Mauritius

After waiting for a couple of days for the wind to pick up, we extracted ourselves from new friends in Rodrigues, and made the 359Nm passage to Mauritius [home of the now extinct Dodo] in 2.5 days.
We were delighted to see a whale passing in the opposite direction 100 metres off our stbd beam. We also had the excitement of catching an impressive Dorado, or Dolphin fish that was so big and beautiful, 5ft of shimmering green and gold, and put up such a good fight against all odds

that we didn't have the heart to turn him into "stupid fish pie" and gave him his freedom with the message to send up a smaller cousin! No such luck, but we did get a dolphin escort as we approached Mauritius. Seen from a distance the terrain that forms the stunning backdrop for Port Louis, the capital and only clearance port for yachts, looks right out of a Science fiction movie! We found the customs jetty and tied up alongside the quay in the centre of the noisy bustling [smelly] city centre.

There to greet us was Daniel a friend from Mauritius here on holiday, and Patrick , who'd left on Eagle Dancer a couple of days earlier.
Also some of the "Krautnet "guys on Elephant and Pommern.

Clearance was a breeze with the yacht stamp coming in for lots of use.
Vic from harbour security, seen in the foreground left kept an eye on us while we watched the BBC World Service on TV, and slept the clock around.

Next morning Duck soon had the trusty rusties assembled, and now we're off to explore.
First impressions are excellent, and we're looking forward to a few days here, then up to Grand Bay in the NW for a week before coming back to clear out! Next port of call the French Island of Reunion.