WILLOWS ADVENTURE SPORTS

An article written by Rory Pennefather (experienced paddler)  

19 Epworth girls and four adults, led by Les Willows experienced the pleasure of paddling around Mauritius. This two week trip consisted of 11 days of paddling and two of sight-seeing, para-sailing and shopping, the latter being big in the life of girls!

Most of the paddling was done inside the coral reef through calm turquoise seas, past sandy islands and white beaches while the girls repeatedly leapt overboard to snorkel or swim, but four days saw us paddling on big seas beyond the shelter of the reefs.  Here they braved huge swells and cruised along the south coast with the most helpful following wind.  Pods of dolphins put on great circus shows, leaping and spinning, while massive turtles slid shyly away.  Flying fish sped across the bows of the boats as they did their best to avoid predators and the surf crashed on the rugged cliff-faced southern coast.  We crept slowly past the mouth of Port Louise, but the shipping lane presented no problem to the girls who were more concerned with a fish they had caught on a trailing line than the ship bearing down on us at 30km/hr!

Getting through the coral reefs is a necessity in order to circumnavigate the island, and narrow passes of deep water provide a relatively surf free route through the sharp and shallow coral.  A meticulous knowledge of the coast is a necessity in order to get this right and Les has exactly that.  All we could see from out at sea would be a mass of pounding surf with Les venturing forth, his fifteen year-old partner holding her paddle upright, signalling, “This is right; follow me” and like obedient little ducklings the rest of us followed faithfully.  The rip flowing out does about 4km per hour and the heavily laden c-kayaks can do about 5km/hour so it was touch and go at times as to whether we were going in or out!  Fortunately no capsizes happened here, for this would have meant an immediate swim out to sea and a second attempt at making it through the pass by a tiring team.

Mauritius is unbelievably beautiful along its coastline and by paddling around it y ou see it all.  We paddled in a clockwise direction which means you get a following wind along the south coast and this makes the full trip more possible.  Wind and rain pummels one a bit on the east coast but the temperature never drops below 27^oC and the rain lasts less than half an hour, so drying out after a shower is never a problem.

But perhaps the highlight of the trip is the people.  All Mauritians are gentle, friendly and helpful.  We slept on beaches at picnic sights.  Never once were we harassed by the locals; we experienced no begging, no pilfering and no inquisitive crowds.  The police would come around to help and leave a phone number in case we needed them.  Teenage girls could wander freely about the markets and catch buses into town in utmost safety.  I would rate Mauritius tops as a sea kayaking destination and the trip offers more than just the paddling. Les  is the ideal tour guide.  An experienced paddler who knows the Mauritian coastline  intimately.  His organising skills are superb and we all experienced an amazing value for money holiday adventure.  Les offers trips every year to any one interested.   I have been paddling for over 40years and  I would highly recommend this trip.