page_title: Dgħajsa
section_title: Regatta variants
hierarchical_section_title: Dgħajsa / Regatta variants
caption_attribution_description: English: Senglea Regatta rowers celebrating their 19th victory in the September 2008 Regatta.
context_page_description: The dgħajsa tal-pass is a traditional water taxi from Malta. It is often simply referred to as the dgħajsa, but this word refers to any type of boat in the Maltese language. The boat developed in the 17th century, and was extensively used to ferry passengers in the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour between the 18th and 20th centuries. Their use declined in the late 20th century, and today few dgħajjes remain in operation ferrying tourists around the harbours. Variants of the boats are still used extensively in rowing regattas held twice a year.
context_section_description: Variants of the dgħajsa are still commonly used in the rowing regattas held in the Grand Harbour on 31 March and 8 September each year. The boats used in the races were initially identical to the water taxis, but from the 1930s they began to be built to be lighter and faster, losing some of the traditional aspects of the dgħajsa tal-pass in the process.
  The boats are built to strict specifications. There are two variants of the dgħajsa tal-pass with two or four oars, and a larger variant known as the dgħajsa tal-midalji which also has four oars. The smaller boats are manned by two men: one standing and one sitting, while those with four oars are manned by four: two standing and two sitting.
  Variants of other traditional boats, the kajjik and frejgatina, also compete in the regatta.
  In 2012, two dgħajjes competed in the Great River Race on the River Thames.
caption: The dgħajsa of Senglea which won the regatta of 8 September 2008
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