Simonne Pace meets three families who are passionate about their sailing boats. With summer on the doorstep, they simply can’t wait to be at the helm of their boats and to sail out towards the horizon to enjoy long, lazy days out at sea with their children.

Jamie and Julia Sammut

• They have two girls, Jordan, 5, and Jodie, 3

Jamie is into turnkey construction, while Julia organises children’s parties with her sister. She is a stay-at-home mum but also gives Jamie a hand with the administration work.

Julia has always liked sailing and used to race in dinghies as a child. She had her first sailing boat at the age of eight and bought her first yacht – a Carter 33 – at 25. The family now owns a Solaris 42. In winter, Julia competes in races organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club.

“Shopping around for a boat is a huge decision and takes a lot of your time. Our main focus was safety, boat strength, as well as performance. However, price is always one of the biggest issues. Another big factor is family comfort.

“We try to use the boat every weekend in summer. We cruise around the Maltese islands and have crossed over to Sicily many times.

Summer cruising with the family is fantastic and the quality time we spend together is priceless

“Summer cruising with the family is fantastic and the quality time we spend together is priceless. We recommend sailing to anyone who has the time to keep a boat. Having a boat involves finding the time to perform maintenance works, especially in the winter months.

“The most important thing is to be knowledgeable, especially when it comes to safety at sea. One must be prepared for any dangerous incident that can arise.

“The children love the boat. It is a long-term family holiday where they get to meet their friends and swim all day long. When they are not swimming, we go round from boat to boat, meeting friends in our small dinghy.

“Jamie prepares the boat by refuelling it, filling the water tanks, charging batteries, putting on fridges, checking the weather to see what bay would be best to sleep in and making sure there are life jackets, that all equipment functions properly in case of an emergency, life raft, first aid kit and always a pack of drinking water.

“The day spent on the boat is a relaxing but fun one. You tend to enjoy eating more when you are out at sea.”

Mark and Corinne Vassallo

• Mark and Corinne have two boys, Benjamin, 7, and Timmy, 4

Mark is an accountant by profession but doesn’t practise as one, since his work is mainly in the insurance and yachting industries. Corinne works in the financial services industry for a Malta-based factoring company.

Mark spent all his summers on his family’s boats. When he was five, his dad started off with a Fletcher 15, a locally built 15-foot fibreglass speedboat. At 12, Mark’s dad bought their first 28-foot sailing boat, which Mark vividly remembers.

“That was the moment I became, quite simply, hooked on sailing. At 16, I had my own sailing boat and never looked back.

“My wife got introduced to sailing 14 years ago when I invited her for the weekend on my dad’s boat. My second invitation wasn’t too long after that and by the end of that summer, she became a regular member of the crew. For a while, we also raced together on a 25-foot racing boat I also owned.

“We’ve had our boat – a 12-metre Beneteau First 40.7 – for a year. It is one of the few boats that was able to tick all of our boxes. It’s a performance sailing boat as much as a cruiser for six, having a fully-fitted interior with three private cabins. Under sail, she is well balanced, responds quickly to trim and the feeling when at the wheel is hard to beat. Although the boat can be sailed alone, given a good crew and sail wardrobe, it will give the more modern designs a good run for their money.

The children love the boat as much as we do. We can see this from their positive attitude towards anything asked of them relating to the boat

“Shopping around for a boat, one’s point of departure should be knowing what you want. Once that is established, finding the right boat is not too difficult and neither is the purchase process for both new and used boats. In our case, we knew exactly what we wanted from day one, and when we found the boat, it all happened in a couple of weeks.

“We go out once a week in winter, generally on Saturday afternoons, sailing the east coast of Malta. In summer, we sail every weekend. We usually head to Comino, Gozo or to the bays on the north coast. Sometimes, we also cross to Sicily over a long weekend. But the highlight of our summer is our two-week holiday. During the first few years as a family, we based our annual trip around the south of Sicily but as the children grew up, we ventured afield. Last year, we went to Calabria.

“Sailing is not rocket science. It is a sport that may be enjoyed by all the family but which can be as competitive as you want it. It is easy to learn but the more you practise, the better you become.

“To sail well though, you need to put your mind to it and this is precisely the point where one starts to unwind and relax.

“Sailing is an active sport, so, yes, you are pulling ropes, folding sails and helming. But it’s really up to you how hard you and your crew want it to be, not to mention that, today, almost every manual function on a sailboat can be automated.

“But yes, there is some hard work which cannot be automated, and that’s the maintenance, a tedious chore at best – at least for those who do the work themselves to keep costs low, like us.

“The children love the boat as much as we do. We can see this from their positive attitude towards anything asked of them relating to the boat. They help us prepare for weekends out, with cleaning and tidying up and also with the little chores on board.

“In summer, their favourite experiences are visiting new harbours and sandy beaches overseas. Fishing is a close second. Our kids are still learning to tidy up the ropes, but weighing anchor is a chore they do well and enjoy. Their all-time favourite is, by far, hoisting the boat down.

“For us, it’s just weather, food and go. Our boat is ready to go all year round. It is a floating holiday home where everything has its own dedicated storage place, be it the winter duvet or bathing suits.

“We always try to choose a destination we can sail to, as opposed to getting there under motor. Upon arrival, we would scout around the bay in the tender to find a shallow spot where to enjoy a swim together. Cooking lunch is something we all get involved in, so around 12ish, we’re all back on board. The afternoon is time for myself and Corinne to relax while the children play with their water games on board or on the tender.

“Before sailing back, we always fit in a few games of Connect 4.”

Arthur and Chiara Ripard

• They have two girls, Kayla, 5, and Camilla, 2

Arthur is an insurance director and Chiara a graphic designer. Chiara grew up spending full summers by the sea. Her family always had a boat. Arthur started racing with the RMYC two years ago and discovered a new passion. Hence, they bought their own 38-foot sailing boat.

“We use the boat very often in summer. We sometimes cross over to Sicily with the family. In winter, we occasionally take the boat out for a good sail. This involves quite a bit of work in terms of maintenance, most of which Arthur does himself.

“It’s good to learn how the boat functions, as you don’t generally find many mechanics out at sea if something goes wrong. It can be hard work but it is great fun and we would recommend it to anyone with a family who love the sea.

“The children love it. It’s an endless adventure for them. We go out with friends who have their own boats. It helps that we all have children who happen to be of a similar age, as they all love swimming and riding the dinghies and get to go on sandy beaches to play.

“We love being with the children. To us, it is a perfect way to spend quality family time... and we socialise too.

“We take it in turns to keep all the children on one boat. They have their own cabin filled with colouring books and other games, so they are always occupied. We also have a TV for those rough days when we need to keep them inside for safety reasons. They have never complained of being bored.

“All the fresh air makes them tired too, so they enjoy their naps. They are used to it since they have been on the boat from birth. Camilla loves the sea. She is happy to just sit with us and hold the steering wheel.

“The little one, who will be three in summer, likes to do what her older sister does. It is also her job to bring the fenders into the boat when we leave the port. This year we will give her more daring jobs. We feel more comfortable knowing that now she can swim alone.

“We keep travel sickness tablets on the boat for guests who feel unwell. Chiara wears travel bands on her wrists for the long trips, which always seem to work. So far, the kids don’t suffer much. When they get upset, they lie down and sleep it off.

“Chiara prepares the food. It’s important to calculate the correct amount, especially if you have guests on board. Fruit and snacks are ideal. Everyone is always hungry all day long. It must be all the swimming and fresh air.

“We always keep the boat stocked with pasta and easy food such as couscous and cereal. We also have a barbecue set on board, which is great when we have guests. That way, the cooking is done outside. We leave most stuff on the boat, such as toys, DVDs, extra sheets and towels. It helps not to have to carry and pack all the time.

We love being with the children. To us, it is a perfect way to spend quality family time... and we socialise too

“Arthur makes sure the boat is filled with fuel, fresh water and beer.

“It was tough during the first summer. The children were three and nine months. Life jackets were a must. We always carried a strap-in seat for the baby and she was happy to stay in it when we were moving. We also crossed to Sicily with her in it for nine hours. She slept the whole way.

“Now, as they grow older, it gets easier. They are independent and the young one can climb the ladder alone and walks around freely. The crawling stage was not so simple. She needed constant surveillance. We have safety netting all around the boat just in case the children slip. The young one still cannot swim alone, so it’s important to keep that net up until she learns properly.

“The day on the boat is spent swimming and cooking. We take the kids on the sand to play, when possible. We have a good lunch and dose off afterwards. We swim all afternoon, have tea and the men do any odd jobs that need to be done. We shower outdoors, have dinner and hang out on someone’s boat for an evening drink while the children play until they knock out and are fast asleep until morning.”