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"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
Ten days in Malta and it feels like home already. Actually, now I come to think about it, being on dry land in a big house, with wonderful sea views and a pool, makes it feel more like a holiday really. To be fair, it's just what Nicki needed after the difficulties of the past few weeks. Most nights we've all taken it turns to show off our culinary skills, but in all honesty Jane is a pretty tough act to follow. Needless to say the owner of the fresh fish shop just down the road is having rather a bumper time of it. Her name is Silvia and you couldn't wish for a more delightful woman to rob you blind - only kidding - but fish here is not as cheap as it was in Spain. And what of the good ship Comino? Well, last Saturday night she sailed into Grand Harbour safe and sound after seven days at sea and seven hundred and sixty miles on the log. The crew made a couple of brief stops to fuel up in Menorca, Sardinia and Sicily but broadly speaking they sailed for 24 hours at a time, which for only two people is an incredibly punishing journey particularly as they had a few nasty storms to contend with along the way. Cap'n Ahab would have been proud of them. As for us, we feel slightly guilty that we made the same journey in two hours flat courtesy of Mr O'Leary's Ryanair. Mind you, it's debatable who would have been the more comfortable! We didn't visit the boat until Monday on account of the fact Kenneth and Ramon said they wanted a full day to "tidy things up a bit". I dread to think the mess she was in but by the time we got there everything was in its rightful place plus the boat was clean as a whistle. Well done chaps - a mighty fine bit of delivery work. This past week I've been getting the boat ready for us to move back in, probably tomorrow. This has mainly entailed enthusiastically polishing the teak interior with bees wax in nearly 100 degrees of heat down below. To say it's been a sweaty job would be a slight understatement. On the other hand, hosing down the exterior daily is a real pleasure as you can stick the thing above your head every ten minutes for an impromptu shower. This tells you that the weather here is still hot but the mornings do start rather cloudy and often quite grey. It soon clears though, normally just as I'm about to start grafting. We've also been catching up with old friends including dinner one night at The Royal Malta Yacht Club. Quite a posh place it is too but unlike in England you can still wear shorts and flip flops if you want. As it's a regular meeting place for so many of the people we know, and the food and drink is very reasonably priced, I've been persuaded to join. For the first time in my life I'm actually a member of something - other than the boy scouts of course - but that was a long time ago. I can't wait for someone to say "where shall we meet tonight" and I can reply - "how about The Club". A bottle of wine there only costs eight euros so what's not to like! Jane has kindly given us use of her car during the day whilst she works enabling us to re-visit old haunts around the island. Nicki lived here for the best part of her teens and I've been a regular visitor since the first trip with her in 1978. One of our favourite spots is Paradise Bay. Jane warned us that it wasn't like the old days following a really violent winter storm which washed away almost the entire beach, not before filling what was left with big rocks. The forecast for next week is looking good for what I think will be a truly incredible moment. We'll sail Comino to the small Island of Comino to open a bottle of bubbly in celebration of the fulfilment of a promise made well over a decade ago. When we spent a weekend at anchor in the Blue Lagoon on Jane's ex partners yacht, I said one day we would return on our own boat. Hopefully that time is near.
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Sadly, Nicki's father passed away. I'm so glad we hugged each other so heartily when we departed the UK back in April.
I flew home for a week to reunite with Nicki and attend the funeral. The people at San Antonio Marina had understood my predicament and kindly found me a place. Nicki and I then returned to Ibiza on the same day the delivery crew arrived from Malta. We did the full handover the next day and Comino was now in the capable hands of Kenneth and Ramon, both very experienced skippers. Nevertheless, it was a sad moment walking away from our precious boat. On Sunday we jumped on the fast cat ferry to Valencia, where we had a relaxing two days in a lovely hotel right in the heart of the old city. We really needed some peaceful time together. This morning we flew from Valencia to Malta, to be met at the airport by our dear friend Jane. Within an hour we were lounging around on her rooftop terrace, enjoying the pool and sipping a glass of chilled vino. It's obviously a time of mixed emotions, but the plan is to settle here for a year or so, although obviously there'll be regular trips back to the UK. The immediate priority now is to wait patiently for Comino to arrive, probably in around ten days time. The weather forecast is very mixed around Sardinia, where she's are currently heading, so the guys may be holed up in a safe harbour for a day or so. Their route will then take them straight to Sicily, then Malta. All I can say is it's a bloody long way and I wish Kenneth and Ramon a safe passage. I can't wait to greet them at Manoel Island Marina, some time soon. |
A FEW PICS OF COMINO Click 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.
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