Guides

Maintenance guides for owners in Malta.

Practical guides to keeping a boat in Malta.

Winter · 2 min read · 6 October 2026

Laying up in Malta: what actually needs doing

Most lay-up advice is written for boats that will freeze. Ours will not. Here is what matters in a Maltese winter — and what you can skip.

Read the guide →

25 articles · All

A sailing yacht in a turquoise bay under the limestone cliffs of Malta, seen from another boat

Owning a boat here · 8 min

Anchorages in Malta, Gozo and Comino: which wind suits each

A round-the-islands guide to the bays of Malta, Gozo and Comino: what each is like, which winds it is sheltered from and what to watch for.

A RHIB being brought out of covered storage

Owning a boat here · 5 min

Keeping a RHIB or tender in Malta: sun, storage, servicing

What Malta's sun, heat and salt do to a RHIB or tender, whether to keep it afloat or ashore, and what the outboard needs before and after storage.

Technicians at work outside a boatyard shed in Malta

Owning a boat here · 5 min

Boatyards in Malta: where to haul out and how to choose

Five yards in Malta where boats come out of the water: where each one is, how it lifts, what it can take, and how to choose between them.

A motor yacht on stands on the hardstand of a Maltese boatyard, a technician hosing down the hull

Maintenance · 6 min

Hauling out in Malta: how to book it and what happens

How a haul-out in Malta works: booking the lift, what to have ready, what gets checked while the boat is out, and how long it usually takes.

A mooring line made fast on a stainless cleat at the bow of a motor yacht in a Malta marina

Owning a boat here · 5 min

Leaving your boat in Malta for a month or more: a checklist

Flying home and leaving the boat afloat in Malta? What to do on board, what to arrange ashore, and what to ask whoever checks it to send you.

A sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen on the deck of a yacht anchored in a rocky Maltese cove

Owning a boat here · 6 min

The boating year in Malta, month by month

What the sea and the weather do in Malta through the year, when the bays fill and the gales and dust arrive, and what a boat needs in each season.

A technician on the foredeck of a motor yacht in a Malta marina

Owning a boat here · 6 min

Marinas in Malta and Gozo: which one suits your boat

A plain guide to the marinas in Malta and Gozo: where each one is, how sheltered it is, who it suits, and what to arrange if you live abroad.

A technician cleaning the windscreen of a motor yacht in a Malta marina

Maintenance · 5 min

Red rain: what Saharan dust does to a boat in Malta

Southerly winds carry Saharan dust to Malta and light rain turns it to red mud. Why it should not sit on a boat, and how to wash it off properly.

Hands plotting a course with dividers on a paper chart

Owning a boat here · 6 min

Sailing from Sicily to Malta: the crossing and arrival

The crossing from Sicily to Malta: where boats leave from, how far it is, traffic and weather, where to arrive, and what to have checked afterwards.

A flat satellite internet antenna on the rail of a motor yacht anchored off a rocky Maltese bay

Owning a boat here · 6 min

Starlink on a boat in Malta: what works and how to fit it

Which Starlink plan and dish suit a boat in Malta, where it mounts, what it draws from the batteries, and what it lets an owner abroad keep an eye on.

A sailing yacht under full sail beneath the limestone cliffs of Malta

Weather · 6 min

The eight winds of Malta and what each does to your berth

The Maltese names for the eight winds, when each one blows, which harbours and bays it reaches, and the Beaufort scale in knots for a boat on a berth.

Aerial view of a marina in Malta with boats at their berths

Winter · 6 min

Wintering your boat in Malta: what to know and arrange

Thinking of keeping your boat in Malta from November to April? The climate in honest terms, afloat or ashore, getting here, and what to arrange.

Two people talking beside a motor yacht in Malta

Owning a boat here · 6 min

Yacht insurance in Malta: what your policy expects of you

What a yacht policy usually asks of an owner in Malta, how to document damage for a claim, and why dated photo reports matter when something goes wrong.

A technician on the flybridge of a motor yacht at a Malta marina

Maintenance · 4 min

Boat maintenance in Malta: what to check and how often

The jobs that keep a boat in Malta healthy, sorted by how often they come round: before each trip, monthly, yearly and at haul-out.

A motor yacht alongside the quay below the bastions

Owning a boat here · 4 min

Buying a used yacht in Malta: the checks that matter before you sign

A used boat is only as good as what you cannot see. Here is what a survey should cover in Maltese conditions, what to do in the first month of ownership, and where the costs really hide.

Two people discussing a boat on the quay in Malta

Owning a boat here · 3 min

Yacht management in Malta: what it covers, and what to ask before you sign up

Owning a boat in Malta while living somewhere else means bills, renewals, contractors and a berth to look after. Here is what yacht management actually covers, how it is priced, and the questions worth asking any provider.

A worn zinc anode on a propeller shaft with a new one held beside it

Maintenance · 3 min

How often should anodes be changed in Malta?

In a Maltese marina, plan on new anodes once a year and a check halfway. How to read the wear, what it tells you and what to ask for.

Doubled mooring lines and fenders on a yacht in stormy weather

Weather · 2 min

Before a gale: the ten-minute berth check

What we check on your lines, fenders and covers when a storm warning comes in for the islands.

A technician rolling antifouling onto a yacht hull on the hardstand

Maintenance · 4 min

Antifouling in Maltese water: how long it really lasts

Warm water and a long season wear antifouling out faster in Malta. How to tell it is due, when to haul out and what a quote should list.

A teak deck half sanded, weathered grey on one side and fresh wood on the other

Maintenance · 3 min

Teak in the Maltese sun: sand it, oil it or leave it grey?

Every owner asks. The honest answer depends on how thick the deck still is. How to judge your teak, wash it properly and know when to act.

A marine battery bank with a multimeter probe on a terminal

Maintenance · 4 min

Why boat batteries die in the Maltese heat

Summer on shore power is harder on a boat's batteries than winter. The signs of a failing bank, a monthly check and what to ask an electrician.

A coiled line on the foredeck of a sailing yacht at anchor off the Maltese cliffs

Owning a boat here · 11 min

Boat words explained: a plain-English nautical dictionary

Nautical terms explained in plain English: the words you will meet on a quote, a survey or a care-visit report.

A hand holding a VHF radio mic at a motor yacht helm, limestone cliffs through the windscreen

Maintenance · 5 min

VHF radio on a boat in Malta: registering, MMSI, channels

Bought or registering a boat in Malta? What Transport Malta asks about your VHF, how a DSC radio gets its MMSI number, and the local channels.

Fair-weather clouds building over the rocky Maltese coast, seen from the deck of a sailing yacht

Weather · 9 min

How to make your own weather forecast in 15 minutes

Simon Rowell, meteorologist to the British Sailing Team, explains how he builds a day's forecast with a mug of tea, the sky and three sources.

The stern of a sailing yacht at anchor flying a red ensign, limestone cliffs behind

Owning a boat here · 3 min

Registering a yacht under the Maltese flag: why and how

Why so many yachts fly the Maltese flag, and how registering yours with Transport Malta works, from documents to permanent registration.