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Sunset at sea, just before a green flash

Our passage from Gan Island, Addu Atoll in the Southern Maldives to Peros Banhos Atoll in the Chagos Archipelago was short but exceptional in that we had a strong east-bound current for the whole trip.  Other boats ahead of us had not reported this, so it must have started up shortly before we left.

Strangely, except for Indonesia, we've generally had a gentle current with us for much of our passages.  This current against us was a rude awakening.  We certainly don't want to have to fight it all the 1,000 miles to the Seychelles.  According to the Pilot Charts, there should be a strong west-flowing current a bit south of Chagos.  If necessary, we'll take a more southerly track to the Seychelles in order to take advantage of this current.

The following are our noon positions and statistics.  Distances sailed are over the bottom - our distance through the water was much more, as we generally had over a knot of current against us.  We probably sailed over 100nm further through the water.  Wind speeds and directions are apparent (from our perspective) not true:

Totals:  290 nautical miles in 3 days exactly, for an average speed of 4 knots over the bottom (over 5 knots through the water).

Up | Chagos Arrival | Paradise Found

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