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
It's a bright sunny day and the view is pretty terrific. No...we haven't dropped the hook in a picturesque bay somewhere around Malta...we've actually come home to the Cotswolds. This last blog of the 2016 sailing season is being written from high up in the hills inside the comfort of my office (man cave) with a pile of admin stuff on one side, a few bills to settle on the other and a waste paper bin overflowing with two months worth of junk mail. It's a good job we didn't do our normal six month stint on the boat otherwise we wouldn't have been able to push open the front door!
I blame the education system for our slightly earlier departure from Malta than planned. You see those clever clogs at the cattle transport company (Ryanair) know only too well that many people will take to the skies for the forthcoming school half-term holidays. And why not, the sun is still shining in most parts of the Mediterranean, meaning thousands of eager tourists are going to pack some shorts and sandals (hopefully not socks) and hop on an aircraft bound for the beach. And so what do Ryanair do......yes you've guessed it......they hike up their prices to astronomical levels knowing that those with enough motivation and money will pay silly prices to get away. In our case we simply couldn't entertain the prospect of forking out the equivalent of the GDP of Guatamala just to stay on for a couple of extra weeks. Departing last Saturday whilst fares were still reasonable saved us a small fortune and to make matters even better we managed to come home with just hand luggage for the first time in five years. Her indoors wasn't happy at first, but I managed to persuade her that she was unlikely to wear 15 sarongs and 22 summer tops during the arctic like winter we usually experience up in the Cotswolds. The week before our return was a tad hectic cleaning the boat down below, polishing the gelcoat, removing the sails and generally doing all the other necessary things required for the many months Comino will be sat in the marina, hopefully safe and secure despite what the winter storms throw at her. Walking away on that last day is always a slightly apprehensive moment, but luckily our good friend Alfred has his boat on the same pontoon and he'll be keeping an eye out almost every day. Bless em....our friends hastily organised a (large) number of farewell parties and dinners to make sure all of our gang got to say good bye, which means we'll be eating lettuce leaves for much of October - or until we can get back to our normal belt notches. Nicki will be returning to her school work for a few hours a week and I've been asked to do a contract for the Royal International Air Tattoo that takes me up to next July. I start in a few weeks time, which allows just about enough time to sort the garden out after two months of total neglect. James (our son) said he preferred the wild meadow look whilst we were away - a rather lame excuse for not deploying the lawn mower. And that's where I shall take myself right now. Into the jungle, into the fresh country air, into a slightly different lifestyle to the one we've just had. We're both filled with so many happy memories of the summer of 2016 aboard Comino and before you know it we'll be back on the ocean waves again. Here's a few reminders of the last couple of months.
0 Comments
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. 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. There we were sat in the cockpit yesterday chatting away when all of a sudden the heavens opened and a torrential downpour sent us scuttling into the saloon like a couple of ferrets diving down a rabbit hole. Obviously all the hatches were open so it wasn't much dryer in there until we rapidly closed everything up. Then last night we had a proper full on storm with more really heavy rain, thunder and spectacular lightening, plus strong gusty winds that caused the boat to rock and roll a bit. It was the first storm of the summer and it's a good job we were safely tucked up in the marina and not sat in an exposed bay somewhere around the island. That would have been very uncomfortable, if not a tad frightening.
Today the air is clear and a little fresher than usual. The forecast is for more stormy weather but everything should clear up nicely by the weekend when we'll contemplate doing a bit more sailing. For now though we'll stay put, settle down with a good book, listen to some music and think about a bit of swordfish for supper. Let's call it chill out Friday. We've been out and about aboard Comino lately anchoring in beautiful bays and generally chilling in the sunshine. Nothing wrong with that. No reason to feel guilty. After all that's why we came. Then our daughter and her hubby arrived for a weeks holiday on the boat and apart from a bit of beach life they were keen to spend a couple of days around the tiny island of Comino which is, of course, our boats natural home. We stocked up with enough food to keep us going for a month and then set sail last Friday to beat the weekend rush. That's a laugh and a half as I'll explain in a minute. Our destination was the infamous Blue Lagoon. This is a place where the water is beyond clear - it's like mineral water that's been triple distilled to become even more pure. If you google it the bay can be seen from outer space it's so bright. Yep....as beauty spots go it doesn't come much better. But, and it's a very big but, there is a downside that has to be taken into consideration when you visit. Be warned...you will not be alone! Unsurprisingly, The Blue Lagoon is the biggest tourist attraction in Malta and pretty well everybody puts a boat trip there at the top of their "must see" agenda when they come here. And, needless to say, there's no shortage of entrepreneurial tripper boat skippers eager to transport the masses to this little piece of paradise at a price. They come from every direction, every hour, every day and in all shapes and sizes (the boats that is). What makes it even more crazy are the hundreds of Maltese boats that come and anchor in the lagoon as well. On top of this there are speed boat rides, ringo rides, paragliding rides, extreme boat rides and jet ski rides. All in all there's only one word to describe an average day in The Blue Lagoon......MAYHEM! But, it is what it is and quite frankly if you're looking for peace and tranquility don't go there. That's my philosophy. Actually, there is a time when it becomes the calmest, most beautiful place you can ever imagine, but you have to wait. It's not when the sun goes down and the hoards of tripper boats scoop up their hundreds of passengers and depart. Nor is it when the maltese boats head for home leaving just a small handful of yachts intending to anchor for the night. It's certainly not when darkness falls as this is when several disco boats arrive full of alcohol fuelled youngsters determined to party hard and loud, blasting out music at around a thousand decibels until midnight. The time when the lagoon becomes completely calm and utterly amazing is at dawn. Watching the sun rise above the jagged cliffs and illuminating the water just like a powerful light has been switched on under the sea is truly mesmerising. There's nobody else in the lagoon to spoil the atmosphere and you feel totally alone as you watch this stunning phenomenon of nature. This is the brief moment that makes it all worth while. This is an experience to be savoured. I love it and it warms my soul. Sadly, the moment is very brief and before long the first tripper boat arrives with yet another cargo of tourists ready to disturb the peace and quiet. Hey ho.....like I said......it is what it is. We bobbed up and down in the lagoon all day Saturday watching with amusement as the chaos unfolded all around us until late afternoon when we unfurled the genoa and motor sailed back to our base at Msida Marina - a gorgeous three hour journey across an inky blue Mediterranean sea. As ever, we got back feeling very privileged to be living the dream in just the way we imagined twenty years ago when we first visited The Blue Lagoon. The only difference is we have to share the experience with several thousand other people these days, apart from the dawn moment, but it still makes me smile to be on Comino....in Comino. Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. And what better way to chill and relax than to spend the day at Sue and Ian's place. They are the most generous hosts you could ever wish for and their gorgeous pad up in the hills is the perfect place to unwind. Mind you, as the sun went down and the music volume increased, what had been a lazy afternoon turned into a bit of a party. Now there's a surprise....when the Tabone sisters get together you know it's going to get lively.
And so....this little sailing adventure of ours has begun again. Nicki and I departed from the UK last Thursday in the pouring rain and arrived in a very hot and sunny Malta feeling excited to be back after ten months away. What took us so long to return you ask. It was my temporary work at the Royal International Air Tattoo that kept us at home and it all ended in a spectacular finale - the airshow itself (the biggest in the world no less) in mid July. If you like the sound of a supercar revving up, that's nothing compared to an F35 takeoff and vertical climb pulling 5G's in the process. And then an F22. And then a few Typhoons. And then the Reds. A couple of Migs. A Spitfire etc. etc. etc. Rattles your bones!!! The whole three day event was absolutely awesome and I loved every minute of my five month involvement leading up to it. Thanks again Harriett for making it such a blast. Anyway, that's enough about planes - let's get back to boats. It's five days since we got here and today is a biggy. We're moving back onto Comino as livaboards, having spent the time since our arrival cleaning and scrubbing what was essentially a giant sand pit. It was like half the Sahara Desert had been dumped onto the boat courtesy of the winter rain that carries the sand over from North Africa. A bedouin tent and a few camels on the foredeck wouldn't have looked out of place. Needless to say Comino looks like new again and we're itching to set sail to find a secluded bay where we can anchor and loose ourselves for a few days whilst we get back into the sea gypsy lifestyle. Our base here since we arrived has been at Jane's house and as usual her and her family, plus a few friends, have used our presence as an excuse to kick off a non stop party. Hectic barely comes close to describing the proceedings. Probably the best way to catalogue the days just gone by would be to jot down a small diary of events. Thursday 4th August - Got up at silly o'clock. Went to the airport in winter like conditions. Travelled on a flying cattle truck (Ryanair). Arrived in Malta and whisked away by Jane to her house with a pool on the roof. Dived in. Had lunch. People arrived early evening. Had BBQ (giant prawns and fresh swordfish). Much laughter. Wine flowed. End of day 1. Friday 5th August - Got picked up and taken to see Comino. Oh lord. Better get cleaning then. Diver arrived to scrub the coral reef off the hull. Worked my socks off in searing heat. Went home to shower. We all went to another rooftop BBQ in Attard. Partied with 20 or so lovely people. Watched the fiesta fireworks. Very spectacular. Late night again. End of day 2. Saturday 6th August - Worked my socks off once more. Got spruced up. Took Jane and Nicki to dinner. Amazing place - veranda over the beach. Fresh fish and some wine. Night cap at home. End of day 3. Sunday 7th August - Walked to Msida Marina - 3 miles. Very hot. Worked my socks off. Got even hotter. Got a lift home. Got in the pool. Vegetated in front of the telly for the rest of the evening. Just a little bit of wine. End of day 4. Monday 8th August - Got the bus to Msida Marina. Ray (the engine man) came and poured lots of loving TLC over the "donkey". Worked my socks off. Nicki and Jane arrived via Lidl. Boat fully stocked with food. Fridge full. Went home to glam up. BBQ at friends house in San Gwan. So many people to catch-up with. Very late night. End of day 5. It's now Tuesday morning and we'll be packing up soon to head down to the boat. There's plenty more to do to get fully ship shape but being there full time will make it much easier. Doing work in the cool early mornings is less arduous for sure. I mentioned our intention to slip our lines and quietly head out into the Med but in truth the party here is destined to continue for a few more days. There's another BBQ to attend tomorrow at Becky and Pierre's and then on Friday night we have a government permit to hold a beach party at Golden Sands to celebrate Jane's birthday. That'll be a sedate gathering of the clan....NOT. And finally, Sunday will be a day of absolute luxury at Ian and Sue's amazing house and pool up in Madelena. It's sort of the Maltese equivalent of Beverly Hills I guess. Monday is a bank holiday here which means the entire population will take to their boats and occupy every inch of every anchorage around the islands, so not a good day to head out. Therefore, it looks like another week before we hoist the sails and take to the high sea. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not complaining. We're having a ball and as busy as it sounds being on the boat from now on will make all the difference. That's because we'll be in our own home - in our own space - in shorts and flip flops - in the sunshine - surrounded by wonderful people - enjoying healthy food and a few glasses of vino. Oh no......I'm certainly not complaining.....neither is Nicki for that matter. And so.... here we are five months after returning home to the Cotswolds and living a somewhat different life to the one we had on the boat. Lots of things have happened since we got back and therefore a bit of a catch-up seems in order. Firstly, lets look retrospectively for a moment. Those last few days in Malta saw a very mixed bag of weather, demonstrating that the Mediterranean sea can turn on you big time as the summer fades into Autumn. This was the scene as we walked along Sliema waterfront the day before departure. That structure is a popular outdoor swimming pool being swamped by gigantic waves. Funny how nobody seems to be in there today! Looking back once again, the difference in diet we had on the boat reminds me of how much healthier most meals were. A typical dinner would have looked like this...... At home my culinary efforts result in platefuls of grub more like the one below. Either way, I can't quite get out of the habit of arranging food into pretty patterns on a plate. On more than one occasion I have had to endure comments like... " it looks better than it tastes"! I may have mentioned some time ago that the garden had essentially reverted back to something resembling the Amazonian rainforest....only without any exotic animals....apart from next doors chickens, who pop over the wall each day and scratch to buggery what's left of my lawn. I can see a rather nice spatchcock style roast coming on soon if they're not careful. To restore order I have basically adopted a slash and burn strategy using powerful petrol driven machinery. Or "boys toys" as Nicki calls them. This demanding work has kept me out of mischief for many a day, although the by products of my labours did create a problem of sorts. Let me elaborate. Hacking away at trees and shrubs results in huge piles of garden waste that has to be disposed of. I did try burning it, but all the neighbours complained that my daily infernos created enough smoke to seriously threaten climate change in the village, not to mention the effect it was having on their clean washing. Plan B was necessary....take all the rubbish to the dump 6 miles away. However, Nicki's car is far too nice to use as a pick-up truck and therefore we needed to bite the bullet and get a second vehicle more suited to the task. The opportunity to finally realise a lifelong ambition was too big to miss. Another tick on my bucket list was staring me in the face. And the car I had in mind...... Practical, workhorse, great in bad weather, lots of luggage space.....the list of benefits I explained to Nicki before purchase were endless. Luckily she loves it and we both smile every time we go out in it. We like to venture into the wild countryside around us on what we call our "Cotswold Safaris". Is that a new business idea I just had? Some weeks ago a troupe of our Maltese friends came over to stay with us and the Land Rover doubled up as an excellent people carrier. Needless to say the extra space was more than necessary after we took them on a trip to Primarni in Cheltenham. It's just over a year ago since my father passed away and coming home has given us the opportunity to visit his grave several times, which now features a memorial stone in a style specified by him. As you can see, it bears his rank of Lieutenant Colonel and his name in Polish, also in accordance with his wishes. RIP. And now to perhaps the most significant bit of news to report. Whilst Nicki has done her usual thing of going back to work at her old school, part time, I made the monumental decision to stop being a layabout, good for nothing loafer and start looking for gainful employment myself. It seems I am still reasonably employable as next week I join the Business Development Team for The Royal International Air Tattoo at nearby Fairford. All I can say is "chocks away", time to hang up my flip flops and get a haircut. Apart from being the biggest airshow in the world, this event is a massive commercial enterprise with an enormous exhibition and trade fair attached. My involvement will take me to the end of July when we'll hop on a plane shortly afterwards to re-join the boat. I reckon we'll still have a good three months worth of cruising before the iffy weather sets in. Although we'll be setting sail again somewhat later than usual, a spell of good, honest, hard work will be a real tonic. It also means the new BBQ might get some use and weekend trips to the coast in the Landy will also be on the agenda. A change is as good as a rest they say.....and I'm sure the next few months will be good fun. There is one image that I have tucked away inside my head though, just in case things get a bit hectic. It speaks for itself.
|
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
|