05-03-01 We left Peros Banhos yesterday with the intention of sailing to another Chagos island group - Egmont atoll, 80 miles to the southwest. But after 12 hours we had sailed less than 30 miles, tacking upwind into increasing winds and seas. Decided to turn around and sail downwind back to Peros Banhos and try it another day when the winds are more favorable. It only took us 6 hours, to get back, half the time. It was a 3pm to 9am overnight excursion and we didn't even catch a fish while trolling. Couldn't believe our bad luck all around. Well, we are quickly running out of fresh things - no more potatoes, carrots or eggs left. Our last three eggs were rotten and we had to toss them overboard. The only fresh veggies left are onions and garlic, luckily good ingredients for fish recipes. We also have heart of palm from the islands' many palm trees. It's good, crunchy like celery or raw cabbage and best as a salad with vinaigrette dressing. Now that we are out of eggs, we'll have to bake creatively. We do have a good collection of egg-less recipes, cookies and cakes and such, so we'll survive until we can get eggs in Madagascar next month. Our 17 year wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple days - no eggs for Pat's favorite - chocolate chip cookies. Oh well, life in a remote atoll. One boat still has eggs. A Kiwi boat named NEMIR has a live chicken onboard. Actually she (her name is Dinner) is in a cage hanging off the side of the boat. She produces an egg every other day for her owners. It's a clever way to make sure you always have fresh eggs. Maybe we could strike a deal and trade something for an egg or two ......
05-15-01 We decided to sail eastward from Peros Banhos (PB) over to Saloman atoll, just 25 miles away. We've been in Saloman a week. Most of the yachts in Chagos are gathered here now, around 45 we think. Since the winds are predominantly southerly, it offers good protection. It's a much smaller atoll than PB, approx. 4 by 5 miles, with 6 islands and several small islets, close enough together to break up any ocean swell. It's very comfortable. The coral here appears healthier than in PB. Not sure why, could have something to do with the currents or water temperature, it seems a bit cooler when we swim. But there is a definite difference - lots of vivid purple, red, blue, yellow corals - although the fishing hasn't been quite as good so far. We'll stay until the SE tradewinds become a bit more defined. Could be another week or so. Most yachts heading westward from here are all waiting for the right winds to head to Africa and then the place will just about empty out. The few yachts that are heading eastward, back to SE Asia, can wait a little longer to catch favorable winds sailing into the northern hemisphere. Besides being one of the most unspoiled places left on the planet, Chagos is also unique in that you have east or west options for passages. You can easily go eastward (Malaysia, Thailand) or or westward (Seychelles, Madagascar, East Africa) across the Indian Ocean from Chagos. There aren't too many places you can do that in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. One interesting thing about Saloman atoll is the semi-permanent yachtie community. A hand full of the Saloman yachts come here every year back and forth from SE Asia. Most of them have been anchored in the exact same spot for the past 5 months - without moving. They've set up a structured community ashore - with beach sweeping, beach chairs, laundry lines, scheduled volleyball matches, and numerous "rules and regulations". It's quite funny when you think about it. Most people believe sailors like us are escapists - we believe it - attempting to live a different lifestyle, outside of the normal 9 to 5 regimen. But then we get here and set up a structured environment, with rules and everything. Guess humans naturally need a little structure in their lives. We're surprised someone hasn't appointed a mayor .... yet.
05-20-01 Colleen had a surprising VHF radio conversation yesterday with a fellow American who is stationed at Diego Garcia. A US military vessel was somewhere outside of the atoll and overhead Colleen speaking to another yachtie on the VHF radio. The captain hailed us and wanted to know where we were from - he thought somewhere in the Northeast US, but couldn't place the accent. He was from Texas and we spoke a little about being here in the middle of the Indian Ocean, such a long way from home. He couldn't tell us too much about his vessel or maneuvers. Secret information that obviously we had NO NEED TO KNOW. Well, it was nice of him to call us and chat for awhile. So we're starting to think about leaving Chagos and heading westward. Tough to leave this idyllic setting. Not sure if we'll attempt a second shot at Egmont atoll or not. Depends on the winds and seas when we get out there. Three yachts have left in the last week, headed westward. We've been talking to them on the HF radio and they still have light southerly winds, so the trades haven't reached us yet. Once we leave here, we'll sail a bit south and hopefully pick up some wind and favorable currents. The passage to Madagascar is about 1,450 nm - still half of the Indian Ocean to cross yet! Should take us about 10-12 days according to our favorite sailing software " Visual Passage Planner" (which Pat co-authored). We're trying to get ourselves psyched-up for a long passage after sitting still so long in Chagos.
05-26-01 We left Saloman Atoll in Chagos three days ago, on the 23rd. Our position is Lat 08°12'S/Lon 65°26'E. That island group was definitely one of our top 3 favorite spots in our voyage so far. So unique, pristine and relaxing - difficult to pick up the anchor and leave it behind. Our adventures in Chagos will be one of our fondest memories. Our first 48 hours of sailing have been fast and furious, with 30-35 knots of reinforced SE tradewinds just aft of the beam. SIMMER flew along, even with reduced sail she felt like a horse galloping across the sea. We quickly found our sea-legs after our 2 1/2 month sabbatical. The first day, SIMMER covered 165 nm and the second day, 160 nm. Pretty good for our little 35 footer. We left Chagos in company with 3 other yachts, all bigger than us (45, 48 and 55 ft) and therefore a bit faster. We're keeping in touch with them on an HF radio schedule twice a day. They are now about 30-40 nm ahead of us, but the distance will stretch over the next few days. It's ok, though, they can tell us what type of winds and weather conditions to expect. They will round the northern cape of Madagascar before us so we will get the benefit of their first-hand experience. The northern cape of Madagascar, Cap D'Ambre, is a tricky patch of water. There are strong currents on both sides of the cape, strong winds and mountains that further accelerate the wind. And the high pressure systems coming off the southern tip of Africa can really get the winds up. We're hoping to reach the cape in daylight, just to make it a bit less stressful. But can't plan the timing on such a long passage (10-12 days). We can only hope. The night sky our here in the middle of the Indian Ocean is so crisp and clear, we are mesmerized by all the shooting stars and satellites wheeling across the Milky Way.
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