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Writer's pictureTom

Sailing the Indian Ocean: Cocos Keeling to Rodriguez Island

Updated: Nov 15



mountainous wave behind yacht in Indian Ocean
"An uncomfortable cross swell which rolls relentlessly", Jimmy Cornell (Waves always look much smaller on photos than in reality)

You know you have picked the right day to leave when the whole anchorage leaves with you. Actually, three boats left the day before (SV Cara Mor, SV Marisol and SV Mehalah). We left with a further three boats, leaving only two Aussies bound for Malaysia to grapple with the World ARC fleet due in a few days.


It was windy. We started with two reefs the first day, then put a third reef in for the following three days. And that was before the wind really picked up! We were prepared though. To quote Jimmy Cornell, "The long haul across the breadth of the Indian Ocean has the full benefit of the SE trades... but the pleasure of a fast passage is often marred by an uncomfortable cross swell, which rolls relentlessly"


And those waves really did roll (see top picture). Both Skipper and crew resorted to sea sickness tablets for the first couple of days.


We had some additional excitement on the first day. Around 14:00 the anchor chain started spewing out of the anchor locker. The Lewmar deck switches are twelve years old now. I had to replace one in NZ (the UP switch) after it jammed on. Now it was the turn of the DOWN switch. Fortunately, the anchor is always securely lashed in place for ocean passages and was not going anywhere. By the time I had turned off the power to the windlass there was 30-40m of chain over the deck. Chris tried to keep the chain on the deck whilst I removed panels to access the anchor solenoid box to disconnect the switch. Then we could turn the power back on to wind the chain back in. We were very grateful it did not happen at night!


On the fifth day the wind really started to howl. With gusts over 35 knots, we dropped the mainsail and used only a reefed genoa to power us along. The cause was a deep low to the north of us. In the southern hemisphere, wind circulates clockwise around a low pressure. Therefore, south of the low there should be an easterly wind. This was combining with the prevailing SE trade winds to make things quite interesting!

GRIB file showing strong wind
Low pressure to the north of our track generated 30 knot winds with 35+ knot gusts

For two days we sailed with only a reefed genoa. Without the mainsail, a mono-hull will roll much more. Our diet changed to noodles, noodles and more noodles. It was impossible to prepare anything else in the galley. The low brought heavy rain at regular intervals and we remained in foul weather gear when on deck. Rules changed too. Typically, harness lines are reserved for work outside the cockpit. Not during those two days. Before stepping out of the companionway stairs into the cockpit, we clipped on so that an untimely roll could not send you tumbling out of the boat.


The mainsail went back up on day seven and, over the next 24 hours, as the wind continued to abate, we shook out the three reefs. As the seas subsided, our thoughts turned to the "Great Indian Ocean Bake Off".


Throughout 2023, we had tried making bread on Skyfall using an Omnia camping oven. With mixed or disappointing results. In the meantime, I had acquired two key 'options' for the device: a silicone liner and a thermometer. Also, Chris, a bread lover, regularly makes bread at home. So it was time to try again. Being able to control each step in the process reaped benefits (scales to weigh ingredients, thermometer to check water temperature, thermometer to measure oven temperature). But the key difference was understanding how much energy has to go into the first kneed. By the third attempt, Chris had produced a perfect loaf. Then it was my turn. Actually, however my loaf turned out, Chris would be the 'Bake off' winner as his main goal was to teach me how to make bread. Sure enough, we can now reproducibly bake fresh bread.

Bread made in Omnia cooker
Skyfall now enjoys regular, freshly baked bread on passage

On day 7 we had an important equipment failure. Our Iridium!Go satellite phone decided that it did not want to initialise. Without satellite communication we could not download weather forecasts or communicate our position to those monitoring our progress on land. Would they worry? Would they initiate a search and rescue? To make matters worse, ships were scarce in this stretch of ocean. We tried the usual (taking battery out, putting it back, etc) but to no avail. Fortunately, after about 24 hours we passed a ship. At that point we knew our position would be relayed by AIS through the ship's satellite link and would appear on the marine traffic app. At least there would be no unnecessary search and rescue.

Yacht's voyage from Cocos Keeing to Rodriguez
Skyfall's 2000nm 'long haul' across the Indian Ocean from Cocos Keeling to Rodrigues (territory of Mauritius)

The last 24 hours into Rodrigues had everything. At 10:00 the wind was down to 7 knots and we decided to motor to ensure we got in the next day. We even took in the sails to stop them banging. By 15:00 the sails went up and we were motor sailing. By 16:30 we were sailing with 'Little Pinky', our asymmetric. The downwind sail was stowed at dusk. By 21:30 it was time for the first reef. At midnight we added a second. Finally, at 04:00 with gusts up to 30 knots, we added a third. That worked and the final miles into Port Mathurin turned into a fast, yet comfortable sail. Our second leg sailing the Indian Ocean was complete.


Port Mathurin from a vantage point above the town. ( SV Skyfall and SV Marisol anchored top left)
Port Mathurin from a vantage point above the town. ( SV Skyfall and SV Marisol anchored top left)

We anchored in the "Basin" opposite the main dock at 08:00. It is extremely well protected by the reef, yet windy which was good for our wind generator. A great anchorage, even if there were no facilities ashore. It took us until around 14:00 to complete formalities and acquire a local SIM card. Then, we could then sit down for a celebratory drink.


Our top priority was to find a way to re-establish satellite communications. There was no chance of finding someone to look at the Iridium!Go unit. Actually I ordered a Starlink for delivery to New Zealand while crossing the Pacific with Annick in order to help her stay in touch with family and friends.  However, in the event, she decided to leave the boat when we reached New Zealand so it was not installed at that time. Doing the installation in Rodriguez would partially fix the communication problem.


Secondly, we needed a solution should we be forced into a life-raft. Whereas the Iridium!Go was portable, the Starlink unit is not. Most people choose the Garmin Inreach GPS tracker. We managed to find the Garmin dealer for the island (there are enough fishermen wanting fish finders) and the device was ordered, to arrive from Mauritius the following Tuesday. That would work, provided DHL kept their promises!


The Starlink installation was not straightforward. The proprietary cable comes with relatively large connectors at each end and the routing from the nav. station aft, through the master cabin, lazarette and inside the solar arch tubing was not straightforward. There were already three coaxial cables in place, leaving no space to get the connectors through. The only solution would be to remove the coaxial cables, route the Starlink cable, and then re-route the coaxial cables. Even then, there were moments of desperation when we did not think it would go. The whole exercise took a full day with much cursing and swearing.

Starlink dish installed on a solar arch
Starlink installed on the solar arch (before 'flat mode' was selected)

The next step was finding (and modifying) a bracket to attach the antenna to the solar arch. We found a fishing rod holder with a flat base. We had brackets to attach it to a circular tube but the holes were in the wrong place. It also needed a large hole in the base to take the cable. So we spent another half day getting this sorted before we were ready to turn on Starlink.


Activation turned out to be easier than anticipated, although Mr Musk no longer offers the cheaper, attractive deals for 'roaming' which were available six months ago. Starlink is now expensive enough to be a 'luxury', only to be used for ocean crossings. Or coastal sailing within your defined home region where the costs are less than half.


The dish is full of motors to optimise orientation to point at available satellites. Obviously, this does not work on a moving, rolling boat. Chris dived onto the internet to find out how to disable the motors. He came back with a plan to drill holes in the back of the unit at strategic places, poke around a bit and then seal up the holes. We noticed that Norbert and Inga (SV Marisol), anchored next to us, had Starlink and were operating it in 'flat', non-motorised mode. We decided to dinghy over and seek guidance before attacking our unit. Good job too. There is now a software option to simply select this 'flat' mode. After a coffee and a quick explanation of the app, we returned to Skyfall to complete our last task. Starlink was operational!


We decided to celebrate by taking the rest of the afternoon off from the remaining boat jobs and go to explore the town. Or rather places to drink beer. We liked the guest house/restaurant/café "Bon Vivant", which had the best sea view of any of the watering holes.

Skipper relaxing with a beer in the restaurant 'Bon Vivant'
Skipper relaxing with a beer in the restaurant 'Bon Vivant'

Around 40,000 people live on the island of Rodrigues. It only takes five minutes to walk from one end of Port Mathurin to the other and buildings have either a 'not finished' feel or else are in need of TLC, or both. Google offered opening times for the various establishments but these were even less reliable than a PredictWind forecast two weeks out! Despite this, we thoroughly enjoyed the town. Chris showed his Scottish roots, trying every conceivable food item deep fried in batter (local cuisine). The people could not have been more friendly and provisioning was so straightforward after the trials and tribulations of Indonesia and Cocos Keeling.


There is an excellent fruit and vegetable market, we found a boulangerie selling a limited but wonderful selection of pâtisseries. In addition, not being Muslim, Hindu or Jewish, every conceivable meat and alcohol were readily available at good prices.

Spicy beef sausages being 'air dried', Rodriguez
Spicy beef sausages being 'air dried'

Sunday afternoon we went to watch a football match. It was the cup final of the Rodriguez women's teams. It was clearly important as several local dignitaries and politicians turned up to watch from the VIP box. They were introduced to the teams before kick off with enough pomp and ceremony to be worthy of a Champions League match. The serious nature of the proceedings was interrupted by a chicken who decided to invade the pitch. And it was the sign of things to come, as the supporters cried, "Fowl"!


Unfortunately, the standard of football did not live up to the formalities. Only one player knew how to kick the ball and nobody knew how to control it. I believe my primary school team could have beaten either team.

FC Flamingos taking the pre match national anthem very seriously
FC Flamingos taking the pre match national anthem very seriously

Back on the boat, we noticed men walking the reef at low tide. We were told they were looking for octopus. Interestingly, they did not use their outboard to get to the reef (if they could avoid it). Instead, they punted their boats along the edge of the reef using long poles.

Fisherman moving boat along reef with pole , Rodriguez
Punting along the reef (Oxford style)

Having spent Thursday clearing in and ordering the Garmin Inreach, Friday routing cables, Saturday morning fitting the Starlink dish and Sunday morning running through small boat jobs, by Monday we were feeling it was time to explore beyond Port Mathurin. We rented a scooter and headed off to the Francois Leguat reserve.


Rodriguez used to be known as the "Island of Tortoises", and giant tortoises at that. Unfortunately, although the island was uninhabited until quite late, mariners used to stop by to supplement their diet of rum and dried biscuit with very tasty tortoise meat. By the end of the 18th century all types of tortoises on the island were extinct (along with the unique bird, the Rodriguez solitaire). The Francois Leguat reserve was started as a first step to reintroducing similar types of tortoises, as well as helping to protect endangered species. They have the giant Aldabra tortoise from the Seychelles, the Ploughshare tortoise from Madagascar and Radiated tortoises from Mauritius.

We discovered that they love having their neck stroked.

Tourist stroking neck of giant tortoise
Chris making friends with an Aldabra tortoise

The tour also includes a limestone cave network with half a kilometer of paths underground. The guided tour and visit to the museum are highly recommended. We spent three hours there by which time we were ready for lunch.


After lunch he headed off to the east of the island to explore recommended beaches. We decided to spare readers of this blog pictures of more beaches!


The Garmin Inreach was due for collection after lunch on Tuesday. That meant we had an additional half day on Rodriguez before our departure. Chris chose to spend the time visiting the 'tat' shops hunting for souvenirs. The skipper chose to join Bill (SV Cara Mor), Hugh (SV Sea Change), Norbert and Inga (SV Marisol) on a visit to Grande Montagne Nature reserve.

group posing in front of Grande Montagne Nature reserve
Half the anchorage about to take the guided tour (our guide is on the left)

The reserve was established in the 1980's. Their goal is to return the land to the same state it was in prior to mariners discovering in half a century ago. This involves cutting back fast growing invasive species, replanting indigenous plants (they work closely with Kew Gardens who have succeeded in propagating the rarest plants) and reintroducing tortoises (who eat the invasive species before they grow too big).


They have started with 10 giant tortoises who are now almost old enough to start breeding. There is also an issue with rats so much trapping will be required to prevent the rats eating the tortoise eggs.


Finally, the reserve is home to three 'special' birds: the Rodriguez warbler, the Rodriguez Fody and the Madagascar Fody. We managed to spot all three, even if taking a picture of a small, shy, fast moving bird with a smartphone is not the easiest task!

Madagascar Fody
Madagascar Fody showing itself to visitors

Hugh is a (retired) Professor of Entemology, with a passion for birds too, and listening to his interaction with the guide really made the tour worthwhile.


After lunch, we collected the Garmin and, after a frantic couple of hours spent trying to activate it and understand how to use it, we were ready to go. Our next stop would be Reunion Island, our last port of call before the 'jump' to South Africa'.



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Your challenges at sea are nicely balanced by rich experiences at the destinations. Thank you for sharing them with us. We’ll done. Hope you enjoy the Starlink too!

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Tom
Tom
Nov 01
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Actually, I could write a post just on Starlink. Or "Nolink" as we call it. On a monohull in the big rolling season we had days with no connection.

Thank goodness we had the Garmin Inreach!

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