A pair of kayakers have successfully completed a voyage from Gela in Sicily to Malta in aid of charity organisation Inspire.
Dorian Vassallo, 66 and Albert Gambina, 64, paddled into Golden Bay early on Thursday morning after a gruelling 110-kilometre journey across open waters, which took around 24 hours to complete.
The duo were inspired to undertake the voyage by the exploits of two British officers during World War II.
In 1943, commandos Philip Smith and David Brand conducted a series of beach reconnaissance missions on the Sicilian coast in a kayak. After finishing their last reconnaissance, the submarine tasked with picking them up at the agreed rendezvous point failed to turn up.
To avoid capture, they decided to paddle through open waters, covering about 120km until they reached Malta. Their extraordinary feat of endurance earned both men the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).
Vassallo said the “biggest challenge was the lack of sleep. When we left we had flat, calm water, then the wind started to pick up. The sea was choppy around the midpoint”, with Gambina adding that the high heat was also an issue.
The pair are no strangers to long kayaking journeys, having previously completed several circuits around Malta and several trips between Malta and Sicily, one of which included a month-long circuit around the whole Italian island.
The pair’s voyage raised money for Inspire.“At our age we can say we’ve done all we can. I would say we’re probably the oldest people to have completed the crossing,” Gambina said, adding their latest voyage would probably be their last.
Vassallo and Gambina will now be passing the kayaking-for-charity torch to Arthur ‘Turu’ Quintano and Daniela Bonavia, who run the ‘Get Out And Kayak Malta’ group.
“We like the way Inspire work. They’re very supportive in all aspects. The work they do with the community is priceless,” Vassallo said of the charity.
