Malta, two week course

We have prepared this course for those who would like to experience a real off-shore sailing.

Malta is located in the very centre of the Mediterranean Sea, some 60 miles from Sicily. It is an exotic and rocky island surrounded by open sea. It boasts its rich history and in past days it witnessed countless sieges and wars. Its population is about 340 000 inhabitants who make a good living on tourism and agriculture. Their language is very interesting but no one can understand it but them. The capital city La Valletta is situated in a wide bay which also accommodates several docks with oil drills under repair and a large merchant harbour.

There are also several marinas packed with sailing boats whose owners, mostly coming from the Northern Europe, enjoy mild weather and sailing in winter time. The distance from Jezera to Malta is somewhat less than 600 miles. We have to do the border-crossing formalities on Lastovo Island and after that we are off.

The course is sailed aboard Elan 45 and the crew is divided in two "guardias" meaning that you are on duty for four hours and than you have four hours of rest. The sailing activities are numerous: trim sails, reef sails, expand sails. The course is south-east until we pass the Otranto Channel. After that we continue to the east. When you pass Sicily in bright weather you can see Etna, dormant at present, but you never know.

On fourth or fifth day we will set our eyes on Malta. The uninterrupted several-days sailing is very exhausting, therefore we will spend a day or two in La Valetta.

We will get some rest and sleep, dry out the boat, do some sight-seeing of the island and get prepared for the journey back to Jezera. We will still have some 600 miles of open sea, wind and sails ahead of us.

We will come back to Jezera tired but proud, spend one night in dry beds and we will not boast too much.