Toques for tans, blankets for bikinis…

Hello friends, and greetings from sunny, warm and beautiful Valletta, Malta.

It feels like just yesterday Ron, and I were crossing over from Albania to Italy to begin our 90-day Schengen stay and just like that, the 3 months is nearly over and it is time to say goodbye to Europe once again.

And it’s a good thing too…not sure how much longer I can convince Ron that just because the other European men wear speedos and cut-off jean shorts, does not mean he needs to as well. I totally get the custom of ‘living like the locals’ but…yikes :)

I am not sure if it is the much warmer weather, the spectacular scenery, the fact that we seem to be settling in, or a combination of it all – but these last 3 months have been pretty amazing…and a lot closer to what we had both imagined when we began planning this adventure several years ago.

Last time I posted we were waiting for a favorable weather window to leave our spot under the volcano at Etna and head south. That window opened on April 18, and we embarked on the 100 NM overnight sail down the east coast and around the most southern tip of Sicily to Marina di Ragusa.

Along the way we got to race a pod of dolphins (they swam with our boat for more than 10 minutes – it was so cool), watch Etna erupt again, experience the most beautiful moon rise, and not have to wear parkas or mittens. Bliss!!!!

Marina di Ragusa is a beautiful, but very busy, tourist spot. For us, it was sensory overload. Since leaving Sanremo back in September we had not been around many people. In fact, when we were at Orikum, we would go days without seeing anyone except the security guards. Being a super-social person, I am not saying I necessarily loved the solitude, but I had gotten used to the quiet. The marina at Ragusa was absolutely jammed full of boats and loud, albeit friendly, families who were wintering there (Europeans who don’t have to play the Schengen shuffle – lucky bastards).

It was finally warm enough to enjoy the sandy beaches, restaurant terraces, long bike rides along the coast and the social scene. But for the first time I was more excited to get back to sailing than staying put.

Our weather window to sail the 50 NM down to Malta presented itself on April 29. A quick, uneventful day trip acoss the Sicily-Malta Channel landed us at anchor in Ghadira Bay – a lovely little harbour surrounded by beaches, cliffs and the most vibrant cerulean blue water I have ever seen in real life. It was the best of both worlds – entertaining people watching from the quiet comfort of our boat in the middle of the bay, close proximity via dinghy to shops and restaurants, uniquely positioned to see both sun rises and sun sets each day. A week of daily swims (with Ron watching me like a hawk – still not too comfortable with me swimming far from the boat in the open ocean), afternoon sun downers and even visits from fellow sailors on other boats in the anchorage, it was the perfect spot.

Unfortunately, just like in Mary Poppins, the wind changed direction, and we had to say goodbye.

Our current spot Valletta, the capitol city of Malta, has not been as serene, but it has been just as beautiful. This rock in the middle of the ocean has been ruled by countless empires, is the most multi-cultural place (food, people, languages) we have visited since we left Canada, and is overflowing with history. It is no wonder it was a major filming location for Game of Thrones – in fact, from our boat we can see the spot where Pedro Pascal’s character got his head squished (eek!).

I don’t really want to leave. But leave we must.

So, what’s next? Africa.

In about a week’s time we will set sail again. This time 200 NM west (about 45 hours) to Port Kantaoui in Tunisia (with a possible layover in Lampedusa). And with an authentic 11-day Kenyan safari booked (tented camps, daily Jeep game drives, lions, elephants and everything), to say I am excited is a huge understatement. Bucket list item for sure. I look forward to telling you all about it in my next blog post.

Until then, I will leave you with a quote that I hope inspires you as much as it has me: “If you risk nothing, then you risk everything."

May you have fair winds and following seas.

Charity, xo

Moon rise en route from Etna to Marina di Ragusa. Golfo di Noto.

Best seat in the house while underway. Straight ahead...Malta. Sicily-Malta Channel.

We called this place 'Tom Cruise's Bar' (from Cocktail). It has a real name but not sure what it was...despite having frequented it many times while staying at Ragusa. Marina di Ragusa, Sicily.

Ghadira Bay anchorage, view from our boat at night. Mellieha Bay, Malta.

This little Nightjar stowaway decided to hitch a ride from Sicily to Malta. He left us for a fishing boat near shore. We were good company but they had better food. Sicily-Malta Channel.

Our view from the boat at night in Valletta. Ta' Xbiex, Malta.

Game of Thrones filiming location. Manoel Island, Malta.

Valletta, Malta.

Oh look, we're drinking wine again. The activity doesn't change - just the geogrpahy. In old town Valletta they use the narrow and steep alleys in between the buildings as terraced patios. Steep hills, cobble stones and wine...what could go wrong?