Cruising around the Bijagos islands: Taking a break from sailing around the world in remote regions

During their world voyage, brothers Maxence and Victor Ansquer enjoy cruising around the Bijagos islands.

Situated at the mouth of many rivers in Guinea-Bissau, the Bijagos archipelago is one of Africa’s most isolated maritime regions. Strong tides, violent currents, murky waters, rocky reefs, constantly shifting sandbanks and unstable winds make access difficult both from the sea and from the continent.

The Portuguese never fully overcame these obstacles. Until the country’s independence in 1973, the Bijago people resisted colonisation by retreating into the islands.

Within the forest, they maintained their life as sedentary hunter-gatherers with a partially matriarchal social structure, continuing their animist beliefs and complex initiation rites. The natural barriers of the islands also benefited the other living creatures inhabiting the archipelago.

The islands host an ecosystem of unique variety: migratory birds, monkeys, crocodiles, hippos, sea turtles, manatees, sharks, and all sorts of fish.

Such were the few pieces of information we gathered. What more could we ask for? Having departed from Brittany in November on a transatlantic voyage that would have seen our crew part ways in South America, we’d tacked upon reaching the Canaries.

Frustrated to sail along western Africa without stopping, we’d veered towards Dakar. Upon arrival, Victor voiced the idea that had been hovering: what if we sailed around the world?

In one evening we sketched a loop on the map, uniting our dreams and thirst for adventure. The Bijagos were a few days sail away, we would start there! In retrospect, our month-long stay was rich enough to write an entire book.

After two days of rest upon arrival, we set sail for Bubaque, the only ‘town’ in the archipelago. We were already getting used to navigating in uncertainty.

The helmsman’s eye fixed on the depth sounder while another watched the water’s surface for potential reefs had become our usual configuration. These precautions weren’t enough. Unable to pass the Bubaque point against the tide, a hesitation in finding the safest anchorage, blinded by the murky water, a moment’s inattention led to a mistake.

The keel struck a vicious rock, too slowly to cause damage but firmly enough to get stuck. With the falling tide, the consequence was inevitable: Gallinago now lay almost horizontally and we were stuck.

Fortunately, luck and some organisation helped us out: we shifted our weight to the best side and our floating home found a stable position without suffering any damage. We got what we came for, and then some: we would lose two anchors later on, victims to the currents and invisible rocks. Treacherous waters indeed!

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Cruising around the Bijagos islands: Taking stock in Bubaque

The next day, we landed in Bubaque. The first contact with reality was unsettling: the poverty was striking. We wandered on a winding path through a bit of forest that led us to a village.

We met a lovely man speaking perfect French. Fidel warmly invited us to sit around a delicious communal dish. We chatted for a long time. On the next day, his children took us fishing. An intense day.

We shared our impressions on the way back: we were all moved. Balanced between the overflowing hospitality of Fidel and his family, the joy of discovering new tastes, new words, and laughter, was the realisation of the deprivation our friends live in.

As we walked along the path strewn with plastic waste, we pondered: what to think, what to wish for them? Their ancestral way of life has been disrupted; there’s no place for the romantic illusion of going back.

However, amid extreme material simplicity, a disastrous lack of health care, they showed us how they have preserved their culture in harmony with the environment. It was a chance for us to discover it and question the dead ends of our own society.

A chance for them, we believe, to have these roots to lead a happy life, rich in sensations, emotions, and feelings. Essentials we westerners often lose sight of in our ever so fast world.

Our last ten days in the archipelago were spent searching for two of its traditional species: marine turtles and hippos. We easily found the former on the beach where, we were told, they lay their eggs.

As for the hippos, they eluded us despite two long walks through the savanna and a night spent in ambush on the beach. Living in the marshes, they come to the sea each night to rid themselves of leeches. Hidden in a hole dug in the dune, we watched from dusk till dawn, without success.

Despite this, we savoured the magic of those hours of waiting, magnified by the full moon, the roar of the waves, and the flight of birds. Observing their tracks leading into the ocean and hearing them moving behind a thicket was more than enough to satisfy us.

We could still imagine them amid these sumptuous settings: lush vegetation, muddy ponds where wading birds, pelicans, and small crocodiles roam.

Our visas finally came to an end. The hospitality of our Guinean friends had been overwhelming. Our circumnavigation was just beginning, and already we realised how difficult it would be to leave friends behind each time.

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