North to south continued
We are still heading south weaving our way between coral heads, leaping across 50 nautical mile gaps between atolls, squeezing between bolts of lightning and gliding amongst myriad colours of fish as we snorkel the passes. There are limited opportunities for intriguing photography as one either needs an underwater camera to photo the aquatic wonders or an ultralight plane and/or drone to capture aerial views which would be spectacular. I have neither!
Sage at anchor
We experienced one dramatic sail when we made a two day/one night passage from Meemu Atoll to Gaafu Alif Atoll. We had a lovely 10 knot westerly pushing us, and our companions onboard Silver Girl, along at a comfortable pace.
Silver Girl wit Ann and Chris onboard
It was a wonderful sail during the day. Then as we were making the last part of the trip across open water, night fell and the drama began. Off in the distance ever darkening clouds, hints of thunder and lightning. The radar indicated an enclosing circle of heavy rain and the lightning and thunder rolled closer. Soon enough the wind rose to 40 knots and we were desperately clinging at the sails to reduce their volume yet relishing the freshwater rinse. But the lightning took all the fun out of the freshwater rinse.
Luckily we escaped unscathed but frustrated at the loss of wind an hour later when the storm passed. Another boat, Pipistrelle, was not so fortunate. Pipistrelle suffered a direct lightening hit. Pipistrelle is a newer Wauquiez and much more electrically reliant. The lightning took out all instrumentation, the alternator, the genset and the electronic self steering. As she was motoring at the time she was hit she no longer had control of the engine as all engine controls are electronic.
Pipistrelle with Bob and Elaine onboard
Neither Bob nor Elaine were injured but nevertheless quite shaken by the experience. They managed to limp into a harbour at the north end of Gaafu Alif Atoll called Kudafushi. Meanwhile Sage and crew were struggling along trying to make use of a dying wind that was turning southerly and a current that was not helping.
By the end of the day we managed to drop our anchor in Kudafushi and much to our surprise there were seven other foreign boats anchored there! Since starting our southerly sojourn through the Maldives, apart from Male, we have only seen two other boats so it was very much a surprise to see so many foreign boats in one anchorage. Of course, the conversation centred on Pipistrelle’s adventures and in what way could we all help. In the end Pipistrelle was able to jury rig the electronics enough to continue on south towards Gan. Somewhat crippled on some of her systems she has made it south here to Fares Mathoodha where they are bringing in a new alternator so that Pipistrelle can generate enough power to keep her 6 months worth of freezer inventory from spoiling.
Boat and weather woes are not the only thing keeping us occupied. Kudafushi was a wonderful gem. Great snorkeling and diving, a well protected anchorage and a welcoming town. Each of the towns we have been to in the Maldives have been pin neat with wide streets covered in blazingly white coral sand along with walled homes that hide some real gems. We did visit a few homes and the one below has a lovely garden with gazebo and an incredible fully air-conditioned home.
A lovely home worthy of placement in a place like Laguna Beach, CA!
Garden and gazebo
Gateway entrance to a Kudafushi home
The layout of the homes here reminds us of Mexico with the walled perimeter and gorgeous interiors with plenty of vegetation and outdoor living.
Our only other unusual adventure was one day, with our sailing friends Ann and Chris,
Ann and Chris waiting in the bar for the buffet to start at the Medhufushi Island Resort
we headed to a friendly resort for a buffet lunch at the Medhufushi Island Resort and a laze around the pool. Wow, we did the buffet justice and then with the temperature on our boats hovering around 38C at midday we lounged around the pool savouring the copious amounts of fresh water. What a luxury.
Poolside – what a luxury to have a fresh water shower for 3 minutes!
The view from the bar! The only place in the Maldives to get a drink as it’s not available in the stores
So our last jump is to Gan. Gan is where the star is on the satellite image screen shot and it’s our entry point into the southern hemispehere as right now in the anchorage we are only about 20 miles north of the equator. This will be our last stop in the Maldives before heading south….
Technical hitch
Due to technical reasons notification of the previous post entitled Salaam Aleikum did not go out. I am posting this hoping a new notice will go out to subscribers so you are aware of the previous posting. Thanks for your patience.
Salaam Aleikum
Salaam aleikum is the usual greeting used in the Maldives. It’s a common greeting used in many Muslim countries and the Maldives is definitely Muslim, no liquor (except in the resorts) and no pork which I love and truly miss!
But ‘Wow’ is what sums up the Maldives. It’s not the tourist brochures with images of infinity pools perched out over the azure ocean or dining on a private balcony that makes one feel you are in an aquarium but rather we get to see the villages that those who toll for months at a time in the resorts return to when they get a little time off to be with their families.
We see pin-neat villages with schools, clinics, parks, sparkling fresh paint, new harbours and the most amazing extensive cellular coverage that rivals anywhere we have been (8gb of data for $38). The people are curious, friendly, helpful and inquisitive. It’s also a young population. It’s difficult to find someone over the age of 60 and of those my favourite are the old women who stand a few feet away from us and stare at us for what seems an age. What breaks their concentration is when you say ‘salaam aleikum’. They are bowled over. And then of course they are delighted and the traditional muslim treatment towards visitors cuts in and they will do anything to help out.
So far we get greater hospitality from the local villages than we ever get from resorts we have tried to anchor next to. We were given the advice that we should give notice of our arrival. So we usually pin point an island to sail to but the realize there’s a resort. We look up the phone number and/or email and send a note or phone asking if it’s OK to drop the anchor close by and come in for a lunch or dinner. Examples of the responses we’ve received are “anchoring will cost $120/night” or “tonight’s buffet dinner will cost $150/person” or “it’s forbidden for yachts to anchor in the lagoon”. I think now we have the picture. Resorts are off-limits. They are very exclusive and located in magical settings. They have everything from the jet skis to the parachute sailing, diving to water skiing and dessert trays that are making us cry out in anguish (at least that’s what the pictures show us on the web). I think they even have ice for their drinks.”I’m coming right over!” But, no, we are decidedly not welcome so we hunker down below sipping on our warm sodas and ginger beer and search in the dwindling stores for something enticing to eat.
Our forays to local villages aren’t that often. However, once we arrive we always find something to entertain us. The other day found us sitting around the tea shop with the winner of a national election in Milandhoo. We were entranced by the following statement from the local president of town council who answered the question “why are there no women on city council?” with the words ” they don’t care” to the recently re-elected MP who avoided the question ‘why is your previous prime minister in jail?”. For a recent update on the politics of the Maldives click here and for an interesting movie on the ex-president take a look at this movie which won accolades at the Sundance and T0r0nto film festivals
For all the wonderful aspects of the Maldives sailing is not one of them. Two days out of the Maldives coming in from Sri Lanka the wind died and since then we have not seen a wind over 8 knots except when stronger short-lived gusts are accompanied with lightning, thunder and torrential rain. It has been very frustrating and slow going. Under power we don’t make good progress but sometimes we are forced to. When there is some wind we limp along counteracting contrary currents and slowly seeking out a good route that will see us to another anchorage. Daily averages run about 20-30 miles.
Now as I write we are making our way from Faadho to Kashidhoo. The sea is lumpy, there is not enough wind for the sails to hold shape and the engine thumps its rhythm to push us forward against the current. Forward progress is about 2.9 knots. We’re not going to make Kashidoo by nightfall and the thought of being out overnight is not pleasant as there are black clouds surrounding us and the rain squalls drench us every hour or so. We keep going hoping conditions will improve. Turning back is no option as we don’t know the area well enough to choose a safe and comfortable anchorage.
We managed to make an anchorage by nightfall. We were precariously perched on the edge of a reef that marked the entrance into North Male Atoll. We had an uneventful nights anchorage and the next day reached Male, the capital of the Maldives.
Male, the capital. Male clings to a reef and there is hardly one square metre of recognizable land left. Every square metre has a building on it and have never seen a city that is such a hive of activity. Considering it is the main gateway for all goods entering and leaving the Maldives it’s understandable why there so much commercial activity. But what surprises us are some of the stores. Male’s overloaded with hardware stores and one can buy the most modern kitchen/bathroom fixtures to be found anywhere. I guess it’s because of all the very high-end resorts. In terms of food the choices are limited. We can’t find the bacon (ha, ha it’s a Muslim country) nor can we find the duty-free alcohol (for the same reason). However, those items can be found in the resorts but it doesn’t matter what wholesale place we poke are noses in the answer is no luck.
We don’t stay in Male but rather a 30 minute ferry ride away in Hulamale. There is an anchorage in Hulamale albeit a jumpy one what with ferry traffic, speed boats, dive boats, float planes and fishing boats. There is a village in Hulamale, built by the chinese and I swear modeled on the old Soviet model of mass housing. It’s block after block of 5 storey numbered cell blocks with very little public space and virtually no green space. Modern, full of guesthouses owned by the chinese, coffee shops every 50 metres but a pathetic choice of eateries the best being the Airport Beach Hotel restaurant offering a set meal for 25 dollars. Not a bargain but we treat ourselves to our first meal out in three weeks.
We make quick work of Male exiting in 6 days, provisioned up, full of water, tired of our umpteenth meal at the Seagull Cafe (quite good by Maldive standards), an extended cruising permit, canvas work sewn, a new dinghy pump (actually one given to us by Sam onboard S.V. Ramprasad) and 1,500 dollars poorer. That’s about $150 dollars per day but then for the next two weeks we have nowhere to spend money as we head south to Gan.
We are definitely glad to leave Male. It’s not the most attractive place and after sitting on deck one lazy afternoon I counted 30 seaplanes landing or taking off between 1630 and 1730. They fly over the top of the anchorage as do the jets flying in from around the world. One wonders when a jet will miss the runway and try to anchor beside us. It’s not only the planes. On the weekend the charter dive boats come in to pick up and drop off their guests. They have the oddest way of anchoring – all rope rodes and two anchors. One anchor is set forward of the bow and the other trails off to the side floating on the surface and I assume ready for wind to come from another direction. This makes it extremely difficult to think about moving in the dark by either dinghy or yacht and if the wind did change it would create pandemonium for those of us anchored on a single chain. Needless to say we were relieved when they had their new guests onboard and left on the Sunday. We got out of there before another weekend passed.
We have another 12 days before we have to be in Gan so that we stay within the time limits of our cruising permit. Our problem again, no wind. The sea is as smooth as a mirror and the sun is directly overhead as it moves north for the season. Daytime temperature inside the boat rises close to 40C and with no wind it makes it easy for the yeast to raise the dough – and perhaps even bake the bread!
The anchorages continue to be spectacular in terms of water clarity, sea life (including sharks) and sunrise/sunsets. This is definitely a place to come to if you enjoy surfing, diving and snorkelling but not a great place for the water sports like windsurfing and kiteboarding. I am not sure where the resorts get their pictures from where guests are shown wildly maneuvering their windsurfers through the 20-25 knot gusts out over the azure ocean. I don’t think we have yet seen a wind over 10 knots and we’ve been here now for more than a month!
Today we got our first positive response from a resort. The Hotel Mehdhufushi Island Resort is actually allowing us to come in for a buffet lunch and, we hope, a chance to lie around the pool. Not once has a resort been reasonably welcoming (meaning drinks and/or food at a reasonable price) which we are very surprised at. Here we are asked to pay $U.S.10/person just to land on the island and we are paying $U.S.35/person for a buffet lunch. Seeing as we haven’t spent a dollar in the last week we figure we can splurge and run away from the heat onboard and lie under a palm tree till the sunset. We are shaking with anticipation!
Here is a picture gallery of the Maldives to date. First off Google Earth screen shots of some of our anchorages – there are plenty of these you can look at and Google Earth. Due to comprehensive internet coverage in the Maldives, Google Earth has become a key navigational tool to enable us to find nooks and crannies to anchor in that with electronic charts would be impossible to do as coverage is terrible. We get terribly upset if one of the satellite pics has clouds just where we want to go! These two screen grabs show you just how amazing it would be to be anchored in the atoll and the myriad places to go for snorkelling/diving.
We always have our eyes pealed for pretty boats. What a better example of this one found waiting to be put to work
Quintessential photo of a Maldivian boat at anchor
And one under construction. This one was about 15metres and was an impressive site considering the available tools and materials available.
Impressive construction of a local boat
We met Chris and Anne at our first anchorage in the Maldives, Uligamu. They are onboard their Australian yacht called Silver Girl. We have thoroughly enjoyed have a companion boat to make our way down to Gan. They are great fun and we’ve had lots of shared adventures and scares
Connie, Ann and Chris – tike to relax but no drinks
Locals have been very welcoming. Tours of villages, cups of coffee over political discussions. The only negative is that Maldivians are not allowed on foreign vessesls without prior permission. We found out the hard way but we still don’t understand????
Connie, Ann, Chris and Tony on tour thanks to friendly locals
Not only do the Maldivians have to leave home for work but the doctor in the picture below talking to Connie was from India on a 2 year posting
Market day in Khuludufusshi and discussing life and politics with the local doctor who is from India. Photo by Ann
Trying for height I took this from the rooftop of a downtown hotel. I was more tempted by the pool on the rooftop than the view!
Male – there’s very little land left and the water continue to rise
To get to Male from Hulamale where Sage was anchored we had to take a 20 minute ferry ride. Perhaps this is the solution for BC Ferries. Check out the seats – economical and easily replaced
BC Ferries? No, actually the ferry from Hulamale to Male
Male was in turmoil. The court had ordered the imprisonment of the ex-president, protestors and signs were everywhere. See links in the above text for more of the story but here are a couple of posters. Unfortunately, in one protest by migrant workers two Pakistanis were beaten to death and a number of others jailed. What is going on?
Check out the provided links on the story behind this poster
And the next evening the government supporters were hard at work covering over the above poster
Ditto
Male is a maelstrom of activity. It’s the commercial centre of the Maldives and has almost everything
Impressive deck on this Maldivian fish boat
And best of all are the smiles. I have to say very friendly people
Always a sucker for a nice smile
But Male couldn’t hold us back from heading back out into the islands and further south. You can see why in the photo below. A navigators nightmare but behold was is below the surface
More ‘bommies’
And who is headed out there?
Out for a snorkel
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.
Smiles
There are two very amazing characteristics of Sri Lanka. The first, unlike India, is that women are seen out in both the country and the cities participating in all aspects of life. I noticed this on a recent trip to Colombo and was so excited to have picked up on this key piece as it has been quite some time since I was last in India. There were many times in India where we noticed the lack of women particularly in the cities in the evenings. This made Connie feel very uncomfortable and for good reason considering some of the recent internationally reported incidences of assaults on women. However, in Sri Lanka, the feeling is far different.
The second characteristic of Sri Lankans is their wonderful smiles. No matter where we have been we have been met by kind and expressive smiling faces. People are welcoming, curious and courteous. The questions are generally the same; ‘where are you from?’, ‘how many children do you have’, ‘how long are you in Sri Lanka’, ‘do you have a pension?’ and very commonly ‘can you give me some money’! It’s only the last one we get tired of but there others are welcomed and it always leads to further conversations as we get to ask the same questions and more.
So, below are some of those smiling faces. They’re not all smiling but we can’t be happy all the time!
Who is this guy taking my photo
Working hard selling flowers
Top of Sigiriya so must be happy not to have to climb any higher
Philomena, Connie and Margaret having a great chin wag
Can’t tell why Myra’s laughing but it must be something our guide, Kallum, is doing1
Happy?
Well, he’s not laughing but certainly vigilant
Another wonderful Sri Lankan welcoming smile
Ecsttic – out of school
Seems happy on this branch
Karen from Yolo – having a great time looking for elephants
Getting ready to enter the temple
Pictoral travels through Sigiriya and Dambulla
We made a two day trip up to two places designated as UNESCO world heritage sites.
Our 2 day path
The two places we wanted to visit were in Sigiriya and Dambulla. Both are high on people’s must see list for Sri Lanka and I certainly, with our limited chance to see the sites, that they are both well worth the effort.
Sigiriya is a stunning example of early landscape architecture and the scale is mind-boggling and the water features complex and extensive.
After passing through the gateway entrance one crosses a moat that once encircled the site
Entrance to the site is different for foreigners. We paid 3,900Rps/person or Cdn$33/person – a hefty price when a day’s wage for a tour drive is Cdn$10! What it does encourage is Sri Lankans to visit the site as it’s quite cheap, 30rps ($1), by Sri Lankan standards.
Main approach to the rock outcrop
The approach to the rock outcrop, the centre of the attraction, is about 300 metres and on either side are water features with underground plumbing feeding each of the ponds and pools.
From the gardens that surround the rock
Even Sigiriya has its wardens
Reaching the end of the gardens and approaching the climb to the top of the rock one first enters between the two rocks seen below
The entranceway to the lower portion of the rock face takes you through two giant rocks leaning against each other
Climbing up the wall took a little nerve as the stairways (1,200 steps) clung to the rock face for part of the way
But the reward soon comes upon reaching the top of the rock
Looking down on the main approach
Stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding countryside
Looking north from the top of the rock outcrop
But most stunning is the complex once build on top of the rock combining pools, stairways , thrones, terraced walls etc
On the top of the rock outcropping they build this amazing pleasure garden with stunning views out over the countryside
Climbing in 30C heat and humidity takes it out of us and so after this site we headed to a hotel for the night. Accommodation can be cheap. Ours wasn’t although it should have been! No more to be said on that one.
So, next day it was on to Dambulla.
One has to be ready to view more buddhas. It’s kind of like travelling in Europe where one has to get used to the cathedrals.
Wait a minute I’m not just a chimney sweep
Dambulla is another climb. Not quite as strenuous as Sigiriya but a little uphill slog.
Yes, more buddhas
It’s uphill till one reaches the caves and carvings.
Cave upon cave built under the protection of the rock houses hundreds of Buddhas
Another buddha cave
Small stupa inside one of the caves
Sleeping or just contemplating
Hennaed feet for anyone
One of hundreds of Buddhas carved inside the caves of Dambulla
And that’s it as we trek back to Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trinco – a town of some 60,000 people with a generous mix of Sinhalese, Christain, Muslim and Buddhist. In the early morning hours, like 0430hrs, the call to various religious prayers begin. I am not sure who starts it off but I think it’s the howling of the dogs that announces the beginning. Truly the dogs howl then the amplified call to muslim prayers begin. After a few minutes the bells and horns from the hindu temple sneaks its way in, then the chants from the Buddhast temple and to finalize it all the weak bells ring from the Christian church. And we thought Malaysia’s anchorages were a little over assaulted by the call to prayer.
So, I guess it’s the Christains who are the lazy ones as they are last to announce morning prayer. Soon though all these sounds get drowned out by the movement of traffic along the waterfront. The buses belch out their exhaust while the tuk-tuks roar along at high revs trying to pass the cyclists. All of this, of course, is accompanied by the honking of horns and still the barking/howling dogs.
Believe it or not this is a major roundabout but like all dogs in this town they are saying they don’t care we will lie where we want to. Yes, they have a big dog problem here.
At least here we don’t have power boats roaring around us as in Thailand.
So the day has begun. There isn’t much commerce in Trinco. The natural harbour is huge and in any other locale it would be bustling with maritime traffic both local and international. There are two large container ship wharves; one for flour, and the other for cement. There is the navy. It appears from our vantage point there are no large naval ships. We have only seen hi-speed commando style rigid inflatables interspersed with the occasional typical military personnel carrier transporting people from one area to another. There is also one commercial ferry carrying upwards of 50 people from one side of the harbour to the other. We, being anchored in Town Bay, get to see almost everything in terms of water traffic.
The only other commercial activity in the harbour is the local fishing scene. There are fishing weirs set up in a variety of locations and in the evening the harbour is dotted with local manually propelled fishing craft that have a very unique Sri Lankan design not seen anywhere else in SE Asia, but maybe in south Asia.
And here is a VERY special fish boat that our friend, Evelyn, found in Galle when she so missed me she went looking for a reminder
Other than the harbour activity and the navy there is little other sign of economic activity other than the three main streets selling various goods with 30 shops selling plastic wear, 40 shops selling shoes, 25 shops selling fabrics, a couple of banks, a bus station, a central market, 2 small grocery stores and 2 hallal restaurants.
Umm, where’s the cricket ground. Ah yes, there it is, next to the bus station. Phew.
If you ever want to visit Trinco and are looking for supplies Connie has made up a sketch map for where to buy a few supplies. There are no local tourist maps but with a combination of Connie’s sketch map and Google maps one gets by.
And last but not forgotten for long are the rutting deer to be found at the local market. Appears Sri Lankans
haven’t developed a taste for deer meat. Pity there aren’t more Canadians here. We could have a wonderful BBQ!
Sunset in Town Bay, Trincomalee
Cleared in and running wild
Wow, land at last. We had a dramatic entry to Trincomalee that started with a night entry and being stopped by an unlit, black commando (navy seal) type fast boat and ended with being assigned a supertanker berth for the night.
We were moved the next morning as an incoming bulk concrete cargo ship wanted to tie up to unload. How rude! We ended up tied to a barge and haven’t budged since.
At least if we have to have the mast taken out there is a crane onboard the barge that can easily accommodate us. However, that is not something we are planning on doing.
We did escape from Trinco. We had torn apart our drifter on the sail over to Sri Lanka. There is a sailmaker, UK Sails, in Galle. We packed up the sail and travelling by bus we traversed Sri Lanka starting out on a local, non AC’d bus making our first stop in Kandy, the home of the beginning of tea in Sri Lanka.
View from Sandhu and Anita’s home looking over Kandy
The bus trip wasn’t so bad but it did involve trying to remain in the seat while the driver wildly swerved in and out of the traffic. Luckily we had a large sail to buffer our foreheads from the steel bar in front of us when the driver had to brake suddenly..
Kandy was a great spot to break the journey. We spent two nights at the home of Anita and Sandhu.
Sandhu and Anita
It was a great place situated high on one of the hills overlooking Kandy. They were wonderful hosts treating us to Sri Lankan breakfasts and dinner. We also toured around to tea factories, tea museums and a spectacular botanical garden called Peradeniya.video slide show from youtube
All the different types of Sri Lankan tea
Sri Lankan breakfast at Lily Rosa’s guesthouse http://www.lillyrosa.com
Next part of the journey involved taking the train, Rajadhani express, from Kandy to Colombo. We booked the trip on the Rajadhani express. Don’t be mistaken. This is not an express but rather an A/C coach that’s added on to the regular train. Definitely not an express. Just like everyone else on the other train cars it makes its way along long neglected tracks badly in need of repairs to the roadbed. There were times when even the Rajadhani express train car bottomed out on its springs! That is a little frightening when you are going around a corner.
By the time we got to Colombo it was dusk. We wanted to get to Galle. We arrived at 1750hrs and there was a connecting train leaving for Galle at 1800hrs. We managed to rush off and buy a ticket, get to the platform and waited till 1820hrs when the train arrived and then the ‘Sri Lankan Squeeze’ started. Oh my god. I am sure you have seen pictures of trains in South Asia where people are hanging out the windows and sitting on top of the train. This was a no reserved seat special and was the ‘express’ to Galle.
We managed to get on the train but only just. We were just inside the door to the train. Packed like sardines and desperately trying to remove my nose from someone’s armpit we shunted off down the tracks. 20 minutes later, soaked from sweat, gasping for air and a little traumatized we stopped at a station. ‘What’, you can’t put more people on! Oh yes we can. Connie wanted to get off but we couldn’t move. People were kind and told us that at the next stop a lot of people would get off. Several stops later we were able to move into the carriage and eventually got a seat for the remainder of the 2.5 hour train journey.
It was a shame it wasn’t daylight. The train goes along the coast. Third class train travel means all the windows are open. The evening’s tropical breeze is forced in the window and the smells of Sri Lankan food being cooked in the homes waft through the railway car windows and the evening lights go by in a blur. It was a 2.5hr trip to Galle passing by stations proudly displaying beautifully potted tropical plants and freshly painted station buildings. If it wasn’t for the tropical breeze blowing through the train one would think you were passing through a quaint english train station.
Galle, an alternate harbour for yachts. It’s not a natural harbour and as such, over the centuries, sailing ships have been caught out and sank in the harbour. The Marine Archaeology Museum has some wonderful artifacts on display taken from sunken ships in the harbour. Despite the dangers there was a fort built here by the Europeans in the 1600s and today the walled fort is undergoing a renaissance albeit one driven by international tourist. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site and reminds me most of old Havana but on a much smaller scale. The renovations are ongoing but it is not only attracting foreign tourist but also acts as a haven for wedding photography.
Enchanting
what a special day
After getting our sail repaired we are getting ready to return to Trincomalee
Phuket to Trincomalee
Departure from Thailand was bittersweet. On the one hand we were looking forward to exploring new shorelines but on the other hand we were reluctant to leave new-found friends. From the graciousness and kindness of Greg and Liz, the owners of the home we housesat, to the crazy Swede, Pel onboard Suntess, who kept us laughing and was kind enough to host an American thanksgiving. There were so many others I cannot mention them all but there is Diane and Rob, onboard The Doctor, who painted our wind vane cover; Mark who showed us some of the best of local Thai food restaurants in Khao Lak; Darrell and Loretta who were brave enough to cut the proverbial sailing rope and settle in Thailand; and then the numerous others too many to mention.
We loved our time in Asia. It’ a very different experience than cruising south pacific islands or exploring the haunts of the Mediterranean. We are looking forward to a new continent, Africa, as well as the numerous islands and nation states between Thailand and Capetown.
Who knows what this adventure will entail. To start it off here is a day to day blog of our sail between Phuket and Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.
*To see more pictures of our trip come back to view when I get a better internet connection!
Day One
1200hrs – January 10th
Latitude: 7 46.75
Longitude : 98 08.46
Miles
Departure today was 1000hrs from Nai Harn, an anchorage on the south-west coast of Phuket island.k
Beautiful day with a nice easterly wind pushed us out of the anchorage under sail. Always one of my favourite ways to leave or enter a harbour.
Amazing that we are actually departing after almost 3 years in SE Asia having arrived in the Philippines March 2012. It seems like yesterday that Marcello made Connie a pizza for her birthday while we were anchored in our respective sailboats right where Cyclone Huinan trampled its way through one year later.
Now we are on our way to South Asia and on to the coral atolls of the Maldives and Chagos. We are going to miss our Thai food. There is hardly a place in Thailand where you get a bad meal. Their ancient knowledge of spice mixtures, plant life and fruit make for a tireless cuisine. I don’t know what we are headed towards but am sure we will find pleasure in a new cuisine.
We will miss SE Asia and leave with few regrets. I think the only regret being we didn’t do more land travelling. SE Asia is not a great sailing place but offers numerous places to leave the boat to explore inland. The coastal areas are overfished, overpopulated and over subscribed by tourists. Gems still exist but they require more resources to reach but are rewarding. There are only just a few that I have covered in my blog here.
Day Two
1200hrs – January 11th
Latitude N8 25.2
Longitude E096 27.2
Miles
A night in a washing machine and the day on rinse cycle pretty much sums up the last 24 hours.
The washing machine relates to the times at which we cross current barriers. These are unpredictable and quite violent. The waves suddenly come from all directions and rise to over 1.5 metres throwing Sage around like she’s in a pinball machine or washing machine. We haven’t figured out why these upwellings occur as we are not going over seamounts or sudden changes in water depth. We can only surmise they are caused by large volumes of water transferring from the Indian Ocean into the Andaman Sea and the Malacca Straits.
Connie changing the card in the Garmin. This card will now guide us on the chart plotter from the Andaman Islands to Chagos where we will switch to a new card for East Africa
Then there are the squalls. We just had one tear our drifter apart. The drifter is our light weather sail and we got caught out with the result it tore from leech to luff along a seam. It’s a great loss as we use it a lot but we might be able to repair once ashore.
Sailing with double headsails before we tore apart the drifter i.e. The colourful sail
Day three
1200hrs – January 12th
Latitude N08 53.5
Longitude E094 14.3
Miles
Well, if yesterdays it was the washing machine today is in a barrel going over Niagara Falls. Rain started at 0900hrs as I passed the watch to Connie and the rain did not stop till 1800hrs. Water everywhere but at least it was fresh water. Wind up and down but generally stayed in the southerly quadrant.
Morale not great and it is taking a great deal of effort for even the most mundane task. Snacking continues and a desire to just put ones head down and wish it all away is strong.
Night comes with a bit of relief. The wind stabalizes, the seas are becoming more rhythmic and the sails remain full. Only one period of panic as I realize we are doing upwards of 10knots as we surf along a wave. I think it’s time to reef so call Marcello on deck to assist. I steer while he winds in the genoa and relief is almost instant. We are now doing a sedate 8 knots, less than I go when cycling!
Day Four
1200hrs – January 13th
Latitude N08 58.1
Longitude E093 13.1
Miles
What a change. Morning brought sunshine and a chance to dry out. Towels, cushions, underwear and various sundry items were spread across the deck and in the rigging to dry. Seas calmed down and the wind steadied from the SE allowing for comfortable sailing and a chance to make something good to eat.
Lost a fishing lure to a strike in the early morning. However, on deck, was our breakfast
Well, not exactly. Has to be the smallest flying fish we have found on deck.
Having lost one lure we affixed another and by 1700hrs we had us a tuna. Unfortunately Connie had already prepared a massaman curry for dinner so fish awaits another meal and some for drying and sashimi
Day Five
1200hrs – January 14th
Latitude 09 04.5
Longitude 091 27.1
Miles – 129 nm
A very pleasant night spent at sea with a southerly wind, gentle rollers and a waning moon that rose at 0130hrs and outlined all the clouds. The night was marred by only one squall which thankfully was not on my watch! Poor Connie had to endure a torrential downpour for 30 minutes then on off drizzle for the remainder of her 0300-0600hrs watch.
By late morning conditions improved and we were moving towards our destination and already talking over lunch about what we would do once arrived. Lunch of course was sashimi, cabbage salad and rice. All cooked by our Italian chef, Marcello!
tuna drying in the sunshine. All that was left after straks and sashimi
Sorry did not think of taking a photo until after we finished!
Day Six
1200hrs – January 15th
Latitude 09 28.5
Longitude 090 41.4
Miles 78 nm
What a night. Dark black threatening clouds all around and no wind to help us escape. Six hours we were becalmed with the boat slapping from side to side. We took down all sails as the motion was murderous on equipment all round and most on sails. One other casuality was our self steering.
No easy trick. The boat is moving and someone has to go over the back and fix the self steering. Ended up we both had to go over!
I surmise that when I put it all back together I neglected to tighten everything really well. As a result we had to dismantle a few things before putting it all back together again. I guess the real challenge came in working off the stern of the boat while we were moving. Neither Marcello nor I wanted to be left behind in the Indian Ocean.
The wind came back at 0730hrs but not with a lot of vigor. We are moving at a snail’s pace of about 2 knots. What makes the day though is that we are 30 miles from our halfway point!
Day Seven
1200hrs – January 16th
Latitude 09 30.5
Longitude 089 34.5
Miles 67nm
Okay we are no rocket. Yes it is slow going but that happens. Not often but on this trip seems to be the norm.
Best part of the last 24hrs is that Connie made bread and nothing broke. It’s comfortable sailing with a gentle NE swell and wind around 5-6 knots. Yes, the sails slat around, the mainsail gets put up and down depending on the wind and life onboard goes on. Laundry, washing, swimming, fishing, long conversations and best of all laughter.
Oh yes, then there are hours of reading. Connie is reading Patricia Cornwell’s Dust and I am reading The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell. We are obviously miles apart on our literary choices. Marcello is watching movies! Apparently he downloaded 12 into his I pad before leaving Phuket. He’s going to run out of ones to watch though as I think our original estimate of 10 days for the crossing is way off. Marcello is also consuming huge quantities of Japanese soduku.
Day Eight
1200hrs – January 17th
Latitude
Longitude
Miles 108
What an incredible night. Sky packed with stars and in the distance the flashing strobes of planes carrying people back and forth to and from Asia to Europe. Pencil thin strokes in the sky made from meteors entering earth’s atmosphere scattering angel dust over the oceans. Ships travelling across the Bay of Bengal to and from Singapore and Kolkata. Gentle breeze from the north rocking the boat like a cradle with a cool tropical breeze entering all the open hatches. One can’t ask for better sailing conditions.
To top it all off it’s Marcello’s birthday! Started off slowly with fresh-baked bread and expresso coffee making way, later in the morning, for sausages and eggs. A good start for a special day.
The admiral and crew relaxing at sea while the captain swabs the deck and takes photos
Day Nine
1200hrs – January 18th
Latitude N09 44.2
Longitude E 08 35.2
Miles 130
Marcello’s birthday celebrations continue as the day progresses with telephone calls to Italy followed by scotch served in crystal glasses followed by an italian red wine accompanied by pizza. How Italian could we make it? Dinner ended with chocolate cake but I forgot the brandy so will just have to serve that in the morning.
Nighttime brings a new challenge but also signs of getting closer to Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan fishboats start to appear. They do not have regulation navigation lights but rather just run bright white working lights. This makes it difficult to determine the direction they are going. They did scare Marcello. He was on watch and one boat came roaring up to the side of the boat with all its crew gesticulating wildly trying to get us to stop. Marcello called me up and I said just keep going and the fishboat fell in behind us cutting our fishing line and eventually gave up and off they went much to Marcello’s relief.
Ah well, it was another lovely night and the wind started to pick up a little giving a more boisterous ride.
Day Ten
1200hrs – January 19th
Latitude N 09 36.0
Longitude E 083 36.5
Miles 125
Boisterous seas and a stiff breeze until 2400hrs pushed us along at 7-8 knots. Wind slowly died off finally picking up at 0800hrs.
No special events, no celebrations, no astounding revelations…
1 lonely petrel seen with no mate and no other competitors for food. Lonely ocean. There does seem to be an abundance of fish. We are finding numerous flying fish onboard and of a reasonable size. True to their name as we found one high up in a furled sail when we unfurled in lighter winds.
Ah, only 147 miles to go.
Day Eleven
January 20th
1200hrs
Latitude
Longitude
Miles 125
Wow, only 35 miles to go and the sea is flat, the wind gentle and speed not so great. Would love to arrive before dark but no go. We did try running wing and wing but the current took us south faster than the boat was sailing. We are now steering a course of 272 and we are making 233. That’s quite the impact from the south setting current. Great for the next leg as we head south and west to the Maldives.
Setting the Sri Lankan and courtesy flag ready for arrival
2100hrs
Exhausted and hungry we finally tied the docklines. What an evening. We tried to arrive in the outer harbour before nightfall and anchor in s small cove outside the harbour limits. But we were thwarted. A Sri Lankan commando boat roared up to ask if we had permission to enter. Thus began a long sequence of events that saw us being escorted to a remote dock designed for tankers and left for the night miles from nowhere and no clearance from immigration nor customs. All that is supposed to happen tomorrow morning.
What do sailors do on Christmas Day?
I guess sailors do just the same as everyone else on Christmas Day:
Drink
Italian wine courtesy of Marcello to the delights of Connie
Cook
Taste testing
A vegetarian dinner special – Marcia’s speciality
Eat
The Christmas dinner table – Detlef, Evelyn, Darrell and Loretta
Talk
More consultation – Dave and Marcello
Playing with the new toy – Connie and Evelyn
Dave, Marcia, Richard and Lee
Talk on the phone to friends, families and lovers in faraway places
John on the phone to Suzy probably
Joanne on the phone to ….?
Be amorous
An amorous Christmas – Evelyn and Herve
Play with Christmas toys
Richard, Dave, Marcia, Patrick and Marcello hard on work route planning with a new app
And after it’s all over head to the temple
Sage on sail 