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
0 Comments
We've been home for several weeks now but the garden is still not quite up together, despite our energetic slash and burn antics. The chain saw, strimmer and hedge trimmer have all been working overtime to tackle what could best be described as an Amazonian Rain Forest. I know it rained a bit whilst we were away (slight understatement) but I can only assume someone with a sense of humour sprayed the entire garden with the agricultural equivalent of steroids !!! Today, I shall be mostly jumping up and down in the skip to make room for more debris soon to be hacked down from the hugely overgrown shrubbery. With all this back breaking work on the land, I think I deserve a holiday by the seaside in the sun. That's why I've booked to go back to Gibraltar on 7th November for two weeks. Actually, it won't be all Tapas and Rioja: there's more hard work required servicing Comino's engine and polishing the not inconsiderable amount of stainless steel around the boat. I do feel a tad guilty on account of the fact that Nicki will be going back to work (only part-time) whilst I'll be away sunning myself. I think a nice pressie from the airport duty free shop might be required to smooth things over on my return !!! It would be remiss of me not to mention that when we arrived back at the house, after five months away, it was almost as clean and tidy as the day we left. A big well done to James who worked his proverbial socks off to get things ship shape for us. Mind you, the fact that it took him three days of serious hard work gives you an idea of how much mess needed clearing up. We've re-paid him though, with hearty home cooked meals every day, making a welcome change from all the fast food crap he ate in our absence. I'll post a report of my time back on Comino when I return at the end of November. Looking at the weather forecast, Gibraltar probably looks a bit like this today. I hope it improves in time for my trip !!! This pic was taken just before we left because when the wind blows from the East a weird cloud always hovers over the Rock. Note the Mediterranean is lively enough for surfing. Today is our last day on Comino for a while as we fly home tomorrow for who knows how long. After five wonderful months aboard we've decided to visit the good old UK to catch up with family and friends. This week we've been putting the boat to bed for the winter, which involves removing the sails plus all the other various bits of canvas. She now looks rather bare but the sun doesn't stop shining here and it eventually destroys anything that's fabric. Comino will now stay on her mooring at La Linea until next April, when we'll set off again into the Med. Until then she'll be a floating home in the marina as we come back and forth. We spoke to James at home the other day and he's now frantically doing five months worth of washing up ready for our arrival. Worryingly, we had to remind him where the Dyson is kept !!! I also gleaned that there is not one clean towel, sheet or quilt cover in the place so it looks like the first day or so will be all about washing. We have so many happy memories of this first leg of our sailing adventure and we're already excited about the next instalment. Swimming off the back of the boat in the Med has been a dream of ours for a very long time. In the meantime my biggest worry is shoes and socks. For so long now it's been flip flops or bare feet.... even going out in the evenings. Perhaps I'll just carry on that way in England regardless of the weather !!! |
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.
OUR ADVENTURES FROM THE BEGINNING CATEGORIES
|