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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
There we were this morning, perched high up on the ancient bastions of Valletta, waiting patiently for the 35th Rolex Middle Sea Race to begin. As noon approached 123 boats categorised into five classes got underway on the 600 mile course at ten minute intervals. The roar of a single cannon shot across Grand Harbour signalled the start of each group. Every ten minutes it was boom... and they're off.
The wind was very light. Bunching occurred almost straight away and collisions were a real danger as very big boats in close quarters hardly moved in a relatively small space. I think the word to describe the scene was…majestic, but fraught. Some boats are the nautical equivalent of F1 cars, owned by extremely rich people who can afford to pay a professional crew to compete in races all over the world on their behalf. Then there are boats owned by ordinary people (not short of a bob or two, clearly), who enter because they can. The race is open to all-comers and some of the crews are nothing more than recreational sailors having a go. The one thing they all have in common is the spirit to endure several days of seriously hard graft in an effort to get on the podium. The word to use for them is…respect.
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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.
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