Air show booms despite bus driver strike – Times of Malta

The aerobatic teams from two countries – the Swiss Airforce PC7 and the Italy’s famed Frecce Tricolori – gave spectacular displays as part of the 19th Malta International Airshow over the weekend. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

The last day of the Malta International Airshow welcomed as many visitors as it had in previous years despite the fact that public transport between Valletta and the event was stopped due to industrial action.

Joe Ciliberti, president of the Malta Aviation Society, which organises the yearly weekend airshow, said it had its own transport arrangements from the capital city and was never banking on Arriva.

The General Workers’ Union said its industrial action was due to the company’s “intransigence”, calling on Arriva to continue discussions to find a solution so it would not have to resort to further action. It apologised for any inconvenience caused to the public, while thanking the workers for their solidarity and for following its directive.

Meanwhile, cars streamed to the airshow, where visitors could enjoy a wide variety of aircraft, including helicopters, business jets and a World War II vintage Dakota DC-3. The static display at Malta International Airport included anything from diminutive microlights to Hercules transport behemoths.

But one of the main attractions remained the Libyan participation, with its air force’s Mirage F1, flown to Malta by a defecting pilot in February, the BAe 146 and Antonov 26 – civilian aircraft that played crucial, behind-the-scenes, military roles during the Libya uprising.

The 19th edition also saw several firsts, including the aerobatic teams from not one, but two countries.

Next year’s air show celebrates its 20th anniversary, as well as the 70th of the end of Malta’s involvement in World War II, so it is intended to be a special event.

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Zucchero scores a hat-trick – Times of Malta

It may have been Zucchero’s third concert in Malta last Saturday but neither Italy’s best-selling artiste nor his audience seems to have tired of his performances.

The 55-year-old Italian singer, whose career spans three decades and more than one generation, energetically took to the open-air stage at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre in Ta’ Qali as part of Chocabeck World Tour 2011.

In his trademark gritty and textured voice, he belted out songs from his latest album by the same name and also a number of timeless hits that are still as popular and arousing as they were when released years back.

Zucchero and his 13-piece live band thrilled the audience and seemed equally pleased to be back, returning on stage with an encore that included an extra, unplanned song.

He completed his concert, organised by Stand Out Events, with his international hit, Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime, and one of his greatest, chart-topping tracks, Senza una donna, both sang in English, as well as a tribute to his friend, the late tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, with Miserere.

The concert was a mixture of his soft and sensitive songs and the more upbeat and boisterous tracks, all performed with emotion, getting the audience to sit in silence, or stand up and dance, depending on the mood he aptly conveyed.

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Santana entertains – The Times of Malta

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli­­

Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana – rock, salsa and jazz fusion pioneer – last night gave a concert to a packed audience at MFCC in Ta’Qali, previously scheduled for the Granaries in Floriana.

Forecast near-gale winds caused a last-minute change of concert venue.

Santana gave an excellent performance, which was very well received by the packed crowd.

The only sore note in the concert was when a section of the crowd started booing when TV personality Lou Bondi’ was shown on the big screen. Santana, who had been speaking at the time, looked shocked, thinking the booing was against him.

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$200 million yacht in Comino – Times of Malta

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

 The 138-metre mega motor yacht, Rising Sun, the sixth largest in the world, was in Comino yesterday. Boasting a total living space of 8,000 square metres, it reportedly cost over $200 million to build. Originally purchased by Larry Ellison, CEO of major software company Oracle Corporation and the fifth richest man in the world, it is co-owned by David Geffen, American music executive and one of the founders of film studio DreamWorks, together with media mogul Steven Spielberg.

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There’s no port like home – Times of Malta by David Schembri

The ship at the Grand Harbour, yesterday.

It’s not hard to see why Capt. Paolo Giacomo Reale calls the Amerigo Vespucci “the most beautiful ship in the world”.

Launched in 1931, Italy’s tall ship floats proudly in the Grand Harbour, its octogenarian masts climbing defiantly into the sky above.

“She is like an old lady,” Capt. Reale says, explaining that every year the ship went into the shipyards for maintenance and repairs.

The ship is currently on a tour of the Mediterranean, which serves to train the midshipmen of the Italian Naval Academy, who spend 75 days at sea learning their way around the hundreds of ropes on board.

“The best seafaring formation is taught by sailing,” the captain says from the luxurious officer’s quarters.

“After a year of theory at the academy, they can meet nature, the sea, the wind, the rough sea – they get to learn more about themselves and their limits – and it’s good to know those when you’re 53 metres up a mast,” the captain says.

Of the 400 people on board, 111 are students – and 22 of the latter, the captain is keen to point out, are women.

The tour will take all on board to Haifa, Limassol, Istanbul, Odessa, Sevastopol, Athens and back to Livorno.

With all these ports, what is the most beautiful harbour the captain has visited?

“For every sailor, I think the best port is ‘home sweet home’,” Capt. Reale said.

The ship is also a Unicef ambassador, with its port calls also taking on a humanitarian dimension.

True to form, yesterday the ship hosted the launch of a Mediterranean regatta and seminar to be held in Malta, called Handy Cup, aimed at bringing together 200 young people with a disability from the Mediterranean to race against each other and participate in seminars focused on disability issues.

The event will be held through September 9 to 11, and is being organised by Handy Cup, Inspire with the help of the Italian Embassy in Malta, and the Education Ministry.

The ship will be open to the public from 10 a.m. till noon.

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Classic yachts grace harbour ‘Ideal berthing location’- Times of Malta

Grand Harbour Marina in Vittoriosa last week welcomed a fleet of 18 classic sailing boats taking part in the tenth edition of the annual regatta Trophée du Bailli de Suffren. The fleet set sail from Saint Tropez, south of France, sailed through Porto Rotondo, Sardegna and Pantalleria and finished off at the Grand Harbour Marina on Tuesday.

The participating yachts in the 580 mile, 12-day offshore race ranged in size between 11 and 64 metres. They dated from the 1914 classic Moonbeam IV through to the Atlantic, built last year.

Recognised as one of the most beautiful races in the Mediterranean, the race is reserved for classic yachts and was organised in collaboration with the Royal Malta Yacht Club.

“The Trophée du Bailli de Suffren is a great boat show and we are very proud to have hosted the final juncture of this exclusive classic yacht event,” Vittoriosa Marina manager Ben Stuart said.

“Our Grand Harbour Marina, with Malta’s mediaeval bastions as a natural backdrop, is the ideal berthing location for these amazing boats…”

The race was named after Pierre André de Suffren, an Admiral of the French Navy who came to Malta in 1748 to perform cruises with the Order’s galleys.

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Superyacht – Times of Malta

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The 66-metre super sloop Aglaia basked in the sun at Grand Harbour yesterday. Designed by Dubois Naval Architects, it was delivered to its owner this spring. The Aglaia is shrouded in secrecy; no details have been revealed by anyone involved. What is known is that it has one of the largest composite rudders ever made, constructed by Green Marine.

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A Coast to Boast About – Times of Malta

Photo: Mario Galea/MTA

Gozo has been named one of the best 10 destinations among 50 chosen by a jury that evaluated 500 coastal regions in nine southern European countries.

This was announced during the Quality Coast 2011 – Southern European Top 50 awards ceremony in Kouklia, Cyprus.

Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono was presented with a certificate, which, she said, would serve as a means to advertise Gozo as a tourist destination.

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Furnibo, Jolly Drive win in Malta – Article from Times of Malta

Jolly Drive on their way to winning the second round of the Malta Ocean Grand Prix, yesterday. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

It was to be a war of attrition as the boats lined up for the second round of the UIM Malta Ocean Grand Prix, yesterday.

With teams battling sweltering heat and rough waters, the result was adrenaline-fuelled racing from start to finish in both the Evo and SuperSport classes.

In SuperSport, the FPT-powered Jolly Drive boat, of Federico Montanari, Alfredo Zanardo and Giambattista Gabriele, took early command, gaining traction off the line and leading their rivals at the first turn.

Despite a rather slow start, fellow Italians Karelpiu kept the pressure, closing the gap on the lead boat.

The lead then changed hands five times before Karelpiu forged ahead and the race win looked a formality at the half-way stage.

However, this is endurance racing and with the chequered flag almost in sight, driver Giuseppe Schiano di Cola fainted at the wheel, overcome with heat ex-haustion.

With his Fountain boat at a standstill it opened the door to Jolly Drive to take the win although the Valletta Ocean Grand Prix crown was won by Karelpiu who had secured victory in Saturday’s race.

Di Cola recovered swiftly following prompt attention from medics.

The close-fought action continued in the Evo class with Furnibo, piloted by Pierre Colpin and Frank Hemelaar, taking another scintillating win to claim the Grand Prix victory.

The Belgium team had fought hard with Swedish-Americans Lucas Oil throughout, both boats trading the lead on numerous occasions.

The first four laps were nail-biting and a tight finish looked a certainty until Lucas Oils lost power in one engine and were forced to limp home as the German Searex team closed in.

Despite the Hercules Sagemann boat being hampered by ignition problems before the race – causing the team to start from the back of the field – Douglas Verbanck and Siegfried Greve kept a steady nerve to eventually finish the race in second place.

British boat Silverline, of Drew Langdon and Miles Jennings, was forced to retire on the first lap with a broken torque sensor, a disappointing end to their weekend racing.

Attention now turns to Rounds 3 and 4 of the UIM Ocean Grand Prix World Endurance Championship, which takes place in Den Helder, Holland, over the weekend of August 5-7.

Standings
Evo Class: 1. Furnibo 40; 2. Lucas Oil 28; 3. Hercules Sagemann 23; 4. Silverline 12.
SuperSport Class: 1. Karelpiu 36; 2. Jolly Drive 32; 3. SIF 12.

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