Anchored off Malta

We've been anchored since last night about 13 miles off the coast of
Malta, right near two oil platforms. We're pulling into Valleta harbor
tomorrow morning about 08:00. I heard there are some webcams of the
harbor. Look for us. We should be docked very close to the city because
it appears that the harbor is the center of the city.

We got here yesterday evening because we had no radar and they wanted to
get in ASAP and not go sailing around. We're at, what I'm told, is one of
the deepest anchorages in the world. We are surrounded by ships, mostly
empty tankers, that are parked here awaiting orders.

I've got some tours lined up for next 3 days if they all run. The
Regiment Office arranged a nice selection. It looks as if you could
spend a couple weeks here to see all the sights Malta has to offer. It
seems like a very interesting place. There are pre-historic ruins, Roman
ruins, fortresses, huge cliffs, quaint fishing villages, Medieval and
Renaissance palaces, and churches. LOTS of churches. I think they have
one for every 1,000 inhabitants of this country. From the travel video I
ran last night, Valetta looks a lot like Venice without the canals.

I will take lots of pictures and post some as soon as I can get internet
access beyond the Ship's quirky (we were down again 19 hours), text-only
e-mail that I've been using for these postings.