Ahhhhhh!

Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Sun 17 Apr 2011 12:41
Sunday 17th April 1652 Local Time 1152 UTC   
 
04:05.73N 073:31.20E
 
 
Mission accomplished! For the last couple of months now the shadow of the passage west to catch up the conveyor of favourable weather and seasonal currents has been hanging over us. Trish at times had really reached the bottom and had not intended to be making this passage. I was not certain how my back would handle the eight or nine day passage. However all was well and as I previously told you I would not consider myself fit to continue unless I could go up the mast and under the keel. I am fit enough to do both now and have been at least part way up and down to both quite comfortably. However while Donald was here he did the honours on both counts so as to minimise the risk to my stainless steel clashing with the aluminium of the mast and lead of the keel and causing electrolysis ......... or worse! Murdo looked after the physical and mental requirements of the patients and as usual gives of himself to feed to others well being.
 
Our two day passage from Sri Lanka was uneventful and we arrived in Male atoll in the Maldives on Friday afternoon and were immediately met by our agent with all neccessary officials in tow.
 
The whole process was very efficient but one of my spear guns was taken into custody as an "illegal firearm". They must have heard I was coming! Male is a bit of a shock to the system and not at all what the brochure pictures of the Maldives would have you believe you were going to see. The island and capital, Male is very built up and very commercial, with a lot of ferry and commercial and fishing traffic all around. In fact the whole harbour area is fairly chaotic and you certainly need to have your wits about you. The town is very busy and narrow streets are congested with bikes, mopeds, motorcycles, cars, trucks and people. The fish market and fruit market are both excellent and really do feel other worldly.  
 
The Maldives, situated 300 miles south west of India, are an independent republic with a population of 220,000 people. The people are almost all Sunni Muslim and I am sure more than half the whole population live in Male atoll. There are however 1,190 islands which make up the Maldives and only 200 of them are inhabited. Of these between 80 and 90 are "resort islands" which most certainly are the exotic turqoise watered idyllic spots you will see in brochures. 
 
After a day or so of formalities and trips ashore to get the lay of the land which again I surveyed from the back of my agents motorcyle, we had had enough of busy Male and upped anchor from underneath the flight path.
 
We headed south on a gentle beam reach, at one point gliding along majestically at six knots in just over six knots of breeze, to the north end of South Male atoll and found a reef bound anchorage with an open aspect and anchored a hundred metres or so off the most incredible expanse of turquoise water you could dream of. The back drop was a couple of reef bound resort islands with their over water stilted bungalows and golden beaches. 
 
None of that really mattered though and aboard Rhiann Marie in our own space and time underneath starry skies and an almost full moon we had a dellicious dinner of steak and roasted potatoes with salad and yes...... a delicious bottle of red.
 
Last night for the first time in many months I breathed a deep sigh of relief and know that amongst the reefs and islands here for the next month or so, my back and now Trish's foot can further strengthen and we can hope to find again the magic of the remote islands and reefs which we have already visited and will never forget. Also I hope we can do a wee bit of fishing you see ........ only one of my spearguns is under arrest. Don't mention a word about it though in case I find myself sharing a cell with it ...............  
 
Today we just took it easy and after only one repair job, fitting a new throttle cable to the RIB we slipped of into the turquise to just snorkel and shoot fish, though only with Trish's new underwater camera. Some images are attached      

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