Under Arrest In Uligamu - Northern Outpost of The Maldives ArchiGestapolo

The Celebrated and Criminal boats lie together

After chasing sharks, turtles and lobsters around with a video camera for a couple of weeks,  NANOU made it to the Northern tip of the Maldives - the drop off point for the two local divers.  Little did we know what martial treatment and criminal proceedings awaited...

Uligamu is a very small village subsisting on fishing and nothing else that I could detect.  The houses are made of thatched coconut tree leaves, or from bricks of coral and with roofs made of whatever was at hand at the time - mostly thatched coconut tree leaves but these days there is an increasing tendency to "cheat" with plastic.  From the water, one can see the small beach with a couple of beached local boats, and a few dwellings peeping out through the trees. 

There is a magnificent gate erected on the sand - welcoming the visiting yachts I presume.  Uligamu is very proud that so many yachts stop here on their way West each year.  They do a great job of welcoming everyone -- except in our case; read on!

Our bienvenue?  House Arrest!  Courtesy of the local Coastguard that found out that I was smuggling two happy-go-lucky locals aboard.  We stuck to our story that they were just "hitching a ride" to see the great unexplored north, but forgot that one of the many rules around here states that no local may board a foreign yacht once it has cleared out of the country.  I "forgot" this too.

So, when the local authorities saw Hussein and Nazim on board,  we were informed  that we were in serious trouble.

Prisoner on NANOU...

The Coast Guard radioed to Male for instructions and was told to conduct a thorough search of the ship.  We all had a good time as the jovial customs officials tried to comply.  Firstly, it was VERY hot and poking around grungy bilges in 40 degrees (Centigrade) is no fun.  Secondly, I insisted that they open every drawer and every small box within it (having at the outset gotten their word that anything they opened they would neatly close and put back) - I wanted to depart the Maldives with a clean reputation...  Finally, they were unable to find my cabin (it has a false door).  After a 10 minute game of "hot and cold", I finally pointed out the bookcase through which they made it to my bedroom.  Here a search is difficult since the entire cabin consists of nothing but drawers and cabinets.  The brave customs officials knew they were beaten and we all retired to the living room so that Customs Official #1 could play me at ping-pong whilst Customs Official #2 tried to tune my rickety old guitar that some kid in Indonesia strung with human hair.

It turned out to be a very friendly perquisition.

However, soon after this the  Coast Guard received new instructions from HQ and things turned grim for my two hitchhikers and I.

I was told I was on "double secret probation" as we called it.  This formally means Boat Arrest. I was not to leave my boat and certainly not to sail off until they deliberated my case and freed me.

  In Male, an elder deliberated earnestly over our fate...

  The grim prison

And  the situation  remained very bleak for Hussein and Nazim.  They  were told to remain on board until the Government sent word as to their fate.   We all had an early night as Nazim thought it almost certain that the Customs officials would spring a surprise inspection at 5am.  I'm terrible at ping pong before 8am so I was hoping he was wrong.

Nazim explained that Maldivians who misbehave are treated in a unique way...

PARTIAL LIST OF MALDIVIAN PUNISHMENTS

Possession of Playboy Magazine:         3 months on an isolated fisherman island

Caught drinking alcohol:                    6 months on an fisherman island known for its lice

Caught using a Spear gun:                 3 months on a cotton picking island in Alabama.

And the list goes on.

So there we were. Boat arrest and double secret probation to boot! Plus my two friends risked picking lice in the Maldivian equivalent of Siberia for the foreseeable future.  Our spirits sunk very low and for the first time in two weeks, Hussein didn't make tuna curry. This was a great relief in itself so to celebrate, I made "Desperation pasta" - my own highly secret recipe consisting of oil plus whatever desperation brings within grabbing distance when the oil starts to sizzle...   Strangely, it was not a success and my guests didn't seem to like it.  I noted that the following night I would try my other culinary masterpiece: " SOS pasta". 

And we sat for interminable hours, days, weeks, and months waiting for a word from our captors.

Finally, the next day we were all given permission to visit the island.  That night we attended a wonderful party in honour of the other yacht in the anchorage. OLIVE from Dubai was the 100th yacht to arrive in Uligamu so the locals feted them and presented them with this very sweet award.

Typed on a 1950s typewriter and mounted on hand carved timber.

Then I was officially released from double secret probation.   The following day, with the inhabitants of Oligamu waving good-bye, I took on a cargo of coconuts and (unwittingly) yet more ants and sailed off on my solo sail across the Indian Ocean. 

As I disappeared into the distance, Nazim and Hussein were hustled into a coast guard vessel.  They were shipped to Male and from there, I presume, to their punishment on some remote island.  I hope that they will find good diving there...