Friday – Iles Du Salut

Today we arrived at Iles Du Salut, in French Guyana. Iles du Salut is actually made up of three islands; Ile Sainte-Joseph, Ile Royale and Ile du Diablo, better known as Devils’ Island, made famous by the novel ‘Papillon’ by Henri Charrie, and subsequent film of the same name, starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. No-one is allowed on Devil’s Island itself, but it is clearly visible from Ile Royale, our destination today, which was used mostly for administrative purposes, although there were also cells there.

These days, the island is also used as a tracking station for the French Space Centre situated on the mainland, and when rockets are being launched, no-one is allowed near it, never mind on it.

Because I’ve been here before, I knew what to expect, and I’d set my alarm for 6:30am so that I could get hold of an early tender ticket and breakfast, before the tender operation started at 7:30. My tender ticket was ‘B’, so I was able to board the first tender.

One thing that always makes a visit to Ile Royale problematic, are the rough seas. For some reason, there always seems to be a high swell, and if it’s too rough, then there is always the slim possibility that no-one would make it ashore at all. The tender boat rocked wildly, and strained on its ropes, as the passengers were helped into it. We were down to the last couple of people when a rope, tethering the boat to the Marco Polo, snapped. The tender boat flew outwards, rocking and rolling on the waves, but because it was still being held by another rope, it curved around, in an arc, hitting the side of the ship with some force.

Once free of the ship, the driver hit the accelerator and we headed towards the island. Unusually, the problems didn’t stop there. When we arrived at the small floating quayside, the operators had a terrible job getting it alongside, and tied up. Like a bucking bronco, the tender boat simply refused to calm down, and it took a good 15 to 20 minutes to secure it so that the passengers could disembark safely.

Finally, then, we were on the island, and Iles du Salut did not disappoint. I began by taking the perimeter path, anti-clockwise around the outside of the island. Because I’d come in on the first tender, I had plenty of time, and intended making the most of our half-day visit. I spent a long time filming and photographing the waves, and the palm trees. When Devil’s Island came into sight, I paused often and continued collecting as much film and as many photos as I could.

The air was humid and the temperature hot, as I continued, watching the little red palm rats scavenge amongst the fallen palm leaves. A small group of monkeys were playing and cracking open coconuts, and I saw turles along the coastline.

Eventually, as I approached the place where I’d started from, I took a different path; one that wound its way up into the interior of the small island, where the remains of the penal buidings wait to be explored. As well as bursting with wildlife, Iles du Salut’s dark history as a much-feared penal colony still hangs over it, and walking through cell blocks is a sobering experience. It’s use as a penal colony didn’t cease until as late as 1953, and the heads of prisoners who were executed by the guillotine, were kept on display until the 1960s.

Despite all this, the island remains a very magical place. Brightly-coloured macaws sat in the trees and humming birds flitted around the outside of the hotel building. I queued for a beer (two, actually… it was hot…) and sat drinking it as I gazed across at Devil’s Island. I don’t think there would have been a single dissenting voice amongst the passengers today… everyone simply loved it.

The ride back to the ship was much smoother with the seas having calmed down considerably. After lunch, I spent the afternoon in the cabin painting a picture of the view across to Devil’s Island from the wild coastline of Ile Royale. I also planned out a monkey painting, which I hope to paint-up in the morning.