FAMILY

7 May 2011

Having done lots of work this morning after lowering the dinghy into the water and lots of fun and games as Dave tried not to sink it or turn it over while looking at the sides, and painting some patches etc etc. More painting, scrubbing and filling this afternoon and now it is time to come below and cool down a bit at the computer. A beautiful sunny day and no wind - perfect.

I thought it is about time that we had a family catch up on the doings of the various grand offsprings. We have both two legged and four legged grandchildren, all of whom we love to bits.

First of all we have Harry. Now our Jo has 2 horses, Drummer and Suli, and much loved they are too, almost as much as husband Sean. It was decided that Suli was going to have a foal and so the saga began. I had not realized that a baby horse takes an eternity to cook up, but gradually April approached. Jo declined all offers of a layette, would have included ear holes, but then I suppose summer was coming. Dave was on tenterhooks, and grandpas are and texts were going back and forth daily, but at last Harry was born. Evidently he was a little bit larger than expected, since Jo put an order in for a small girl horse, and he needed the combined efforts of Jo and the vet to get him out into the world. So here he is. Cousin Dexter the dog in Brisbane reckons he very long legs for a puppy, but makes a very suitable cousin indeed. Now little Harry is being taught manners by our Jo, who is reading all the baby books, and he is running out in the field and being adored by everyone. So our Jo is now the proud almost mum of a fine strapping boy.




Then there is Alexander.
Two years ago Alexander entered the world a little earlier than expected and was ever so tiny, about the size of a bag of sugar.


He is a real little miracle and has grown and grown and grown, laughing all the way..











Well here he is at 2 years old, in the garden of his very first own home that Rachel and Andy are in the process of moving into. They have been living on a small flat till now, but at last they have a lovely house with a super garden for Alex to play in and we are certain they are going to be so very happy there – once they have recovered from the shock of it all! And now Alex is beginning to talk, and he is a great little singer too.
Our Kate in Brisbane has our Dexter, Assistance Dog Extraordinaire and King Fred of New Farm.
Our Dexter is a real star and as you can see just loves his Mum and also loves his toys. Dexter is one hard little worker and has just been off in the aeroplane with Kate to help her referee the Boccia nationals in Sydney. He is still a bit miffed he was not allowed to put his head out the window or get a pat from the pilots but he did get his own seat.


























King Fred has just reached the lofty title of Monarch as befits his majestic self.
Kate and I started a jigsaw when we were visiting her over Christmas, but it was not to be as King Fred usurped not only the table but the box of pieces as a new bed.






This is a person of high status and dignity, which is for sure.

FLAGS

5 may 2011

The day dawns bright and sunny, a light breeze and a gentle sway on the boat. Sigh. It cannot be put off any longer, so down the hole with the red paint while Dave goes up top and taps away at the remaining hatches that need a bit of TLC. After that it is a joint effort of chipping and hammering until the job is done. It has been a hot day, 28 degrees, so the cooling sea breeze in the afternoon is appreciated. Also in the afternoon we have our fun time watching the antics of the arriving visitors as they try to tie up in the marina. It is better than a comedy hour, even though we realize ‘there but for the grace of’ applies to us. The marina staff are very helpful and meet all the arriving yachts, it is just that the arriving yachts often do not listen to where they are supposed to go. And then there is the delight of shifting winds and boats that do not want to go in the direction they are pointed – we know that one as Spirit has a mind of her own if the wind catches the bow. All you can do is wait to see where you fetch up. Dave is in best behavior now as yesterday saw the arrival of another yacht flying the same ensign – the dark blue of the Royal Naval Sailing Association. Quick look in his little book and he finds out the new arrival is a rear admiral, so best we change our sloppy ways and take the flag down at night. This quaint custom is a left over from the old days – ensigns and flags are taken down at sunset as the sun is not allowed to set on the empire. There are many such gems he has from his navy days.
A couple of pictures of where we are.



If you look hard you will see the stern of Spirit immediately to the right of the large blue yacht. This is a very prestigious pontoon - it has all the old timers who would not leave while the pontoons were being replaced. The big blue boat is Polish, and we got to know the 3 lads from Poland who came to fix it up ready for the owner. They were lovely boys, and the best neighbours possible. One even went up the mast for us.




If you walk up the steps at the end of the pontoon and look towards the town, this is what you see.









An overview of the eastern side of the little harbour. The marina is right up the top of the left hand side of the picture near the entrance where the ferry is. Our pontoon is the 3rd one in from the entrance.

SHOPPING

4 May 2011

‘What you doing today, Jen?’
‘Mmmmm. Too lumpy for painting bilges, too windy for painting decks, too dusty to do house work …sooo. What about a little trip to town?’
‘Can I come too?’
‘Only if you are good and don’t tap your feet while we are window shopping’
‘Promise’
So off we went.
The ‘capital’ of Gozo is called either Rabat or Victoria, and is about the size of a provincial English town. To get there we have to walk around the harbour and get the bus, the times of which are worked out from the ferry timetable as they meet and leave the ferry during the day and night – except during Easter nights as we found to our inconvenience. We can also look out the back of the boat and see where the approaching ferry is to give us a time to leave.


This is a good excuse to talk about Malta buses, which are a breed apart and wonderful to behold and experience. Sadly, they will soon be no more, as the buses have been given over to Arriva, and will be replaced with giant new buses like everywhere else in the world – devoid of character and hard to love. And the fares are going up steeply. At present you go anywhere for 47cents, except the extra long trip from Valletta to the northern ferry terminal when you pay 1.16 euro.
There is no doubt about these buses being of serious longevity – Dave has seen an odometer with over 500,000 kilometers on the clock and this was one of the ‘newer’ ones. They are at present owned and loved by the drivers, and all have their little shrines and holy cards up front, some quite elaborate. Some have biggish seats, most have seats that are a serious challenge to anyone over 4 ft high. To fit in most of them Dave squeezes in first and I follow side saddle with feet and knees in the aisle to be tripped over. Equipped with luggage holds at the rear, all baggage comes inside the bus as it seems these holds are never destined to receive any luggage at all. So in come prams and pushchairs, large suitcases and shopping trolleys, overloaded rucksacks and shopping bags ready to burst at the seams. And off you go.
Now the roads on Malta and Gozo are as ancient as the buses, fully furnished with potholes that are fit to challenge the suspension of any vehicle. These are not to be avoided but approached at full speed and crunched into as hard as possible so the absent springs and suspension can transmit the maximum thrust to the occupants. It is a marvelous workout for all one’s jiggly bits and for compacting down the last meal. The noise is at first alarming, especially going up hills, of which there are plenty. Everyone is made aware of gear changes, and the increase in decibels Is matched by the increase in the volume of the conversations, already loud and energetic, as the bus is a social occasion too. We have had a great time on these buses, love them to bits.
So what did we do in town? Posted a letter, bought Dave 2 t-shirts as he is sure I have thrown all his favourites out. I think it is down to his filing system for clothes which has a logic all of his own and not to be interfered with. But he looks very nice in his new ones. And then we spied the perfect thing for young Alex, great joy, and a perfect thing for Dexter and a perfect thing for another family member who will just have to wait to be surprised. Coffee followed after a cruise past the sandal selling shops but I was not allowed to buy the gold ones with the 10” heels and strappy bit. Shame really. Found a copy of the UK Guardian so we can do the crossword and see the cartoons and Dave can agonize over the Sudoku. And then the bessiest thing of all. At present we have matching military watches for the boat as these are indestructible, can have the battery replaced without opening the back and keep excellent time which we need for the astro navigation. But my beloved thought that I should have a ‘church watch’ for wearing to town. I had one, it is now Kate’s as she was in need, and that one had a purple strap. Now I have one with a pink strap, and if you press the winder it lights up. I love it to bits and as it was in the children’s section it was a bargain. Not to be worn while painting bilges.
Back on the bus and ambling back to the boat we were met by the lady with our washing. Now this is worth a mention. Usually I do the washing on board as the previous blogs have shown, but while my paws are firmly attached to the lump hammer it has been agreed that the laundry will go to the launderette. Ages ago we bagged it all up and put it on the suitcase wheels and lugged it into town on the bus, causing all kinds of traps for other passengers. We then had to go back the next day and reverse the manoeuvre. Dave was not impressed as this time we managed a bus crammed full of folk and the laundry was seriously in the way, especially as we were standing and had to let people out. But we had met the lady running the launderette, Bea, on our return and she was aghast as she said she would pick it up from the boat as she came down our way to take the son to school in the next village. So now we have a wonderful arrangement, ring Bea, throw the bags off the boat and into her car and the next day they turn up all washed, ironed, folded and smelling really good. I think I will kidnap her for the trip. Alas, this time I had not heard the phone to say she was on her way early and we nearly missed her. As this wash had a mega offering due to the delay over Easter we needed it, but all was not lost and she turned the car around and deposited us and the washing at the boat. And she is a delightful person too, especially after her gift of a special Easter cake thing she had made and decorated. Almost too pretty to eat, but not that pretty!
And all this before lunch!

GOZO

I know it has been a long time since the last blog, but I was under the misapprehension that folk would not be interested in our non-sailing time. Much nagging by family and friends, including the plaintive cry from one of the boys that he was not sure where his mother was, has prompted a restart of life on board Spirit of Salcombe.

Today is sunny and warm, a good 22 degrees, and a bit too lumpy for me to paint the bilge, so an excellent time to let Dave get on with his bits up on deck and escape to get writing. We are still in Gozo, in Mgarr harbor on the south of the island. For those not quite so sure of their geography here is a little map to show the relationship of Gozo to Malta. We have been very happy here, having returned after our time down in Manoel Island on Malta for the lift out and re-fit. In fact we have been here so long we will be sad to leave, having made many friends here.
A brief resume of the last few months goes like this. Arrive Gozo for a week beginning of last November, then go down to Malta. Tie up in the marina at Manoel Island and go to visit offspring in the UK. Return, put boat into boatyard and travel to Brisbane for a month to sort out Dave’s visa and visit daughter Kate. Return and put boat into water and come back to Gozo where we can buy a month alongside for less than a week at Malta. Keep fixing boat and delay setting off again, and again! Still all good things must eventually come to an end, and another door open, so it will now not be long before the next setting off.
It will be impossible to recount everything in order, so each day there will be little snippets of past and present. Today’s present is to wash the deck yet again after another deposit of Saharan sand with the last night southerlies. I do not think there can be much sand left in the desert, it is all here. It came with a magnificent thunder and lightning storm right overhead about 8 o’clock last night. The sky went the oddest greeny yellowy grey and then the thunder did not stop rolling for minute after minute and the lightening streaked down overhead. Then the rain came and then the wind blew and then the mud made its presence felt. Brown sand gets everywhere, inside the boat through any tiny chink. It is a moot point whether to dust it off or leave it knowing it will be back again soon. So Dave is up on deck wiping off the bits he wants to paint, hoping it will dry before the wind starts up again this afternoon.

JEN’S FAVOURITE HOLES

Why am I not painting due to the lop? Well here is a picture of my current favourite hole.
It is in the galley and the hole you can see with all the black stuff is one of the bilges which had got itself rusty. This is my fourth galley bilge over the last weeks. It has been a horrid job chipping all the rust off, especially as the space continues under the floor all the way around, so it is lying down with arms disappearing up the bilge trying to hammer and chip. Fingers get banged, arms get scraped, knees give in and back aches, but it is all in a good cause as the floor of the bilge is the bottom of the boat which we do not want to disintegrate. Not that it is likely to as it is very sturdy, but it does not stop Dave from worrying about my efforts with the lump hammer and chisel. After 2 days of chipping comes the rust treatment, the black stuff, and then the undercoat of red lead which also means upside down and curled in funny shapes to get into all the nooks and crannies. Then there will be 2 coats of bilge paint. So when the boat is lopping about, being upside down with your head in a hole and the paint fumes getting up your nose is not a very unhappy situation. Best wait till things calm down tomorrow – my altruism goes only so far. Bilges are my job as I can fit. Here are 2 of my other holes.

This one is the windlass locker up the front. A particularly awkward place as the windlass stand won’t come out and it is all metal. Took me 5 weeks to finish it, but it is rust free and beautiful – for now!

This is one of the cockpit lockers, all of them needed doing. And all the cockpit locker fronts had to be sanded down to bare wood to let them dry out after their time in the Hebrides when they were always wet. Then there is the sanding, rust treatment, primer, undercoat, top coats, all nasty smelly epoxy paints. Again, I fitted, so Dave was left to get on with the deck. But they too look beautiful again, and a re-organization has also made things easier to access for doing jobs along the way. The plan is not to have to do so much all in one go, but keep at it as we are at anchor along the way.
Everything is so much nicer to do in the sunshine, and we are having loads of fun in the process. Sometimes it is just so easy to sit down for a minute and watch the world go by, chat to passers by and forget about the paint brush slowly drying.
More tomorrow, but now work calls from above – my beloved has lost something, so woman search required.

MALTA

Well, having been neglectful of the blog, I have at last a chance to do a bit of catching up, courtesy of a UK cold. How is this possible in Malta? All will be revealed.
Yes, we are in Malta, and I have to admit to having been here a month now, but somehow we have been always on the go and the blog seems to fall to the bottom of the to-do pile. However, after we had settled in here, we went to the UK to do some visiting and came back with the worst cold we have ever had. It has been truly dreadful, but we are finally getting to feel that we may live after all, but I have elected to stay in the flat this afternoon and do a bit of quiet stuff. In between coughing and spluttering and sneezing and snivelling. Serves us right for getting off the boat I suppose – we have been so healthy for so long.
Malta is great, and we are enjoying it very much indeed. We were tied up for the first couple of weeks before our visit, and on our return we have had the boat lifted and she is now up in all her glory in the yard. We have rented a self-catering apartment for a very small amount about 5 mins walk from the yard, and go down each day to do a bit more sorting and fixing. People are lovely and the way of life is quite chilled out and laid back, and winter temperatures are still 21 – 24 degrees, so it is still shorts and T shirt. No wonder going back was a bit of a body shock. We had to find shoes and socks, last seen over 6 months ago, and winter coats had to come out of deep storage, once I remembered where they had got to. They are now all packed up again ready to be forgotten once more, as our next outing is to Australia next week, and that is going to be a couple of T shirts and a pair of shorts too.
The history of Malta is extraordinary, and to be able to walk around the places that have become so much a part of the history of Western Europe is very special. There are sites here that go back in pre-history, through the Phoenicians, Romans etc, to the Knights of Malta, Napoleon and the dreadful battering they received in the 2nd World War. Yet it is still bustling around in glorious chaos. And the churches – they are everywhere and are the heart of the country. There are bells ringing all times of the day and night, all with their own unique voices, You cannot have everything at once, so pictures will be in the next editions.

In the apartment.

‘Whoopee’ says Dave
‘What for?’ says Jen
‘A telly!!!! I haven’t had a telly for 6 months!!’
‘I know, it has been bliss’
‘Wow, can’t wait’ says Dave

So head phones go on and Dave plops down on the bed to watch the telly.
‘Jen’
‘Yes, Dave’
‘How do you work the telly?’

Hmmm. Big search on telly, no buttons to press. Big search around apartment, no remote control. Ring up reception and find out you can have a remote control for 10 euro deposit. So Dave finds shoes, takes off head phones and goes out the door, down the lift, out the street, around the corner to the main hotel. Soon returns with his prize. So on headphones, plop on bed, big sigh and on goes telly.
A short time later.

‘Jen’
‘Yes, Dave’
‘There is nothing on the telly’
‘You mean less than usual?’
‘There is BBC World News, euro news , 2 German programs, an Arabic channel and a Malti channel..That’s all’
‘You will have to read your book again.’
‘Hmmmm’
So not to be done out of his telly watching Dave is the master of the news channels which are the worst we have ever seen and repeat themselves every hour, complete with the same 4 advertisements. He has found the occasional chick flick on the Arabic channel, complete with Arabic sub-titles. Everyday he is ever hopeful things might be different and the headphones go on first thing in the morning to make sure the world is still here. I fear serious brain wave disturbance after such relentless exposure!
Headphones? I hear you ask. Yes, remote control headphones so he can watch the telly day and night and I can read my book or go to sleep in blissful ignorance of the dire state of the world and protected from advertisement over dose. An yes, they work in the UK and Australia too.

SCIACCA

Well, here is a new development in the life of the blog. As we are continually out of wifi areas, there is a chance that there will be huge gaps in the posts. So daughter Kate has taken on the office of Chief Blog-Poster, putting the bits I send over the radio onto the blog. These will be short and no pictures, but I will add the additional fun stuff when we get to Malta where there is sure to be wifi.

We have reached Sciacca in southern Sicily, after a very lumpy 2-day crossing from Majorca to Cagliari in Sardinia, and an equally lumpy 3-day one from Cagliari to Sciacca. Sciacca is so tumbledown, old and non-tourist it is wonderful, but the weather is turning, so we will have to leave for Malta today. We will definitely come back in the spring. It is now really autumn, very windy at times, huge thunderstorms, and rain.

Breaking news. The moths escaped when we pulled out our foul weather gear for the first time since leaving the Irish Sea almost 7 months ago. And we can still get into them despite feasting on all the lovely meat, cheese and bread. And the lightweight duvets are out instead of just a sheet as it is now 15ºc overnight.

IBIZA 2

Having survived all the turmoil and adventure of the storm to end all storms, we decided to have a leisurely day and maybe go to anchor off later in the afternoon. So a stroll to the supermarket for gas and a few essentials from the deli, and back for lunch and a siesta before going across the bay in the water taxi. The side of the bay we are on is all hotels, and the shops and old town are on the other side where the ferries and cruise boats go . It is no hardship to get the water taxi as it comes in right by us. So off we went and had a lovely view of the castle and cathedral. The castle is one of 18 similar dotted around the Mediterranean and dates from mostly the 1500's although it was built on land that haad been occupied by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, Romans and Moors.
So having got this far we had to walk up to the top, which was some distance up winding cobbled streets. But it was worth every minute. The construction is immense, and how they did it without the cranes is amazing. It is full of spiral escape tunnels from the top to the bottom, and there are placards describing the formation of the bastions and defence works. The cathedral is at the very top, and wonderful. The view from the top is across the bay to where we are berthed to the left of the break water in the foreground, in front of the big white hotel.
So having had our excellent exercise it seemed appropriate to explore the shops on the lower levels, and Dave now sports his very own designer t-shirt to go with Alex's, and of course by now it was going to be far to late to go anchor, so a meal was on the cards. Our second meal out since we left Scotland. Not counting the take away fish and chips at Howth for our wedding anniversary. Dear Dave paid for his indulgence with the need for the Rennies later on.
We will be sad to say good by the Ian and Suzi and the kids, Nathan and Sara who we got to know here. The children were great, young Nathan is 4 and can't stop talking, and loves catching fish. Sara is just walking and wants to take off everywhere. Many thanks to them for the farewell brekkie!
Here are Ian, Suzi, Nathan and Sara with 2 eco warriors in the background.