Position           01:53.277 N 073:25.390 E

Date                 1530 (UTC+5) Thursday 31 March 2016 through to Sunday 3 April 2016

Distance run    34.1nm over the ground

This was yet another passage marked by either no wind or squalls with heavy rain which reduced the visibility to not very much and made reef spotting not possible.  Thank heavens for Google Earth.  We entered the Atoll through the passage at Vadinholhu, 02 01.60 N  073 21.65 E.  This is a wide passage with a good depth.  We did not wish to stop but are sure that a secure anchorage could be found at the inner end of the pass.

In between the squalls it was bright sunshine and fortunately that is what we had when we arrived as it was on the third attempt that we were satisfied that we had found a good patch of sand with no nearby coral to snag with the anchor chain as we swung.

Thank you to the s/v Yolo whose blog listed this anchorage, the name being theirs.  It is a great spot.  The reef gave shelter from any swell but there was nothing breaking the surface for at least 4.5nm so it was definitely anchored in the middle of nowhere.  We anchored in 8-10 metres on sand.

Our dinghy at anchor whilst snorkelling one of the reefs gives an idea of the isolation

The snorkelling on the surrounding reefs was excellent with good corals and a huge amount of fish life.  This encouraged us to stay a number of days.  The weather has definitely changed and we are now in very unsettled weather with frequent squalls, rain.  The wind has gone from being predominantly North East to being mostly Westerly.

Good coral and abundant fish life

A swim by from a Nurse Shark

I am not sure whether these are a form of anemone – they provide a home for Maldives Clown Fish

We see a great number of these very brightly coloured Powder Blue Surgeonfish