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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
This blog is just like waiting for a London bus. Nothing happens for ages and then two come along one after the other. Out and about part two relates to our little venture last week when we decided to circumnavigate the small island of Gozo, just to the north of Malta. Please don't think this was a particularly gruelling sailing experience full of risk or daring bravado. Driving around a Tesco car park is more likely to result in a scarier incident than this, but it was on our bucket list and we decided it was time to tick the box. As I mentioned in the last blog entry we emptied the entire stock of the San Gwan Lidl before setting off just in case we got marooned on a remote beach somewhere having been sunk by a vindictive whale. In fact, it would be safe to say we could have survived for a whole year given the amount of food we were carrying. In the event no such angry whale materialised and we're still chomping our way through the contents of the larder locker even now. Straight after returning the hire car on Tuesday we slipped our lines at midday and cruised for three hours up to the quite simply gorgeous Santa Maria Bay on the island of Comino. We arrived, we ate, we swam and we slept - but not not necessarily in that order. Anchoring overnight here is nothing short of spectacular - the crystal clear water, the rocky surroundings and the sun sets and sun rises are to die for. And so the moment of truth came early on Wednesday morning as we motored the short distance over to Gozo. The clockwise circumnavigation began in earnest as we left all signs of civilisation behind us and entered the great unknown. Monumental cliffs towered hundreds of feet above us and the water depth plummeted to over a thousand feet. It was eerily quiet apart from the gentle throbbing of our engine. We were all alone; us against the elements; I felt like the nautical equivalent of Lawrence of Arabia charging out across a desolate seascape unsure what dangers lay ahead. Nicki has just read this last paragraph and told me not to write such exaggerated bull***t, particularly as it was a calm sunny day and we were never out of sight of another boat on the entire journey. Sure the sea was deep and the cliffs were amazing, but the shore wasn't more than a hundred yards away at any time. I'll continue with less creative flourish if I may. It took all of four hours to get around Gozo, including poking our nose into all the big ticket areas of interest along the way. We ended up back in Santa Maria by mid afternoon just in time for a siesta, followed by an moonlight dinner on deck and a slightly rocky night's sleep as some unexpected swell rolled into the bay. It meant the next day was largely about dozing and swimming. In other words doing what we do best - not very much at all. The evening journey back to Msida Marina gave us something we hadn't had for quite a while - a cracking sail with 15 knots of wind, not on the nose for a change. Comino likes to get her canvas out to show us what she can do. Nicki fished all the way back in anticipation of a fish pie supper. Not even a nibble, much to her disappointment. But tomorrow (Sunday) we're going out on a friends boat specifically to catch fish, so next time I write maybe it will be all about the big one that didn't get away.
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There hasn't been any news posted on this blog for a while, not because of laziness I promise. The reason is we've been out and about lately doing a few different things. Let's start with the car hire expedition. We both woke up one morning feeling that we needed a break from the boat. After all, we had been living on Comino for just over a month and there were early signs of a nasty dose of cabin fever creeping in. The initial symptoms are quite concerning...talking utter gibberish (Nicki)...staring into space and mumbling to yourself (me). Yes...it was definitely time to spend some time on dry land. A quick phone call and half an hour later I was stood at the end of the pontoon waiting to be picked up by the car hire company we use from time to time. Half an hour later from then I was back at the marina with our new set of wheels ready to start a four day expedition exploring the wilds of Malta. Actually, we were about to become full on tourists just for a short while. The vehicle in question was a Suzuki Alto. This is not a car blessed with good looks or anything under the bonnet that would remotely excite you in any gear. Indeed, it hasn't so much been engineered but rather assembled in the way you would put together a novelty toy you get free in a cereal box. This is a mixture of thin steel and even thinner plastic plonked on top of a hairdryer motor. And, to add insult to injury, the car loaned to us was vomit green. Off we went feeling excited that we were free at last. Our wonderful puke coloured shoe box was going to take us on a fascinating road trip around the island - albeit at a top speed approaching 30mph. I'm only kidding - we got it up to 40mph at one point. We headed south and after navigating a few roads with potholes the size of tin mines we ended up in an amazing little fishing hamlet with a giant rock pool to swim in called Ghar Lapsi. We hadn't visited this place for 40 years and it hadn't changed a bit - unlike some parts of Malta that have become a perpetual building site. Next we went to our favorite little hideaway on top of the spectacular Dingli cliffs overlooking the deep blue Mediterranean sea. It's a restaurant called Bobbyland and I consumed a plateful of the best octopus spaghetti you can get anywhere in the world. Well, that's in my opinion anyway. Given that we were at the southern end of Malta, it seemed entirely logical (not) that our next stop should be the northern most tip of the island. And so we meandered our way from one end to the other eventually arriving an hour and a half later at another beauty spot called Paradise Bay. We sat with a glass (or two) of wine watching the sun go down from a terrace over the beach feeling very mellow and very privileged. The next day was to be a beach day. We hadn't done this for a while and it seemed like a nice way to relax in the sun and do some swimming, not to mention people watching. Our trusty Suzuki Alto sped us (slight exaggeration) to Golden Bay, where, surprise surprise, as the name would suggest, there is a sandy beach. I think the best way to describe the day would be five hours of horizontal vegetating with occasional dips in the briny. Mind you, our tans got topped up nicely - I'm the colour of an oak sideboard now. Nicki said I'm about as interesting too. Cabin fever not quite cured yet I think! Day three was Sunday. Despite it being one of the most touristy thing ever, a visit to the Marsaxlokk market was a must. And so with thousands of other sheep we herded our way around this little fishing town, looking at fish stalls and tat stalls until it was time. Time that is for a bit of lunch at one of the dozens of fish restaurants that pour onto the streets by the harbour side. There was method in our madness. Sunday is the big thing in Marsaxlokk and the locally caught fresh fish is a real attraction. In our case we came for something slightly different - the fried calamari. Off the scale fantastic would just about sum it up. After lunch we headed for Marsascala, another much quieter fishing village and then onto Valletta for some culture and a coffee. The last day with the car was spent back at Golden Bay for another chill out session. Probably the last beach visit we would have on this Malta trip. It was all pretty routine apart from the Italian goddess who took her bikini top off, only to be ticked off by the beach supervisor. It's still not allowed here, being such a strong Catholic country, which is all a bit rich when you think what the clergy get up to. So, apart from an all too brief glimpse of a semi-naked stunner, the day was calm and peaceful. Tuesday morning, before the car was to be returned, was spent shopping for vast quantities of supplies for our next little adventure on the boat - the long awaited three day circumnavigation of the island of Gozo. Watch this space. |
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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