Ms Francis will talk about her fascinating life and career, at the Royal Malta Yacht Club.

The latest event to raise funds in a bid to Save Valletta’s Skyline is an exclusive talk by international author Clare Francis MBE.

Her talk, ‘A Life in Parallels’, will share her many career successes, both as a bestselling author and as a yachtswoman, as well as her upbringing that included five years at the Royal Ballet School, and her battle with ME.

Best known internationally as an author, Ms Francis has penned 11 novels, including her first, Night Sky, which shot to Number One on the Sunday Times bestseller list and was in the New York Times’ Top 10 for six weeks. Her thrillers and crime novels have received international acclaim, having been translated into 20 languages and published in more than 30 countries.

Her ventures into writing were inspired by a former career as a successful yachtswoman, committing her sea-faring adventures to the page in three non-fiction books before turning to fiction. In 1973, she sailed singlehandedly across the Atlantic, before taking part in the 1974 Round Britain Race with Eve Bonham, finishing in third place. She went on to set a new women’s single-handed transatlantic record in 1976 and was also the first woman to skipper a yacht in the Whitbread Round the World Race.

As a sufferer herself of chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME, Clare Francis is also a trustee of the UK charity Action for ME.

Funds raised by this one-off event will go towards the Save Valletta’s Skyline appeal, which aims to raise more than €8 million to fund vital restoration work on the tower, spire and structure of St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral in Valletta. It is hoped that, by restoring this iconic landmark, the Cathedral’s silhouette can remain a key feature of the capital city’s famous skyline.

A Life in Parallels, a talk by Clare Francis, will be held on 3 October at the Royal Malta Yacht Club, Ta’ Xbiex Seafront, Ta’Xbiex. Tickets are priced at €25 per person, which includes wine and canapés. To book, please email petragd@guisthall.com