By Delphine

We've seen many beautiful sunsets these past few years; however, last night was the first time I witnessed a full moon set over the horizon, and it was quite a memorable experience.

Since the beginning of our journey from Turkey, we have always sailed west. Hence, we always see the sun set ahead of us, and we must have taken thousands of magnificent sunset photos.

However, it's not so easy to see a full moon set for a variety of reasons. Only a few days a month can one see a full or almost full moon. Often, the moon sets during the day and you don't notice it happening. When it sets in the dark, it could be obscured by clouds or we were asleep. In fact I never thought about moonset. 

So last night was one of those rare moments when all the stars were aligned for me to witness this wonderful sight. We were sailing from Sri Lanka to Maldives. I checked the celestial chart to see the time for moonset and sunrise. To my delight, the moon set at 5:15 am, which means the sea wouldn't be pitch dark during my watch. It is much nicer to have the moon during passages; otherwise, you are pretty much sailing in the dark.

The moon was white, bright and high up in the sky when I came on watch at 2 am. I took photos of the moon and they appeared as if they were shot during the day and the moon looked like the sun. I was mesmerized by the moon’s reflections dancing on the water, creating ever changing paintings of shimmering lights. 

Grant came on watch at 4:30 am, but I decided to stay around to watch the moon set. Azania also woke up and joined us. She thought the moon was very pretty. She extended her arm and measured with her little fingers (a trick taught by Grant) and announced that the moon would set in 30 minutes.

The moon was in front of us. The color had turned to a very warm orange-yellow hue. We watched the gradual descent of the moon as it got get dimmer and redder until it disappeared into the horizon. 

In this fleeting encounter with the moon in the middle of the Indian Ocean, I felt a profound sense of awe and connection to the cycles of nature and the beauty that surrounds us. You just have to notice and cherish them.