Position           00:40.416 S 073:07.905 E

Date                 1145 (UTC+5) Sunday 17 April 2016

Distance run    10.5nm over the ground

On Saturday we have eventually fuelled and received our clearance papers and passports and moved out to an anchorage on a sandy shelf 1/2 nm north of Feydhoo Harbour.  This all looked good in a hot and tranquil afternoon.  We went ashore just before dusk with Dagmar and Christoph, courtesy of their dinghy, and had a pleasant farewell dinner in the Sea House Restaurant.  They have a repair to be done on their genoa furler and in the absence of a permit for BIOT (Chagos) they will sail directly to Rodrigues leaving possibly on Wednesday.

It was on the way back that things started to deteriorate.  First a little light rain but then a downpour.  By the time we were dropped off at Caduceus we were all soaked.  The rain continued right through the night with a wind shift to the north east which meant that6instead of laying back from the sandy shelf into 20m if water we swung back onto the shelf and towards the reef in 5 metres.  Shortening the chain helped but it was a disturbed and anxious night.  Dawn found us back where we started in deeper water but it was still raining and blowing about 20 knots.  The dinghy was half full of water, I should have remembered to take out the drainage bungs and the stern of the boat gave a sigh of relief when I did.

Not deterred as we had 20 knots of wind from a suitable direction and a forecast that indicated maximum of 15 knots for the day we set off at 0945.  By the time that we were clear of the Pass the wind was blowing a steady 25 knots with sustained periods of 35 knots and a building sea, oh and it was still raining.  Discretion being the better part of valour we decided to draw stumps and return to the clubhouse (how about that for mixed metaphors).  So shaken and stirred at 1145 we dropped anchor back where we started at 1145.

After a day of wind and rain the weather cleared to give a great sunset

Flomaida on our starboard side showing it off to perfection