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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
Some ventures out on the boat become epic for all sorts of reasons. Yesterday happened to be one of those days.
The news about my dad, and seeing him in a hospice during my quick trip back to the UK, made the past week a bit of an emotional one. Feeling slightly sad that this would probably be our last sail of the season also contributed to a general feeling that we just wanted to get away on our own and lose ourselves out at sea. The sun shone brightly; the air was still and warm; the clear turquoise sea was calm and inviting. You couldn't wish for a better day to be on a boat in the Mediterranean……in November would you believe! Before setting sail, we picked up a chicken from a rotisserie, some salad and a bottle of chilled wine. To be honest we didn't go that far, just a gentle hop along the coast to Spinola Bay (St Julians), where we dropped anchor in the middle and spent a lazy day lying in the cockpit quietly soaking up the rays. Although we were only a few hundred yards off-shore, it seemed like a million miles. Our picnic lunch somehow tasted extra special and the siesta that followed was more than welcome, particularly after the vino. It was mid afternoon when the anchor came up and we motored back to the marina with the sun still bright in the sky. However, as we tidied up the light faded and by five o'clock it was dark. Yes, looking back on it, yesterday was certainly an epic day.
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I got an e-mail last week to say could I please ring home - urgently. You make a call like that with a degree of apprehension, and, as it turned out, not without reason.
A few minutes after the conversation ended I was on the Ryanair website seeing how quickly I could get a flight back to the UK. One of the advantages of being in Malta is there are still daily flights, even though the tourist season is over. My trip lasted four days. It was bitter sweet. Extremely sad that my Dad (93) is now entering the final chapter of his life but, as always, a real pleasure to spend some time with the kids. Tough times ahead. As I pulled open the blinds this morning the sky looked like a raging inferno about to explode at any moment. For a split second I thought I might have died and gone to hell. Have I really done enough bad things in my life to deserve such an end ?…answers on a post card please. With my trusty little "snap and hope for the best" camera I took some pics, although the vivid colours and the intensity of the contrasts don't really come across that well. As ever, click on the images for the full size version. The pics aren't too shoddy I suppose, but I'm not banking on landing a job as a highly paid international photographer any time soon. Instead, I've turned my talents to a different money making scheme…sun dried chillies. Having said that, it's clear to me that I might need to up production by at least a million percent if I want a new boat out of the proceeds!
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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.
OUR ADVENTURES FROM THE BEGINNING CATEGORIES
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