- Tampilkan perjalanan
- Tambahkan ke daftar bucketHapus dari daftar bucket
- Bagikan
- Hari 27
- Kamis, 16 November 2023 08.31
- ☁️ 29 °C
- Ketinggian: Permukaan laut
Uni Emirat ArabStokes Bluff24°17’26” N 52°38’20” E
Explore Sir Bani Yas

Day 27
GOOD MORNING UAE 🇦🇪
Today we woke… late again, this time more because of the flu than being up late at night. The day appears to be sunny 😎 with a bit of a haze. We are heading for our island today and should arrive by 9:00am.
Ship parked next to us at breakfast:
Description
A red flag with a small white border and a large white Maltese cross.
Mark Sensen, 8 November 1995, Jan Zrzavy, 16 January 1998
According to Barraclough and Crampton 1981, p. 129:
A Merchant Ensign was adopted on 12 November 1965, the design of which is based on the flag of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, i.e. a red field with the Maltese Cross in white in the centre. In this however there is also a white border around all four sides of the flag.
Santiago Dotor, 2 February 2000
The cross on the flag is known by several names, including the Maltese cross, the St John cross and the 8-pointed cross. It has some similarity to 4 arrowheads, in fact this is what it is thought to have originally been when it was the badge of the Republic of Amalfi. When the Order of St John was formed during the Crusades with the support of Amalfi, they also took it as their badge, and since the Order's occupation of Malta, it has also been known as the Maltese Cross.
Jonathan Dixon, 14 June 2000
From the Maltese Government Official Website:
The Merchant Flag of Malta introduced by the Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 234) consists of a red field bordered in white, with a white Maltese Cross at its centre. (...) Maltese civilian vessels shall fly the Merchant Flag of Malta as their ensign.
See also the flag of the Order of Saint Stephen (mistakenly reported as a Maltese flag in old charts).
Santiago Dotor, 28 November 2000
The Maritime [i.e. civil] ensign is the same flag as that flown by the Knights of the Order of Saint John in Malta up to 1798 —this was a red field, with a white eight pointed Maltese cross in the centre— to which a white border has been added. All Maltese registered vessels fly this flag as an ensign.
Adrian Strickland, 30 November 2000
As far as I am aware, there is no construction sheet issued in vexillological publications, so there is no strict regulation regarding the size of the border and size of the cross. Anyway, Album des Pavillons 2000 shows it with much wider border than Smith 1975 on which is based my image above.
Regarding the construction of the Maltese cross, it is worth nothing that the proper ('regular') Maltese cross might be defined with only one dimension, for example the diameter of the circumscribing circle. The outer eight vertexes form the shape of a regular octagon inscribed in it, and the indentations form the right angles, therefore are gained by inscribing a circle though two neighbouring vertexes, with the center in the middle of the line connecting them.
Željko Heimer, 31 May 2002
The Maltese Shipping Directorate issued the following Merchant Shipping Directive no. 29 regarding the national colours of Maltese ships, according to this website:
(...) Furthermore, in terms of section 72 of the Act the flag as set out hereunder is declared as the proper national colours for all Maltese ships. The merchant flag of Malta consists of a red field bordered in white, with a Maltese Cross at its centre.
It is important that owners and masters of Malta flag vessels ensure that only the home port Valletta and the national colours shown hereunder are marked and hoisted on Maltese vessels. The Merchant flag is not to be used as a courtesy flag.
Thus, Malta appears to be an exception to the ordinary practice of using the nation's civil ensign as a courtesy flag.
James T. Liston, 8 December 2002
I have the Schedule outlined in Section Two of the "Maltese Ships (National Colours) Act of 11 November 1965 that established it, and a copy of Struzzjonijiet Dwar L-uzu ta'bnadar ("Instructions on the Use of Flags") dated 1992 (previously mentioned by Armand du Payrat). These
two are in reasonable agreement, in so far as they show a flag in 2:3, which has a white border equal to one-tenth the width of the flag, and a Maltese Cross contained within an imaginary circle of three-fifths of that width. In other words, hoist measurements of 1-8-1, length measurements of 1-13-1 and a Cross of 6.
Christopher Southworth, 12 March 2005
The civil ensign of Malta was established by Act No. XLIII "The Maltese Ships (National Colours) Act", which was passed by the Maltese House of Representatives on 1 November 1965 and was effective on 12 November 1965. I have been able to discover
no official statistics, but my own spec sheet is based upon the illustration contained in Section Two (the Schedule) of this Act and upon a further illustration in the official publication Struzzjonijiet Dwar L-uzu ta'bnadar issued in 1992, and a flag created from them is identical to the image shown above based upon that in the Album des Pavillons (2000). These give measurements for the hoist of
1-10-1 and for the length of 1-13-1, with the circle containing the Maltese Cross as 6.
Christopher Southworth, 15 October 2008l
We got off the boat and head to the island. This is an island set up for tourists, it’s a place that a ship can doc and the passengers get off, go swimming, water sports and tourist drives through animal parks. All this set up on a baron island. The island has had water pumped across from the main land and the island has been irrigated to grow trees and grass for the animals. They have set up restores and are building a marina and place for the royal family.
We went on the adventure tour in the back of a well set up truck, we saw many animals most of them dears and other African animals. Not the best but we did see a giraffe 🦒. Anyway it was great to see the irrigated country side and to see all that was going on. Good day, lunch on the island with a few drinks. Look at more shops etc. before getting back onto the boat. Once there we went for a rest.
Same routine now dinner, show and bed. We will be heading to Abi Dabi to night.
GOOD NIGHT UAE 🇦🇪Baca selengkapnya
- Tampilkan perjalanan
- Tambahkan ke daftar bucketHapus dari daftar bucket
- Bagikan
- Hari 28
- Jumat, 17 November 2023 07.46
- ⛅ 25 °C
- Ketinggian: Permukaan laut
Uni Emirat ArabMīnā’ Zāyid24°31’44” N 54°22’52” E
Exploring Abu Dhabi

Day 28
GOOD MORNING UAE 🇦🇪
Woke early this morning ready for the Hop-on-hop-off bus Abu Dhabi. Very overcast and when we got out we found it was raining and it had rained over night. We also found that the boat had sprung a leak. Didn’t take much rain to start flooding the buffet area. Anyway they had it cleaned up for breakfast. Just seems strange to see rain in this desert area. Had breakfast and now we have to wait for customs before we can get off the boat. They will be taking our passports again and giving them back tonight. We will see how that goes.
Off this morning, firstly through customs and then the boat staff retrieved our passports. Then we were let out into Abu Dhabi. From here it was onto the Hop-on-hop-off bus and a fast dash to the Grand Mosque 🕌. We only had about an hour to check it out. When we went to go in we found we had to register at the other end of the mall. Off we went and eventually did that, then we had to get Vicki some sleeves to get in. They weren’t quite good enough, so I had to give her my rain coat and that worked. So by the time we got there we had about 30 min before it closed. A race around and it was done. Then off for the biggest cappuccino I’ve had for a long time. After that it was back on the bus to continue our ride around Abu Dhabi. Magnificent hotels and builds you could spend hours at each location. Amazing what oil can do. Back to the boat around 3:30pm for drinks and a rest.Baca selengkapnya
- Tampilkan perjalanan
- Tambahkan ke daftar bucketHapus dari daftar bucket
- Bagikan
- Hari 29
- Sabtu, 18 November 2023 08.16
- ☀️ 24 °C
- Ketinggian: 16 mi
Uni Emirat ArabMīnā’ Rāshid25°16’31” N 55°17’4” E
Exploring Dubai

Day 29
GOOD MORNING UAE 🇦🇪
Another early start arriving at Dubai with the sun rising. Off to breakfast then out and onto the Hop-on-hop-off bus to tour Dubai. First up was the major mall. We got off for coffee and found the mall had a large aquarium. Great spot to have coffee. Then back on the bus to the Old Souq and yes more hassle from the Indians etc. The girls bought some gear and we sat at a little restaurant had lunch and watched the boats go by. Nice and relaxing. Then it was off on the bus again to the gold Souq. Same thing again. But we got to look at some fantastic buildings. The contrast between new and old Dubai. You just wonder what will happen when the oil runs out. Money everywhere. Back to the boat for a rest before heading off to dinner. We celebrated mums 88th birthday and she was thrilled. Thanks Rell and Vicki for organising greatly appreciated. We parted ways with our waiters etc. the traditional tips and photos etc. looking at catching up with the crew for our final drinks etc. Got to finish packing and get the bags out for tomorrow. We are finished in the ship then.
GOOD NIGHT UAE 🇦🇪 DUBIABaca selengkapnya
- Tampilkan perjalanan
- Tambahkan ke daftar bucketHapus dari daftar bucket
- Bagikan
- Hari 30
- Minggu, 19 November 2023 06.31
- 🌙 23 °C
- Ketinggian: 11 mi
Uni Emirat ArabMīnā’ Rāshid25°16’31” N 55°17’9” E
Cruise Finished

Day 30
GOOD MORNING UAE 🇦🇪 DUBAI
Today is disembarkation day of a relaxing and long cruise. We woke to a rainy morning in Dubai. Time to get all the luggage ready and move to the hotel for the last night of a great holiday. So breakfast then ensure all the bills are paid. Checked mum and Vicki’s and now we are ready to leave. Contacted our transfer driver, now hopefully everything goes to plan. The only issue we had with the ship was the performance of Reception, Excursion and communications. Everything else was good. Now for the next leg of our great adventure.
What a hectic day, first off the boat, through carry on check and then find our luggage… all when well and we were off the boat by 8:30am. I went out and found the driver and then it was a matter of rounding everyone up and into the van. Mum cut her arm on the suitcase or the drivers belt and was bleeding 🩸 all over the place. We got her patched up and everyone in the van. Mum feel a bit crook and has laryngitis. I am still feeling under the weather but better than yesterday. Good drive through the city to the hotel and when we got there the line up was a mile long from all the other guests. The best part was they were booking everyone in. When it came to our turn we had to wait about an hour and a half for the key so we decided to store the luggage and head to the railway station. We all caught the train back into the city and got back on the Big Bus tours to do the blue line. This brought us up the marina where all the magnificent yachts are parked up and we found a place for lunch Expensive for food here but you only live once. By the time we finished lunch it was getting late and mum and Vicki were getting tied so they headed back to the hotel with Wolfgang and Rell and I continued on the bus. Unreal sights, buildings and money. I don’t know how long it can last people living like this. Anyway it was good to see. We then head back to the hotel on the train…. We’ll that is an experience in its self. Arrived back at hotel got our room and luggage and time for a shower and rest. Had dinner at the hotel… waited about an hour after order, not a good start. After dinner we caught up with the crew for a few farewell drinks 🍻 then off to bed.
GOOD NIGHT UAE 🇦🇪 DUBAIBaca selengkapnya
- Tampilkan perjalanan
- Tambahkan ke daftar bucketHapus dari daftar bucket
- Bagikan
- Hari 31
- Senin, 20 November 2023 14.24
- ⛅ 31 °C
- Ketinggian: 10 mi
Uni Emirat ArabJebel Ali Village25°2’44” N 55°7’7” E
Time To Head Home

Day 31
GOOD MORNING UAE 🇦🇪 DUBAI
Beautiful sunny morning here in Dubai. We are slow off the mark due to resting from a long day of exploring, a night with fellow travellers and still the after effects of the flu 🤧. We will continue to rest today and repackaged our gear for the long flights back home through Singapore 🇸🇬. So it is off to breakfast soon and to say goodbye to all the lovely friends we have made on this trip and who we will remember and try and catch up with in the future.
We headed of to the giant mall beside the hotel, these things are monstrous. We spent about 2-3hours wondering around. The builds are fascinating. Had some coffees and chatted with people. Once again took many photos. Headed back to hotel to rest up and get ready for our flight at 8:00pm.
Had a shower and straightened the gear out after having some lunch. The transfer driver contacted us and we headed down just before 4pm. A bit of a squeeze with the luggage but all good and off we went… peak hour traffic Dubai. Made it to the airport without any issues and then the execution of getting through customs and on the plan.
Dubai International Airport (IATA: DXB, ICAO: OMDB) (Arabic: مطار دبي الدولي) is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic.[5] It is also the fifth-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic,[6] the busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements,[7] and the airport with the highest average number of passengers per flight.[8] In 2017, the airport handled 88 million passengers and 2.65 million tonnes of cargo and registered 409,493 aircraft movements.[9]
Everything went well considering… we had plenty of time. On the plan for our long haul flight to Singapore 🇸🇬. Rell’s legs played up on this trip and it was hard to get some sleep.
Singapore Changi Airport (/ˈtʃɑːŋi/ CHAHNG-ee), commonly known as Changi Airport (IATA: SIN, ICAO: WSSS), is a major international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passenger and cargo traffic, it has been rated as the "World's Best Airport" by Skytrax a dozen times, currently holds the title, and was the first airport in the world to hold the accolade for eight consecutive years.[8][9] It has also been rated as one of the world's cleanest airports and highly rated international transit airports.[10][11] More than 100 airlines operate from the airport, with nonstop or direct flights to destinations in Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
All part of the travel.
GOOD NIGHT SINGAPORE 🇸🇬Baca selengkapnya
- Tampilkan perjalanan
- Tambahkan ke daftar bucketHapus dari daftar bucket
- Bagikan
- Hari 32
- Selasa, 21 November 2023 17.24
- ☁️ 23 °C
- Ketinggian: 14 mi
AustraliaBrisbane27°28’4” S 153°1’57” E
Home Again

Day 32
GOOD MORNING AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺
Woke this morning on a plane from Singapore 🇸🇬. We are still on flight from Singapore to Brisbane. Due to arrive at around 8pm. Brian has been organised to pick us up, we see how that goes. The connection between flights was ok. A bit of a walk and a couple of trains but not to long wait 2 1/2hrs between flights and everyone very tired 🥱. Rell had some trouble on previous flight but this one not to bad.
Brisbane Airport (IATA: BNE, ICAO: YBBN) is the primary international airport serving Brisbane and South East Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, total amounting to more than 22.7 million passengers who travelled through the airport in 2016. In 2016, an OAG report named Brisbane airport as the fifth-best performing large-sized airport in the world for on-time performance with 86.71% of arrivals and departures occurring within 15 minutes of their scheduled times,[6] slipping from 88.31% the year before.[7] BNE covers an area of 2,700 hectares (6,672 acres), making the airport among the largest in land area in all of Australia.Baca selengkapnya