Having transited several weeks from Malta to Maldives we finally had arrived, checked in and disembarked the security, we settled in the anchorage off Hulhumale.
The scenery had changed quite a bit from the last time I was there boatsitting Kalizma. There was now a bridge connecting Hulhumale and Male' Island. Hulhumale had been developed and big housing towers dotted her skyline whereas they were only starting building works ten years back when I was there.
Taxi drivers enjoyed zipping over the bridge as they could gun their cars 100km/h for a short while. In the middle of Hulhumale was a big park for the residents and the new street grid looked much airier than the stuffy Male' capital.
Few days after our arrival the old Kalizma steamed in from Sri Lanka, my trusted Chief mate, Surender, was skippering her now and we got in touch. As my birthday was on, he invited me for dinner in Male' and we went to Sala Thai that was run by an old German chap with Thai chefs and food stuffs flown in every week. The food was excellent.
After dinner Surender showed me Kalizma after the refit and a lot of work had gone into her. Eventually when she had been laid up in Colombo her teak decks had been taken off and masts had rotted to nothing. The decks had been laid again, new masts had been purchased and interior had been spruced up.
Even the flag had been changed from UK to Cook island and she was now certified for charter after the massive fixed ballast had been placed in her bilges. Back in the day I got that close to get her certified but the UK MCA refused exemption on the stability criteria, we were 98% from complying.
The biggest change was in the galley and crew quarters, all had been rearranged so the total crew now was 11 instead of the old 9. They also had 2 heads and showers instead of 1, galley had modern household appliances as opposed to the old gear that she had before.
After a round we sat down for a short chat and caught up what we had been doing and then it was time to get back to Boadicea. Pretty good birthday.
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