Spirit of Adventure blog

It was the final day of March, and with gale force winds blowing in from the west bringing frequent chilly showers to Portsmouth Harbour, it was definitely time to head south again to the Mediterranean in search of some proper spring weather. Off we steamed, 1263 nautical miles (far superior to their land-based counterparts, at some 242m longer for those who didn’t know) south to the sunshine and warmth of Malaga.

3 days at sea passed, as usual packed with food, drink & entertainment both inside and outside – the latter once weather permitted as we passed south of Lisbon. Malaga was a pleasant 21 degrees along with hazy sunshine; perfect weather for ambling around and exploring. City tours were offered as part of the included package, with those wishing to go further afield to visit Marbella, Rhonda & Mijas for example choosing longer optional excursions.

I popped off to a little hidden local café for lunch, having walked there along the pleasant seafront promenade. A hearty selection of seafood, along with freshly baked bread, a cana (a small local beer) and bottle of water, all came to a similar amount of currency that one might be expected to pay for a cup of coffee in London these days…

We left Malaga behind come supper time, and ventured almost 1000 nautical miles further east, into the central part of the Mediterranean sea and the historic city of Valletta upon the island of Malta. One of my favourite ports to sail into, past the old ‘Gladiatorial’ city walls and forts, I parked Spirit of Adventure up at around 8am so that everyone could head off after their breakfast. Scenic drives, boat tours and simply walking around the harbour are favourite options here, with near perfect weather on the cards for doing so. Local cuisine is also worth a taste; an interesting mix of local, Italian & African tastes given the island’s geographical location and history.

Well, we still had almost 1000 of those nautical miles to cover until we reached our ultimate destination this cruise – the eastern Med – and so with that it was time to sail off further eastward, in search of Cyprus…

Kind Regards
Captain Kim Tanner