling protection of the large lagoon. Who on earth I wondered would choose to live here, it is literally out in the middle of nowhere. Eleven hundred miles from land to the east, and a massive two thousand, three hundred and fifty nautical miles from Mauritius. At least the San Blas are located very close to the Panamanian coast and the Tuamotus are within a days' sail of the Marquesas to the east and the huge archipelago of French Polynesia to the west. The wind was blowing thirty knots as we picked our way in, following the six way points which Suzana had given us. I still maintained a position on Voyageur's bow calling to David to turn either to port or starboard wherever I could see coral heads lurking just below the surface. It is hard to know who has the greater responsibility, David for navigating the boat according to the given waypoints or me for keeping an accurate lookout. Surely a combination of both and what makes us a team.
We rewarded ourselves just as we said we would. Dinner in the cockpit with a good bottle of wine. Between ourselves and Tzigane, we talked Tucanon and Thor1V into the safety of the anchorage. Voyageur's work is done for the moment and we now have a week to rest, to recover and prepare ourselves for the next leg, the major crossing to Mauritius. During the course of the last week we have come to realise that this ocean will present its own challenges. The Atlantic can be tough there is no doubt and the Pacific in our experience lived up to its name. Having now penetrated deep into the Indian Ocean, I think it will certainly put Voyageur and us to the test and in one week's time, hopefully we will be ready for that challenge. We have to be. Time marches on and we do not have the luxury of endless time.
Susan Mackay