Windless Maldives

Wildfox
Anthony Swanston
Wed 18 Apr 2018 08:30

Good anchorages are few and far between in the Maldives.  I potter around and get a difficult anchorage near a resort which welcomes me.  At $7 for a beer, $30 for a burger and $170 for a massage I am not surprised that they welcome me.  But many of the resort islands are unwelcoming and you are just not allowed to anchor.  And then I get a tooth problem.  So it is back to Male with the inconvenience of a customs inspection.  Not to say the expense - US$ 150 for the guy to poke around for 10 minutes.


The anchorage at Hulhumale is busy and tight but not nearly as bad as reported.  It is a completely artificial island; everything is modern and new. There are proper shops and restaurants and an ice cream parlour to die for. But there is no wind.  And none in prospect.  I have had my fill of motoring and if I go south the distances between anchorages increases.  So the motoring would increase.  This leaves me in a bit of a quandary.  The south west monsoon should be starting.  But it isn’t.  Anyway the dentist wants to try medication for about a week before he starts doing anything structural.  This is the second spin off problem from root canal fillings I had done in New Zealand.  So here I stay for the time being. Meanwhile my ignition key breaks in situ.  It takes me three seconds to get the broken bit out; but two hours to work out how to get the broken bit out.


The boutique cruise boats, of which there are hundreds, normally have 10 double cabins, a good chef and a dive boat; diving being the main attraction here. It is cheaper than a resort – typically $1,500 a week against $750 a day at a resort. I meet up with Mylaine, a Filipino girl who works at a mega resort 30 miles north of me.  Next week they have the Saudi Royal family staying.  On Google satellite I see that they have a lovely sand shelf on the south west of their island.  I ask for permission to anchor there.  They refuse.  I am sure that the Saudi Royal family would like to see Wild Fox…

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