Always wished to navigate across the beautiful Mediterranean but never quite knew where to start? Veronica Stivala speaks to three experts and puts together an all-you-need-to-know guide to setting sail from Malta.

Where to start?

Sailing is about recharging both your and the boat’s batteries, so make sure you have time to go out.

Research is key, so before you take the plunge of buying a boat, get as much information as you can from boating and sailing magazines.

A year of reading will work wonders for your decisions.

Sailing aficionado Paul Muscat advises you to:

• Talk to your spouse or partner. If they get seasick easily, forget about a boat.

• Make sure you have the right practical and theoretical qualifications to sail the boat you want.

• Think about what you can afford and what is available. Is this a 30-footer that can be trailed and less expensive, or a 43 to 45-footer that needs a permanent berth? Do you buy a second-hand boat with more maintenance costs or a new one that needs more capital outlays? Even with a new boat, you need to spend about 10 to 15 per cent of its original costs to maintain it.

What is the best boat to sail around the Mediterranean?

In this case, size really does matter. If this is your first boat, charter one with a skipper in order to get the ‘experience’ of sailing.

It makes more sense to spend €4,000 on boat charter than buying a boat costing thousands and then having to sell it at a discount, warns Muscat.

The question you need to answer, notes sailing pro Matthew Farrugia, is whether you want many cabins to accommodate a large group of people or you would rather have more autonomy, with equipment such as generators and watermakers to avoid having to go into yacht marinas.

Of course, everyone has their own style, but here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing a boat:

• Go for a large, open cockpit space and bathing platform. This is where you will spend most of your time.

• Decent cruising speed and range when under engine. Crossing to Sicily in six hours instead of eight makes a big difference.

• If you are planning a long cruise, lasting several weeks, it is worth considering a brand that is well known. If you should need some spare parts, finding them would be that much easier.

What sort of maintenance is involved?

Regular maintenance includes servicing of machinery as well as lifting the boat out of the water for antifouling, polishing and so on.

Older boats will need more maintenance as equipment starts to age, replacing items such as ropes, sails, electronics and so on after a few years.

Farrugia says a very rough estimate would be to budget around 10 to 20 per cent of the value of the boat for your annual maintenance and berthing fees.

Realistically speaking, what sort of budget do I need to go on a ‘self-service’ sailing holiday?

Not as much as you’d think, says Farrugia.

If you choose to charter a boat for a week or so, as a group of six people, then the cost of the boat would be very comparable to flights, hotel accommodation and car rental if you were going on a regular holiday.

Other expenses would then include fuel, food and drink, and any yacht marina fees or cruising licences.

What training do I need to complete if I want to sail?

You need a nautical licence to be able to sail a boat, which will take at least a weekend of training and an exam for a beginner.

Other courses like that of a day-skipper teach you more about the boat in general and berthing it too.

When it comes to sailing ­– that is just using the wind for power – avid sailor Maya Podesta advises attending a beginners sailing course for a couple of days to be able to understand how to move at different angles to the wind.

What is the best time of year to sail?

The summer has nicer weather, and usually spans between May and October.

Come the peak months of July and August, there are many boats around, making it difficult to find berths in marinas, whose rates are higher.

However, says Podesta, these are the months when there is less likely to be wind, making it difficult to sail using wind power. But beginners are safer with less wind and can always motor sail.

What should I do before I set sail?

• Buy a pilot book and the necessary admiralty charts to study the area you are sailing through. It is fun and you can do this during the winter, in preparation for your great summer adventures.

• Make sure all permits, licences, insurance, safety equipment, life rafts, radios, emergency beacons, GP plotters and navigational tools are in place.

• Service your boat before the start of the season.

• Check the weather at least three weeks before you want to sail. Find a window of good weather for four or five days and as you approach the final week fine-tune it and take the decision on your own or with an experienced sailor.

• A force 4 to 5 means different things to different people and different boats, so take your crew into consideration; situations change whether you are short-handed and with an experienced crew, or whether you have children and possibly pets. You have to know yourself physically and psychologically, says Muscat.

• Give a member of your extended family your starting date and estimated time of arrival for both departure and arrival back home.

• Notify Valletta Port Control of your intentions when you leave your pontoon.

• Check radios and keep a continuous lookout for ships and other sailing boats.

• Open up the pilot book and charts during the last hour or so and confirm the estimated time of your arrival with the marina.

Bon voyage!

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