I decided to post a quick recap of our passage down to Addu atoll as it was not the usual day hops we have been doing here in the Maldives.
Unfortunately, our time in the Maldives was quickly coming to a close (time flies when you are having fun) and we needed to get down to the most southern atoll (Addu) to prepare ourselves and the boat for our time in Chagos where we will be ‘offine’ for nearly 6 weeks. This 316 mile passage meant we were going to miss the ENITRE southern atolls where there is better coral to snorkel, whale sharks and possibly more manta rays…but…due to our cruising permit..we have a schedule we have to make the long passage…you just can’t see everything!
We actually sailed most of the way minus the last 24 hours. The wind was first behind us so we flew “wing on wing” for the better half of the frist day but then the wind shifted to a beam reach and it was time to raise all the “canvas”….we saw boat speed of 7-8 knots for most of the day and when evening fell, we were still seeing speeds up to 6 knots…..it was very exciting!
Our mizzen has not seen the “sun” since Sri Lanka…or maybe even before that…it’s been so long we con’t remember when the last time we flew our little aft sail : )
Mostly the weather cooperated and we had wonderful sunsets for our 2 nights out.
As soon as we neared the atoll just north of Addu, the wind shifted and died and the currents took hold of us. We were headed directly up wind our last night and the currents were pushing us to the East at an alarming rate of about 2 knots at times. We turned on “ol Polly the Perkins” engine so we could stay on course…..and we actually truned due WEST for a bit thinking we could maybe sail later on…that was not the case!
We had a heading of about 30 degrees off our course to keep heading in the right direction. (ekkks)
Our last night we crossed the equator AGAIN….for the third time! It was literally midnight when we crossed and I woke Trevor up to do a brief ceremonial offering to Neptune for his continued watch over us while we are out floating in his waters.
A few short words, coins from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka with a dash of beer….hopefully this is enough to satisfy Neptune ; ) 
“Third time’s a charm”…..
We arrived 2 1/2 days later, on April 28th to Addu atoll. It was now time to get our heads wrapped around being self-sufficient for over a month in the middle of the Indian Ocean..literally!
Next up…..The last of the Maldives, Addu Atoll: Dragging anchor, Cinco de Mayo, and preparing to be “offline” for 6 weeks!