The truth is…there is no real “sailing” going on….So Slow Flight has become more of a “motor yacht” than a sailing vessel! However, we had a slight breeze from the NW so we threw up the jib just to get a little more speed (1/2 a knot…maybe)…but it was good to shake “her out” for the 10 miles passage.
Wind?! Oh yeah baby!
That being said…it was time to fuel up at Kulhudhuffushi Island where there is a pier we can tie up to ($12 usd a night whether you anchor in the boat harbor or tie up to the pier) and a fuel truck can be arranged to deliver diesel…much better than hauling jerry jugs to fill up our EMPTY tanks (300 gallons).
Kulhudhuffushi Island, South Harbor: Waypoint- 06 36.9218 N, 073 03.9732 E
SV Starry Horizons arrived before us and they went in to scout things out. Well, the pier is really for large supply ships to restock the island and there were large black “bumpers” lining the concrete pier. They found 2 spots that could perfectly fit us…IN-BETWEEN missing bumpers….thank goodness, otherwise our entire starboard side would of been “painted” black as our fenders are not as thick nor long enough to give our hull any protection against these 2 foot deep, 1 foot wide, bumpers. Generally we don’t like to be against hard concrete but in this case, we preferred it : )
The red arrow is where there is a missing bumper so we could snug up in-between… The pier is really long and could fit quite a few boats here but not if you want to side tie. The other option for us was to med-moor, aft to the pier. 
Be sure to remember the tides as the pier does not move with the water heights. We had to loosen or tighten lines to accommodate the tides.
Asad, our agent, had arranged for a fuel truck to come when we arrived on April 11th at 1pm….well 1 pm came and left and we were still hanging out at the pier. So we took a walk through town to get some fresh veggies, ATM stop (cash only for fuel), and a a top up on data. NOTE: We walked around town during prayer time….forgetting….and almost every store was closed. It is worth while to be familiar with the prayer times and coordinate according : )
ATMs are not on every island so you need to get cash when you can. 
The supply ship must of came in recently as there was beautiful veggies and fruit at the local stores. We ate broccoli for DAYS! 
Maybe cheaper than my Master’s degree? 
It was nice to see ladies out and about after prayer…. 
Ummmm…?! 
Cars on a paved road…..something we haven’t seen yet here in the Maldives…it has been all scooters and sand roads.
There seems to be a new customs form to obtain fuel here in the Maldives. Asad hadn’t know about it and so the “paperwork dance” begins. We had planned to stay 1 night and leave the next morning….depends how long it takes for the form to get completed… So dinner out it was…and of course…Kimi finds PIZZA!!!!
Mocktail…mint/lemon juice….no alcohol sold! 
Yes, we ordered extra so we could have pizza for lunch the next day : )
The next morning…we played the waiting game…if we could obtain fuel before it was too late to get to a near by anchorage….we would leave…otherwise…
The island police went out to a BBQ on a nearby island to celebrate the latest election results….we chatted them up when they returned. 
Women doing water exercise near the pier…cheaper than a gym membership! 
Trevor killing time….
Well… 3 pm…the truck arrive…still too late for us to go anywhere but it felt good to have the tanks full again…seriously…we were running on FUMES, we were thankful!!!
600+ liters of diesel at about $1 usd a liter (that included delivery)….Ekkks!
Early the next morning, all filled up…that mean diesel and bellies, we headed off to Dholhiyadhoo Island….where we heard there was an abandoned resort we wanted to check out…. because why not?! Never been to a 5 star resort…even one that has been abandoned (LOL)!
A perfect size for an dinner for 2….
Dholhiyadhoo Island (aka “D Island) Waypoint – 05 59.1474 N, 073 12.7484 E
Winds were coming from the NW and the YOLO waypoint (from Noonsite) was on the SE side of the lagoon…so we decided to dropped anchor where we were not on a lee shore in about 30 feet, sand and low coral bottom…perfect!
Our first day was to get some chores off the list…they still exist out here in the big blue (LOL)!
And a quick dip to see what we could find….the water clarity was a bit cloudy but I think we went at the wrong tide so the waves were kicking up debris….but we enjoyed anyways : )
The next day we headed off to shore to take our selves on our self-guided tour of the abandoned resort……it was definitely an eerie feeling.
Main pavilion…we think…. 
attached to the main pavilion was the arrival jetty…. 
the view is stunning!
On land…the pathways….empty….silent as a mouse….. 
however, they were nicely groomed and hardly any leaves on the pathways….or did hermit crabs rake them all?!
Administrative building…we think…. 
hummmm…..life seems to grow with the path of least resistance…. 
need wiring anyone?
Not sure what this building was supposed to be…but I liked the 3 amigos framed with the wild growth in the background.
Unit # 18…. a “”garden view” unit…. 
….only meters from the beach….. 
….with it’s own pool!
Time to upgrade! We desperately wanted to check out the “over the lagoon” units…WATCH YOUR STEP!
Further down the pathway…..
“I’d like to make an appointment…” 
I can almost smell the floral scents and hear the soft sounds of water from a fountain….
I am sure there were more eating establishments on the grounds… 
…it was quite a large place with multiple dining areas…. 
…Trevor is looking for the bar….
We were coming towards the end of the island of what looked like staff quarters and all of sudden heard tapping and voices…we were NOT alone! There is an account, back in 2015, there were about 55 “caretakers” living here and supposedly paid by the investors that have a 50 year lease. We had no idea if there would still be anyone living here. Low and behold….we meet these guys. They are from Bangladesh and have lived here for 3-4 years. they get paid $100 a month….which, they send the money back to their families in Bangladesh. It was difficult to discuss much more detail as things were getting lost in translation, but we did try to offer them any food items they may need as the supply boat comes once a month…..they said they had plenty of rice and chicken….we left it at that.
First of all…I love that the middle guy is brushing his teeth with a tree branch…he showed me the tree where he got the branch. Second, I have no idea what was so funny that I have this ridiculous look on my face…LOL!
Walking around the staff quarters, we saw so much unused materials…literally rotting away. It looked as if everyone just picked up and left in 5 minutes and dropped whatever they were doing…. we wondered if there was any value to these but knowing that it has been here for at least 5-6 years….it’s probably worthless. It raised a question that if another investor came to this place…what would they do? The buildings are neglected beyond repair and have been exposed to the elements far too long (at least in our humble opinion and our US standards) that most would be torn down and rebuild?! ….sad…but possibly true.
Only a few weeks to go before our cruising permit expires and we have only seen a handful of lagoons and atolls…we find the need to for speed and decide to up our pace and start making more miles and see the things we really want to experience here.
Next up…off the “YOLO” path….