We settled into a routine for the three months we spent anchored in Northern Maldives during lockdown.

A normal day was a few hours of homeschool followed by an afternoon of playing on the reef with friends. We caught lobster from the deep water and fished grouper from the shallows. We scuba dived and explored the surrounding area, looking for lobsters and other treasures.

We made friends with giant rays, colourful tropical fish and striped sweetlips (but only because they don't taste good). We made french bread or bagels daily, caught squid off the boat in the evenings and had lazy visits on catamaran trampolines with friends.

When we ran out of school subjects we recruited fellow sailors to be teacher for a day. The kids learned about coconut trees, submarines, world weather, navigation, buoyancy & amusement park management.

Cargo ships to the Maldives had stopped by then and the locals grow very few things themselves. The locals spearfish but reply on supply boats to bring produce. Fresh fruit and vegetables were running slim and the village needs came first. Our agent, Asad, would take a boat trip to another island and send us photos of what was available in the little local shop and the boats would send him orders of what we wanted. Mostly it was potatos, onions, cabbage and eggplant (Gawd Im so sick of eggplant!). Sometimes Asad would treat us with oreos and a bit of chocolate he found in the store. He was so kind to us but in over his head trying to manage the logistics of feeding us. Eventually, after a bit of squabbling, the 14 boats got organised and took over food distribution among themselves.