Year 3 -4 May 2026 –Arrival in Solomon Atoll -Chagos – part of BIOT (British Independent Overseas Territory).

I took over at 5.00am and we had had some wet weather. The wind was still in the wrong direction to get to our waypoint. However, as the shift went on the wind increased and came round to the Northwest. In addition there were a lot of rain clouds around. The rain was coming down in wet drizzle and I thought we could sail this. I therefore put out the main to one reef and then the genoa and we were soon whizzing along and giving the engine a rest. The rain clouds on the radar surrounded Stormbird and in addition there were rainbows which were pretty – see the picture of the day.

However, at times the wind was too strong I had to put in the main and get out the staysail instead which felt a lot more in control and almost as fast. I was having to do these changes on my own as the others were asleep. I could have woken one of them but it shows if you adapt that you can sail this boat on your own if you have to.

My shift came and went and by the end of it we were sailing well and on our course to the waypoint that I had set. We should get there about 9.00am and then it is about 26nm to the entrance to the Solomon Atoll which is where we are authorised to moor in Chagos.

Carolyn and Joyce took over and we had a fruit breakfast. We are saving our bacon until we get to the Chagos.

We sailed until the angle meant we could no longer sail and then we motored directly toward the atoll. As we approached we could see little bits of island which had trees on them. As we got closer we could see more detail and then with binoculars we could see some yachts anchored off Isle Fouquet and then some off Isle Baddam which is where we are going.

We arrived at the pass at about 2.15pm and the thing about an atoll is that most of it is under water. You can see the islands but not the outside ring. You can see a difference in colour of the shallower water and coral and you can see the white water of the waves as the waves come over the coral reef.

We had 2 on the bow, one communicating and the other looking out as we came through the pass. I had put a waypoint where other yachts had passed through before. I followed this path and could see rock and coral below but the depth did not go below 6m.

Once in we headed down the atoll and I had formulated a route between shallow patches and bommies and rocks. This took us about 30 minutes and we were here!! It was lovely and sunny and there were about 6 islands this atoll.

I had been in contact on the WhatsApp group and one of the boats had suggested an anchoring spot in 10 m behind one of the boats. We could see 5 other boats anchored here. We therefore motored to that point and could not really see the bottom that well and dropped the anchor in about 10m.  The anchor did not hold and was dragging when in reverse.  I got Erika into the water and she swam ahead and tried to find a patch of sand. We tried again with no luck and in fact we tried several times as the afternoon wore on.

I spoke to another boat on the VHF and they had had the same problem and were now held on some coral. He said the other boats had similar issues with the shallower ones being able to go into shallower water. After several attempts in different places I decided to go back to the 10m pool we had been in and anchor as best we can and put out a lot of chain. We therefore anchored in 9 m of water and put out over 60 m and stretched out the chain. It still dragged a little but we had acres of space.

A man from the nearest boat Niswa came over and I got in his dinghy and he had a handheld electronic device and he took me toward the shallow patches and the blue colour water which is generally sand. Whilst some of these areas were deep enough the route to them was coral so it was not a realistic option.  

When I got back the crew were talking to another English couple who were anchored and had all sorts of issues anchoring. They said if it ok don’t move. They also said a rat from the island had swum up their anchor chain and they saw it on deck.

We are in the middle of the Indian ocean – so where exactly are we? The Salomon Islands or Salomon Atoll is a small atoll of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

The atoll is located in the northeast of the Chagos Archipelago, between Blenheim Reef and Peros Banhos. The main islands in the group are Île Boddam, with the former main settlement, and a land area of 1.08 km2 (0.42 mi2), and Île Anglaise (0.82 km2, 0.32 mi2), both on the western rim of the reef. There were smaller settlements of Chagossians in Fouquet (0.45 km2, 0.17 mi2) and Takamaka (0.48 km2, 0.19 mi2) Islands. Île de la Passe is 0.28 km2 (0.11 mi2) in area, and Île Mapou 0.04 km2 (0.02 mi2). The remaining islets are much smaller. The total land area is 3.56 km2 (1.37 mi2).

There is a passage into the lagoon, named Baie de Salomon, on the Northern side, between Île Anglaise and Île de la Passe. The Salomon Islands are one of the favourite anchoring spots for itinerant yachtsmen passing through the Chagos, even though there are no proper moorings for yachts and a permit of the BIOT authorities is needed. Now uninhabited, the islands are overrun by low jungle between the coconut trees and it is hard to find the traces of the former settlements.

There is an abandoned church on Boddam Island.

This atoll was settled in the last half of the 18th century by coconut plantation workers from Isle de France (now Mauritius). Little is known about the condition of the workers who were mostly of African origin. Most probably they lived in conditions close to slavery. The company exploiting the plantation was called the Chagos Agalega Company.

The Salomon Islands were surveyed in 1837 by Commander Robert Moresby of the Indian Navy on HMS Benares. Moresby's survey produced the first detailed map of this atoll. The atoll was surveyed again in 1905 by Commander B.T. Sommerville on HMS Sealark, who drew a more accurate map. Some of the Salomon Islands were inhabited by the Chagossians, but at the time that the British Government decided to empty the Chagos of local inhabitants, only Île Boddam was inhabited.

Between 1967 and 1973, 500 inhabitants of the Salomon Islands were evicted by the British and their pets were killed in gas chambers by Sir Bruce Greatbatch in order to make way for an American military base. The evictees were resettled in Mauritius and Seychelles. Île Boddam had a jetty, shops, offices, a school, a church and a villa where the plantation manager lived. All these buildings are now hidden by thick jungle. There are wells on Boddam and Takamaka islands which are still used by yachtsmen to replenish their supplies.

Once we decided to stay where we were we had a celebratory beer on the aft deck. We all had a swim and I snorkelled on the anchor which was behind a rock and the chain stretched right out on the bottom. I thought it would take a lot to drag that lot. This was not an ideal start but we were here and settled for now. We can always move in the morning or put out another anchor.  

We then had a Thai chicken curry with rice and pak choy which was delicious for supper. After supper we played games and then went to bed. We had travelled 306nm from Gan in just over 48 hours. It had been a wet crossing with rain clouds obstructing our path mostly at night. However, we have arrived and I heard from BIOT that as we had arrived a day early we had one day less on our permit meaning we have to leave on the 11th unless they agree otherwise. The forecast for tomorrow is 28mm of rain!!

 The picture of the day is Stormbird sailing toward the Chagos islands through a double rainbow.

 Need/Opportunity Year Three

I will be going shortly from India to the Maldives and then on to Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK. 

I am currently in need of potentially 2 crew from Mauritius to Cape Town from about 10 June 2026 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