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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
Ooo…errr…it's the final countdown before we depart Malta on Wednesday for the long awaited re-union with the kids and other family members, over turkey and mince pies. This past week's preparation to leave the island has been quite hectic one way or another, but one particularly amusing occurrence is worthy of specific mention. Let me explain. For several days we watched with great intrigue whilst a never-ending convoy of big lorries and caravans parked up on a piece of wasteland alongside the marina, just a few yards from our mooring. Then one morning all was revealed. A big top tent rose majestically from the ground, which could only mean one thing……yes, the circus was cumin to town. Nicki made the interesting observation that there might be wild animals wandering around in those lorries and our morning stroll to the nearby showers could now be a matter of life or death. Don't be daft I said….in this day and age a circus comprises only of acrobats and clowns; wild animals are a thing of the past. Then the next day posters promoting the circus started to appear all around us. OMG! So there we were, sat on the boat just a stone's throw away from a vicious man eating tiger waiting to pounce on us at any moment. Scary or what? This menacing prospect was, thankfully, very short lived on account of the fact that I had already arranged to move the boat to a different marina some days before. As we don't intend to spend any time on Comino over the winter months, our present location at Manoel Island is rather expensive. Just round the corner is Ta' Xbiex (pronounced Tash Bish) where the mooring prices are considerably cheaper. Therefore, on Thursday, we slipped our lines and motored all of five hundred yards to a new destination, where Comino will sit out the next three months in a more sheltered spot that costs less money. Sorted! As a little thank you to Jane for all her hospitality over the past few months, we masterminded a special Christmas Day on Saturday……just like the real thing only a few days early. We took over the house; Nicki decorated the table and yours truly did all the cooking. The guest list extended to Anne (her mum) and Jess (her daughter), who all tucked into a magnificent turkey lunch with all the trimmings, not to mention my world famous smoked salmon and caviar starter…….particularly well received I thought. When I say caviar, I really mean lumpfish eggs; good Beluga is a real bugger to find in these parts don't you know! The obligatory secret santa was skilfully administered by Jess, looking quite the part in her hastily assembled santa get up, including a cushion stuffed up her jumper just in case anyone thinks she might be expecting! There we have it - 2013, another year of fantastic adventures, plus some real sadness and it's practically gone. It all started back in Gibraltar and that seems like such a very long time ago. Our journey aboard Comino took us out of the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. Up the coast of Spain and across to Ibiza. Comino was then entrusted to a delivery crew for the voyage from there to Malta, whilst we took the plane from Valencia. Here, we've spent some time on the boat and some time in the comfort of Jane's house….a perfect combination. We only have one way tickets to the UK and no plans at all beyond the festive season. What lies ahead, who knows?
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Sometimes, rather annoyingly, British people seem obsessed with talking about the weather. I'm afraid today though, it's my turn to indulge in a little narrative on the vexed subject of climatic occurrences. Let me explain. For the last week, I've been seriously contemplating selling Comino so I could build a ruddy great big Arc in preparation for what looked like the imminent disappearance of Malta under a massive flood of rainwater. A phrase like "the heavens opened" doesn't even come close to describing the daily deluge we've endured. Then yesterday, out of the blue (pun intended), we had, what I thought would be, a brief respite. A great ball of fire appeared in the clear sky. Yes, lovely sunshine had returned. At last a perfect day to hoist the sails to dry for an hour, whip them off and pack em away for winter. So, in haste, we did all of that by midday and then sat in the cockpit sunbathing for a couple of hours with a glass of chilled white wine…..perfect! It was my understanding that the rain would quickly return and this was probably our last chance to get the sails off before we return home in two weeks. You can imagine my surprise therefore, to wake up this morning to a weather forecast for the next five days that goes like this-: Friday……..Sunny Saturday….Mostly sunny Sunday……Plenty of sunshine Monday……Plenty of sunshine Tuesday…..Mostly sunny Will I go to go to the trouble of putting the sails back on so we can go sailing again. I'm afraid not, that's it for this year. Tomorrow, I'll do an oil change, replace all the filters and Comino will be all prepped up for the long winter ahead. Going back to the dark days of the last week, I mentioned previously that the Crock Pot (slow cooker) had been retrieved from the bowels of the boat. The long awaited lamb shanks in red wine proved to be a big hit with me and my crew. After eight hours of gentle simmering the meat literally fell off the bone. So as ever, come rain or shine, we amuse ourselves with culinary delights in the cosy comfort of the good ship Comino. But not for much longer !!! We've spent the past week hunkered down on Comino whilst the rain has periodically poured and the temperature has tumbled. A few of the Maltese yotties in the marina have said to us "aren't you bloody cold staying on-board". Rather smugly I've answered "not at all - this is a British boat - we have central heating". Flabbergasted barely describes the reaction. Heating on a boat here is as rare as a warm glass of white wine. Our warmth comes at the press of a button in the form of a diesel powered hot air central heating system, which I had fitted at Nicki's insistence when the boat was built. Good call, even if it did cost two grand! So there lies the secret of our comfort, in spite of the worst the weather has thrown at us. This morning however, the word comfort went out the window. Since the day we arrived in Malta people have warned us about what happens when a North Easterly gale force wind blows. It's called a Gregale. At about 6am we found out exactly what they were talking about. Essentially, the wind drives small tidal waves directly into Grand Harbour at 20 second intervals, right down to where we're berthed. The effect is quite dramatic. The boat tosses like a bucking bronco on steroids, the pontoon rolls and it's just like being out at sea in a really bad storm. At 8am the phone rang and Jane said "get your bags packed, I'm coming over to rescue you". Much to our relief, she arrived shortly afterwards to help us abandon ship. Getting across the gangplank from the boat to the pontoon was a death defying feat, but we managed to get back on terra firma unscathed. A short drive later, at Jane's house, we were greeted with something we hadn't seen since last winter at our own home……a real fire…… WOW!!! Going back to yesterday, before the storm, we wandered down to the big new shopping centre in Sliema, now that the Christmas lights have been switched on. I normally hate the commercialisation that spoils this time of year……ba humbug I hear you say…... but we both felt we should try and get a bit of festive spirit inside us ready for when we come home in a couple of weeks. At the entrance to the mall a charming little shrine has sprung up, which replicates something that we saw in Paris earlier in the year. Lovers fasten a padlock to the railings and throw the key into the sea below. It kind of symbolises their lurve……soppy yes…... but hey……what's wrong with a little romance. Inside the mall the lights made us feel very festive indeed. So much so, that on the way home we stopped at Med Asia for bargain happy hour 2 for 1 cocktails costing all of €4.95. Now that's what I call festive spirit! After a week at Jane's house with my leg propped up on a plump cushion, we've been taking things easy back here on the boat, making sure my knee situation doesn't re-occur. Gentle daily walks and plenty of rest in-between seem to be doing the trick so far.
You may or may not be aware that, for the past month, it's been the annual Lampuki season. What's Lampuki you might ask - is it some exotic wild animal that's mercilessly hunted down for it's luscious fur coat, perfect for making warm winter clothing for the Maltese fashionistas. Thankfully not……it's a delicious fish that migrates to the waters around Malta at this time of year. Every day the local fishermen catch boatloads of the stuff. We've been making regular trips to our local fish shop to enjoy the Lampuki fest while it lasts. Various recipes have been tried and tested, but quite frankly nothing beats baked fillets with garlic, herbs and freshly squeezed lemon. The ideal accompaniment is a bean salad loaded with oodles of chopped coriander. Mind you, the Lampuki season only lasts till the beginning of December, so the end is nigh. In anticipation, I've been routing around in Comino's deepest lockers to find the slow cooker that we buried away after last winter in Gibraltar. It's now sitting comfortable in the galley waiting for the first signs of cold weather, when we'll pop in a couple of lamb shanks to stew in red wine for eight or so hours. Bring on the inclement weather I say……apparently temperatures of 16 degrees are forecast for next week……positively arctic like for this neck of the woods. So far, the predicted storm has only consisted of heavy rain, some of it in biblical proportions I might add, but no nasty gale force winds. However, a slightly different disaster struck on Sunday just when we were all least expecting it. Nicki and I joined Jane's family for a much anticipated traditional Sunday roast - the first in months. During the day my left knee started giving me jip, plus I was developing a temperature. After lunch, I decided to have a lie down, but things quickly went from bad to worse. Imagine a red hot poker being shoved under your knee cap. Now wire it up to mains electricity and you get an idea of the agony I was in. A fever had also taken hold, but even more concerning, were the chest pains.
To cut a long story short, before long I was in quite a bad way. The doctor was phoned and immediately he prescribed an ambulance. Minutes later, I was on a stretcher on my way to hospital in a state of slight deliriousness - no change there then! The hospital team were first class. I had wires and drips inserted very quickly, but more importantly a nice man with a large syringe full of morphine administered instant pain relief - oh I like that stuff very much. Over the next hour or five, the medical team did an ECG, chest and knee X-rays, examinations that involved a lot of tapping and, finally, a series of blood tests. With all the results now available, an orthopaedic surgeon was summoned to the scene. She diagnosed the knee problem with some long sounding Latin name, which basically meant I had acute inflammation of a fluid sack under my Patellae, which was crushing the nerves. The chest/fever issue was the early signs of Pneumonia, the two things being totally unrelated. A steroid jab and some other drugs later, I went home in the early hours and slept like a baby until late the next morning. As I write, I'm somewhat incapacitated, but each day brings a little more movement in my leg. Complete rest was the dictate from the doctor, so that's what I'm doing. The Maltese medics were fantastic and thanks to our reciprocal EU treaties all my care and attention was free. I must say though, before the morphine, the hospital team looked quite normal. After the injection, they suddenly loked more like this...... In the next few days an almighty storm is forecast to hit Malta. We're busy today checking over the boat to make sure everything is battened down and secure. Being the utter lightweights that we are, we'll be making a quick exit from the marina the minute the wind starts to blow. Our plan is to see out the rough weather from the comfort of Jane's house with a glass of wine in one hand and a plate of pasta in the other. The past few days have, however, been particularly calm with brilliant sunshine and temperatures in the mid 20's. It was so hot yesterday we even headed for the beach......how bonkers is that? Here we are in November and it's still beach weather. Some people were actually swimming, although to be fair when we dipped our toes in the water it was comfortably warm. Jane has been working in London this week, so it's given us the opportunity to take the car and do some more exploring. Perhaps the most spectacular place was the perfectly preserved medieval walled city of Mdina, also known as the Silent City. Without exaggeration it's quite breathtaking. Because the Maltese aristocracy and extremely well to do merchants didn't fancy the idea of living in Valletta, Burgu or Senglia, alongside the ruling Knights of St John, they built their very own private city on top of a hill surrounded by huge bastions to keep away any invading armies (and general riff raff presumably). What makes it so extraordinary is that there are no normal houses. It's just one grand palace or Palazzo after another, with a magnificent cathedral in the middle. All of these fine buildings are still fully occupied today....Lord knows who by.... but they must have a bob or two. My camera couldn't possibly do it justice, so all I can say is go there and see it for yourself.
We did tons more sightseeing, as well as using the car to restock the boat with fuel and supplies ready for the day we set sail again, hopefully after the storm has passed. With so many social activities over the past few weeks we still haven't made our pilgrimage to the Island of Comino....but we will do soon. Nicki has returned from her trip back to the UK, so life is now getting back to normal here on Comino. Unfortunately, she missed the entertainment associated with the Rolex Middle Sea Race, but I have to admit, I partied quite hard on her behalf. A couple of days before the start, the Royal Malta Yacht Club hosted a crew party. Think about it - several hundred testosterone fuelled ocean racing yachtsmen (plus the women competitors) all congregated in a marquee on the waterside with free food, free bar and a band. There's only one word to describe it - CARNAGE. The event attracted many of Malta's lovely ladies who came to ogle at the boys before they set off on their seven hundred mile challenge against all the ocean could throw at them.
Last Saturday was race day and we had VIP invites to watch the start from Barrakka Gardens, high up on the bastions of Valletta. The view across Grand Harbour was nothing short of spectacular. Courtesy of Rolex, the sponsors, we had wine and nibbles to make sure nobody felt undernourished. It was an event to behold. Ninety nine boats, divided into six classes, screamed off at ten minute intervals in a hot breeze to the thunderous bangs of the starter cannons below us. It made the hairs on your neck tingle with excitement. As the last boats left the harbour the enormous Malta Siege Bell boomed its farewell and we all wished the crews safe passage and safe return. In the early hours of Tuesday morning the first boats crossed the line back in the harbour and the last of them came home yesterday. Nicki has popped back to the UK to help Em choose a wedding dress. I suggested they try Oxfam, but I think my rather practical advice fell on deaf ears. Apparently, and this came as no surprise at all, I was surplus to requirements on such matters. So, what do you do all on your tod in Malta on a hot sunny Saturday. No I didn't go to a bar for an all day beer fest, although I was sorely tempted. Instead, I opted for a dose of culture in the capital, to wallow in the fascinating history of the mysterious Malta based Order of St John - the Knights of old who were appointed by the Pope to protect Jerusalem against the marauding Muslims in order to maintain Roman Catholicism in the Holy Land. He gave them Malta as a pressie for all their sterling work. They were also known as the Crusaders but far be it from me to embark on a long and laborious history lesson - if you're really interested just do a search on Wikapedia and the significance of Malta will be revealed. First thing, off to Valletta I trekked. Actually, I took a water ferry from Sleima - much easier and considerably quicker. The pics below hopefully speak for themselves, summing up a brilliant day wandering through the streets of one of my favourite cities in all the world. One picture above is worthy of a little additional explanation. Strait Street was well known (nudge nudge, wink wink) to tens of thousands of servicemen throughout the ages as a place to let your hair down (and your pants) whilst on short term leave. Let me elaborate. Malta was a British Colony until 1964, the year full independence was declared. Before then, the majority of UK sailors, troops, and later on, airmen, who came to Malta for tours of duty headed for this particular street for some of life's simple pleasures - say no more. Now all you see are dilapidated old neon signs advertising bars and clubs that would have once been full to the rafters with young revellers feeling lonely far from home.
And finally, the pub where the great English actor Oliver Reed drank himself into a heart attack and dropped dead at the bar. Not a great pic I know, but I somehow felt a bit self conscious hanging around outside with a camera - a bit mawkish - it didn't seem to bother the other twenty people around me though. Back home in the past, it's fair to say we did the odd bit of socialising now and then, but life always seemed so hectic on the work front, which meant seeing people and going out was more of an occasional indulgence. Here in Malta, it feels like its non stop. We're not complaining....oh no....but my word you need a bit of stamina to keep up with these Maltese party animals. They tell us it gets even better during the winter - they say what else can you do when the sun isn't shining!!! Here's just a flavour of life on a small island in the middle of nowhere. We had a magnificent sail in glorious sunshine courtesy of Roland and his big 52 foot yacht. The relaxing day was spent with with good friends, good food and wine-a-plenty. We even managed to catch a small tuna (well Dave the skipper did actually) which was gutted, filleted and prepped up as sushi within minutes of landing on deck. It don't come fresher than that. There was the wedding anniversary that nearly wasn't. On 27th Sept, we were sat on the boat sipping an early morning coffee when Jane turned up to join us holding a large bunch of flowers, a card and a bottle of fizzy stuff. "Happy anniversary" she said. It was a jaw dropping moment - Nicki and I looked at each other in horror. For the first time in 33 years we'd both completely forgotten. Just to add insult to injury, ten minutes later up turned Neville (Jane's ex partner) with a bottle of vintage Maltese red wine wishing us all the best too. Jane cooked us, her sister and her partner Dave, a fabulous dinner that night and we stayed over at the house making it an even bigger treat. Then we attended the much anticipated "Curry Party" on the roof terrace. An all day food extravaganza whereby friends and family all brought an Indian dish to die for. It was a feast fit for Kings, or Sultans I guess. Anyway, few Indian take aways I know could have matched the culinary delights on offer that day. As ever, the wine flowed freely late into the night and, even better, I was able to indulge in my rather disgusting habit of eating cold curry for breakfast. Congealed Lamb Rogan is a particular favourite! I must have been enjoying myself so much because the camera never came out of its case - hence no pics. Looking ahead to the next few weeks, things will get even busier I think. On 19th October its the Rolex Middle Sea Race, one of the great nautical events in the yachting calendar. Think of it as being like an F1 race invloving some of the most famous boats and well known sailors from around the globe. Like the Fastnet race in the UK, amateurs also compete alongside fully sponsored professionals in what is a seven hundred mile dash around the Mediterranean whereby the fastest boats return to Malta in under three days. As a fully paid up member of the Royal Malta Yacht Club we get automatic invites to the pre-race crew party, the race start reception and the prize giving ceremony. Plus, I've volunteered to be a boat scrutiniser meaning I'll be in the yachting equivalent of the pit lane before the start to check boats over for regulatory safety equipment. My formal training should start in the next few days - excited - just a bit!
You'll see there's been no mention so far of us sailing on Comino, particularly the pilgrimage back to the Island of Comino for that date with destiny. It's for a very good reason I hasten to add. When the boat came from Ibiza to Malta the crew encountered some pretty strong winds which put the sails under considerable pressure. The stitched seams on large areas of the Genoa sail (the big one at the front) came undone due to the corroding effect the suns UV rays have on the thread. This damage is a gradual process occurring over several years, not helped by the fact that Comino has been abroad in the sunshine for three years now. Anyway, before being used again, the sail needed some serious maintenance work and a local firm have been doing the repair plus fitting a new UV strip to provide better protection in the future. It only came back a few days ago so when we get a good spell of weather again we'll slip our lines and head for the ocean. The weather here is quite changeable now. Some hot sticky days, interspersed with cloudy spells and even heavy rain. To be honest, after six months of sunshine, you really get to appreciate the cooler times, particularly at night. We're spending this week house sitting for Jane whilst she works in London and that means we get some of life's little luxuries like posh loos, private showers and a big bed. Happy days. 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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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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