Overwintering in Malta:weather & language?

Malta

Having tried most places in the med for overwintering over about 15 yrs,& not liking the weather I ventured to the canaries to have a look,what a difference.
The weather always seemed to be in the 20s english is widely spoken,& there was no shortage of good moorings & anchorages,(apart fro just b4 the arc)
I found numerous liveaboards on all of the islands, most of whom stay for the whole year,
The reason given was that the med is too cold in winter & too hot in summer.
For a change of scene quite a few pop up to madeira for a few weeks.
It really is idyllic & I had 5 very enjoyable winters there.
Just negotiating for my new boat then off we go again.
Stilroaming.:;):D:)
 
Hi laffin, I never considered the canaries. I totally agree with you about the weather in the med, it's usually good up until Christmas, after that its a lottery. I have eaten out lots of times in December in the Provence , and spent lots of times stuck inside for a whole month while th heavens opened.

My only reservation is that the canaries is a clubbers paradise ...........what about the rowdy element. I visited Fortenvetura, way back, it was totally unspoilt and rural. Are there places in the canaries still like that, or has development ruined everywhere.
 
malta

There are numerous anchorages all over the canaries where I have been at anchor for a fortnight & never seen a soul other than overnighters.
However if you want the fleshpots you can be in these places in a few hrs.
(been there ,seen it ,done it,can,t remember most of it)
Certainly worth thinking about.
Fair winds & calm seas.stilroaming.
Trying a vodka diet--so far ive lost 2 days.:D:D:D
 
That's What they say; if you can remember it, you weren't there.

All that Atlantic Ocean on the way over from the mainland looks very very scary. I've only crossed the bay Biscay on a ferry......and that was bad enough! What happens if you get caught out offshore in a storm, i mean really offshore? Yikes......
 
Downsman said:
Hi downsman, the £64k question is, would you return for another winter?

Ha! That was my intention in 2010, I was bound East from the Balearics for Sardinia, Sicily then Malta for the winter but I had major engine failure and managed to get to anchor at Isla San Pietro. (West coast Sardinia) I never did make Malta that trip..:(
As everywhere else, some people like Malta while some are glad to leave. I loved it. There were about half a dozen liveaboards in Msida, some Brits a couple of long voyaging Kiwis, an American couple and a German couple on a Catamaran. There was a restaurant at the marina which was an ex sailing vessel once owned by some famous film star,
Click to expand...

That would be the Black Pearl once owned by Errol Flynn. Before she became a restaurant she was used in the 1980 Robin Williams film Popeye as a wreck in Anchor Bay.:)

Paul
 
malta

never had a problem.In gran canaria the officials came aboard chatted for a while,had a beer & left.That was the only time I saw an official.
Very relaxed for 6 mths.



Rusty Barge,
Thats where the boat comes in !!!!
 
Hi laffin

Ok So I don't have a sea boat at this moment in time, but I just got a massive refund from ex. in divorce overpayment, (can you believe it,) so I have a few quid to buy something in the 10 mtr range. Was thinking maybe MF 9.25 or Antares 9 or some thing similar...

The canaries really does make good sense, I never considered it before. Cheap flights etc.
 
This shows the start of a Gregale in November 1969, moored stern on to Manoel Island. You can see the swell rolling along the quay. After that it rained so hard that the manhole covers were tossed in the air by the drain waters.

MaltaGregale.jpg
 
Back to Malta.

Be careful in Malta. The rate of conception is alarmingly high. My daughter was conceived there, and the queen's two elder children also got going about the same time.
It was runoured in the Med Fleet that Her Majesty's tum was tattooed with "when empty return to Malta"
Popular myth was that the maltese water was an aid to fertility. Gin is safer.
 
Hi James, looks hairy. I'm moored in a very busy river with very fast traffic.....sightseeing boats refuse to slow down, so all the mooring lines are very carefully positioned just like yours. It can get very interesting jumping into the dingy at times.

English speaking locals were the main reason I considered Malta.....not the vulnerable moorings.
 
rustybarge said:
Thanks Richard,

I will look into tunisia, but my sister who lives in France has employed lots of Tunisian builders, all of them spoke fluent French ....but not a word of English .
Click to expand...

I met a Breton who keeps his 14m boat in a marina in Tunisia. He said that about half the marina population were expat Bretons. The costs : mooring and yard work are a fraction of what it would cost in Europe. He mentionned IIRC €150 haul out and antifoul of his 14m. Flights are cheap to get there.
 
rustybarge said:
Must speak English fluently. I've spent a lot of winters in s.france, I can't hack the rude arrogant French anymore, and they prefer Germans to English speakers. Can you really understand Napolonic law? Me neither.

.
Click to expand...

How would you react if a French sailor spent all his winters in the UK yet expected you to speak French to him?

In every country there are rude people.

The people that I deal with in a nautical environment have, with very few exceptions, been charming.
 
Hi Syb,

Ok I was exaggerating a tiny bit. I do speak French, but I've found that unless you were brought up in a bi-lingual family it's virtually impossible to become fluent.
I can go to a French only cocktail party for 30 minutes full stop........after I run out of vocabulary and end up saying the same thing all over again ( sounds like a typical expat party to me)

Maybe it's stereotypical , Japs hate Chinese, American hate Canadians, Greeks hate Turks......etc.

A bientot...........
 
Malta

rustybarge said:
Hi James, looks hairy. I'm moored in a very busy river with very fast traffic.....sightseeing boats refuse to slow down, so all the mooring lines are very carefully positioned just like yours. It can get very interesting jumping into the dingy at times.

English speaking locals were the main reason I considered Malta.....not the vulnerable moorings.
Click to expand...

I spent 2 years in Malta, Sliema Creek. 1st year was not too bad, didn't get any NE Gregale until Mar-April time. Last year however was awful. From Oct - May we had big swells coming in almost once a week. Weathered a F10 for 2 days tied onto a big buoy in the middle of the bay. Every other boat including the big cruise boats, left the bay so there was us and one other yacht! We thought "Uh-Oh"! but in the event it was pretty much ok. The one thing I didn't like was bloody great cockroaches and the cheekiest rats on the planet.They would stroll on to your boat in broad daylight! I ended up killing three in one month - 2 of which had taken up residence.
Now in Greece - marina is 1/2 the cost and 3 times better. Loved Malta and the people but becoming a nightmare for anyone with a boat. Mooring fees doubled overnight (if you could get a mooring!)
Food and drink - shop around and it can be cheaper than UK. Oh, also the best hospital in the world (Mater Dei) - saved SWIMBO's life. Had she been in UK .......probably not survived. Forever in debt to wonderful staff!
 
Hi capt Pug,
I'm getting the definite impression that lots of people use Malta as stopping off place centrally located in the med., but would hesitate to recommend it as a good live aboard location.

As a matter of fact the Maltese couple I knew we're medics, and very good at their jobs.

Oh dear! .......looks like Gib might be a better choice, at least it's possible to walk across to Spain if you get bored.

Or it's the Caribbean, but the costs would escalate out of my range; and family visiting would become unaffordable.

Such is life.....
 
rustybarge said:
Hi capt Pug,
I'm getting the definite impression that lots of people use Malta as stopping off place centrally located in the med., but would hesitate to recommend it as a good live aboard location.

As a matter of fact the Maltese couple I knew we're medics, and very good at their jobs.

Oh dear! .......looks like Gib might be a better choice, at least it's possible to walk across to Spain if you get bored.

Or it's the Caribbean, but the costs would escalate out of my range; and family visiting would become unaffordable.

Such is life.....
Click to expand...

Hi Rusty,

I wouldn't completely write it off as a liveaboard option. You just need to ensure you have a reasonably decent berth. If you are living on your boat at least you are there to look after it etc. Plenty of warning when the big blows come in - and use car tyres as snubbers as the commercial ones last about 3 hours! The people are great, weather is lovely 95% of the time, although July/Aug can be unbearably hot and humid!
It's worth a year or so and then head for Greece. Gib is ok but after 2 weeks we had seen it/done it and bought the T-Shirt!
Stock up on Boric Acid and Rat Traps though!

Regards

CP
 
We spent a year in Malta and unlike where we are based now, it was a great place for days out. Lots of good anchorages such as the Blue Lagoon in Comino where we usually stopped for lunch when we were doing day charter. We had to give that up as the trip boats were looking unhappy, but good while it lasted at £25 per day which seemed quite a lot then.

We were able to buy duty free booze and fags from Saccone & Speed provided we went to Syracusa on what we called the booze run. When we got back the customs had to visit the boat once per week to unseal the locker to release our weekly allowance of one bottle each. Eventually the customs chief came himself and 'forgot' to reseal the locker, saying we wouldn't need to bother them again.

The price of a carton of 200 cigs was 10s 6d and four and fourpence for a bottle of gin or brandy. We paid 14 shillings and sixpence for a weeks mooring.
 
I'm going to implement plan :B, it's definitely worth a look. I'm out to France in a couple of weeks, so I will go overland via Cosica, Sardinia, and Sicily and see what the climate is like in Febuary.

Hi James, it's always difficult starting a business in a small place because the locals get very upset, even if its now in the EU.

I've spent a lot of time in the west of Ireland , try getting licence, and start fishing for lobsters.......better buy a bullet proof jacket as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top