April 20 , 2001 - Cruising in the Andamans
Island Stops South of Port Blair

	Manta ray near the Twin Islands. Cute, huh? But scary so close to the dinghy!

Cinque Islands

Actually, there are only two - North Cinque and South Cinque. The Cinque Islands are a wildlife preservation area and permission to be there must be obtained in Port Blair. We anchored in between the islands at a spot called Minto Bay. Some protection from N or NE winds, but if anything nasty really kicked up, you would need to move. We were very fortunate to have benign weather for our visit.

The reefs had suffered from the affects of the El Nino ocean warming, much of the coral being "bleached" or dead. Our friends Jim and Pat had snorkeled there on a previous trip to the Andamans and were very disappointed. Nevertheless, snorkeling was quite interesting. The reefs ran in parallel lines, like hedgerows across a farming countryside. Each reef row seemed to have its own kind of fish to look at. We had all our coral reef fish identifying books out looking for the different types we saw. The various shapes and the incredible coloration of tropical fish will never cease to amaze me.

There are deer on most of the Andaman Islands. This was the fist time we had seen them. A herd of about 15 came out of the forest to forage along the high tide line and nibble at some fallen pandanus fruits. We wondered what the deer did for water. There has been no rain, but the dew is quite heavy in the mornings -- perhaps they lick the leaves.

	This is one of the ruined (and fascinating) buildings at Ross Island. It was nice to visit there on a public holiday as we met many smiling Indian families out enjoying their historical site.

Twin Islands

Another pair of very small islands with an anchorage in between. The waters are so beautifully clear that all the coral "bommies" are very easily seen, and we could look at our chain and anchor in 25 feet of water from the deck. As well as any number of kinds of fish that were hanging about down there -- barracuda, giant trevally, blue fusiliers, even one nurse shark.

The tidal current flows directly North-South through this channel. We often saw manta rays swimming and feeding in the channel. One time we anchored the dinghy where the mantas seemed to congregate, watching about a dozen of them lazily "flying" around us. A bit scary, as some were larger than our 9-foot dinghy!

Again, snorkeling was a visual feast of fancy fish. We also saw annenome, some brilliant fan coral, a couple of turtles, giant clams. Beach combing was nice because there was virtually NO PLASTIC on the shore! A few interesting shells were washed up on the beach, but not very many hermit crabs scuttling around. There was a fascinating collection of animal/bird tracks in the soft sand, including squiggles indicating a snake's passing. A family of fish eagles patrolled the pools at low tide; kingfishers and terns also largely in evidence.

Tarmugli Island

A large island, not high, but heavily forested, also with deer. We came quietly around some boulders on the beach and saw a doe and fawn grazing on beach flotsam down on the other side of a fallen tree. We watched them a long time before they saw us and jumped into the forest.

Between small projects and necessary boat chores, we filled our time with snorkeling, beach combing, dinghy trolling. This last was not very productive. However, we had good fishing by dragging our usual hand line when sailing between the anchorages, so it really didn't matter. We caught trevally, a green job fish, little tunny, and a 5-foot barracuda that was just too big -- we released it.

Cheri Yatapu

Located in the MacPherson Straits, we were led to believe it was a town. In fairness, we didn't go ashore to investigate, but it looked like nothing from seaward. We chose to anchor about 2 miles down the coast in front of a lovely beach. It was Sunday, and many Andaman families were out enjoying picnics on the shore and cooling off in the beautiful clear water. Men and children swim -- often fully clothed; Indian women also go into the water fully dressed in their saris.

Port Blair revisited

Returning to Port Blair on a Monday, we thought we could begin the lengthy clearing procedures, finish up on Tuesday, and leave on Wednesday. Well, no, wrong again. Tuesday was a holiday; all pertinent offices would be closed. We chose instead to visit Ross Island. For some reason, you are not allowed to take your boat there. It's a 20-minute ferry ride from town. Ross Island was once the seat of the British Government. From the photos in the small museum it must have been quite grand in the mid 1800s, with even a covered swimming pool no less! Now all you see are the building ruins wrapped in a tangle of strangler fig roots and other trees growing right through the middle. The church roof is now shaped by lacy vines, all that is left of the vaulted wooden beams. It was only reading the grave stones in the cemetery that brought home to me the reality of people having actually lived there.