We left Galle at 1530 yesterday on a beautiful afternoon with a cloudless sky, a flat sea and no wind.

What a relief to leave behind all those nocturnal explosions - they were beginning to get us down. One was so loud it was followed 3 seconds later by a splash, which we think was the dingy falling back into the water!

Last night another unforgettable sky - the Southern Cross still visible in the south, the Plough appearing in the north, and our old friend Orion overhead with Rigel, Betelgeuse and Sirius as bright as ever. A small crescent moon rose above the horizon at 0300, its reflection shimmering in the flat sea. And unbelievable phosphorescence.

Today started windless with a flat sea, but after lunch the wind filled, and we now have 18/19 knots behind the starboard beam: we've had to reduce sail as we don't want to reach Uligamu in the dark. Uligamu is a small island in the North Thiludhanmathee atoll, the northernmost atoll in the Maldives.

ETA first light Monday am.

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