Year 3 -9 February 2026 – On Route to Kochi -India
It was a rocky rolly night and I was on again at 5.00am on my own and there was just a little light. The swell was still quite rolly and we were still on full staysail. We had made reasonable progress and the sea looked mean and black with the odd white horses. The sun gradually came up and showed its face.
We sailed on well with spray coming over the deck. Paul’s cabin had a leak through the light fitting so water was getting in somehow. He therefore slept on my spare bunk and Peter and Rhys were still in the saloon as they did not feel that well.
I came off at 8.00am and cut up some mangos for breakfast. Mark and Peter were on watch and we had to watch out for cargo ships as we now seemed to be on their route to India. We changed the staysail for genoa as the wind lightened a bit and we thought it would be good to get into the lee of the bottom of India as the swell has been quite pronounced.
We decided – Rhys, Paul and I to heat up and have the balance of the curry for lunch with some bread. Mark and Peter did not feel like lunch.
We rested, read and chilled in the afternoon if not on watch. I was in contact with the Indian Agent and asked for our evisa’s. I sent him what I had which were ETA’s and which confirmed our visas were approved. They were supposed to have sent us evisa’s but they did not so we had a worrying few hours about this but luckily our agent found them which was a relief.
Our 24-hour run from noon yesterday was 145 nm.
We have some time to kill as we do not want to arrive until the morning of the 11th so we will slowly cruise up the coast once we get to the bottom of India.
The swell gradually began to ease and the wind began to veer.
We sailed on quite fast with a bit of a roll. We began to come across fishing vessels which were not on AIS. I came on at 4.00pm and we were approaching the bottom of India having come across the Gulf of Minmar.
The sun began to go down and we were not going to see land in the light. Then Starlink stopped-apparently there is no agreement for it to work in India. No communication – odd as I have been used to having it. The agent had asked for us to update him every 6 hours so how was I going to do this? Well I do have a satellite phone and an Iridum Go so we are not completely shut off.
We were contacted by the Indian coastguard at about 5.30pm who wanted to know where we were going and who was on board etc. We sailed on and had worked out that is we maintained 7 + kts we could arrive in Kochi by the late afternoon and could anchor overnight to complete the formalities the next day. This would be better than another night at sea slowly moving. We therefore decided to try and do this.
The wind continued to be quite strong as was the swell and I had anticipated that it would have calmed down by now. However, I could not look up the weather as I could not use Starlink.
We settled down to another night and anticipated dodging the fishing boats overnight. Paul cooked a vegetable pot which we had with fish which was very good. Mark and Peter took over and we continued to sail until we were not making 7 kts. Then the engine went on but I went to bed as I have the red eye slot 2-5.00am to deal with. We were almost in India.
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area; the most populous country since 2023; and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is near Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Gradually expanding rule of the British East India Company turned India into a colonial economy but consolidated its sovereignty. British Crown rule began in 1858. The rights promised to Indians were granted slowly, but technological changes were introduced, and modern ideas of education and the public life took root. A Nationalist movement emerged in India, the first in the non-European British Empire and an influence on other nationalist movements. Noted for nonviolent resistance after 1920, it became the primary factor in ending British rule. In 1947, the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two independent dominions, a Hindu-majority dominion of India and a Muslim-majority dominion of Pakistan. A large-scale loss of life and an unprecedented migration accompanied the partition
India has been a federal republic since 1950, governed through a democratic parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society. India's population grew from 361 million in 1951 to over 1.4 billion in 2023. During this time, its nominal per capita income increased from US$64 annually to US$2,601, and its literacy rate from 16.6% to 74%. A comparatively destitute country in 1951, India has become a fast-growing major economy and a hub for information technology services, with an expanding middle class. India has reduced its poverty rate, though at the cost of increasing economic inequality. It is a nuclear-weapon state that ranks high in military expenditure. It has disputes over Kashmir with its neighbours, Pakistan and China, unresolved since the mid-20th century. Among the socio-economic challenges India faces are gender inequality, child malnutrition, and rising levels of air pollution. India's land is megadiverse with four biodiversity hotspots. India's wildlife, which has traditionally been viewed with tolerance in its culture, is supported in protected habitats.
I have only been to India once and only for a long weekend and I am looking forward to exploring the South.
The picture of the day is our approach to the bottom of India on our chart plotter.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK.
I am looking for crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town (mid June to end of July) and from Cape Town to the Azores and then to the UK (mid August onwards). 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