Mar 21 - Boduhuraa, Hudhohuumathee Atoll

Pos: N01deg51.847min/ E073deg30.866min There was no wind and the day was spent motoring to the next atoll. The fishing reel went off but, unfortunately, the SS leader and brand new Rapala went off also; lesson...don't use old leaders. Showers formed from mid-morning onwards and the wind shifted to the NW. We hugged the outer reef on the west side of the atoll and checked out an anchorage waypoint that had been given to us; it was a death trap with too many bommies (coral heads) in a very tight area and one narrow entry/exit path. The rain was coming down harder, visibility sucked, and we saw a waterspout form on the leading edge of the cell. Holy Toledo...we had to find an anchorage quickly. We finally dropped the hook at 1630 in a spot we had picked out on GE; none of our electronic chart references gave enough detail to make any sort of informed decision. The winds were 15 knots from the NW with quite a chop; it's an exposed anchorage, there's a reef to go over to get here, and we're surrounded by bommies; not an ideal situation. But, this was the best we could do as this atoll doesn't offer much protection from the NW with an easy exit to the One and a Half Degree Channel planned.
Pic: Not all days can be sunny. Does not help with moving about in the atolls though.

No comments: