The past week, we the Henry family, have been sailing with the Horsfields on the Indian Ocean between the Maldivian islands on the Arabella boat. We’ve experienced and seen almost everything there is to see in the Madives. From splendid beaches to the open ocean, scuba diving to swimming with sharks, water sports to meditation and music to cooking. That’s why we would like to share our experience with you !
As we arrived, their smiles and the heartwarming welcome from the Horsfield family immediately made us understand that we would have a lovely week in their company. A little bit later we got a boat tour before we went refreshing ourselves in the sea and spent our day switching from it to the pool playing all sorts of games with the girls.
The next day we started sailing towards our new destination, we particularly appreciated those moments when we were sailing, feeling the wind on our faces and the cozy and exciting atmosphere that is spreading. We snorkelled a lot during our stay and saw all kinds of fishes, rays and sharks. On the third day of our journey, we had an adrenaline boost as we tried hydrofoil boarding and donuting. The following morning, we had our first encounter with dolphins, there were so many and it’s one of Sofia’s strongest memories. But this was only an appetizer of what’s coming next… Nurse sharks is what’s coming next!! We swam with dozens of them, it was so exciting and was an experience we’ll probably never forget. I was particularly surprised by Arabella’s ability to see what kind of sharks they were from such a distance and her excitement as we went swimming with them.
On the fifth day of our trip, we went alone on a tiny island consisting of sand and shells, it was so pretty and I might even say it was unreal ! As we came back to the boat we played “Frustration” for the first time. We loved the game and will definitely play it again even if it will never be the same without Arabella wining almost every round, Alex who wins the rounds when no one’s out yet, Azania who asks us if she can play with us and the sound of the ocean in the background.
The next two days, we saw a lot of stingrays and went scuba diving. We hadn’t scuba dived for so long, so it was really fun to do it again and see so many and different very colourful fishes and the corals. Almost every night, Alex played her Ukulele and sang for us, it was those kinds of magic moments that made this holiday the best one ever. On the eighth day, we went looking for whale sharks and eventually saw some. On the last day, we tried knee boarding and wake boarding and after a lot of attempts (especially falls) I was able to get up on the board and experience one of the most wonderful feelings ever, sliding on the water, thanks to Grant’s and Arabella’s great patience and teaching. Whatever we were up to, Arabella kept supporting us with her beautiful smile until we made it. Right before we left, we were able to see a beautiful turtle like the ocean said goodbye to us.
During the journey we tried a lot of different tasty food thanks to Apple, Delphine and our two mini chefs “Mario & Luiggi” (Alex & Sofia), learned about apparent wind, sails, ankers, the ocean and knots and mandarin tutored by Azania who for example taught us how to say: “I love banana milkshake !” but we also witnessed an impressive teamwork between the Horsfield family while sailing. We were able to come back with lots of gorgeous pictures, memories and new friends. That’s why we would like to thank Azania: Master of knee boarding and beautiful swimsuits, Alex: Goddess of music and baking, Arabella: Queen of the ocean and frustration, Apple: The best cook of all times, Delphine: Divinity of photographing and Grant: Our favourite captain for their heartwarming hospitality and the amazing holidays we spent in their company !