After my watch, which actually saw us into that nasty weather, I attempted sleep in my cabin. It was a bit like riding the wall of death, but eventually I caught some Zs. Ten minutes before my next watch. Still, I got to watch the sun rise on a calmer sea and the good news was we were making excellent progress. Despite a few broken items and stabilisers not working, Rama had made it through the worst and we were now cruising towards Malta at over 12 knots.
We weaved our way around the anchored tankers and fishing farms and eventually got into the north west of Valletta, basking in the afternoon haze. Rodney’s helming came into its own as he berthed Rama alongside the ancient hospital, making it look as if she had bow and stern thrusters, which she doesn’t. Even if she had, they wouldn’t work.
We’d done it. Turkey to Malta in a little over three and half days and, despite the surprise of full-time crewing requirements, we were free to now use Rama as our floating hotel for the next few days as Liz and I discovered Malta. Of course first stop was Gordon’s local, Linda’s Bar, where we met some wonderful locals and got pissed. As you do.
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