RMYC Sailing School

RMYC Sailing School teaches dinghy sailing from the Royal Malta Yacht Club in Ta' Xbiex, the harbourside district between Valletta and Sliema. It welcomes complete beginners as young as six, adults who have never held a tiller and young racers working towards regattas, all under the club's safety rules and with instructors on the water alongside them.

For a UK family spending time in Malta, the appeal is flexibility. Instead of a fixed week-long course, lessons come in three-hour blocks that you can repeat until you feel ready to move up. The school appears on VisitMalta.co.uk in our directory of boat charters and sailing in Malta, and it sits close to the capital, so our Valletta guide is a handy companion.

A school with a famous club behind it

The school was set up in 2014 by the Royal Malta Yacht Club together with SailCoach, an international Olympic-level training organisation endorsed by World Sailing, the sport's governing body. Together they built a framework suited to the Maltese education system, which led to the three-hour lesson format.

The club itself has a long story, from a wartime clubhouse destroyed by a bomb in 1942 to the creation of the Middle Sea Race in 1968, now the Rolex Middle Sea Race, one of the great offshore classics. The club is run by a committee elected by its full members, who share a passion for yachting and the social life around the club, and it is a favourite port of call for members of yacht clubs from around the world with which it has reciprocal agreements. The clubhouse offers a lounge bar and dining area, outdoor terraces, a roof terrace, conference rooms, a fitness room and waterfront facilities for small boats, plus a seasonal marina for larger yachts. Membership does not require owning a boat.

Why learn on a dinghy

Dinghies are small open sailing boats that are popular for day sailing, fun and racing, and nearly every sailing club and training centre uses them, which makes dinghy skills easy to take elsewhere. They are an affordable and exciting way of getting afloat, and in Malta's sheltered harbours you can practise in some of the most scenic water in the Mediterranean.

After you have learnt to sail, the school points to several next steps: joining a club and its social life, taking part in competitions, or working towards a career in the water sports industry. Visitors who simply want a taste of sailing during a holiday can take a private lesson, a family session or a team event and leave with the basics of boat handling and wind direction.

Courses and sailing pathways

Children begin on an RS Quest in Learn to Sail Level 1, for ages six to sixteen, with no experience needed and sessions on Sunday mornings. Level 2 uses the Bug dinghy for ages seven to twelve, and Level 3 moves on to the RS Feva for ages ten to sixteen, with a focus on boat handling, manoeuvres and speed. Sailors can repeat a level as often as they need.

From there the path splits. Young sailors can join the Optimist beginner group and then the Optimist racing team, or progress to the ILCA (Laser) racing team, which suits youth-class sailors and former Optimist sailors. Race squads train weekly with on-the-water drills and classroom sessions on tactics and the Racing Rules of Sailing, and are encouraged to enter local and international regattas. Laser sailors buy their own sail ties, bungs and tape.

Very young children start on an RS Vision dinghy with an instructor and no more than five children aboard. Lessons begin with rigging, a briefing and time afloat, and end with derigging and washing the boats. A logbook costs €5 from the office if a child wants to record their sailing time.

Adult, family, private and team lessons

Adults and families can learn on Saturday mornings in three-hour sessions, again with no prior experience. The first lessons take place in an RS Vision with an instructor and another adult, and once you have the skills you can hire a dinghy to sail independently. Availability varies, so ask before you travel. The adult pathway is short and practical: start as a beginner in the RS Vision, then move on to advanced sailing without an instructor once you are ready. Take as many lessons as you need before taking a boat out alone.

Private one-to-one lessons are arranged subject to instructor and boat availability and must be paid in advance. They cover wind direction, boat handling and building confidence, and suit visitors who only have a day or two. Team building events for people aged 18 and over use dinghy sailing to build collaboration and finish with a friendly regatta, whether the group is novice or experienced.

Terms, coaches and safety

Opening days follow the school calendar. During term the school is open from Wednesday to Sunday, and during school holidays it opens Monday to Saturday, with summer sailing programmes in July to September. Term fees cover every scheduled lesson whether or not a sailor attends, and children's lessons cannot be carried over from one term to the next, so visitors usually prefer the summer programme, adult sessions or a private lesson.

The school year follows four terms, from winter through to autumn, with a summer programme alongside. The coaching team includes head coach Rüya Cakmakli from Turkey, Kaitlyn Eadie from Northern Ireland, ILCA coach Karlis Junkers from Latvia and performance coach Francisco Vecchietti Ruschel from Brazil.

The school has earned a reputation as a premier sailing institution that has also attracted Olympic-level sailors who come to Malta to train, which tells you something about the standard of coaching, but the school aims to bring more people into sailing whatever their level.

Safety comes first. Lifejackets must be worn on the water, on the docks and near the water, first aid kits are carried in every motorboat and in the school office, and staff err on the side of caution in poor weather. Lessons are cancelled only when conditions are unsafe or boats cannot launch, and families are told by WhatsApp group.

Wear shorts and a UV top in summer, with a hat, high-factor sun cream and water shoes, and warmer layers in winter. Tie back long hair, remove jewellery and bring water, a towel and a change of clothes.

Booking, rules and planning your visit

Each lesson follows the same rhythm: rig the boats, listen to the briefing, sail, then derig and wash the dinghies, so even a short session teaches you how a boat is prepared and looked after. Parents of children with medical conditions are asked to talk through the arrangements with the chief instructor before the first lesson, and any accident should be reported to an instructor straight away.

Lessons are booked online, and sailors without a confirmed booking are turned away. Changes need as much notice as possible; cancellations less than 24 hours ahead are charged at 50% and no-shows are charged in full. Refunds need a doctor's note. Full and family members of the club receive a discount, and parents may claim a tax rebate because the school is registered with SportMalta.

If you are planning more time on the water, our guides to things to do in Malta, the Malta weather guide and where to stay in Malta help you choose dates, and you can compare flights from the UK to Malta. If you would rather spend a rest day on the sand, see our best beaches in Malta. For background, read about Malta.

To ask about lessons, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to RMYC Sailing School.