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Free & BrEasy - Happy Christmas Island



Just four days after waving goodbye to Annabelle, Nieves and Raqel as we left Benoa Marina, Bali, we were arriving in the early morning at Christmas Island. This is remote tropical island which is Australian Territory lying to the south of Java in the Indian Ocean. The 585 mile passage was split into two parts; the boring windless bit which we motored, and the more interesting windy bit during which our focus during the watches was almost entirely fixed on the auto helm which kept on disengaging. Even reefing the main sail to balance the boat did not entirely stop the problem. During the nights we passed through fishing fleets which used green, blue and red strobe lights as navigation lights. Novel but effective!

Our first view of Flying Fish Cove, X-Mas Island was very inauspicious. The Cove is dominated by a yellow painted industrial complex for grinding, storing and conveying to cargo ships, the island's rich resources of phosphate, to be used as fertiliser by the rest of the world. Things cheered up immensely when we went ashore to clear into immigration and customs, as there was the delightful Suzana from World ARC to help and guide us.

We were also able to easily replace the diesel we had used on the passage from a local garage. We were told that the island had plenty of places to visit and was worth touring, the Cove was great for snorkelling and that there was a beach BBQ in the evening. Things were getting better despite our first impressions! We rapidly booked a 4 wheel drive vehicle for the next day and headed back to Free & Breasy to replenish our beer levels which were dangerously low after the no alcohol passage. We were rafted up with Jenny and Jonathan from Merlyn of Poole and lunch passed in a convivial haze of pleasant conversation.

Flying Fish Cove turned out to be a snorkeler's paradise with many new varieties of fish. Christmas Island lies near enough to Australia and the Pacific Ocean to support interbreeding of fish from the two oceans. As we were to find out, the Island has been called the "Second Galapagos" because of the number of crabs, birds and plants that are endemic only to the island. The BBQ was a delicious "meat fest" and was finished off with a Christmas Party on board Polaris, complete with Jingle Bells and other festive tunes. Santa did not come to the party which is a pity as it's a great place for a summer holiday.

We shared the car hire with Sigi and another Alejandro from Andromeda and set off early the next day to explore the island. First off was the Golf Course which charged $10 for 9 holes and $10 for 18 holes on a 9 hole golf course! A short drive took us up to Margaret Knoll Lookout which gave us dramatic panoramic views across the land and sea. Below us we could observe red footed and brown boobies, golden bosun and the ever marauding, frigate birds. Like the Galapagos, the boobies were very approachable and seemed to lack a fear of humans.

Further round the coast we walked to Ethel Beach which was a small cove in which the most amazing mounds of plastic and rubber flotsam had been deposited by the seas. We gazed in disbelief at the thousands of flip flops that had presumably come from Indonesia and beyond and were directed by the Ocean currents to Ethel Beach. We did not see this concentration of flotsam at any other beaches we visited.

After a long walk through the jungle we arrived at Dolly Beach which could have been used as a set for the film "Castaway". Coconut trees lined a sandy beach and we ate lunch looking at the seas breaking on the beach, lounging in hammocks. Suddenly we noticed something moving in the fallen coconuts and there was a red robber crab, one of the islands most famous inhabitants. Weighing several kilos and reaching more than half a metre across, these crabs are truly "giants" and are the largest land crustaceans on earth. They are called "robbers" because they like to carry of shiny objects like pots and cutlery! There are also tens of millions of red crabs on the island and although they live mainly in the rainforest, every year there is a mass migration during the rainy season when moving armies of thousands of them invade the roads on their way to the sea to spawn. There are special road signs warning you to slow down and drive around the crabs, and at the height of the migration, some roads are closed. They are all protected so we resisted the urge to find out if they are tasty!

A visit to the Blowholes was obligatory. These are limestone formations in the cliffs that the wave action underneath forces air and spray up through fissures, in an explosive whoosh. Further to the west of the island is an area of tropical rain forest and wetland. We walked through stunning evergreen monster trees with roots over the forest floor that looked as though they were writhing in their search for nourishment. The path climbed steeply up to Hugh's Dale Waterfalls which offered the opportunity to cool off as long as you don't mind dancing naked with other men in a waterfall! Mind you care had to be taken to avoid the pincers of the forests endemic robber crabs.

On the way back we stopped to have a look at the very large detention centre where would-be Australian immigrants are held. We were told the immigrants are mainly from Iran and suffer a perilous journey across land and sea to get to the Australian Indian Ocean Territories. There are several Australian Marine Agency ships present around the island, ever vigilant. Luckily for us we had the immigration clearance to visit the island!

After a mere 48 hours it was time to leave on the 525 mile passage for the Coco (Keeling) Islands which are also Australian Indian Ocean Territory. We set off in light winds but with the promise of stronger winds to come. Giant crabs, Christmas in September, dancing naked under a waterfall - are we living the dream or the fantasy?


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