Hard on the wind
Do we need more crew?
OF MAURITIUS THE RACING AND FISHING PIROGUES BY MICHAEL PIGNÉGUY
Loading up with crew and ready to race!
The race is on in the shallow lagoon T
he Mauritian pirogue is unlike the early flat-bottomed piragua the Spanish originally called the small, narrow and shallow craft that seemed to have originated in ancient Europe. These people-carriers and early fishing boats were constructed by hollowing out a log, a style replicated in rivers and along coastlines around the world.
Early sailors found the wind could assist them and up went a mast (of sorts) and a bit of material to catch the wind and provide some propulsion. Stability became an issue and outriggers were eventually devised to help keep the craft upright.
As with many maritime nations, the Mauritians developed their craft to suit the sea conditions of their island's 200km reef- lined coastline surrounded by the southern Indian Ocean. Apart from some early transient visitors in the 15th and 16th centuries,
68 Professional Skipper September/October 2011
Nothing flash about this rigging with an original bendy mast!
Mauritius was uninhabited until 1638, when the Dutch started a settlement. Being 900km east of Madagascar at 20˚S, 56˚E, the island was a useful stopover for vessels sailing on the trade route between Cape Town and India, and also the Maluku (Indonesian) Spice Islands. The French claimed the island in 1715 and named it Isle de France, which seemed appropriate for the time. Settlement started soon after, followed by the need for slaves to work the land, as it was discovered that sugar cane thrived in the warm, maritime climate. It was these slaves, brought in from Africa, Madagascar and India, who developed the Mauritian pirogue (with a short "o"). The growing population created a demand for more food, and with lagoons full of fish, small, cheap craft were needed as fishing boats.
As many of the slaves had come from coastal villages and had probably been fishermen in their "free" lives, the boats
