Nimrod Oceanlord

Whilst the weather hasn’t been the best so far with gale force winds and driving rain, we have had a delightful few days so far on Malta. We arrived on Sunday morning (having got up at 4am) and were greeted with warm sunshine. Peter, our caretaker, had done a fabulous job servicing all the winches and cleaning the teak. Another couple of jobs off the list. We were tired from our early start so we mooched around Ta’Xbiex trying to find a supermarket open on a Sunday afternoon. The main one was shut but we found a small deli that had all we needed. Then back to the boat to sort ourselves out and get some chores done. We decided to eat out locally but quite a few restaurants were shut so we ended up at one called Irrerra. It was okay but probably more of a lunch time spot although there were quite a few locals in there.

Monday morning was spent putting up a new slide roller in the aft cabin as ours was fast disintegrating and was hopeless at keeping the mosquitoes out without a net on the outside. This one seems to be pretty good but only time will tell! We then went into Valletta on the bus (still a bargain at €1.50 each for an all day ticket) to play the tourist. We walked down Republic St to the Co-cathedral of St John.

This part of Malta has two cathedrals as there was already one in Birgu (opposite Valletta across Grand Harbour) but the pope granted Valletta another cathedral when Valletta was built in the 16th century after the Great Seige. It was named after the Knights patron saint. It is quite austere on the outside but an amazing example of baroque architecture on the inside with ornate frescoes, gold fascia and amazing paintings. Caravaggio’s painting of the beheadings of St John holds pride of place along with a number of other paintings from that time. Quite breathtaking.

From there we went to the Upper Barrakka Gardens to look out across Grand Harbour and await the 4pm gun. The guns are fired twice daily with the midday guns originally established so that naval ships could set their chronometers.

After that, we took a bus to the three cities across Grand Harbour and stopped in Birgu where there is an impressive marina, aptly named Grand Harbour. We walked along the harbour quay looking at the large motor yachts. They wouldn’t be able to sail them with just two people, that’s for sure! After a warming drink in a local bar, we had dinner in a delightful restaurant in the main square. Then a bus back to Valletta and another bus back to the marina – still using our day ticket! Great day out.

The early start to catch our flight last Friday was all but forgotten when we arrived in Malta to brilliant sunshine and 22 degrees! We had already decided that we would use the long weekend away (well 48 hours) to explore Valletta as well as check Nimmie was okay.

Peter, our caretaker, had already done a marvellous job sorting out various jobs for us. He noticed that the rigging was not as tight as it should be at the back so the mast wasn’t completely upright. This had impacted the furling gear at the front as the tension wasn’t right. We think it actually stems from when the back stays were removed to hoist her out in Brest in June 2012. The guys that did this were mechanics rather than riggers so they didn’t tension her properly, which is why it has been getting progressively harder to furl in the genoa (front sail). This may also help us when sailing upwind as we should now be able to sail her closer to the wind. The sails and stack pack (the cover for the main sail) have all been repaired and cleaned, engine serviced and even the fuel pipe repaired. Again, some of you will remember that when they fitted the new engine one of the fuel lines to the engine had a very small leak and we couldn’t get it repaired in Brest as the dimensions of our pipes are imperial rather than metric. Consequently, we had created a drip tray to catch the odd drip. It had served us well but it’s nice that it has finally been repaired.

The rest of Friday was spent checking Nimmie out as well as shopping as we hadn’t done any serious provisioning since Naples and we were very low on beer, wine and water! About the only job we managed to complete was to put a new outboard bracket on the back of the boat. The previous one was disintegrating and proving a pain to get the motor off so we bought a plank of wood, made it the right size and then varnished it before fixing it to the back of the boat. Before we knew it, it was getting dark (around 5.30pm) so we ate on board but vowed to spend most of Saturday playing tourists and getting to know our new home a bit more.

Saturday was another gorgeous day although it does get a bit chilly in the evening. You would think it was the dead of winter with the coats and boots the local people are wearing. A slight contrast to our shorts and t shirts!

The first thing we did was to go and watch the Malta Experience at the far end of Valletta overlooking Grand Harbour. It’s a 45 minute film on the history of the islands. Very informative and puts things into context when you then see the sights. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the battlements.

Overlooking the entrance to Grand Harbour was the Bell Tower that commemorated their ordeal during the Second World War and the award of the George Cross to the whole island. The bell is rung at midday every day. It was fascinating to see just how tall the battlements were and how they have played such a huge part in Malta’s history.

We then  had a very late lunch overlooking Manoel Island, which is on our side of Valletta. Suffice to say the seafood was local, fresh and delicious!  We finally got back to the boat after dark so we changed and went back into the old town for dinner. We had bought a bus ticket for €1.50 that we can use all day over the whole island. All too soon it was time to make our way back to the airport. Still, we will be back in 4 weeks to spend New Year on Nimrod and to explore much more of these wonderful islands.

We are off to see Nimmie next weekend so by next Friday, we will be ensconced on her at her new mooring. Current forecast for next Friday is 20 degrees C and no rain!

We have also had a diver look at her to see whether the coral worm has returned.As you can see, there looks to be a bit of growth round the prop and on parts of the keel where the rust has come through but the copper coat looks to be working okay on the rest of the hull. When we had her lifted in Tropea, we weren’t able to apply any protection to the prop and shaft so I’m not surprised that there is some growth there.

We will have another good look when we are there next week and I suspect that we will have her lifted out during the winter for a few weeks. The keel can then taken back to get rid of the rust and new copper coat applied. We will then get proper protection put on the shaft and propellor.

As always, getting the boat ready for winter took a lot longer than planned so that instead of having a leisurely sightseeing stroll around Valletta, we only just made it to the restaurant for our 8pm booking.

One of the main chores of the day was to get the sails off ready for valeting and any minor repairs required along with the cleaning of the stack pack. However, the screws on the mast plate had seized and these need to be removed before the mainsail can be taken off. So, yet another job to be sorted by our new caretaker, Peter. We also found out over the last week that the lights at the top of the mast and the deck light had failed. They were working at the start of the holiday so we are assuming the problem with the masthead lights is a connection issue. Liz went up to have a look. The deck light is probably a replacement bulb although, of course, it’s a sealed unit so not exactly a £2 replacement!

After that, we also needed to wash the various lines, put the metal springs on the stern ropes and take anything off that could provide more windage. During the day we were entertained by various fly pasts from the Red Arrows and members of the Maltese Air Force as part of the national airshow.

We finally finished everything off, showered and jumped in a cab to go into Valletta. As you can see from the map below, the marina is one side of the Msida Creek and Valletta is on a promontory.

Malta is actually a group of islands with Gozo and Malta being the largest. We are close to Valletta, the capital, just a short dinghy ride but a longer car or bus ride away. We have now left Nimrod safe and secure in a guest berth on the breakwater, awaiting her move to her winter berth further into the marina.

We are now ensconced on the main island of Malta in an area called Ta’ Xbiex. The Msida Creek marina is one of the most sheltered in Malta and we were lucky to get a 7 month berthing contract until the end of next April. The area is full of chandleries so we are both very happy, especially as most things appear to be a lot cheaper than the UK and certainly the rest of the Med so far. Fuel is cheaper so we filled up on our way in on Weds afternoon although we hadn’t used that much since Tropea. Once in, we spent a long time cleaning the boat as she was encrusted with salt and then did the same for ourselves! We showered on board as the facilities were “public” but we now have a card for the Royal Malta Yacht Club and can avail ourselves of their facilities. They are at the end of the quay so very close by although when they move us to our winter berth deeper into the creek (and therefore more sheltered), it will be quite a schlep.

Yesterday was spent sorting out our contract, checking in with customs and immigration as well as working out where everything is – supermarkets, laundrettes etc. We also visited the boatyard on Manoel Island to get a quote for having various bits of the boat looked at, including the keel as some rust has started to come through.

We also engaged the services of a ‘caretaker’ to look after the boat in our absence as this is a local requirement. As well as checking on the boat and moving her if necessary, they can supervise any repairs. We have taken on a Dutchman, Peter, who was recommended by the marina and has been around boats for half a century and is looking after a number of boats in the marina already. He also knows many local tradesmen if we need anything done.

We had rain for the first time yesterday afternoon, first of the season apparently, which was very cooling as it had become very humid as well as hot! Unfortunately, there was sand in the rain so a very clean Nimmie has a slight orange glow at the moment.

Today, we are doing more chores including the laundry and we had hoped to get the sails off for valeting  but the wind is quite strong today so that might be a job for tomorrow morning if the sail maker is open then. It appears that Malta shuts Sat afternoon and Sundays. The laundrette ended up being a 15 min bus ride to Sliema and eventually found a self service laundrette. €8 a wash so not cheap as we had two loads of salt encrusted clothes and bedding! However, there is free wifi so able to write this post!

Tomorrow we are planning on spending time in Valletta sightseeing and having a meal out – our first since going through the Messina Straits.

Pictures of the view from the marina this morning and of the the Royal Malta Yacht Club.