Hugh Robertson Sailing · video

What this video covers

The Iles du Salut, located seven miles off the coast of Kourou, French Guiana, serve as a popular anchorage for cruisers and a historical site featuring the ruins of former French penal colonies.0:10 The archipelago consists of three islands: Ile Saint Joseph, Ile Royale, and Ile du Diable.0:57 Ile Saint Joseph contains extensive, overgrown ruins of solitary confinement cells and a small military base.2:47 Ile Royale, the largest island, offers visitor infrastructure including a restaurant, hostel accommodations, and restored prison buildings.8:01 Ile du Diable, the site of Alfred Dreyfus’s imprisonment, remains closed to visitors due to its rocky shoreline.13:08 The islands host introduced wildlife, including tufted brown capuchins, peacocks, and various seabirds like turnstones.18:01 Sailors can anchor in the sheltered waters between the islands or utilise available moorings.1:12 Following a four-day stay, the vessel departed for a 600-mile passage to Tobago, bypassing the coasts of Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela.18:55

Boats in this video

More from Hugh Robertson Sailing

26 differences from most other cruisers, part 2 of 2Apr 202626 differences from most other cruisers, part 1of 2.Apr 202630 stories of sailors less fortunate than me during my ocean-sailing years on Sea ChangeJan 202630 mistakes I made and things that broke on my solo circumnavigation on Sea Change, Part 3 of 3Dec 2025

From Hugh Robertson Sailing — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.

The Sailing Directory Newsletter

One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.