OUR BLOG
"There's always a plan, but unexpected things happen and we just go with the flow. Though I do believe that fate and destiny often play their part"
sailing blog
We had a small disaster a few days ago when the electric griddler decided to give up the ghost. As the news broke locally, two prawn fishing boats were immediately mothballed in anticipation of a significant drop in demand.....LOL. However, a quick stroll into town soon solved the problem. There in the electrical shop window, staring back at me, was the shiny face of the one and only James Martin on a box containing a similar machine. Given our reliance on this method of cooking, I felt I had no option but to buy a new one immediately. The first trial meal (Moroccan chicken, not prawns as it happens) was a big success, but if this one breaks down I'll be phoning his Saturday morning live show on BBC 1 to give him an earful in front of the entire nation. Yesterday (Thursday), both Nicki and I had concrete evidence that we're both well and truly back in leisure mode. I set off first thing telling her I was heading for the Wednesday market in La Linea. "Have a good time" she said as I disappeared off the boat. Upon arrival at the huge site, the whole place was completely deserted, at which point the penny dropped with a loud clunk as I realised I was a whole day late. We lost complete sense of the time of day soon after arriving back, but forgetting what day it is shows we must be chilling nicely. During a trip back to England the other day (a stroll over the border to Gibraltar to be precise), we came across an interesting old galleon moored in Ocean Village. It turned out to be the "Pickle", one of Nelsons ships at the Battle of Trafalgar. It wasn't part of the actual fighting, but served as a communications vessel. According to the leaflet we picked up it carried the first news of the victory back to England in 1805. Amazing what you see if you keep your eyes open. Yesterday also turned out to be a rather full on day for socialising. Before lunch we met a great couple, Mark and Angie, who sailed here via the almost exact route from Portugal as we did last year, although they originally set off from Hull two years ago, crossing Biscay the brave souls. The difference is that they then stayed on their boat here for most of the winter so were able to give us loads of good advice about what events are going on and where to go. We eventually ended up in the marina bar for a quick thirst quencher and hopefully we'll meet up with them again some time soon. Then after lunch, as we were relaxing in the sun, a knock on our hull heralded the arrival back to La Linea of our friends Roger and Lynn (yacht VIS), who we first met back in Albufeira last spring. They were here with us in September, having spent their summer sailing in the Med. With so much catching up to do, it was only polite to trot back to the lounge bar for another couple of beers.
So, as you can see, life here is both hectic and restful in equal measures. The sun shines a lot, the beer is cold but we haven't ventured into the water for a swim just yet. More news of our adventure to follow soon.
1 Comment
Jackie Harvey
20/4/2013 12:25:21 am
Wow your supper looks fantastic! James Martin to the rescue (as long as it behaves!) So glad you are meeting up with old friends and have really started to relax. I'm off to support Jill who is running the London Marathon tomorrow, so London here we come. Jayne B-K is also running so lots of TK folks in London this weekend. XXX
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
A FEW PICS OF COMINOClick a photo to enlarge and use side arrows to scroll through.
COMINO IS CURRENTLY HEREDID SOMEONE SAY SEAFOODOn our journey from Portugal to Greece we enjoyed amazing seafood almost everywhere we stopped. Finding the local fish market was always a priority because seafood was so plentiful and so reasonably priced. And, the displays were a feast for your eyes.
Locating a market sometimes meant pounding the pavements in searing heat, but if you kept your eyes peeled, you often came across a little clue. The pic below was a rather less than subtle advert for a fish market - it was eight feet tall.
Freshly cooked onboard, a plateful of giant prawns, baked in wine and garlic, washed down with a few glasses of local vino, was like heaven. Watching the sunset on the boat eating a meal like that was the epitome of "living the dream".
Now we're in Greece we've another favourite to savour. I'm talking about fried Calamari. It's usually good, but every now and then it's off-the-scale fantastic. At Natalie's Taverna on Kontokali Beach in Corfu, it was nothing short of epic.
We're based in Lefkas now and It's been a bit of a mission to find somewhere just as good. And we have. Rakias is a mere ten minute walk from the marina and this little fish market, with its very own taverna attached, is quite sensational.
Oh...and it's also worth mentioning that, on occasions, a bit of barbequed Octopus is on the menu at some of the tavernas we frequent. Can I resist....no. SUNSETS AND DRAMATIC SKIESNo filters, or any other monkey business, have been used to enhance these images.
OUR ADVENTURES FROM THE BEGINNINGCATEGORIES
|