The Maltese Islands are an archipelago made up of three main islands - Malta, Gozo & Comino. Strategically situated in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, the islands enjoy mild winters and dry hot summers. Our winds depend on weather systems influenced by the cool fronts that move in from across the European & Siberian continent and  the warm winds that push up from North Africa.

Winter
Malta has no mountains, rivers or lakes. We depend on our rainy season between September - April. So please be patient if it's not always as sunny as you'd like it to be.

The windy season runs between end September till May with typical North, NorthWest and Westerly breezes dominating the weather pattern.  In the N, NW, W winds and depending on your level of experience or preference for flat water windsurfing or waves, you can opt to skim across Mellieha Bay (flat water, speed), Ghallis (CoastRoad), the Malta-Comino Channel (Cirkewwa) or in Gozo at Ramla il-Hamra and Qbajjar (Marsalforn).  It is absolutely NOT recommended for windsurfers to sail at any of the Westerly situated bays in strong winds on Malta, despite their sandy attractiveness. The sheer direction of the wind, short coves, huge swell, awkward currents and shifty conditions are very decieving. You will end up a rock-star or making friends with the sandy bottom feeders.

Occasionally, the long awaited North Easterly winds, known as the Grigale, bring rolling waves into the two favorite (sandy) bays for wave-riding, Mellieha Bay (Ghadira) and St Thomas Bay.  Always follow the locals when it comes to launching and getting past the surf.

Summer
Our summers are long, very dry and can be quite hot (August being the hottest month).      
This is the perfect time of year for beginners to learn to windsurf. The easy conditions during the summer cannot be matched. With long sunlight days, beautiful crystal clear and warm water, clear azure skies, suntans and smiles all around, there's nothing like combining a vacation, learning English or a historical & cultural visit with a windsurfing course. The light breezes (mostly NW) allow everyone to learn the basics and advance to tacking, jibing and the use of harnesses with ease.  If you're lucky enough to remain on until the Autumn you'll be well prepared to move up to water-starting in stronger breezes in no time.

For the intermediate & advanced; don't despair! we do get the occasional strong summer winds, blowing in from the South West and NW :)


A little bit about the owner of this website:

Francesca Vincenti reigned as Malta's leading female Boardsailor & sailor since 1981. She dominated the national windsurfing scene in the Mistral, Windglider and Open Class Divisions 1 and 2. 

Her International exploits included winning several european and world titles between 1982 and 1996. She has been decorated as Malta's Sportswoman of the Year for Malta twice and remains the only woman in the history of sailing in Malta to have contributed to the image of Malta's sailing strengths on both sides of the Atlantic. Flying the Maltese colours at International Championships, Francesca consistently finished amongst the top 10 in Womens' Fleets and Mixed Gender Divisions. 

Amongst her most notable titles, Francesca won the Pre-Olympic International Spa Regatta 1985 in Holland while also being crowned Holland's National Champion; Freestyle World Championship Mistral 1986; Bermuda Cup 1983, 3rd Place; 1983 Windglider World Championships, 4th place; 1986 Malta National Championship, Four Time National Champion 1983 - 1986; 1983 Sailboard World Championship, 6th; 1983 and 1984 Giro d'Italia, 3rd; 1984 Mistral World Championships, 6th; 1985 Womens' World Championship, 5th; 1986 Women's World Championship, 6th; 1995 Mistral Pre-Olympic Championships, 2nd; 
Francesca featured heavily in the early years of the Sport when windsurfing was only just starting to be considered as an Olympic sailing sport. At that time, the class was only open for men. In fact, most of her racing years where spent challenging her male compatriots on a local and international level.

Francesca participated in the renowned Malta-Sicily windsurf race in 1988. The 60 mile long distance race was an invitational channel crossing, requiring exceptional stamina & preparation. Competitors faced anything from extreme variations in sea & weather conditions to unforgiving international marine traffic. The record remains that of 5hrs 56sec claimed by Jean Paul Fleri Soler in 1984.

During the years she resided in the USA, she was considered to be one of the leading surfers on the East Coast in the Mistral Class, having held number one rank for that region for some time. She competed regularly in National qualifiers and events, thus staking her claim as one of the favorites at any top level meet. Francesca returned to Malta permanently in 1998 with her two daughters and retired from competitive surfing. She remains actively involved in this extreme sport for leisure only but still features in the promotion of Malta as an ideal destination for this activity and all outdoor sport such as climbing, kayaking and trekking through her profession there. She is regularly invited to give her technical opinion on television, radio & interviews during high profile events such as the Rolex Middle Sea Race.  Francesca Vincenti has also participated in several theatrical plays and television programmes/series over the years.     

Art Credits

                                                                               'BROTHERS STAY HIP'
                                                                                         by Thomas Kern

Thomas Kern specialises in Abstract, Expressionisn, Informal, Naive, Pointillism & Pop Art. Kern is the nephew of infamous George Baselitz, a living legend renowned for his upside down work. Kern's baptism of artistic fire came when he awoke from a coma following a near fatal accident in 1988. He immediately brought the images of his mind's eye to life with inspiration derived from his love of music, Baselitz and artistic influence of both Meese & Basquiat.

Contact Details: kerni@satodesign.de