Click here for link to relevant PhotpAlbum Spring 2019 Malta. This image is taken from the top of Kalkara Creek.
We made an early start on Sunday 12th May 2019, catching a National Express bus at 06:15 from Pickwick to London Heathrow. Air Malta then flew us to a warmer, sunnier Valetta. On the taxi ride to Kalkara Marina the driver tried to sell us an expensive guided tour around the island the next day. Once he realised we were not interested, he shut up and we didn't get a word out of him for the rest of the trip. We had booked in for a night in Villa del Port, a cheap and cheerful hotel right by the marina.
A quick visit to the boatyard revealed Tobin Bronze parked out the front of the yard ready to be launched next morning.
Judy's cousin, Patrick, his wife Helen, son Tom and his friend James arrived next morning just as TB was going into the water. Tom and James had recently arrived in Malta on their Nicholson 32, Blue Eyes, which was also in the marina. They had sailed up from the Suez Canal and were heading back to the UK to complete a circumnavigation.
Once in the water we had quite a lot of work to do. The friendly girls in the marina office arranged for Judy to be collected by Supermarket Pavi where she did a mega-shop. Then the van delivered her and the groceries back to the marina. On the boat itself, there was a lot of rainwater in the bilge as a result of the leaky decks. There is an automatic bilge pump that I usually rig up each winter. But when I left the boat last time I must have knocked the leads loose as it wasn't working. A lot of bedding and towels were soaked and all had to be washed. Then to cap it off, the potable water pump ran for 2 minutes and then gave up the ghost.
At 15:00hrs, friends of ours from Box , Paul & Ros, came by for a visit. They were holidaying in Malta staying with their friend, Sue. A sociable G&T with them cheered us up.
As the afternoon progressed, a northerly wind picked up to around 20kts which firstly made it a bit cooler, only 19°C, and then created a bit of swell into the marina. Valetta Grand Harbour is open to the north east and is not protected in that direction. On 24th February 2019, the worst storm for years hit Malta and did a lot of damage around the harbour. We could still see the damage in places.
Look up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRGMOoN1i2Y
There were showers overnight and continued with odd shower or two next day.
The problem with the pot water pump was found to be the pressure switch. Tino from the yard located a replacement switch in a chandlery located the other side of Valetta. Judy and I had a day out, sight seeing, as we collected the pressure switch from the chandlery. We walked from Kalkara Marine through Birgu to Marina Di Valletta where we boarded the ferry across the Grand Harbour to Valletta. From the quay side, we used the Barrakka lift to reach the upper town. We arrived just in time to see the firing of the Noon Gun from the Upper Barrakka Gardens. The view across the Grand Harbour is spectacular.
We enjoyed lunch in a restaurant in one of the main streets before walking down the hill to the Silema ferry terminal on the north side of Valletta. After collecting our spare part from the well stocked chandlery in Silema, we had a beer in a water-side café before making the return journey arriving back at 16:00hrs. As we were both tired and foot-sore after so much walking, we had a short siesta before meeting Patrick and his family in a restaurant in the main square in Birgu. It was a very good meal at a reasonable price.
Bloody engines!!!
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album 'Spring 2019 Malta..'
The ship's log for Wednesday 15 May 2019 reads:-
JW sight seeing with Patrick & family
PW repair water pump (replaced pressure sensor).
Repair loose wire on cool box.
Fit RCB 0n 240v circuit.
Clean bilge under engine.
Temp 17°C. Sunny spells
After more showers overnight, Thursday was mostly sunny but cold in the north westerly wind which was gusting in excess of 20kts. The morning was spent getting TB squared away for leaving Malta. After lunch, we visited "Blue Eyes" and had a few beers with Patrick, Tom and James. The two lads would be sailing from Malta in a couple of days heading non-stop to Porto Vecchio in Corsica before entering the French canals via the River Rhone.
The NW wind brought squally showers all afternoon but conditions improved overnight.
Next morning was much improved - bright, sunny, no wind. After hoisting and furling the genoa and bending the mainsail, we paid our boatyard bill to Kalkara Marine and departed from the marina. Malta, and Valletta in particular, is a fascinating place with history oozing from every corner. We really could have done with more time there to take it all in.
Departing Kalkara Marina.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album 'Spring 2019 Malta..'
By 09:40hrs, we were outside the harbour in bright sunshine on a northerly course with Ragusa 52.5Nm away. We were able to sail initially in the light east wind but after lunch time the wind went light and veered more astern; so we had to motor sail to keep up a decent passage speed. Conditions were very pleasant with very little shipping around. In a three hour period we saw 1 ship and 2 sailboats.
As we approached the south coast of Sicily, we had to compensate for the east setting current to maintain our track. The north west swell which was present when we left Valletta decreased during the day and by 18:00hrs was replaced by a slight south east wave pattern.
There was plenty of room in the huge Ragusa Marina and two marineos in an RIB helped us into our berth.