Why summer is the harder lay-up here
Most lay-up advice is written for northern Europe, where boats come out of the water to escape winter. In Malta a lot of owners divide their year between the islands and somewhere else, and plenty of boats sit idle in July and August — the hottest, brightest, dustiest months of the year.
An idle boat in a Maltese summer bakes. The interior heats up with the hatches shut, upholstery and headliners suffer, varnish and teak dry out, and any damp left aboard turns to mould in the warm, humid air. Batteries discharge faster in heat. And nobody is there to rinse off the dust or spot a problem.
Afloat or ashore?
Many boats in Malta stay on their berth through the summer. That keeps the hull in the water and the boat in a marina with security and someone nearby, but it means marine growth continues and the boat is exposed to swell and to anything that goes wrong with mooring lines.
Lifting out removes the growth and swell issues, but puts the boat on a hot, dusty hard standing. Either can work. What matters is that the boat is prepared and covered for the conditions where she’ll actually be.
Who keeps an eye on her?
An idle boat should still be checked. That might be the marina, a yacht management company, a skipper or a friend with the keys. Agree who it is before you leave, how often they’ll look, and what they’ll do if they find a problem. A cover with a zipped door lets them get aboard without having to remove and refit it.
