Musings in the Maldives

We are approaching Uligamu and all the trials and tribulations of the last 10 days will be behind us.

We’ve been drenched by a tropical rainstorm while picking our way between reefs and anchored fishboats10 miles off the east coast of Sri Lanka. We’ve been accosted by fishermen asking for fags or booze, followed and harrassed by large and intimidating fishboats from who knows where, swum around by pairs of turtles, led by pods of dolphins, let sea snakes slither along the hull and watched flying fish by the hundreds struggle to maintain their flight over the ocean waves to avoid their pursuer. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen the pods of blue and sperm whales that we had been  expecting and we haven’t caught any fish for dinner but our speed has been slow for catching fish and appetites minimal (I think that’s just to make me feel better!).

As we approach Uligamu we peer over the sides and into the clearest water we have seen in years. Shafts of torquoise shoot from the depths below seeming to so want to paint the deep blue ocean a different colour. The clouds on the horizon, we know from our weatherman, lie overtop of the atolls beckoning us forward. Reminds me of the Maori name for New Zealand which is Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud. Has to be one of the most descriptive and beautiful country names.

For the last two days we have been motoring and for those of you who know me this is not something I like to do. It’s coming to the end of the second day and soon the engine will be switched off to give us some relief from the mechanical rhythms and a chance to enjoy a quiet dinner under the stars with the night’s menu of fresh baked foccaccia with pasta and a cold ginger beer. Then we will get a few hours sleep rising before the sun to probably motor the last miles into Uligamu.

0300hrs comes soon but no-one complains. The stars are out in full force and while we slept the drifter kept us moving in the right direction and shortened the motoring by 12 miles. We both slept well and with the lights of the atolls shining up into the sky we know we are close. Oddly enough it’s not only the visible lights shining skywards that beckons us but also the occasional, actually frequent, ringing of the cell phone welcoming us to the Maldives and advertising their company rates that are available. Where’s the romance gone?

To be honest we do enjoy the connectivity our modern technology has brought to sailing. It is truly astounding to be enjoying a morning coffee and a fresh fish breakfast while talking on Skype to someone in the more frozen parts of Canada (sorry to rub it in). The Maldives, due to its economy which caters to the very wealthy vacationers of the world has 4G connectivity along the entire string of islands and atolls from 7 degrees north to just below the equator. So for a while we journey through the playground of the wealthy at least being able to sample some of the benefits while munching on our local fare of processed cheeses, UHT milk and dahl!

There is, at times, an ‘other worldliness’ here that makes it special. For me this usually comes at sunrise and sunset with the call to prayer. Don’t get me wrong, I have not taken to being religious but last night it so struck me as we were sitting on deck watching the sunset and as the orange ball sunk into the sea the muezzin sang out from the mosque. Yes, amplified for which I hope never happens in Canada, but such a sound. I would never have said this for the many anchorages we had in Malaysia and Thailand where the muezzin screeched like a wounded cat from the mosque not only as a call to prayer but also to proselytize. Here the call to prayer was called out from someone who must have been trained at the prestigious Julliard School of music in New York. The call seemed to rebound off the clouds as they turned pinker and pinker and then rebounded off the pallet of the ocean. Having the call to prayer at this time just seemed perfect to slow the space of time and giving a contemplative mood. Our introduction to the Maldives and Uligamu in particular.

Now, the negative part of the call to prayer comes early in the morning – 0530hrs. Umm, I’m not so contemplative that early in the morning.