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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
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.
1 Comment
Peter McEwen
13/8/2016 08:37:49 am
I wondered what had happened to you both. I watched the coverage of Cowes Week - nothing. Then the sailing from Rio - nothing. Then scoured the Fairford press for news of you being banged up for some alcohol related offence - nothing. I was beginning to fear the worst when you suddenly popped up!!
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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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