Alfred Sladden writes...

“Ubi caritas et amor,

Deus ibi est.”

(Where there is charity and love, there is God.)

The opening words of this antiphon fit Roland perfectly; I know. I have been his close friend for well over 30 years. During this time I have sailed with him on all his boats, and sometimes, when crossing to Sicily in the loud silence of night, under a starry sky, he would open a window on his heart and all I could perceive was a charity for his fellow-men and love towards God and towards his family.

Professionally, Roland’s contribution towards the development of yachting and boating in Malta was immense and he was instrumental in the high level of success which the industry now enjoys; he was the big “D” in S&D Yachts!

For several months he fought bravely – against the malady which struck him – with the same tenacity he showed when facing a storm at sea and, though weakening gradually, he remained strong in hope and spirit till the very end.

Alas, the time has come for him to weigh anchor for his last voyage, where he will not need satellites for navigation, as God’s infallible compass will guide him into the eternal port.

I leave the last words to John Masefield, the poet of the sea, and the last stanza in Sea Fever:

“I must go down to the sea again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

“To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

“And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow rover,

“And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over”

Farewell, my friend, and Godspeed.

Alfred Sladden