From Hulhumalé we routinely cruise North and South Malé, Vaavu, Ari, Baa, Lhaviyani and Raa, and longer charters can push further north or south. Distances are covered overnight wherever possible, so the hours you are awake are spent at anchor rather than under way.

The dry northeast monsoon, roughly December to April, brings the calmest water and the clearest visibility, and suits first-time visitors and photographers. The southwest monsoon, May to November, is greener and livelier, with short warm rain and the plankton blooms that bring mantas into Hanifaru Bay. Neither season is a compromise; they simply reward different intentions.

Yes, and we encourage it. Fishing villages, coral-stone mosques, boat-building yards and small markets give a charter its sense of place. Visits are arranged respectfully with a Maldivian guide, at times of day that suit the community as much as the itinerary, and modest dress is asked for ashore.

A proposed route is agreed before departure so you know the shape of the week, but the captain adjusts it daily against wind, swell and marine-life reports. That flexibility is the single greatest advantage of travelling by yacht here — you are never committed to one island's weather.