Devil’s Island

This small group of islands was once an infamous penal colony off the coast of French Guiana.

After three days at sea, everyone on board was keen to set foot on land again, so there was great concern at breakfast time when the Atlantic Ocean looked to be too rough for a tender service.

The captain, even though he is a cautious man, announced that guests could go ashore by tender. There was no shore leave for the hard-working crew, who were equally desperate to get off. Diva and TSH coated themselves with Factor 50 and Deet and donned raincoats before heading for deck 3 to board the tender. At this stage it became apparent that the Atlantic Ocean was not giving up in the battle to stop the guests going ashore – not for nothing did inmates not escape from this penal colony.

The tender was bouncing up and down, moving a few feet away from the ship and then crashing violently back against it. On seeing what lay ahead, many prospective shore bound guests (including Diva) chose the option of the comfort of the Silver Spirit rather than the risks of the tender. Captain Arma eventually announced that only the strongest and nimblest should attempt the transfer.

The transition from ship to tender was controlled very tightly by a number of very able seamen who physically assisted people onto the tender to ensure everyone was safe, although in many cases not without getting wet from spray. Exiting the tender at the island was not a problem as the quayside was sheltered.

TSH had a good walk round Ile Royale - the only island of the three open to visitors. He observed agouti and monkeys plus a few birds at close quarters. He also “enjoyed” the light rain which fell between the very heavy showers.Having had sufficient exercise and being soaked to the skin, he headed back to the tender.

Fortunately, the return journey had none of the drama of the outward transfer. He did notice that at least two of the lifejackets stored under the seats in the tender (which is really a lifeboat) had flashing lights as they had been activated by contact with the water.

On returning to the ship, TSH sought out Diva to let her know he was safely back aboard before heading for a shower and a change of clothes – then lunch.