Year 3 -27 May 2026 –Patch off day-Port Louis- Mauritius

I woke at about 5.30am due to Carolyn and Joyce getting up early as they were getting a taxi at 6.00am to go to the airport. They were flying to Rodrigues; an island linked with Mauritius which is about 50 minutes flying -a bit like going to Edinburgh from London.

Rodrigues is an autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius of approximately 108 km2 (42 mi2) and about 560 km (350 mi) east of the main island of Mauritius. Along with the french overseas department of Réunion, Rodrigues and Mauritius are part of the Mascarene Islands.

The Outer Islands of Mauritius are managed under the aegis of the Prime Minister of Mauritius through the Prime Minister's Office by the Outer Islands Development Corporation.

Of volcanic origin, Rodrigues is surrounded by coral reef and some tiny uninhabited islands that lie just off its coast. The tenth District of Mauritius until 2002, it was granted autonomous status and has since been managed by the Rodrigues Regional Assembly for its everyday governance. The capital and largest city is Port Mathurin and the island was home to around 41,669 inhabitants in 2014 according to Statistics Mauritius.

Its people, mostly of African descent are Mauritian citizens and form part of the wider Mauritian Creole community. Its economy is based mainly on fishing, farming, handicraft and a developing tourism sector. The islands of Rodrigues, Agaléga and Saint Brandon form part of the larger territory of the Republic of Mauritius.

Rodrigues was named after Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues, who first came upon the uninhabited island in 1528, under direction of Portuguese Viceroy Pedro Mascarenhas (namesake of the Mascarene Islands). Many maps also describe it as Diego Roiz. From the 10th century, Arabs are known to have visited the Mascarene Islands.

Due to the island lying far off the beaten track of seafarers at that time, it received few visits. From 1601, the Dutch began visiting the island somewhat more regularly for fresh supplies of food. In 1691, the Huguenot François Leguat and seven companions landed on the island, intending to set up a farming colony of Protestant refugees. Farming was not successful, but there was an abundance of tortoises, turtles, birds, fish and other seafood.

During the 18th century, several attempts were made by the French to develop the island. African slaves (ancestors of the present population) were brought to Rodrigues to develop stockbreeding and farming. In 1735 a permanent French settlement was established, subordinated to Île Bourbon.

In 1809, after a brief battle with the French, British troops took possession of Rodrigues. After British occupation, slavery was eventually abolished in 1834. By 1843, the population had declined to a low of 250.

In 1883, the eruption of the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa was heard at Rodrigues Island and it is the furthest point, at almost 4,800 km (3,000 mi), at which the explosion was heard. The sound was described as "the roar of heavy guns". Naval ships were ordered to investigate as it was feared the sound was due to a ship in distress firing its guns. The noise remains the loudest sound in recorded history.

In September 1897, solo sailor Joshua Slocum spent eight days on the island. He would later write, "At Rodriguez one may now find every convenience for filling pure and wholesome water in any quantity. Governor Roberts having built a reservoir in the hills, above the village, and laid pipes to the jetty, where, at the time of my visit, there were five and a half feet at high tide. In former years well-water was used, and more or less sickness occurred from it. Beef may be had in any quantity on the island, and at a moderate price. Sweet potatoes were plentiful and cheap; the large sack of them that I bought there for about four shillings kept unusually well. I simply stored them in the sloop's dry hold. Of fruits, pomegranates were most plentiful; for two shillings I obtained a large sack of them, as many as a donkey could pack from the orchard, which, by the way, was planted by nature herself."

Early in 1968, HMS Cambrian, which was part of the Beira Patrol following the Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Rhodesia, was diverted to Rodrigues to quell a reported uprising by some of the populace. The uprising consisted of a number of individuals who had been arrested by the local authorities for breaking into a warehouse and appropriating a supply of sweet potatoes. Other locals went to the authorities and by violence released the arrested persons. At this point, it is believed that the authorities requested assistance which was provided by HMS Cambrian. On her early morning arrival, the ship's 4.5" guns were fired (with blanks, it is believed) and an armed landing party was provided. This resulted in the offenders being rounded up and imprisoned again.

Rodrigues is a volcanic island rising from a ridge along the edge of the Mascarene Plateau. The tectonically active Rodrigues Triple Point lies on the seafloor nearby. Rodrigues is only 1.5 million years old, even if the plateau under the lagoon surrounding Rodrigues may be much more ancient than the island. Over time Rodrigues has developed a unique environment, including many endemic species. It is about 18 km (11 mi) long and 6.5 km (4.0 mi) wide with an area of 108 km2 (42 sq mi). The shape is that of a whale back with a central ridge and deep cut valleys. The island is hilly with a central spine culminating in the highest peak, Mont Limon at 398 m (1,306 ft). Rodrigues is the only Mascarene island with extensive limestone deposits and caves. A large fringing reef surrounds the island forming a lagoon within which lie eighteen small islets.

The coral reef of Rodrigues is of particular interest as it is self-seeding – it receives no coral zooplankton from elsewhere. This has led to an overall species-poor but highly adapted ecosystem. A species of coral, two species of Pomacentrus damselfish and many species of crustaceans are found only on Rodrigues' reefs.

The isolation and location of the island give a microclimate specific to Rodrigues, with two seasons. Rodrigues enjoys a mild tropical maritime climate with persistent trade winds blowing throughout the year. Mean summer temperature is 25.9 °C (78.6 °F) and mean winter temperature is around 22.3 °C (72.1 °F). The temperature difference between summer and winter is 3.6 °C. January to March are the hottest months and August is the coolest month. The wettest month is February; September and October are the driest months. The climate is hotter and drier than in Mauritius. Cyclones may arise from November to April, and Rodrigues is more often hit than Mauritius.

An endemic bird species, the Rodrigues warbler in the Grande Montagne area, Rodrigues. Rodrigues was characterised by endemic plant and animal species in abundance, but since the seventeenth century much of its biodiversity has been eradicated. The island was home to two now-extinct endemic giant tortoises, a domed species, and a saddle-backed species, and such birds as the Rodrigues solitaire, a giant flightless pigeon closely related to the dodo of Mauritius, and the Rodrigues night heron. An endemic species of bat, the Rodrigues flying fox, is currently listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. There are two remaining endemic bird species: the Rodrigues fody and the Rodrigues warbler, both are listed as near threatened

The island of Rodrigues is a constituency of the Republic of Mauritius and is dependent on the latter. However, on 20 November 2001, the Mauritius National Assembly unanimously adopted two laws giving Rodrigues its autonomy, creating a decentralised government system. This new legislation has allowed the implementation of a regional assembly in Rodrigues constituting 18 members and an executive council headed by a Chief Commissioner. The council meets every week to make decisions, draw up laws and manage the budget. The Chief Commissioner has the main task of informing the Mauritian Prime Minister of the management of the island's concerns. The last election of the Rodriguan Regional Assembly was held on 27 February 2022. The President acts as head of state and the Chief Commissioner as head of government on Rodrigues. 

I hope they will have a good visit and I look forward to hearing from them about it when they return on Saturday evening. I had breakfast and then set about looking at the fridge as the temperature had risen and the main plate was not working properly. I suspect it was a gas issue within the system. I emptied the fridge and cleaned it as it was well overdue and had water at the bottom. Once cleaned I put on the other plate turning off the faulty one for an hour and then turned it on again. It did not work properly and during the day the other plate brought the temperature down again. I contacted the marine guy and he said he would get Jerome to look at it. In fact I spoke to Jerome and he agreed he would come at 1.00pm tomorrow to finish his jobs. Rashid came by and we agreed he would pick me up at 9.30am to go to the chandlery tomorrow.

I then set about looking at the range of anchorages we could realistically go to here in Mauritius bearing in mind our depth and there are probably 3 which will be enough. I also looked at the passage to Reunion which is about 133 nm and the check in procedures and the forms I have to fill in and send. I did some of that but will have to print off and send shortly. This should take about 20-23 hours but as we propose to arrive on a weekend we have to check in before 12.000noon on thew 14th.  

I then looked at the passage from Reunion to Richards Bay or Darwin and read up on Noonsite for this passage which will need careful watching for weather coming up from round the Cape. The seas can get tricky round the bottom of Madagascar especially if a Southerly front come up from the Cape. This took most of the morning interceded with drops every 3 hours in my eye which was doing well. I had lunch and then continued until the 3.00pm drop and then decided to go out. The cruise ship people were everywhere but I had a good walk around which was interjected by a shower of rain which lasted 20 minutes. I bought some shorts which I need and walked round to the old Customs block which was originally built as a Granary. The block was of red brick and had the skeletons of cranes stuck like statues at its base on the water side presumably so they could crane the grain off ships and into the warehouse. There is also a windmill again still like a statue. This was built only in the 1990’s and is now no longer in use. This whole are is ripe for development. The town was busy with people going about their business and eating and drinking. I had a good wonder and resisted the temptation to have another ice cream and when I had had enough returned to Stormbird.

I put on some music and had a drink in the cockpit watching the world go by. It was quite nice to have a bit of time and the boat to myself. I contacted the agent and my charger had arrived and will be collected from the airport in the morning and brought to Stormbird hopefully about lunchtime. This should mean it will be ready for Jerome to fit.   

This was the first day of using my eye and it had survived a number of hours on the computer and being out with sunglasses on. My eye was very clear and I need to look after it and I think my left eye feels better too as it is not having to do all the work.  

I used the rest of the chicken curry with peas for supper and watched a film Silver Linings which was ok. It was quite pleasant to sit back and watch a film which I have not done for some time.

The picture of the day is of some of Port Louis with the hills behind.

 Need/Opportunity Year Three

I am now in Mauritius and will be going to Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK. 

I have now found additional crew for Mauritius to Durban. There may be space from Durban to Cape Town from about the beginning of July and we should arrive in Cape Town on about 25-30 July 2026. If at all interested contact me on my email below or WhatsApp +44 7931360372.

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com