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A
Voyage to Chagos
An E-mail
Conversation with Sam Bouquet
Sam
Bouquet, 34, is a British national who was brought up in the
west of England by his mother, Celia, who he says
"taught me to question everything".
He
is the son of Pete Bouquet, the first skipper of the Rainbow
Warrior, the legendary Greenpeace ship. The original vessel
was sunk in 1985 by French government agents in an attempt
to end protests about nuclear weapons testing in the Tuamoto
Archipelago in French Polynesia in the south Pacific. This
provoked worldwide protests and a second Rainbow Warrior
returned to the test area which proved to supporters that
"you can't sink a rainbow". Nuclear testing at the
Mururoa atoll site was ended by the French authorities in
1996.
Inspired
by the example of his father,
Sam is sailing to the Chagos Archipelago on board his boat,
Cindik (pronounced "chin-duck") which is the
Kurdish word for "sprite" or "pixie" in
order to draw attention to the fate of the Chagossians who
were exiled from their homeland some 40 years ago by the
British authorities who had illegally detached the islands
from the colony of Mauritius in 1965 so that the US could
build its military base on Diego Garcia.
Sam is a trained
shipwright.
He
is married
to Ayten, a Turkish Kurd.
Why
did you decide to embark upon this voyage to Chagos?
Because
yachtsmen and women from all over the world can visit and
enjoy the Chagos Islands, but the Chagossians cannot. I am
just an ordinary person simply trying to do something to
help these people.
When
did you first have the idea?
About
five years ago, when I was standing by the beautiful and
gentle River Tamar (which forms the boundary between
Cornwall and Devon in the South-west of England) looking at
a Polaris submarine. I wanted to know how and why it was
there. I found out that by leasing Diego Garcia to the
Americans and removing all the people from the Archipelago
my government was able to get a discount on Polaris. I knew
that I had to give some practical help to the Chagossians
and that going on marches and signing petitions would not be
enough for me.
What
do you hope to achieve?
There
is a gradient of expectation. I want to raise worldwide
awareness of this issue and appeal to everyone's sense of
injustice. I want to build (or buy) a boat, which will allow
the Chagossians to revisit the land of their birth and their
ancestors. I'd like to raise cash to find the boat. I'd like
to see the islanders resettled.
Your
boat, Cindik, is made from recycled materials -- what did
you use?
It
has a steel hull and a new engine. The mast is made from a
tree, which we cut down on the bank of the Tamar and floated
down the river for seven miles. The rig was made from a coil
of wire from a surplus store. We found 2 rolls of sailcloth
material and made 3 sails in 3 days. All the wood was from
recycled products. The windlass and cooker had been thought
of as junk by their previous owners but we salvaged them and
made them as good as new.
Did
you build it yourself?
My
wife and I built it with the help of many friends, from its
inception in England through until now, in Turkey. Lots of
people have been touched by the issue and I have had aid and
encouragement throughout the project. Cindık has a
beautiful compression post, which was carved by my friend
Jack Pitcher from re-claimed wood.
Are
you sailing on your own or do have any companions?
From
England to Turkey my wife, Ayten, sailed with me. From
Turkey to the Maldives my friend, Poppy Currie, is sailing
with me. After the Maldives we will see who accompanies me.
Where
did you set sail from?
I
set sail from the UK in December, 2006 and I have stopped at
many places along the way.
Where
are you now?
Marmaris
Yacht Marina, Turkey.
Any
more stops before you set off for the Chagos Islands?
Yes,
I will be going through the Suez Canal to the Maldives and
will certainly be stopping at other places along the way --
this will be dictated by sea conditions. I intend to set off
in the next few days. My progress can be followed on our
website,
www.peoplesnavy.com
How
long will it take to get there?
The
journey to the Maldives will take about two months. I will
be met there by my father, Pete Bouquet, who will have
sailed from Thailand in his yacht, Musichana. We will then
sail to the Archipelago together.
Are
you expecting other boats to join you at any point in your
journey?
Anybody
and everybody are welcome along the way. People will be able
to keep in contact with me via our website.
How
many of the islands in the Archipelago do you plan to visit?
Two
islands: Peros Banhos and Salomon. We will stay on each
island for at least a week.
No
plans to visit Diego Garcia, I presume?
We
would like to visit Diego Garcia, but as the authorities
have prevented yachts from stopping over at this important
re-positioning point ever since they took control we will
not be able to do so.
What
will you do when you are in the Archipelago?
We
will be taking photographs and movies and making general
observations of the state of the islands and surrounding
waters (particularly illegal fishing activities). We will
also take note of any obvious neglect by the British
authorities of Chagossian property -- the houses and
associated infrastructure – and any vandalism or damage
which has occurred during the absence of the rightful
owners.
Are
you then sailing on to Mauritius?
We
will sail to Reunion Island first, then onto Mauritius.
When
do you expect to arrive in Mauritius?
Around
the end of March or early April.
Who
will you meet when you arrive?
We
will meet exiled Chagossians to whom we will present our
report.
Have
you had any contact with the Mauritian government?
Not
yet, but we would welcome the opportunity to talk to them
and show them our findings when we arrive.
Will
you sail back to England once you have finished?
This
is impossible to say. We are risking our lives just to get
to Mauritius and who knows what will happen when we get
there? Keep watching the website to find out what happens
next!
Interview by Sean Carey
'Pete Bouquet, Jon
Castle and Tom Keunen will be sailing to the Chagos Islands
from Malaysia in Feb. 2008. We will be sailing on board a
40' cutter "Musichana" donated for the project,
and will visit Peros Banhos and Salomon only. (About 120'
from Diego Garcia). After the visit we will continue on to
La Reunion and Mauritius. The purpose of the trip is bear
witness to the crimes of the British and American
Governments and to raise awareness of the issue of the
Chagos Islands. In particular we want to highlight the
injustice and mistreatment visited by the British Government
on to the Chagossian people, and to assist them in their
struggle to return home.'
L:
Crewmember
Pete Bouquet paints the Rainbow Warrior, 1978
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