Fahala Island

Well we did an overnight sail to do the 120nm here to Fahala and what a place. We have been here nearly 2 weeks now so that sums it up. Was great to get out of Malè and just hang by ourselves again. It didn't take long for the locals to come and suss us out and welcome us in. It is an un inhabited island except for 4 fellas that have cleared a space to build a resort but apparently it has been in the making for 10 years now and doesn't look they will start anything soon. The closest inhabited island is only 2nm from where we are anchored and that has 800 people living on it. We went there a week ago with a drawing for a BBQ to get made up and we met a nice fella named Huisain who showed us about the town and introduced us to Mohammed who is a bit of a welder from his back yard. We managed to get some 10mm stainless round bar from the next island for the frame and he had some other materials for the rest and did a great job! They were all great people we got to meet, his wife busy making fish soup with a couple of her friends and so on.

We also have been busy fitting a salt water pressure pump in the galley which works a treat and is saving us a lot of fresh water. Julie has been a star trying to get this Xgate program to work with the Satphone. It is a program that compresses everything so you don't use to much data on the Satphone to get weather ect but has just turned into a balls up so far! We are getting there but after much frustration and emails back and fourth to the States we got a reply saing they have a bug in the App??! We will get there but it's definitely not been easy.

I also put in a mast step in the dingy to fit the optimist sail and had a trial with an oar for a tiller. Looked great, I new I wouldn't be able to go to windward but thought I could hold at least 90degree course, no such luck! Just went side ways as fast as I was going ahead! Was pretty funny but a bit disappointing. Need a few fittings and try and make some Lee-boards up to use instead of a centreboard.

There has been a couple of days of rain which was a first and we caught a bit 

of water which is needed. The fish are another story.... We haven't had too much luck. It is too far in dingy to get to the back of the reef to get coral trout so we have been trolling in the deeper water here. Lost a few lures to what are probably giant trevally that just take off seriously quick and then find a rock or something and cut the braided line. We got a small one that was nice on the new BBQ and some other skippy of the boat at night and a barracuda and that's about it. The squid are thick though and we have been eating loads so can't complain.

We are planning to leave the Maldives about the 25th of this month but don't really want to leave here yet! We have about 150miles south to Addu where we have to check out from and do the last load of stocking up and get some water before we head to Chagos