Australia Day in the Maldives

Feature: Bluewater cruising

Wherever you are, Australia Day is still a special one for Aussies everywhere. Catherine Kimber tells what the experience was like in the Maldives.

“We made it. We’re here in the Maldives on Australia Day,” I said as I stepped aboard Just Jane and embraced Jo and Arnold. Jo gazed across the Uligan anchorage and said, “It’s wonderful here. There are no stresses. There’s great snorkelling. You’ll love it.”

Five months before my husband Peter and I were cruising in Malaysia on our 13m catamaran The Southern Cross. Just before we departed for Thailand we discussed our plans with fellow Australians Jo and Arnold. The four of us promised to catch up again in the Maldives on January 26 to celebrate Australia Day together.

Land ho!

After a nine-day passage from the Andaman Islands I finally spotted a coral-ringed island. We were headed for Uligan, where sailing yachts have permission to check-in to the Maldives. Four hours later Peter and I doused the spinnaker as we approached the anchorage.

I rang Customs via VHF when our boat was about three nautical miles out. A dinghy full of government officials was there to greet us before we found somewhere to anchor. We were having difficulties finding a spot away from the coral, other boats and in water of a reasonable depth; being sleep deprived didn’t help. One of the men yelled, “Follow me.” The customs boat sped through the anchorage, passing close to anchored vessels and over shallow coral. While Peter steered at a more sedate pace I raced below to put on suitable clothing. All thoughts of having a shower were dashed. We laid the anchor and the six officials boarded us. In less than an hour we had completed clearances. Yippee, we had arrived on January 25, in time for our Australia Day rendezvous with Just Jane, who already sat in the anchorage!

“Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!”

I was surprised to discover only two of the 20 boats anchored at Uligan carried the Australian flag. While cruising in SE Asia the greatest single cohort of boats from any country had come from Australia. I was accustomed to having a significant number of fellow Aussies around us in populated anchorages. Despite our lack of numbers, we and fellow Aussies Jo and Arnold decided to make the most of our national holiday. Peter and I dressed The Southern Cross in two rows of flags from the mast, one of which was a line of Australian flags. Peter taped his yellow plastic blow-up kangaroo, which was purchased in Indonesia, to the forestay. Over the radio we let our fellow cruisers know that it was Australia Day. Guy and Annika on the UK-flagged Street Legal played the Australian national anthem over the VHF in our honour. A pot-luck meal was planned for that evening, and we thanked the organisers tongue-in-cheek for putting on a celebration for us.

Because it was too hot to wear shoes and socks Peter pinned a pair of green and gold Australian socks to his shirt pocket. I wore an apron emblazoned with pictures of Vegemite jars. Guy brought ashore a large Australian flag and planted it in the sand. The assembled crowd included local Maldivians, four Australians and cruisers from Asia, Europe, United States and New Zealand. After the meal we lit a campfire and our hosts chanted and played their drums. Dancing in the sand looked easy when the local lads grooved to the drum beat; it seemed much harder when the Australian flag was handed to me by a compatriot and I was urged to shake my bootie while waving the flag. Fireworks are present at any self-respecting Australia Day celebration held after dark so I took along a packet of sparklers to add to the occasion.

Uligan Island

The islands of the Maldives are low lying with the highest point on Uligan only about one metre above sea level. Single-storey dwellings built from unpainted blocks of coral or concrete give the homes a homogenous grey look and the wide, well swept roads were devoid of rubbish, leaves and weeds.

We found three small shops which sold identical items: limited fresh food, food in packets and cans and thongs with a squared edge along the toes. Jo, Arnold, Peter and I walked across the island, discovering rubbish strewn across the ground on the windward side of the island. We sat on the east-facing beach, where Jo spotted something wriggling in the shallows. At first I thought it was a sea snake, but it was the smallest and youngest moray eel I had ever seen.

Each Friday afternoon cruisers can join a walking tour of the new resort under construction. The English-speaking guide showed our group of nine sailors the building site, including tourist and employee accommodation. The mosque, which will be available to both staff and guests, was the only building that had been completed. I gained some insight into the changes that will inevitably come to this island because of the resort. Men from countries such as Bangladesh were already employed in the building of the resort and others will be hired to staff the venture. I imagine the influx of guests will bring changes, such as standards in dress and the consumption of alcohol.

Off to work we go

The words “The Maldives” conjure up for many a picture of turquoise waters lapping on white sandy beaches and a simple stress-free life, where the only worry is which alcoholic drink to choose while sitting watching the sun go down. As cruisers our experience of this island group was a little different. We were granted permission to anchor off Uligan, but we were not allowed to visit any other islands unless we were with an organised trip aboard a local boat. We were asked to dress conservatively, that is to wear long trousers or skirts and long-sleeved shirts when we went ashore and while we could drink alcohol on board our boats we were asked not to consume alcohol on land.

Unlike traditional holidaymakers, we brought our homes and our chores with us. Therefore, Peter and I didn’t spend our entire time in the Maldives snorkelling and reading paperbacks. We undertook a few minor repair jobs, including mending the spinnaker, and two major projects that kept us occupied for days: repairing the fridge and diagnosing and fixing a diesel leak. We were grateful to the other cruisers who helped to resolve both of these problems. With their help we had a fully functioning fridge and our diesel remained in its tanks rather than pouring into a locker in our head.

Fish that wear lipstick

Even though we were inundated with boat jobs that just had to be done, Peter and I made sure we snorkelled each day. Sometimes we swam off the yacht but other times we travelled via dinghy to a spot further away and drift-snorkelled with the dinghy attached to one of us. The water was very clear, although visibility reduced towards the end of the week as a full moon approached and tides became bigger. On each adventure I saw hard corals in shades of brown and a large number and wide variety of fish. My favourite new discovery was the clown triggerfish, which wore orange lipstick on its luscious lips, classy yellow eye-shadow and big white spots on its black belly. I found a two-metre long moray eel hiding in a rock that was easy to observe because the rock had no roof. Ghoul-like stingrays rested on the sea bed to the north of the anchorage and I observed three of them partially buried in the white sand on one foray.

Jo called us on the VHF. “There’s a mantaray swimming near our boat. Come across with your snorkelling gear.” Peter and I jumped in the dinghy, tied it to Just Jane and dived in the water with Jo and Arnold. We watched the huge ray as it circled a coral bommie about 500 metres from the shore. It was fascinating to observe this white-bellied creature as it hovered and moved through the water with grace. The ray had a magnetic charm. It headed straight for me with its wide mouth opening and closing. I was mesmerised and couldn’t look away.

Peter searched for clown fish each time we swam and finally on our last snorkel I spotted a couple of cheeky Nemos swimming in coral just off the stern of our boat. During this snorkel we also spotted an old man of the reef, a napoleon wrasse, which must have weighed in at over 100kg.

Our stay in the Maldives was book-ended by turtle sightings. I spotted one as we circled the anchorage looking for somewhere to anchor. Arnold pointed one out to us as we sat on The Southern Cross enjoying sundowners on our final evening in this special place. I had hoped to spot a turtle while snorkelling and although people who were with me in the water, including Peter, did see turtles I managed to be looking the wrong way each time. I was satisfied with witnessing a plethora of fish, a moray eel or two and a handful of mantarays.

We’re on our way

As The Southern Cross left the aquamarine seas of Uligan I thought about Jo’s welcome, six days before. She was right. Although I wouldn’t claim the Maldives had been stress-free for me because diesel cascading into an inside locker tends to raise one’s blood pressure, I had enjoyed great snorkelling and I’d fallen in love with this slice of paradise. Australia Day is always a special day for an Australian, but spending it in the Maldives with other cruisers will go down in my memories as extra-special.

The Islands

The Maldive Islands or the Pearls of the Indian Ocean, as they are popularly known, are situated in the SW of Sri Lanka, on the equator. The numerous coral reef islands, 1,190 in total, form an archipelago of 26 major atolls (groups of neighbouring coral islands). The country stretches 820km north to south and 120km east to west. The climate is generally warm and humid. Sun shines all year through with average temperature around 29-32 degrees Celsius.