WERE HAVE I BEEN?

There are lot's of ways to go cruising. Even those who live on board full time do get off from time to time and head off traveling on land and/or visiting relatives etc.... I have come to terms with pulling BIANKA out of the water for the winter and not taking her south to warmer waters. I think this is good for a couple of reasons it allows one to really look forward to the upcoming sailing season. That's the absence makes the heart grow fonder reason. Another reason is my semi-landlubber companion likes to go on mid winter sailing vacations on crewed Catamarans. We've been doing this for a number of years and have spent part of the winter sailing various parts of the world. So my wanderlust to visit these places like the Carribbean  is satiated and no longer have the strong desire to make the journey to these areas with BIANKA. This year was no exception. But, it was not just a quick Jet ride down to the Caribbean. It was a trip halfway across the world and out to the Indian Ocean to spend twelve days cruising in the Maldive Atolls. It's a special place with gorgeous reefs and also a place I'd never be able to bring BIANKA easily. Nor would I want to since the numerous reefs and sand banks are better navigated with someone with local knowledge. We spent most of January in the area and I will try and post some of the highlights of the cruise here in the next few weeks. Upon returning from this trip I got some more good news. In the mail yesterday came the paperwork from the Town for renewing the mooring permit. A sign that the sailing season is just around the corner.

JAMIE HYNEMAN MYTHBUSTING IN THE CARIBBEAN

Speaking of Jamie Hyneman and mythbusting. For a few years I had been thinking about starting a charter business with BIANKA. I still had an occasional freelance working gig on land from time to time that helped pay the bills. It was still a little too lucrative to walk away from and also help pay for health insurance which is kind of important. I started to look at the economics of doing some day sail and sunset charters. Including extra costs for insurance, dockage etc... Unfortunately,  my freelance gig sometimes required I work during part of the summer. Which is prime time for operating a sailing charter business. In  the end I decided the economics did not quite work for me. Plus, I really kind of like not having a schedule and enjoy the freedom to head out on a cruise whenever I wanted. I came across this video of Jamie Hyneman of the MYTHBUSTERS TV show. I was surprised to learn he at one point in his life did buy a sailboat and became a charter boat Captain doing day sails in the Virgin Islands. He describes the experience and why he longer has a desire to do it anymore:

CAPT. MIKE IN THE MALDIVES: DAY TWO

A CAPT MIKE  NOTE ABOUT DRINKING IN THE MALDIVES:
The good thing about chartering and sailing through a "paradise" like the Maldives with an all Muslim crew is they don't drink. So you are not likely to run into a Captain Ron type of situation. My girlfriend and I have chartered boats where while we were having breakfast the "Captain" was in the galley mixing himself a rum and coke. Happily, nothing serious happened on that adventure. But, it is not a good sign when the Captain's drinking starts that early and you are on an unfamiliar boat in unfamiliar waters. Just in case he should happen to pass out. That won't happen in the Maldives.

The bad thing about traveling through a "paradise" like the Maldives with an all Muslim crew is that they do not know much about liquor and alcohol either. As we found out when requested our after dinner Baileys Irish Cream for our night cap.  Which we usually have relaxing up  forward  on the catamarans trampoline while gazing at the stars. According Ibrahim it was not available from the supplier. OK, that's possible in a dry country like the Maldives where almost everything including food is shipped in. But, we were very disappointed just the same.  I then asked about the bottle of Rum we also requested for our obligatory "boat drinks" at sundown. Rum? The skipper responded.  He then explained that he thought Rum and whisky were the same thing. He had the whisky on board though. Oh well... Happily, he did assure us he had the wine we requested. Looks like the only "boat drinks" we'd be having on board will be Jimmy Buffet singing .

Soon after a breakfast of a choice of various cereals, yogurt, toast, eggs and some surprisingly tasty chicken sausages (remember there is no pork in the Maldives) we were underway. We stopped for a morning snorkel on an extremely healthy reef with lot's of fish and even a turtle which pleased my girlfriend to no end.  The photo below shows what the waters are like in this part of the  South Male we are sailing in today:

As you can see there are quite a few small reefs and sand banks inside just this one atoll. Multiply that by 26 and you can see there are lot's of places to snorkel, dive or get into trouble if you are unfamiliar with the waters. Which is another good reason I'm glad we are doing a charter with a Captain who knows these waters well.

We anchored mid morning for just off one of the sand banks:

 We took the dingy ashore for a little walk and swim:

Some Maldivian fisherman were working the the sandbank's outside reef:

After spending a little time on the sand bank including a delightful swim we headed back to the boat.  A freshly caught Butterfly Fish was on the table for lunch but, not for long

After lunch and our obligatory afternoon nap. We were under way again stopping only for an afternoon snorkel.  We then headed for that nights anchorage which was just off Gulhi.

Gulhi is the smallest of the three inhabited islands in the South Male atoll. It's main industry is the building and repairing of the various boats that ply the waters in this area of the Maldives. From the look of it it is a very busy place:

We anchored at 03 59.702N, 073 30.430E a little before sunset. Another boat soon anchored nearby. It was one of the cargo boats that run supplies to the various islands and resorts in the area.

As the call to prayer sounded across the water from the mosque on Gulhi. Several of the crew spread out their pray cloths on the cabin top for evening prayers as the boat was conveniently pointed toward Mecca.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CAPT. MIKE IN THE MALDIVES: DAY ONE POST

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CAPT MIKE IN THE MALDIVES: DAY THREE POST

GIVING CHARTER BOAT CAPTAINS A BAD NAME

Now that I've got my Merchant Mariner's credential also known as a "Captain's License" I've been thinking about starting up a charter business. I've talked to enough people to know that one will never get rich in that line of work but, you might hopefully break even with the boat's expenses. Then there is the psychic reward of opening up people to the experience of being on the water under sail. Which often gives me "pinch me" moments as I cruise. Then along comes Captain Julian Harvey who in 1961 murdered not only his wife for the insurance money (I guess no one ever told him the charter business is not really that lucrative) but, also his paying passengers. But, one lucky 11 year old girl named Tere Jo Duperrault survived and spent four days floating on a raft in the ocean. She has now written a book  about her ordeal called  ALONE: Orphaned on the Ocean. It will be interesting to see if this book puts a crimp into the already tight charter boat business. Unfortunately, I'm also about to head off to the Bahamas as passenger on a 45 foot Catamaran charter. After hearing about this tale you know I'll be sleeping with one eye open.

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