Rock ‘n Roll & Swell Times
We left Chagos yesterday at midday, raising the anchor and clearing out of the Soloman lagoon just as a rain shower passed over. I much prefer to be able to see the reef and rock obstructions in the water, but we relied on the electronic charts as at least that end of the lagoon is relatively clear of coral heads.
A number of other boats left at the same time, Japanese Yaima to Mauritius, Kiwi/Brazilian Moon Walker to Madagasgar, and American Mataria to Seychelles. Kiwi Afar will follow us to the Maldives in a few days, leaving just Canadian Tigger and Kiwi Ovation in the whole of Chagos. We’d had a beach BBQ the night before, which seemed like a fitting, casual way to say our farewells as our paths diverge.
I’m normally a little nervous before each passage but I’ve been looking forward to this one. After five weeks in Chagos, we’re all ready for a change of scenery. Chagos is beautiful but we’ve had our fill of snorkelling, fishing, and sundowners on the beach or on boats. It also helps that at about 300 NM, it’s a relatively easy passage and with a good weather forecast for the duration.
The sea was pretty bumpy for the first six or so hours out. The wind was steady at about sixteen knots gusting up into the twenties. The huge ocean swell on our aft quarter made for an uncomfortable start. Helen and Erin were competing for space at the rail to paint colourful stripes on the side of the boat. I couldn’t find the right time or diplomacy to suggest that they move to the leeward side of the boat…
I’ve never been good at judging wave or swell heights, but even the little ones can be a bit disconcerting when they’re higher than the bimini and less than a boat length away. Aroha’s mast rises to about 17m above the sea, which, not a word of a lie, was the height of the waves from trough to crest. Aroha is a lightweight plastic-fantastic though, so she bobs up like a cork and lets the water pass underneath. The saving grace is that the waves were very spaced out, and so the motion was surprisingly gentle.
Roughly ten miles north of Chagos the sea rises from over a thousand meters deep to less than ten where the Speakers Bank almost makes it to the surface. It is bizarre to be in the middle of the ocean with a clear horizon all around but to look down and instead of seeing the deep blue colour, to see the patchwork of light turquoise (sand) and green-brown (coral) under us. I was keen to trail a lure for what is supposed to be a great fishing spot, but it was just too bumpy to think about dealing with a fishy mess onboard.
The sea has settled this morning. We have lost the short choppy waves and now just have the high and long swell passing under us. The motion of the ocean is now more rhythmic and predictable. Aroha still moves around a fair bit, but there is a pattern to the movement and it’s almost relaxing. The sun is out with wispy white clouds scattered across a beautiful blue sky. Touch wood, the rest of this passage will be a comfortable one.
28 July 2009
The sea is smooth, the sun is out, and we are making good progress motor sailing. At this rate we will arrive in Gan at the crack of dawn tomorrow, in time to get us over the coral into the anchorage on the high tide.
We are all looking forward to being back in ‘civilisation’. To all of us and especially to me (as I spent so much time in Gan before) it feels nice going to a familiar place again. It’s a secure and sheltered anchorage and we don’t have to go through the learning curve of finding groceries, fuel, etc. Erin is looking forward to fries and ice cream, although I’m not sure if they are meant to be on the same plate. Helen and I are simply looking forward to visiting some of the restaurants and having someone else cooking and tidying up.
We plan on spending about three days there – enough time to clear in and get our cruising permit, rent motor scooters again and catch up with a few friends we met passing through last time. Then we’ll hop our way north up the Atolls towards Male.
We know that our time in the Maldives will be quite different from anything else on the trip so far. We plan to mix our time between deserted islands, local harbours, and a couple of days in a resort further north. Hopefully, our planned thirty-five day stay won’t put too much time pressure on us between Gan and Male. It will likely seem hectic though, compared to the last five weeks in Chagos where we managed only two anchorages about three miles apart!
Follow and like us to be notified of future blogs!
