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We snorkelled The Rip, Direction Island
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We
stayed at anchor at Direction Island until 15th August. My
leg became very swollen at the site of the injury and my ankle and
foot changed colour to dark blue/black. There was no open wound so I
suppose the internal bleeding had to go somewhere.
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Coconut damage
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Two
days later the wind eased sufficiently to allow us to take our dinghy
on the 40 minute trip across reefs to Home Island. We topped up our
food supplies at the supermarket, had lunch and went to the medical
centre in the afternoon. I saw a nurse first, followed by a doctor
from New Zealand, who was called Gary.
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Using the WiFi at Pondok Indah, Home Island
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They decided to scan my leg
and foot. I was amazed to see an ultrasound scanner in this remote
place, that is just a dot on the world map! Anyway, the scan
confirmed that there was no fracture. I was reassured that my body
would absorb the internal bleeding and my leg and foot should return
to normal in about two weeks. The risk of infection was small as
there was no open wound.
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Socialising with Ted and Mia
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Later
in the day we met up with Ted and Mia from Serengeti and had
delicious chicken stew ashore in one of the shelters on Direction
Island. Over the next few days we had sundowners on each other’s
boats and enjoyed chatting. It was good to be socialising again.
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Dark interior of Direction Island
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Unfortunately,
Ted and Mia’s outboard motor motor stopped working and could not be
repaired. This meant they were isolated at Direction Island, unable
to go to Home Island for supplies except by ferry on Thursday and
Saturday. We helped out when we could.
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Kathy at West Island
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We
went to West Island on the Friday before our departure date and
checked out at the police station. First we had to take the dinghy to
Home Island, then we boarded a ferry to West Island followed by a bus
to the village. Every two weeks a supply plane arrives and the
supermarkets on Home and West Island stock their shelves with fresh
produce. We saw the plane arrive but we knew nothing would be for
sale until Saturday.
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Jeremy at West Island
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On
Saturday, we took the dinghy to Home Island once again and stocked up
for our passage to Rodrigues. The next day a catamaran called Begonia
arrived with Kyle and Maryanne on board. They had to stay on the
yellow quarantine buoy until Monday, but we were able to talk to them
on the VHF.
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Sal Darago with the lagoon beyond
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Monday
15th August was our departure day. Jeremy went over to
Home Island to have our cooking gas bottle filled and I made a three
day chicken stew in the pressure cooker. I had been wearing a
compression sock on my injured leg. When I removed it, there was
blood trickling down, so we now had to deal with an open wound with a
risk of infection and a crossing of the Indian Ocean to Rodrigues
1,981 miles away.
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Sal Darago anchored at Direction Island
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