Year 3 -12 April 2026 - Dhoihivadhoo- South Miladhunmadulu Atoll -Maldives

It was a pleasant day and we all had a morning dip before breakfast. We had got bacon out the freezer the night before and so we had a cooked breakfast with scrambled egg, bacon and mushrooms and bread/toast which went down very well.

After breakfast I tried the engine again thinking that if it was flooded then it should now be cleared. However, it would not start. I feel quite annoyed as it was only serviced in India but it could be a blocked carburettor or a fuel issue. We therefore got the engine off and craned it on to the back of the boat and got the second outboard out. This did not work either and by now I was even more annoyed as this had been serviced too. I wondered whether it was a fuel issue as both engines did not work. I also checked the pipe under the floor of the dinghy and there was no hole in it and fuel was getting through to both engines. This is something I will have to get resolved in Male and I contacted the agent to get his suggestion as to who may help. He gave me a name in Male.

I also wanted to try and fix the forward-looking sonar and so I went to the transducer and followed the wire to a junction box for the network cable and thought that may be the issue. However, taking it off and putting it back again did not resolve the issue and from the wardrobe in the double cabin I did not know where it went from there.

We then chilled a bit and swam and had Miranda made fish tacos for lunch with coleslaw and salad and a tomato salad. I did some admin and emails etc.

Miranda swam off to the reef and then about 4.00pm we rowed off the edge of the reef which was supposed to be a good snorkelling point. We put down the anchor and got into the water. This was a great area and the coral was healthy as was the fish life which was plentiful. There were shoals of different types of fish. There was a great range of colours and sizes and one particular fish was magnificent called the Indian Oriental Sweetlips. This fish was so striking. It is yellow round the external areas of its body yet is has white and black stripes as a zebra.

The Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips, also known as the oriental sweetlips or oriental blubberlips, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sweetlips belonging to the subfamily Plectorhinchinae, one of two subfamilies in the family Haemulidae, the grunts. It is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

The Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips has fleshy lips which become greatly swollen as the fish ages. There are 6 pores on its chin but there is no median pit. The dorsal fin contains 12–14 spines and 16–20 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 7–8 soft rays. The adults of this species have a basic light greyish colour of which fades to white on the abdomen. It has alternating black and white stripes. the black stripes normally broader on the upper body, the fins are yellow, as are the snout and forehead, The dorsal, anal and caudal fins are marked with blackish spots. The subadults have wide stripes on their head, body and fins while the juveniles have black blotches and spots that are joined but which slowly split into longitudinal stripes as they grow, the pectoral fins of juveniles are black. This species attains a maximum total length of 72 cm (28 in).

This fish is so striking. It is yellow round the external areas of its body yet is has white and black stripes as a zebra.

After the excellent snorkel we rowed back to the boat and got the engine and dinghy on to the davits as we intend to move on tomorrow. We had tea with excellent banana cake which Keith had made. He had also made a loaf of bread and he also gave a good clean of the galley.

We then moved on to sundowners and Stig and Cari made supper – chicken goujons, mash potato and spinach which was delicious. It had been a good day frustrating at times but nice to just be.  

We went to bed and at about 11.00pm it started to rain so the hatches were shut. I also had to get up in the night as the rain continued and the anchor alarm went off but I had only set it for 30m and we had about 70 out. We were fine.  

The picture of today is us chilling on the aft deck.

 Need/Opportunity Year Three

I will be going shortly from India to the Maldives and then on to Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK. 

I am looking for one crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town (mid-June to end of July). If of any interest do email me.

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com