Preserving Local Heritage

The restoration of the "Sacra Famiglia" is a commitment undertaken by Gozo Channel as part of its contribution towards the preservation of local heritage. The Company's involvement in this project stems from the fact that the "Dghajsa tal-latini", also known as the "Gozo Boat", was the predecessor of the Gozo Channel Company Limited.

The "Sacra Famiglia", the only remaing "Dghajsa tal-latini", is firmly embedded in the history of transportation between Malta and Gozo, and therefore the restoration of this last surviving boat of its kind will help to preserve some of that history. Once restored the "Sacra Famiglia" will become a milestone of our forefathers' endeavours to provide a cargo and ferry service to commuters between Malta and Gozo - a service which heavily depended on the elements and willpower of the mariners of that time, using oars and sails to steer the boat.

As a fund-raising project Gozo Channel re-printed a complete Chapter appearing in "The Dghajsa and Other Traditional Maltese Boats" written by Mr Joseph Muscat and published in 1999 by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti. Our sincere thanks go to Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, the author, the publisher and all those involved in the original publication for their kind permission to allow us to re-print in order to raise funds for the restoration of the "Sacra Famiglia". Additional contribution for this project will be very much appriciated.

Finally, we would like to thank the Gozitan Heritage Society, Wirt Ghawdex for pioneering this project, which is set to become a showcase of Gozitan tradition and culture.

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