February 17, 2002

Sunday - local time 16:00.

Position: 05.38' North -- 071.23' East

Course: 307 degrees magnetic

Speed: 6.2 knots @ 1,561 rpm

We left Male yesterday at 16:00 after a very pleasant day of refueling in the commercial port. Our excellent agent Nash of Island Sailors was able to save us the hassle and risk of fueling outside the harbor in the rough and unprotected harbor which "Feeling" had to endure the day before. Nash got us right up to a clean commercial bulkhead and a beautiful new fuel truck showed up with a big banner across the front - welcoming NORDHAVN and her crew to the Maldives. We had the local news paper people aboard and well as the TV crew from the Male TV channel. The fueling went as smoothly as can be and we were given a sample of the fuel in a clear container - right off the bottom of the truck. We cannot thank Nash enough and would highly recommend his services to anyone calling upon the Beautiful Maldive Islands. Nash can be reached at info@islandsailors.com.

The weather continues to be favorable with light North-northeasterly winds below 15 knots and clear skies with temperatures in the low 90s. We're working our way north now and should begin to see a steady drop in temperatures as we will climb up to a latitude of 35 degrees north (Athens) from the low of 1 degree north (Singapore).

We were able to talk to a number of boats this morning on the SSB - that were in or heading for Salala, Oman. We have heard some confirmation that the German navy has a fleet of ships at the south end of the Red Sea - which makes everyone very happy. We should be able to collect more intelligence during these morning SSB net exchanges. We still may turn to the left slightly and go direct to Djibouti but reserve that decision for a few more days.

All is well aboard our little ship. We're well rested, well fed and feel very confident about how well our voyage is going.

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