Back at the Le Caudan marina, we were kindly invited to join our friends on SV C. Cocquin, Claude and Louise, who had rented a car for 3 days for daily road trips around the island….Trevor declined to focus on boat without his “lovely wife”…..I accepted….it’s good to take time away from each other, especially since we had just been literally side by side for a week in the boat yard.
Claude and Louise had places they wanted to see so I really was just along for the ride…. There was a lot of miles to cover and most of our stops were at local public beaches and good view points, and of course LUNCH! Most of the photos are literally from the car so apologies for this…..but… I got to ride in the co-pilot’s seat : )
Road Trip: Day 1
Generally, the southern island is known for the incredible hiking in the Black River Gorges National Park, white sand beaches in Flic en Flac, quaint villages in coastal Tamarin or mountainous Chamarel. We didn’t have time to do any hiking…too many miles to cover but it was a great introduction to the different landscapes here in Mauritius.
And we are off….
Leaving Port Louis there were plenty of Hindu temples 
Off the main 4 lane highway, we get into more rural areas 
School kids walking to the bus stop 
Driving to Flic en Flac was an “ocean” of sugar cane fields with mountains as the backdrop 
Flic en Flac public beach with Le Morne mountian in the background. There is a fabulous hike up to the top. 
Tamarin is a small town between Flic en Flac and Black River. They have the last traditional salt pans where you can tour, but it’s said to go early (8am) to watch the ladies work the salt. 
Sea water is pumped into large, shallow pans, made of basalt rock and the water left to evaporate. After a few days, the salt residue is then harvested and stored away, ready to be sent to a refining plant. 
Le Preneuse public beach, just at the north of Black River 
Found a fancy, smancy place to eat lunch at Seeloy Island Club near the new marina in Black River. Most sailboats can’t get up the river to this place but we were told you could anchor out and take your dinghy here. 
After lunch we headed into the mountains towards Chamarel. One lane curves are present…. 
You’ll find multiple shrines along your drive 
View point on the way to Chamarel selling fruits and snacks…the view is stunning. We were high enough that the sun was covered by the clouds that are trapped above the mountains 
A bit touristy but we went anyways….I have no idea how much it costs as Claude beat me to the punch! With admission, there are different sites to see….waterfall, ebony forests, and the 7 colors of earth, 
Louise and Claude by the Chamarel waterfall. It is as tall as the Statue of Liberty. 
7 colors of earth was a small area where the natural leeching of baslat occur, leaving iron and aluminum oxide. These elements repel each other, leaving distinct ripples of color. 
I love the contrast of the blue sky, white clouds, green sugar cane fields, and the brown dirt. 
Sometimes we would drive throough a tunnel of large trees…we think they were eucalyptus trees. 
When we turned back up the mountain, the villages were quite dreary….being on the windward side of the mountain meant the trade winds would push the clouds and rain over the mountain villages. We even witnessed many locals wearing gum boots..instead of flip flops ; ) 
Driving through what the locals call “the central island” is where the majority of the population lives. We are headed towards downtown, against the river of traffic of workers headed home…thank goodness!
Road Trip: Day 2
The northern island is generally flat which mean there is a lot of great land for agriculture. The main attraction is Grand Baie, a relatively protected bay that hosts resorts and lots shopping. There are islands at the top of Mauritius so this provides regular water activities for charter boats: Catamaran sailing, snorkeling, diving, and of course fishing! Unfortunately most of the drive, views were blocked by walls/gates to provide homes or resorts or the road took you inland through villages/towns so there few stop for photo opportunities…but I made due ; )
Grand Baie…looks small but it widens further out. Most of the local yachts and charter boats are here. There is a cute yacht club that provides a free 30 day membership for transiting yachts. 
Our friends on SY Ruby Ruby…more about them in the next blog post! Love these guys : ) 
Grand Baie is very much a tourist place with lots of shopping and activities to choose from. 
Driving from Grand Baie to the northern most tip of the island, the road was lined with walls/gates with no visible access to the beach. Seemed all private land. 
We arrived to Bain Bouef public beach with a wonderful view of the outer islands. Here in the background is Flat Island…. 
Bain Bouef paublic beach looking out at Round Island. We hear there is no safe anchorages at the islands (overnight that is) but we hear the diving and snorkeling is fantastic there. Charter boat it is if you want to visit?! 
Most of the public beaches were incredibily clean and even manicured. Hardly any garbage…must be due to the Beach Authority here across the island. 
Beach dog…in racked sand….what a life (LOL) 
Driving around the northern tip of the island to the eastern side of the island was nice coastal views. Cap Malheureux is a famous village in the district of Rivière du Rempart offers a beautiful view of the islet of Coin de Mire and it’s photocard images of this red roofed chapel. 
On the drive on the NE side were many scattered town in between…. 
…sugar cane fields!!!! 
The road took us more inland and we started to see more substantial towns 
Then more sugar cane fields…and a castle?! No idea what this structure is but I would guess it is part of an old sugar cane field plantation. 
Working the fields…. 
Off to be processed. 
Tummies growling…we found a resort area to have lunch at called Radisson Blu Resort and Spa. It was like condo heaven but at least they had good restaurants…. 
Ahhh….stretch the legs and fill the belly. 
Each day Louise and I would have our glasses of Rose with lunch…I am in such good company! 
After lunch we continued our drive south down the eastern coast and stopped at a little public beach in the town of Black Rocks…or should I say “Roches Noires”…for obvious reasons. 
Dinner perhaps? 
On our way again, we start to head inland. I believe temples that fly a red flag are Hindu…. 
We are getting closer to home as we drive around the mountian range towards Port Louis…just in time for dinner…or happy hour : )
Road Trip: Day 3
I loved the scenery on this trip: Coastal views with ocean on one side, mountains on the other and through smaller fishing villages and less (though still plenty) sugar cane fields. The central plateau was also a wonderful mix of villages surrounded by mountains…you literally felt like you were in a bowl of….you guessed it….sugar cane (LOL)! Another fabulous part was a bit of history as the “old port” was near Mahebourg. There was so much to see and the town of Mahebourg is a place to spend more time in if you have the chance.
Main highway out of Port Louis…headed towards the central eastern coast. Not sure if all those cameras work up there (haha) 
Headed towards Mahebourg, near the airport. 
I can’t believe I got this guy on camera while driving. 
On Google, this place is called “Mahebourg last train stop”…however, we didn’t see any trains. We did however get a history lesson on the battle to secure the island between the French and British in 1810 here. This nice tiled depiction was a great help! 
Do you notice all the French boats have cannon fire and the British don’t?…..care to guess who won this particular battle? 
A memorial for naval officers….. 
Lion mountain in the tile…. 
Lion mountain in real life : ) 
Still taking photos at Mahebourg with traditional sailing vessels in the background. 
Got fish?! 
Also present at the “Mahebourg last train stop” was a Hindu temple and statue made with rocks? He does look like a happy fellow. 
On the road headed north from Mahebourg we cross a river called “Riviere des Creoles”…I wonder how true that still is? 
Towns/villages go right up to the mountain hillside, thank goodness it doesn’t snow here….getting in/out of these steep driveways would be a B!&@$! 
Driving still north we are blessed with wide open views of the ocean. 
We stop at a long pier at a town named “Bois des Amourettes”. 
At the pier there is a plaque for Sarah Outen who In 2009 became the first woman and the youngest person ever to row solo across the Indian Ocean. She rowed for 124 days, 14 hours and nine minutes, and was only the fourth person to ever attempt the feat. 
I made Louise and Claude do silly poses on the pier : ) 
Looking back at the mountains from the pier. 
Driving still north, there are lots of little fishing villages with modest housing and full of daily activities. 
We saw lots of traditional fishing sail boats moored on the coast with little shacks right next to the road….some with laundry (LOL) 
The road headed inland for a moment and next to a river was gardens galore! 
Time for a late lunch….we literally stumbled upon this place and have no idea how we did this but we did. If you blinked you would drive right passed this place but if you do travel in this area….this is a gem with wine, beer and fabulous food! 
Louise and Claude going in to get us a table….I think Claude is hungry! 
The name of the bar/cafe but it doesn’t come up on a Google search. 
We were in good company. I think this is a cardinal? Alison Styring…what do you think? I love it’s mohawk…so urban : ) 
My lunch…can you spot the glass of Rose wine? 
Back on the road again headed home we travel trough what’s called the “Plateau”. It is a fetrile, flat area in the center of the mountain ranges. Lots of little settlements and towns. We saw a large prision on our drive and a university for engineering. Very diverse up here…and a bit chilly. 
More sugar cane fields…thank goodness…someone has to make all that good rum!!!! 
Harvested sugar cane field. 
Back down the mountain we are getting closer to home…the sea is in view!
Fourth of July and getting “real” close to our new boat neighbors
This week was our Fourth of July…Mauritius didn’t skip a beat… Bruce and Laura on SV Neptune’s Highway was busy in the boat yard. If you remember, they picked up us up in their dinghy while we were at the boat yard so it was time to return the favor of hot showers and dinner at the marina. Our nontraditional Fourth of July dinner of Indian food was scrumptious.
One afternoon, we saw these guys coming into the marina. Not sure how it was decided but SV Charlie ended up rafting next to us….it was great…unprompted HH drinks and great chatting it up with them for a few days. The captain was Dutch and the crew from South Africa, Serbia, and Kenya…we had so many questions!
We positioned them just aft of our beam to make sure our spreaders wouldn’t get tangled up if we all experienced a large wake in the marina. 
“Flo” has a boyfriend…Charlie (LOL)!
More Boat Work….
Meanwhile…back at the boat…Trevor is keeping busy….
We found a Mercury dealer near Port Louis, Espace. We took a taxi there to see if they could service our outboard which was not idling well back in Rodriguez. Trevor negotiated them to pick the motor up from the marina and deliver it back when it was done….thank goodness. We thought it was the best $150 spent thus far! 
Trevor replaced our main and mizzen topping lift with dynema…you can see our old mizzen topping lift has seen better days. 
New shackle and topping lift 
When testing our SSB with our friends in the Seychelles, it came to our attention our bad reception could be caused by a bad (rusted or corroded) cable. 
Yup….I think this could be the issue..or at least one of them (hahaha) 
All better…and Trevor even bought “blue” wire protector so it would match the boat…his idea…seriously! 
What’s missing here? You guessed it..our winch! 
When we were sailing from Chagos to Rodriguez, our starboard winch would not lock as well as it had before….time to do some maintenance… 
Taking a winch apart is the easy task…. 
Looks like the pawls (the mechanism that springs out) was all gummed up and sticking a bit. He changed the springs as well. 
Trevor had to soak and clean all the little parts with diesel before greasing and putting it back together…the harder task. 
Pretty sure there were no left over parts…that Trevor would tell me about!
A bit random, but that’s what it’s like for us….a little work, a little fun…more work…it’s time to chill out!
Next up: Grand Baie….Hanging out with SY Ruby, provisioning, and just chilling…
Kimi, the diagram of the naval battle shows a classic maneuver called ‘crossing the T’. The french ships are crossways to the Brits so they can bring all their guns to bear and fire a broadside. The Brits are pointed forward and can’t bring their guns to bear, that’s why they aren’t firing.