Mauritius - Around Rodrigues Cup

Created by sue. Last modified on 2009-07-26 13:14:07
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Countries: Mauritius

As a result of the increasing threat of Somalian pirates, many yachts leaving south east asia now choose the southern route around the Cape of Good Hope; we were one of them and after spending a few months in the Maldives and Chagos, we arrived in Rodrigues, some 340 NM east of Mauritius. From Chagos, heading towards Rodrigues instead of directly to Mauritius required to sail a few points closer to the wind but it was definitely worth the effort.

One fine evening around a beer with a few Rodriguan friends and fellow sailors, we came up with the idea of organizing a 2 leg “fun” race around Rodrigues, starting from Port Mathurin with a one day stopover in the beautiful anchorage of Port Sud Est where we would have a BBQ on the beach.

The Rodriguans received the idea with such enthusiasm that what started as a simple excuse to have a BBQ on a desert island turned into a major event . Sponsors and local authorities started to contact us to offer their help and support, namely the Rodrigues Tourism Office, the Commission of youth and sports, the local beer company (Phoenix), the local rhum company (Grays), the Mourouk Ebony resort in Port Sud Est, La cabane du pecheur restaurant, and Miko and his band.

Not wanting to miss a party, the Rodriguans decided to organize their own “Traditional Pirogue regatta” between leg 1 and 2 of our race. Aside from having a lot of fun, one of the major objective was to promote friendly relations between visiting yachts crew and the Rodrigues people; therefore each participating yacht was required to have at least one Rodriguan on board during the race, and each traditional pirogue had to have at least one visitor on board. This gave Rodriguans the opportunity to sail on a sailing yacht, most of them for the first time, and gave us the chance to experience sailing a small traditional pirogue, all of us for the first time. Many new friendships were struck in the process.

The first “Around Rodrigues Cup” was born! Local news coverage (newspaper, TV and radio) as well as international coverage from Radio France Outremer (RFO) and the french sailing magazine “Voiles et Voiliers” gave us unexpected exposure; 8 of the 10 yachts present participated and hundreds of Rodriguans came to watch and join in the festivities.

Day 1 was the first leg of the race (quite windy and a short challenging stretch to weather) from Port Mathurin to Port Sud Est around the eastern side, and ended with a wonderful BBQ on Hermitage island, organized by Sylvestre of “La cabane du pecheur” restaurant, and live entertainment with Miko and his band.

Day 2, staying in Port Sud Est, started with the traditional pirogue regatta, followed by the inevitable party on the beach where hundreds of Rodriguans joined the festivities. To crown the day, the Mourouk Ebony resort organized a special buffet of local fares and traditional dance show.

Day 3 was the second leg of the race, from Port Sud Est back to Port Mathurin around the western side, completing the Around Rodrigues Cup. The closing party at La Cabane du Pecheur was also memorable, with yet another excellent BBQ, results, trophies and prize giving.

Hopefully the 2010 Around Rodrigues Cup will be as successful and fun as the first one.

Special thanks to our sponsors (Rodrigues Tourism Office, The Rodrigues Commission of Youth and Sports, Phoenix Beverages, Grays, the Mourouk Ebony Resort, La cabane du pecheur restaurant, Miko and his band, the Rodrigues port authorities, the Rodrigues Coast Guards, Robert Poupon, the participating yachts and their crew, the organizing committee, and the Rodrigues people for being so friendly and welcoming.

For more information: Email: info.rodrigues@intnet.mu
Web: Around Rodrigues Cup

Stephan Gosselin