After saying goodbye to our friends ,we left Rodrigues in the morning on August 7th.We got irregular winds with huge waves all along the way for two days.Then we saw the mountains,the beaches with a lot of people kite-surfed on the sea.It was Mauritius!One kite-sufer even surfed by to say hello.Then suddenly Captain Hiro pointed to the sea and yelled out "Whales!".There was a whale family playing and spraying water into the sky just ahead of Yaima.We tried to sail closer,but they swam faster and soon disappeared from our sight.I just stood sliently on the bow with a BIG smile on my face.That was my first time to see whales dancing in the waves.
Yuuki met Birgit in the library.At that time,Birgit was doing her research in the library.They had a nice chat.Birgit was excited to see the SECOND Japanese yacht and was curious about Yaima's journey.Yuuki invited Birgit to come on board and had an interview with our funny Captain Hiro. Brigit has a blog about wonderful stories on Rodrigues in French and English .She shared the stories of every sailboat which visited Rodrigues.Birgit is a German.She has lived in Rodrigues for many years.She is a teacher who teaches English,French and Dutch and also a volunteer for helping battered women and children in Mauritius. 
Captain was so happy that we got a local friend.Birgit gave us a lot of information about local life."In June,many sailboats came to Rodrigues due to the pirate problem near Seychelles.There were so many sailboats in the harbor so that they even came up with a sailing race idea.Those cruisers held a sailing race and many local fishermen joined the sailing race,too.It was fun.There was one yacht from Japan called Polaire.The Captain is Seki san.He is from Tokyo.Do you know him?"asked Birgit.
Believe it or not.As soon as we sailed into our next stop ,Port Louis of Mauritius,we saw a Japanese flag flapping in the breeze on a big yacht.There was a man waving his hands passionately to us on the deck.He was Seki san!We finally met in Mauritius.What a small world! 
I woke up early every morning.At 5 o'clock,the sky was still dark.I liked to make a cup of hot tea ,sat on the deck and watched the daybreak.The colors of sky changed from gray to reddish purple then to golden orange.The birds sang heartily at dawn.It was a moment belonged to little me and the beautiful Nature.Then the rodrigues fishermen would row their boat out of the port then sail their handmade black sail.We would wave to each other and say hello.I like this way to start a day. 
One morning,it was low tide.We could almost walk on the reef.We saw the fishermen hunting for octopuses on the reef.I looked at them curiously."You look like you want to join those fishermen.It's low tide.We can get on the reef easily."said Captain."We can catch one octopus for lunch.What do you think?"I said."It is not easy to catch an octopus but you can try." I wore my HUNTING SUIT and took a pole and a bucket with me."Let's go octopus hunt!" 
We got a big one.(Acturally,we...bought it from the fisherman.)It was so big that I didn't know how to cook it.Yuuki said that we should hit it before we cook it."Hit it?"I said.Um...how to HIT an octopus? I took a little wood plank and was going to HIT it."Wait! Rinko Chan! You look like a gangster who is going to attack this poor octopus.Let me show you a smarter way."said Captain Hiro.
停在港口裡的三艘帆船,有來自日本的Yaima,來自西班牙的Nicole,以及來自南非的Ocean Spray,其中尤以Nicole號上的Captain Kurt 24年帆齡讓大家嘖嘖稱奇,而Elena從智利加入Nicole號後,轉眼也已經10年了!他們打算一路航行回西班牙後,把船賣了,好好經營他們在西班牙的酒吧。 
I stayed one night in Bangkok before I met all the Yaima crews in Maldives.The elaborate handicraft ,wonderful cuisines,beautiful scenery and gentle people make Thailand a great place that I am never tired of visiting.
Captain Hiro often said that "Sailors have weak legs.We don't use our legs a lot like walking,riding bicycles while we are sailing.We should go hiking to train our legs."
There was a big bus station near the port.The buses here were colorful.We took a yellow one.Most of locals didn't speak English but French.We showed the car steward where we wanted to go.He nodded his head and had a funny smile on his face.The bus went uphill slowly.You could see the shinning silver sea on one side and the green forests on the other.But the bus speed was...very slow.It was about 5 knots (1 knot= 1.852 km) with a loud noise from the engine."I am worried about its engine.It sounds over heat."Captain Hiro said jokingly.We all bursted into laughter.We were fed up with the engine problem in Maldives and now we joked about it a lot. 
The bus passed many little villages and farms in the mountains.Suddenly the bus stopped in a desolate area.The car steward waved his hand and yelled "Mountain Limon!" to us."Really? What the hell are we?"we all wondered. 
It started to rain.We were stuck near Mountain Limon with no local people around."Whose idea to Mountain Limon?"said Captain Hiro."Hey,guys,don't forget you all agreed with that."We looked at each other and laughed. We waited till the rain stopped and then had a cool and relaxing hiking on the hill. 
We hiked downhill and passed a little village.A cute boy peeped at us through the bush with his pig.I guessed it was a surprise for him to see three Asians walking near his house.I enjoyed the time and the fresh air in the mountains.We had had enough of the sea.It was great to embrace the green nature and exotic views on land.That afternoon we had great local food in the restaurant with a beautiful sunset.The horizon was tinged with reddish orange.Oh,it was a good hiking day! 
Rodrigues Island is a little jewel off the northeast coast of Mauritius.It has a population of approximately 38,000 inhabitants originating from several countries of Africa, Europe and Asia. Most people speak Creole and French although English is the official language.They use French and English in administration and on social occasions respectively.This island got its name from the Portuguses ship's pilot,Diego Rodrigues,who discovered it in February 1528.
One time Captain asked Yuuki and I how long we wanted to stay in Salomon atoll if we could.I stared at the peaceful lagoon and the bluish green water."um...as long as we can...it's so beatiful here"I said." I was always busy for work and busy for doing things.I always have a lot of things to finish.In this uninhabited atoll,suddenly I got a lot of free time for myself.I can fix my boat,read,go swimming,go fishing....so much free time...when I was in Japan,I never had time to finish reading a book."said Captain.It was great to learn how to relax and enjoy the moment in salomon atoll.But we had to leave to the next stop as planed.
We left Salomon atoll before sunset.The wind was from SsE.It was usually consistent in direction and speed. We headed south west at 7 knots.I saw seabirds circling on the sea ,flying fish skipping ahead and gliding like a bird.We were on the open sea again.
It was a shining Sunday.The tide was low.We went close to the reefs between Takamaka island and Fouquet island.Captain said that" reefs are the great spots to snorkel and examine the nature of water and marine flora and fauna."We went snorkeling in Maldives before.Maldives had been rated as number one site for snorkeling because of its diverse underwater world.I thought in Salomon atoll,it was more beautiful than where I went snorkeling in Maldives.The tropical Indian Ocean was really beautiful.
On Saturday afternoon,we went fishing in Yaima's anchorage.Our neighbor Russell told us there were a lot of fish in this lagoon.It sounded like that the fish took whatever you prepared for them.We couldn't wait to try our luck and imagined that maybe we could have sashimi(さしみ) for dinner tonight.
The party started at 6:30pm.It was on the east side of Fouquet island.Every yacht would bring their beverages and food for sharing in the party.We took all the Captain's nonalcoholic beers ,some cookies and a box of fresh salad.Yuuki and I guessed that our icy nonalcoholic beers from Maldives might not be held in favor and ...our instinct was correct.Hey!It was a PARTY on the uninhabited island beneath the counless stars.Who would like a can of nonalcoholic beers?But our salad was very popular that night.The Dubai family told us that they just ate their last apple that morning.Each of their family got a quarter of the apple.At that moment ,we realized that to have fresh food in the uninhabited islands was really a precious thing. I would never forget their gleeful shout when they saw our CUCUMBER salad!It was so funny. 
I woke up in the early morning.The sun was just rising up.It was so peaceful here.I sat on the deck ,looked at the bluish-green sea and those uninhabited coconut islands.It was so quiet and relaxing.After many days seasick,those beautiful islands comforted me little by little. One time Yuuki and I chatted about uninhabited islands.We both agreed that it was not a romantic journey to get to those isolated islands like what we imagined before.Most of the isolated islands were far from civilization.You got to sail for many days to get there.Becouse of the far distance,the Nature resources and wild lives were preserved well. It's romantic for me to have encounter with the amazing nature and cruisers from all over the world in Chagos.
We went into the coconut jungle.There were green coconut trees everywhere.We found the well.You could get fresh water to wash clothes there. 
On July 24th,we arrived Salomon atoll of Chagos.Entering into Salomon Atoll was a slow process because of large coral outcrops in this area and the entrance to the lagoon was narrow.It was good for us to get there in the early afternoon with good light for viewing the coral reef.When we were entering the atoll,it came a sudden gust of wind and rain.We sailed into the squall slowly and suddenly somebody hailed us from Radio Channel 16 .It was from cruisers who anchored in this beautiful lagoon.Sten from Yacht Mata'irea gave us suggestions for a nice anchorage.We were happy to meet people after five days sailing on the sea. 
進入Salomon atoll後,我們的船就停在Ile fouquent這個椰子樹多到要噴出來的小島前!這個礁湖裡一共停了6艘船,除了一艘來自加拿大的船,遠遠停在另一邊的Ile Anglaise小島外,其他五艘船都停泊在Fouquet小島附近!後來我們有機會認識這艘來自加拿大的船,它是一對年近七十的老夫婦所擁有,已經停留在Salomon atoll六個月了!這是他們27年的航行生涯中,第七次到Salomon atoll來!我想他們一定非常喜愛這個環礁吧!
There were many little islands surrounded this lagoon.We anchored next to a catamaran called Moon Walker and near the Fouquet island , an island full of shining green coconut trees.At that time,there were six sailboats anchored in this lagoon.Most of us anchored near Fouquet island,only a Canadian yacht anchored at the other side just near Anglaise island.We met them the next day.The Canadian couple were about sixty something.In their 27 years sailing journey, they had come to this atoll for seven times.Each time,they stayed as long as they could.They had stayed in Salomon atoll almost for six months .It was a long time.They loved this atoll very much. 
(照片取自網路)
我們一停好船,船長,Yuuki和我就一起去拜訪Yaima旁邊的一艘雙體船Moon Walker,水手Russell和Karin是一對來自紐西蘭的年輕夫妻,約莫四十歲左右,他們已經航行世界三年了!Russell說這些無人小島裡有許多的野生鳥類,對人類毫不設防,你可以和他們近距離接觸到大眼瞪小眼的地步;礁湖裡的魚多到爆,隨便丟個魚餌都可以釣到魚!聽起來有些誇張!船長說明天我們就來釣魚吧!哇~新鮮的Sashimi聽起來挺誘人的!
Captain ,Yuuki and I went visiting Moon Walker as soon as we finished anchorage work.Russell and Karin were a young couple from New Zealand.They had sailed in the world for three years.They had been staying in this atoll for weeks.Russell said "if you walk into the coconut jungle on Salomon islands ,you can see many many wild birds.You can get closely to them as possible as you can.They won't fly away.And there are a large amount of fishes.You can get fish easily." It sounded a good idea to go fishing here.Captain said" Let's go fishing tomorrow.When I imagined the fresh sashimi,my mouth was watering.
Almost paradise!We're knocking on heaven's door.Almost paradise!How could we ask for more? I swear that I can see forever in your eyes.Paradise!(From the song by Mike Reno & Ann Wilson) This song played in my head when we arrived at the nature paradise---Chagos Archipelago.
We had confirmed that after passing the equator on a southerly heading, the temperature did decrease little by little at night and it was wintertime in the South Indian Ocean. Captain Hiro said "It will be against the wind if we sail directly to Mauritius.It won't be a pleasant sailing. It is better to head more south to Chagos archipelago.We can get trade wind after Chagos." Where is Chagos archipelago?I couldn't see it on "my" world map."You could see it on the sailing map. The archipelago is isolated and at the very center of the Indian Ocean.It is 1930 kilometers north-east to Mauritius.Those islands are part of the British Indian Ocean Territory.I don't know much about this archipelago though.It will take about 3 to 4 days from Addu atoll to Chagos islands. "said Captain."Three or four days?God!I hope I won't get seasick.Chagos!It sounds very exotic!Huiling!Ganbatteyo!"I said to myself.
穿越赤道後,我們進入了南半球的冬天,隨著船的南行,夜晚的溫度漸漸有些許涼意。過了馬爾地夫最後一個環狀珊瑚礁---Addu atoll,我們的航行計劃有一些改變。"若我們一路直接航向模里西斯(Mauritius),風向逆風不說,恐怕也是趟不舒服的航行。再繼續往南行,我們會抵達一個叫查戈斯的群島(Chagos Archipelago)。根據氣象預報,過了查戈斯群島,一路上就是吹東風直到模里西斯。"前田船長說。查戈斯群島?我聽都沒聽過!在我的世界地圖上,找不到查戈斯群島,只有專業航海圖上才找得到它的位置。"這個群島是英國在印度洋上的領地,幾乎就位於整個印度洋中央,它就位於模里西斯東北方1530公里處,我們雖然對這個群島所知不多,但它就像馬爾地夫一樣是一座座的珊瑚環礁,到那裡浮潛,海底景色鐵定不輸馬爾地夫!根據八重山號Yaima現在的航速,一小時以6海里(knot)計算,大概只要三到四天,我們就可以抵達查戈斯Chagos囉!"啊~~~三到四天!內心祈禱自己可以撐到查戈斯,這個名字充滿異國風味的群島,但超過2天的航行,我總是暈船ㄋㄟ!
On the day we left Maldives,there was a beautiful rainbow on the sky.It was a good farewell from Maldives.After a light rain,there was a bright golden path on the sea.It was a sunny day.We were sailing south to Chagos.The wind was from south-west.Yaima sailed smoothly .The speed was about 6 to 7 knots.Captain said that"If the wind keeps going in this direction,We may get the southest atoll of Maldives tomorrow.Let's go snorkeling there."It was great to go snorkeling with Captain Hiroshi and Yuuki.They swam freely like fish and always showed me good spots under the sea. 
There was no moon at the first night on the open sea.The countless stars spreaded all over the inky sky.I was on the night shift for watching.The wind suddenly changed the direction.It started to rain.The main sail was flapping.Captain and Yuuki climbed out of the cabin and adjusted the mail sail and jib sail.They spoke in quick Japanese.Captain yelled the order to Yuuki.They cooperated to get the work done quickly.I thought I needed to know more about sailing so that I could help more but language was a problem for me.One time,Captain Hiro saw me reading an article about sailing skills,he told me that "You don't need to read this.You have a good sailing book in front of you---Captain Hiroshi!Of course people need to know the basic knowledge about sailing when they want to sail on the open sea.What you really need is practice.Real practice!"It was true.I almost forgot everything about sailing.What I am good at is always communicating with locals and friends from all over the world.I just enjoyed sailing itself ,meeting different people and exploring the unknown world. 
In the early morning on July 22nd,we past the equator at 6 o'clock (10 o'clock JP time)on the Indian Ocean.We were in the Southen Hemisphere!It was the first time in my life!After passing the zero degree latitude ,we were passing from summer in the northern hemisphere to winter in the southern hemisphere.In the Navy,they called sailors who have already crossed the equator "Shellbacks" and those who have not "Pollywogs"."Pollywog is the lowest form of sea life,a tadpole.The larva stage of frogs and toads.There was a crossing tradition which was created as a test for experienced sailors to ensure their new shipmates who were capable of handling long rough times at sea.
(此圖片取自網路)
