I’ll admit, boats aren’t my favourite mode of transport so the prospect of a day trip on one didn’t fill me with delight. Still, this is the one everyone had been waiting for…the Comino cruise, so I wouldn’t let my worries get in the way of the day ahead.
Our local bus driver, Marcellino, took us to the port of Sliema on the northeast coast of Malta where we met Captain Morgan and his fine vessel, “Atlantis”. During the journey, Marcellino expressed some concern over the wind, which had picking up slightly over the last couple of days, and this only compounded my worries, however, the Captain seemed undeterred and we would set sail (or rather, rev up the large diesel engine) at 10am sharp.
The 54 students from Farnley and their teachers boarded Atlantis with great enthusiasm and I followed on behind, with camera in hand, ready to capture the day’s events. We set off from the port and within minutes we’re on the open sea! It’s about two hours to our destination, the tiny island of Comino which is only 1.4 square miles and has a population of just four people.
The trip was actually going quite well and I felt in tune with the rhythm of the sea, then, the Captain’s voice comes over the tannoy, “the children standing on the front of the boat might want to come inside as we’re approaching a large wave ahead”. Of course, he was completely ignored as the boat rose upwards on the ‘large wave’ before diving back down with a splash that literally engulfed the bow where the kids were still standing. There were screams and shrieks of laughter as they came back inside, completely soaked though.
We seemed to sail a bit closer to the shore after that, where the water was calmer, and we would soon come into view of Comino and the unmistakable Blue Lagoon. The Captain dropped anchor and due to the completely clear water, you could watch it being lowered all the way down to the sea bed. We disembarked the boat and began to explore the tiny island. The wind made it feel slightly cold so no one was brave enough to go swimming, but the waters of the blue lagoon are really quite special to look at. When the sun came out from behind a cloud and shone directly on the water, it it turned the most vivid cyan colour and the clear waters gave the impression it was being lit from below, very surreal.
We had about 3 hours in total on Comino, which was just right for a relaxing afternoon. A buffet lunch was served on the boat and then the captain directed us to the northern side of the peninsula, opposite the Blue Lagoon, which was sheltered from the wind. We spent the rest of the afternoon there, with many choosing to paddle in the water or play frisbee and ball games, but most just sat down to sun bathe and take in the glorious view across the water.
