We are now getting pretty excited, with our arrival at Cocos Keeling getting so close. Today we will do a passage plan as we have no electronic charts for Cocos. We will have to use old fashioned paper charts for a change. We have slowed the boat so that we arrive in the light, just after dawn as there is a lot of coral around. It will be interesting to see the place – Joshua Slocum stopped there and thought it the most beautiful paradise on earth. It is humbling, following in his footsteps. Two of the islands are inhabited, Home Island has a population of 500 Malays, whose ancestors were taken there to work palm and copra plantations. West Island is where the expats.
We will be able to get fuel and water but we will have to transport it all by dinghy. Dimitri and John have been allocated this task while I will do the supervising! We are hoping there will be a boat chandler so that we can replace our red/green light fitting that is now on the bottom of the Indian Ocean. There is a ferry once a day between Home and West Islands. We have to anchor off Discovery Island and putt-putt our dinghy to Home Island. The snorkelling off Discovery Island is supposed to be superb so I may venture into the water. I will wait to see if anyone else gets eaten first – and I will wear our electric shark repellent!
I will write again and tell you more about the place when we have checked it out.
Love to all
Arti and Dimitri
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