We arrived at Gan on 5th April to begin our clear-out procedure for Maldives, which turned out to be quite a simplified process with our agent from RealSeaHawks - not a ½ dozen officials on the boat this time. Following this, Mr Mashood took us on the grand tour of Gan, Feydhoo and Maradhoo showing all the highlights and remnants from the old RAF days. As there isn't much wind showing up on the forecasts to get us to Chagos we asked if we can remain in Gan for a few additional days and that was fine.

When we arrived there were 4 other sailboats, all clearing-out, and a half dozen local dhonies in the Gan basin next to the airport. A little crowded I thought. So I elected to anchor outside the basin that turned out to be the right move with the many squalls in the area lately and I wanted scope and circle. There is a sand bar just SE outside the basin's marker posts, not very large, circa 12m depth (00 41.05'S: 73 08.77'E) and this was perfect for us. Probably get 2-3 boats here. I did some depth soundings up and down the immediate coast from the Gan basin and depths with a safe proximity to the reef are >20m and seem to be coral bottom. With the onslaught of yachties arriving in the next weeks, months, it would be best to ask your agent for an alternative anchoring location.

For petrol and diesel there is a fuel station at the first harbor north (in Feydhoo) where you can take your dingy and jerry cans and not have to walk far at all - its literally right there (R 12.60/L). At this harbor, one can safely park your dingy (there is a coastguard and police station across the street) and walk up and down along the boulevard where we found the 3S Market, a few cafés, restaurants, a foreign food shop (with not so foreign food in it), a number of hardware shops and most everything else your likely to need. There is also a hospital, clinic and pharmacy around the corner. And on the center road in Feydhoo we found more. Lots of stock!

As we found out, fresh produce and provisions from Male (or India direct) arrive in Feydhoo on a Sunday and are typically in the shops on Monday - handy to know if you want the freshest available. In Feydhoo there are also a few street vendors selling a variety of fruit and veg and we found these to be quite fresh and best priced. If you want a large bundle of bananas knock on the door of one of the homes with healthy banana trees and ask if you can buy a bundle from him/her.

So, our time has near come to an end in the Maldives. Without lots of words, we've had an amazing two months here meeting new friends and experiencing the country's facinating treasure of its underwater world. We'd like to thank all those who have assisted us, shared times with us and made our journey here memorable. A special thanks to RealSeaHawks who paved the trail and started us off in the right track.

Chagos - here we come!