Sailing-mad Malta

by Nancy Knudsen on 10 Aug 2006 Many years ago, having landed in a light plane on Malta’s airstrip, and waiting for a fuel truck to arrive, I was chatting to a couple of aircraft engineers.
'and what do you produce in Malta?' I asked, making conversation.
'Malta? Huh!' was the grumpy reply; 'In Malta we produce nothing but potatoes and stones!'
Malta certainly does have a lot of stones, but the engineer was selling it short by a large margin. Today the Maltese islands are thriving, low inflation rate, high employment, high standard of living. There have been a lot of changes since their entry into the European Union in 2004 – some good some bad, but 'People are grumbling, but they like to grumble' one Maltese philosopher remarked to me. 'It’s not so bad – some jobs lost, some things cheaper some more expensive – it all works out'

What shouldn’t be surprising, given the comparative isolation of Malta, is the passion that the Maltese have for sailing. With a population of only 400,000, Malta has more than 800 berths for yachts, all of which seem to be constantly full.
Thinking of Greece and Turkey, where vast numbers of Northern Europeans swarm with their boats every summer, I had to ask the question of David Farrugio, Vice Commodore of the Royal Malta Yacht Club. 'Are they for mostly for foreign visitors?'
'No of course not,' he laughed, '90% of them are owned locally. In fact, with the price of fuel risen so sharply many local boat owners are trading in their motoryachts for sailing boats!'
Apart from the yachts, there are hundreds of smaller boats – cabin cruisers, dinghies, speedboats, fishing boats,tinnies and that lovely Maltese tender boat, the square ‘kaxxa’ or ‘box boat’, and they seem to be crammed into every possible corner of the vast Valletta Harbour. Being on the water certainly seems to be a national pastime, and Farrugio agrees. 'We have a long history of as sea traders as well, so it natural for us to take to the water.'

David describes his own introduction to sailing.
'I couldn’t wait to get out there.' He says, smiling at the memory. 'I was nine years old. One day I took a kaxxa, a broomstick, and one of my mothers bed sheets. I rigged it up – square rigged – and set off down the harbour and out to sea – I had a wonderful sail, right out into the Mediterranean, but of course, it wouldn’t sail the other way, and I had a devil of a job rowing home. My parents didn’t know where I was, but by the time I had rowed back inside the harbour my mother spent the last hour of my journey marching along the shore keeping pace with me, eyeing my progress. – I didn’t do that again!'

So David, like many of his fellow Maltese, has spent a lifetime sailing. His two sons, Matthew and Andrew also sail, and with his wife Bella they often go out for the weekend. However, as Vice Commodore of the largest local yacht club, he’s busy these days organising the various events of the club.

Today the 165 year old Royal Malta Yacht Club is a thriving racing club, and its premier event is the Rolex Middle Sea Race, a highly rated offshore classic, often mentioned in the same breath as the Rolex Fastnet, The Rolex Sydney-Hobart or Newport-Bermuda as a 'must do' race. It annually attracts up to 50 yachts

This year’s race, the course of which Ted Turner describes as 'the most beautiful race course in the world' starts on 16th October, and if you’re anywhere near Malta on those dates, there are plenty of wonderful vantage points to view the start. See more info on their Website

However, in order to keep the cruising fraternity interested in racing, each race has a cruising division, and those boats that are IRC rated, ARE NOT ALLOWED TO COMPETE IN THE CRUISING DIVISION. This seems an excellent solution, which maybe could be used as a model by other clubs around the world.

Like other sailing countries, however, increased competition has led to the necessity to spend more and more money to race seriously.
'This is changing the sport,' says David, 'those who cannot spend the money simply cannot compete, so they go to the cruising division.'

However, there is little organised cruising, most of the cruisers making their own informal arrangements. Friday evening in Valletta Harbour the docks are streaming with people going to their boats, and soon the harbour is packed with boats heading out to sea for the weekend. And where do they go?

On any scale the Maltese Islands are a fascinating destination for sailing and swimming, sun baking and exploring. There are three main islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, and hundreds of anchorages suitable for overnight stays. The waters are clear, the sunshine is year-round, and, with 6,000 years of recorded history, there are archaeological and architectural sights strewn all over the islands, not to mention museums housing relics from long before the Egyptian civilisation. Gozo is a greener island than Malta, which is literally all rocks and stones – a tranquil but historic island. Comino is mostly uninhabited, with a wonderful array of idyllic anchorages.

Back in Malta, however, visitors to the Royal Malta Yacht Club are welcome in their stunning location, tucked into old fortifications high over the entrance to Valletta Harbour. It’s difficult to find, located at the end of a long and isolated road to the end of Manuel Island. However, once found, its restaurant must be the best place to dine in all of Malta, with a top class international cuisine to go with its extraordinary view and amazing location. 'The best chateaubriand I have ever tasted,' commented one hard-to-please gourmet friend. We ourselves decided that it would be worth a visit to Malta if you came for just one reason - to dine at this unique sailing club.