Maldives

With Adam onboard during his professional break, our passage was a delight: A humpback whale (!) and pods of dolphins visited us frequently, zooming across our bows in pure joy; our spinnaker pulled us along at a leisurely pace, since winds were very light out of the ENE; shipping was heavy, but with our new AIS (Auto ID System - TX to Joao on Mahi Mahi) that plotted ship's exact locations on our soft charts (charts on pc), it was a no-brainer. Life was good, and eventually, after nearly ten days of passaging from Thailand to the Maldives (1200 nautical miles), we dropped the hook in soft sand surrounded by paradise - again! Find Joao & Lizia & family:

First on the list when we arrived: DO THE FROG-LEG JUMP! That’s: ferry fuel by jerry-cans, ferry water by jerry cans, find veggies, do laundry (not me!), and repair our poor spinnaker. The latter performed a sweet rrriiiiippp, collapsed into the seas, and filled us with despair – 300 nm lay ahead so the iron jenny was engaged (our twin Yanmar engines). Cirkey! “Always carry two,” came George’s voice riding the wind, back in G’twn, Exuma, Bahamas. We’re paying for it……still, as we motor up to Yemen at the time of this writing.

All of us took a dive behind the boat, swimming with manta rays, and spearfishing with a Hawaiian sling for lobster and snapper. So magnificent to be in crystal clear waters again!

Adam was invited by the Moas, the local teacher, and Asad, the Immigration Official, to go fishing. They disappeared for hours across the horizon, and we began to worry when they hadn't appeared by sundown. At dusk, they finally appeared - but first! - a stop at the local fishing dhow for some fish, since they'd been skunked. We had a good laugh over that one!

We arrived at sundown for a beach barbie with the locals, in our honor, along with "Pacific Bliss". Coconuts were hacked from trees for sweet milk to share, while a large snapper was prepared for the 'beach oven'. First, tomato paste, mixed with curry and garlic, was smeared into diagonally lanced slits of the fish flesh, for flavoring. Then, a fire was built from bush kindling, and the snapper skewered onto a palm frond stem. Once pierced into the sand, it was covered by a rusty coffee tin for smoking. An hour later, a succulent snapper emerged from the oven. The Muslim girls’ local rice dish accompanied it, along with Lois’s incredible rye bread, and my tasty sidedishes. As the enchanting evening whittled away, we talked, watching beach shadows grow wider. Finally, the sun fell into the sea, taking its rainbow colors with it. A heartfelt eveving, to say the least!

Whenever I wander ashore in foreign ports, I seek out the people. Here, the villagers flashed back vibrant, passionate smiles; beckoned me to join in erudite conversation (English is their 2nd language); young students asked for help with their Social Studies homework, so I asked questions to a host of memorized facts - I was a temporary family member, relishing the opportunity. By the end of our stay, I cried, feeling accepted and warmed by these affable villagers.

The Republic of Maldives is like a string of 2,000 pearls dropped from the sky, and scattered north to south in the Indian Ocean, 400 miles SW of India and Sri Lanka. Only 200 or so pearly islets are inhabited, and were first discovered by Buddhist seafarers from India and Sri Lanka.

The country's name means "mountain" in Tamil, "garland of islands" in Sanskrit. Today, the island is nearly 100% Muslim, which meant little Bella, our puppy, was refused shore-leave. She 'may' carry jinn - evil spirits! According to tradition, for protection, a Muslim who sees Bella may do a charm or spell later to ward off her evil spirit, once she gets back home.

To exercise Bella, I took her for a ride on my back while swimming with the dolphins and manta rays. I couldn't tell if her barking excited them or drove them away, because they seemed curious in her.