West coast cliffs and Dwejra Bay
From Blue Lagoon, where we spent the night on our 2nd day in Malta, we set off in a clockwise direction around the island to get into the swing of things in the morning, reaching Dwejra Bay along the cliffs and sailing close-hauled, provided we hit the usual north-westerly wind. This part of the island is surprisingly little visited by sailboats, even though it offers sumptuous scenery: sheer cliffs several hundred meters high, which you can get very close to, with wild landscapes and numerous nesting birds. After some 10 miles of close-hauled sailing, we arrived at the gates of Dwejra Bay, unquestionably one of the best anchorages in the country. This circular cove is enclosed by a large rock, which protects most of the time from swell and wind, and offers a sort of large natural pool where three or four boats are usually to be found. Again, as at Blue Lagoon, by passing halfway between the rock and the island, you can enter the lagoon without difficulty. The cove is teeming with posidonia meadows, which you should take care not to tear up as you anchor on the lighter, sandy areas between 5 and 10 meters below the surface.
San Blas, Ramla Hamra: Gozo's beaches
After a well-deserved break in Dwejra Bay, we continue around the island, passing the small fishing port of Marsalforn, which is not the most picturesque anchorage on the island, beyond the fact that it is often quite rolly. We continue the tour, this time downwind, and the island offers anchorages in front of the beaches on the west coast, which can also be used for a refreshing swim. These are the beaches of San Blas and Ramla Hamra. The large beaches make it easy to drop anchor, this time with little seagrass, few rocks and a gently sloping seabed. These anchorages are more popular with Maltese families out for the weekend than with tourists heading for Comino. So you'll find a few boats at anchor, often not very noisy.
Mgarr marina
Once we've passed the beaches, we continue our tour in a clockwise direction, and after passing the Gozo stone quarries, we take the channel between Comino and Gozo to reach Mgarr. While marina staff are often very welcoming, calling ahead to reserve a place for the night will prevent us from having a nasty surprise at the end of the day. The town of Mgarr itself is a pretty setting, with a few picturesque streets, terraced restaurants and small local fishing boats of all colors. Gozo is a more mountainous, greener and less populated island than Malta, but it has its own identity and the Gozitans are proud of their island, and will surely tell you so if you get the chance to make contact with the locals! A good dinner, a good night's sleep in the marina and we're ready to set off again along Malta's south coast the following day, after a complete tour of Gozo.
