Tunisia to Malta

Leg 1 Monastir to Malta

So at last the season has started and we are away.

We had a fantastic winter again in Tunisia making more friends and consolidating the ones we made last winter. This winter was a little busier as I had several boats to look after and maintain but still managed to get out and about, visiting the countryside and places of interest. This culminated in going to a Tunisian wedding party in the middle of nowhere in the south of the country. An amazing experience especially as we were the only (& probably the first ever) Europeans to go there. Kim and a couple of the other girls got dressed up in traditional Hammamet wedding costume, very ornate and much appreciated by the local ladies.

It never ceases to amaze us how much there is to see and do in Tunisia and how friendly and helpful the people are. We love the place and have made some really fantastic friends. We will be returning there for another winter at the end of this sailing season.

We first left Hammamet and had Tiamat hauled out in Monastir for its yearly maintenance. I lived on the boat whilst Kim stayed in Hammamet with friends. All went well although the boat got filthy due to high winds for a couple of days which kicked up the sand and there was a boat being sand blasted down wind in the other yard. Due to work on other boats we didn't managed to get dropped in water at the end of the week as planned and had to wait until Monday. Stayed on the fishing quay for 2 nights checking and finishing everything and then went to the marina for a night to clear customs.

We finally left Monastir and Tunisia on Thursday 24th May at 0700 and had to motor all the way to Malta as beautiful weather, flat seas but zero wind. Arrived in Malta at 0630 the next morning. It’s amazing how fast Tiamat is with a clean bum and flat water. 7.5 knts at 2100 revs.

We spent the day in little bay on Comino island between Gozo and Malta, sunbathing and resting before coming into Valletta in the late afternoon. The old walled citadel of Valletta is a fantastic sight when entering from the sea.

We had arranged to meet up with old friends from Silchester, Andrew and Kate who had organised their holiday to coincide with our arrival. We spent the next few days sightseeing around Valletta and some of the island. Even managed to see an exhibition of the ‘Terracotta Army’ which was visiting a museum in Valletta. An opportunity not to be missed.

Malta has a cheap, reliable bus service that serves all parts of the island and is an easy way of getting around. The best part is the majority of the fleet of buses are very old, well preserved and each one individually decorated and named by its driver. When the bus sets off the old Maltese ladies cross themselves, not great for ones confidence and once you’ve been on one you can understand why, but quite an experience.

Kate then flew back to England leaving Andrew to sail with us for Greece. We had always planned to sail direct to Greece and now with three of us on the boat this made life much easier. We left at 1200 on Wednesday 30th May. Will continue the story in the next installment.

Hope everyone is well, we are thinking of you all and miss you.
Love Duncan & Kim xx