Text: Johannes Erdmann
The coast in front of us in the south-west offers no bays or anchorages, but a fantastic backdrop of towering cliffs. And finally a bit of wind! About 20 nautical miles further on, the course leads to the south-east, past the harbour town of Bir-ebbu-a, home to the huge Malta Freeport, one of the largest container terminals in the Mediterranean. The scenery is dominated by tall cranes, container towers and cargo ships. But there is also a sandy beach with moorings: Pretty Bay behind the container terminals.
The boat in the box
However, we hoist the sails and motor the last two nautical miles past the town to a special natural spectacle, namely the bays of Il-Hofra-gira and Il-Hofra l-Kbira, which translates as "the small" and "the large pit". Both are circular and surrounded by steep limestone cliffs, making them almost inaccessible from land. The water is crystal clear and glows turquoise above the sandy bottom. In the centre there is a stone "window" between the two bays, where we land with the dinghy. If you anchor in the right place, you can "frame" your boat here for a photo.
After all, the capital is on the agenda for the next day. We have reserved a berth in the Roland Marina, which is not centrally located in Valetta, but is cheaper than all the marinas there - if you can still call it cheap at 150 euros a night.
Valletta - the best secured city in the world
Even from a distance, we notice the large and impressive fortifications that have been built along the coast. We have been accompanied all week by relics from the Second World War, many bunkers and gun emplacements, many of which are marked on the map. But the mighty walls and fortifications of the once embattled city are very impressive - and remind us of a dark period in the island's history. After the great siege in 1565, the Knights of St John - the Order of Malta - decided to build a new, impregnable city and designed Valetta as a mighty fortress. The strategic location between Gibraltar and Suez later made the island a key position in controlling the connection between the western and eastern Mediterranean during the First and Second World Wars. It was never conquered.
Valetta harbour consists of two parts, the Grand Harbour to the south and Marsamxett Harbour to the north, with the Valetta peninsula in between and Fort Elmo on the seaward side. We approach our marina via the Marsamxett harbour basin, past Manoel Island with the fort of the same name, which used to be of great importance and was once the seat of the Royal Navy, but was then left to fall into disrepair and is now soon to experience a new era as a park. Once we arrive at Roland Marina, we hire a car to fill in the last small gaps on the island that we haven't yet seen. For 40 euros we get a Ford Fiesta for a day - that should be enough, as the island is small.
Europe and Africa meet in Malta
We would love to extend our stay for a few more days, move to the Muring field north of Manoel Island and enjoy the city atmosphere a little longer. Valetta is a unique melting pot: Europe and Africa meet here. Not only geographically and linguistically, but also culinarily and culturally. And we are right in the centre of it all. With a little melancholy, we set sail for Sardinia the next morning. It's a bit chilly again, as it has been all week. Summer in the Mediterranean can be like this. What is good for anchoring is bad for sailing - and makes it even harder to say goodbye, because even in the afternoon, Malta with its limestone cliffs can still be seen shining brightly on the horizon. Malta won't let us go.
Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel
