Leg 56 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Gozo to Msida, Malta
A short day: across to Comino to swim at the Blue Lagoon, then down the north-east coast of Malta, past St Julian's and Sliema, into Marsamxett harbour under the walls of Valletta to the marina at Msida.
10:00 CEST from Gozo. Mid-morning, after the rest day on Gozo.
Arrive
About 14:48 CEST at Msida, Malta. In the afternoon, after the Blue Lagoon stop, with about 5 hours 35 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 20:21 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.1 m: no practical effect
Wind
The maestrale is fair down Malta's north-east coast
Boat
35 to 38 ft sailing yacht, 1.9 m draught, 6 kn under sail, 5.5 kn under engine
Crew
Skipper and 3 crew, 2 watches of 2. The Blue Lagoon is crowded by midday: arrive early
Track and waypoints 1 to 5, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 09:00 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No wind above force 5.
Msida berth confirmed.
For the stop only: room to anchor outside the Blue Lagoon swimmers' zone.
If the weather is wrong, stay at Mġarr. The leg is 20 nm and can be done in most summer weather.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 0.5 nm off land except at the harbour ends. Distances and courses are calculated from them. Plot every one on the current chart before use. Courses are true.
#
Waypoint
Latitude
Longitude
Course
Leg nm
Total nm
ETA
Notes
0
Mġarr Marina
36°01.5′N
014°18.2′E
10:00 CEST
Depart.
1
Mġarr approach
36°01.3′N
014°18.6′E
122°T
0.4
0.4
10:06 CEST
Out of the harbour.
2
Blue Lagoon, Comino
36°00.9′N
014°19.6′E
113°T
0.9
1.3
10:24 CEST to 12:24
Swim stop at anchor outside the swimmers' zone, 5 kn. Position approximate. Check on the chart
3
Off Qawra Point
35°58.0′N
014°26.0′E
120°T
6.0
7.3
13:24 CEST
1 nm off.
4
Off St Julian's
35°55.5′N
014°30.5′E
124°T
4.4
11.7
14:08 CEST
1 nm off. Listen on VHF 12.
5
Marsamxett entrance
35°54.5′N
014°31.0′E
158°T
1.1
12.8
14:24 CEST
Keep clear of the pipeline obstruction off Tigné Point and of the ferry fairway.
6
Msida Marina
35°53.8′N
014°29.8′E
234°T
1.2
14.0
14:48 CEST
At the head of Marsamxett. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Gozo · Fri 9 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
01:51
0.0 m
HW
08:20
0.1 m
LW
13:43
0.0 m
HW
20:29
0.1 m
From the Porto Empedocle station.
Msida, Malta · Fri 9 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
01:51
0.0 m
HW
08:20
0.1 m
LW
13:43
0.0 m
HW
20:29
0.1 m
From the Porto Empedocle station.
Friday 9 July 2027. Tides. The range here is 0.1 to 0.3 m: tides make no practical difference. Wind and air pressure move the sea level more than the tide does.
Both ends use the Porto Empedocle station, about 85 nm away. Treat the times as a guide only.
Tide times are predictions made for this plan from the TICON-4 harmonic constants (DGFI-TUM) with the Neaps tide predictor, because the official 2027 tables were not yet published when it was written. Tested against the official APDL table for Leixões on 23 July 2026, the predicted times were within 8 minutes and the heights 0.1 to 0.2 m lower. Heights are above lowest astronomical tide. Check every time against the official 2027 table before sailing.
Daylight. Sunrise at Gozo 05:54 CEST. Sunset at Msida 20:21 CEST.
Weather
Sheltered from the maestrale along Malta's north-east coast.
A gregale (north-east) sends a sea onto this coast and into the harbour mouths.
Forecasts to check
Malta Meteorological Office: shipping forecast for Maltese waters, maltairport.com/weather. Issue times: Check the pilot book
Malta Coast Radio broadcasts on NAVTEX; check the station letter and times on the receiver. Check on the chart
Italian Meteomar for the Canale di Sicilia: meteoam.it.
Hazards
Comino and the Blue Lagoon. A swimmers' zone, closed to boats, covers the Blue Lagoon (Transport Malta notice 059/2026); boats keep at least 5 m outside it. A 5 kn limit applies in the Blue Lagoon and its fairways and 10 kn round Comino, marked by yellow buoys (Fl Y 4s) from June to October and in force all year. Mooring to the marker buoys is prohibited. Comino is a Natura 2000 marine site. Other swimmers' zones round Gozo (Ramla, Xlendi, Mġarr ix-Xini and others) have a 20 m safety distance. The 2026 notices expire in October 2026; check the 2027 reissue.
Maltese vessel traffic services. Every vessel in Maltese ports, internal and territorial waters takes part in the VTS. Keep a listening watch on VHF 12 for Valletta (Grand Harbour and Marsamxett), 14 for Marsaxlokk and 10 for Mġarr, Gozo, whether under way or at anchor, and be ready to give position and intentions. Whether a yacht must also report on arrival could not be confirmed. Call to be sure.
Marsamxett. A submerged obstruction from a water pipeline lies about 28 m off Tigné Point, at 35°54.307'N 14°30.770'E: passing between it and the shore is prohibited (notice 030/2026). A fairway for the Sliema ferries is marked in the harbour, with no anchoring or mooring in it (notice 043/2026).
Msida Marina. VHF, phone, depths and visitor berths could not be checked. Check the pilot book
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Mġarr
Start
Within the first hour
Marina.
St Paul's Bay or Mellieħa Bay
Waypoint 3
Weather turns
Anchorages.
Grand Harbour marina
Next harbour south of Marsamxett
Msida full
Check the pilot book
Pilotage
Leaving Mġarr
Leave the harbour and head east into the channel between Comino and Cominotto.
Into Marsamxett
Call Valletta VTS on VHF 12 before the entrance and keep a listening watch.
Enter well clear of Tigné Point and outside the ferry fairway.
Call Msida Marina for a berth. VHF and phone: Check the pilot book
Lights on the way
Gozo, Giordan
Fl 7.5s, 180 m, 20 M
Fort St Elmo
49 m; characteristic: Check on the chart
Comino
Check on the chart
Communications
Msida Marina
Check on the chart
Emergency, Malta
112
AFM Operations Centre (search and rescue)
+356 2249 4016
Valletta VTS
VHF 12 · +356 2555 4491
Mġarr Local Port Service (Gozo)
VHF 10 · +356 2125 5071
Contingencies
Blue Lagoon full. Swim off the boat outside the 5 kn zone, or skip the stop.
Person overboard. Shout, point, throw the danger buoy, press MOB, DSC distress alert, Mayday on 16.
Before leaving
Forecasts read and logged before the go or no-go time
Maltese Local Notices to Mariners (Transport Malta) checked for the route
Waypoints entered and checked against the chart
Ship's log started in UTC
Crew briefing: route, watches, safety gear, MOB, fog
Msida berth booked
Fuel for 5 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 6 hours
Lifejackets with crotch straps, jackstays rigged, harnesses
Liferaft, grab bag, flares in date, handheld VHF
Radar, AIS and navigation lights tested
Passports, boat papers and insurance aboard
Sources
Transport Malta: VTS communications and participation notices; Local Notices to Mariners 030, 043, 059, 076 and 099 of 2026 (transport.gov.mt).
Malta lights: English Wikipedia, List of lighthouses in Malta; Giordan and Delimara lighthouse pages.
Tides: predictions from TICON-4 harmonic constants (Hart-Davis, Dettmering and Seitz, DGFI-TUM, 2025, doi 10.17882/109129) with Neaps (openwaters.io). Check against the Instituto Hidrográfico 2027 tables.
Sunrise and sunset: calculated (NOAA method).
Lights: The Lighthouse Directory (Rowlett), ibiblio.org/lighthouse, Portugal pages revised August 2024. Cross-check with the IH List of Lights, volume I.