Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
With UK weather reports telling of howling gales, temperatures more fitting to the Artic and wintry scenes fit for a Christmas card, it was great to see our voyage crew coming up the gangway ready to sign on. The chaos back at the UK airports meant that three VC had flights cancelled, so Don, Dave and Will we're sorry you couldn't get here but hope you enjoy a white Christmas at home and look forward to sailing with you again in the hopefully near future.…..and sorry guys, but we have stripped off our coats, hats, gloves, scarves and jumpers…..out are the sunglasses, T-shirts and (for the brave) shorts, and we are enjoying blue skies, temperatures around 17degrees and wonderful scenery. Our first impressions have been of buildings made from a pale honey coloured stone, the Fort St Angelo being close to where the Tenacious is moored off the Grand Marina harbour in Vittoriosa. Anyone looking at a chart will find Malta almost at the centre point of the Mediterranean Sea. It forms part of an archipelago of habited and uninhabited islands. There appears to be plenty to visit here and tentative plans are afoot for a grand tour of the island on our return. We'll keep you posted.
Once on board, our new voyage crew quickly found their bunks and decanted their belongings into cupboards and drawers ready to meet the permanent crew and the start of the briefing sessions. First of all, Captain John invited everyone to join him in the lower mess and introduced the permanent crew for this voyage namely: Chris the Mate, Dave the 2nd Mate, Nick the Bosun and Mike, the supernumerary officer; Pete the Chief Engineer and 'Shiny' Tony the 2nd Engineer; Rachel the Medical Purser, Dave the Cook with Rosie the Cook's assistant; and Maureen, Sarah and Kai the Bosun's mates.
Then the training began, with everyone doing their best not to be distracted by the wafts of baking aromas spilling from the galley of all things festive and Christmassy - yes, we've home made mince pies, shortbread reindeer and stars made by Nick and Sarah, Christmas cakes iced beautifully by the lovely Rosie. Mercifully the training for day one was short so that dinner (courtesy of Cookie and Mo) could begin and shore leave given for those who wished to have a quick look at the local area.
And a welcome nights sleep - except of course for those on harbour watch. Next stop - Syracuse, Scicily!
- comments