At first light, though, we took advantage of the calmer seas to top up the diesel tanks again, then raised the mainsail to the first reef, unfurled the headsail and enjoyed a day of sailing or motor-sailing under sunny, blue skies in flat seas, depending on the wind direction as it fluctuated from northwesterly to northerly throughout the day. Conscious of not wanting to arrive too early, we somewhat controlled our speed by varying the RPM on the engine, in attempts to ensure a mid-morning arrival so that the sun would be better positioned for us to see the reefs and bommies. However, having a few extra nautical miles in the bag didn’t hurt anyone either!
Given that we had less than 100NM remaining in order to reach Uligamu, an island of the Ihavandiffulu Atoll in the Maldives, we also confirmed our ETA with our agent, as well as the diesel requirements for ourselves, Talulah Ruby III and Golden Spirit of Islay, so that this could be arranged for our arrival.
Elaine slept all morning; the tedium of the past three days catching up with her and she obviously needed the additional rest. After lunch it was Roy’s turn to get his head down and thus passed the afternoon.
The excitement of the passage coming to a close for all the yachts participating on the Pangkor Voyagers Net was evident on this evening’s broadcast with everyone looking forward to some R&R; it had been a few years since any of us had undertaken a passage, making us all a few years older from when we last sailed the high seas!
As with most of our passages, though, we’ve often had the occasional hitch-hiker; birds of varying species. However, on this trip, not only have we had birds, but a variety of insects too; a fly or two, a few large male mosquitoes, a few unknown bugs and a beautiful butterfly. The question that springs to mind, of course, is what on earth are these creatures doing in the middle of the ocean or indeed, how have they survived! Our guess is that they must be flitting from ship to ship and happened to find Paw Paw along the way.
Tonight, under another magnificent moonless, starry night, we’ve had a few fishing boats to navigate around, but we’re also enjoying a leisurely dander to arrive around mid-morning to have the benefit of the sun higher in the sky.
