Sliema Creek
Malta
The Sahara can't let us go! Poor Milly's deck, windscreen, anything open to the sky essentially, were covered with a not so thin layer of fine red Sahara sand. Whenever the wind blows from anywhere in the sun the sky is hazy and with rain, even a few sprinkles as happened last night, the dust settles.
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| Our white sunbrella is now "Sahara tan". The sand covers everything but gathers at wind blocks like tiny snow drifts. |
On Milly's white decks and white or pale grey canvas the results are discouraging. The majority can be swept off when the deck is dry but to get the fine film that discolours and clings to feet, a good soapy swabbing of the decks and scrubbing of everything else is required. The non-skid rough surface of the deck is essential in rolling seas but the dust settles around every little protrusion.
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| The transom gathers all the sand that blows down the length of the boat. It's the worst and is where we step everyday. |
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| We are a barefoot boat but with Sahara sand, shoes are required. |
The rub is that whenever the conditions are right it happens again. And apparently, the skies of Italy, Greece and Turkey all suffer from the same phenomenon. Ah well, one of the pitfalls of sailing "beside" the biggest, - and reddest? - desert in the world.
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