Impressive Fleet for 2024 Rolex Middle Sea Race
by Royal Malta Yacht Club 25 Sep 08:33 PDT
19 October 2024
Start of the 44th Rolex Middle Sea Race © Kurt Arrigo
As of the close of business on Friday, September 20, the 45th Rolex Middle Sea Race, scheduled for October 19, 2024, has drawn a fleet of 110 yachts. The participants hail from 29 countries, spanning from Australia in the south to Finland in the north, and from the United States in the west to Hong Kong in the east.
This fleet is notably exceptional, diverse, and highly competitive. The Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC) and its race organizing committee are excited by the ongoing enthusiasm for this iconic race. Those interested in joining the event can still do so, as the RMYC will accept late entries until Friday, September 27.
In terms of numbers, there are 109 monohulls, with the largest being Scallywag 100 and Black Jack 100, both measuring 30.48 meters (100 feet); and the smallest being Muttley-BDM Audit at 9.75m (32ft). Notably, France, with 21 entries, is now matching Italy for the most participants, a first for this race. Additionally, there is one multihull, the Rapido 53 XS Picomole, launched in April 2023, which successfully competed in the Aegean 600 earlier this year. The complete entry list can be found here.
The monohull fleet will compete under IRC Time Correction for the Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy, awarded to the overall champion of the race. This stunning sculpture was crafted by Emanuel ‘Emvin’ Cremona for the inaugural race in 1968 and serves as a deserving trophy for an event of this prestige.
“The Royal Malta Yacht Club is delighted to welcome such a talented and varied fleet to the remarkable Rolex Middle Sea Race course this year,” stated RMYC Commodore David Cremona. “We can’t wait to host this truly international fleet come October. Our hospitality will be as warm as ever, and along with our numerous race partners, we are dedicated to ensuring an exceptional experience for all competitors.”
Many competitors will have their sights set on the top trophy, especially previous winners. The most recent champion is Andrea Recordati’s Bullitt, a 28.3m Judel & Vrolijk designed Wally Yacht that claimed overall victory by 24 seconds over the much smaller Red Ruby last year. Bullitt became the first-ever Wally to compete in the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the only one to successfully finish the course, achieving this feat twice. Géry Trentesaux, who won in 2018 with Courrier Recommandé, will return with his latest vessel, the Sydney 43 Courrier Long. Trentesaux nearly secured back-to-back wins, having finished second in 2019, while that year’s champions famously achieved consecutive victories.
Siblings from Malta, Aaron, Christoph, and Maya Podesta, achieved something remarkable in 2019 and 2020 that no yacht had accomplished since Nita’s three consecutive victories in 1978, 79, and 80. Lee Satariano, navigating with co-skipper Christian Ripard, has experienced victory twice in 2011 and 2014 with his previous boat, the J/121. His current yacht, the HH42 Artie III, came in second in its class in 2022, showcasing its potential. Christian Ripard, as the skipper of J/105 Bigfoot in 1996, has also won the race himself, and this year marks his 34th race, tying the current record set by another local legend, Arthur Podesta, who sadly passed away in 2015.
Another previous winner is American Bryan Ehrhardt, who triumphed in 2010 with his then-TP52, Lucky, during his debut. Ehrhardt has upgraded his vessel since and last year entered his latest Lucky, the former five-time line honors winner, Rambler 88. Despite being dismasted off northwestern Sicily in 2023, Ehrhardt remains undaunted and is returning to race. Lastly, Eric de Turckheim will return to the site of his 2022 victory with the same yacht, Teasing Machine. This NMYD 54 consistently poses a threat in offshore races.
This small selection highlights just some of the talent present. Several debutant teams will bring a wealth of experience, backed by solid reputations. The two strongest yachts, at least on paper, Scallywag 100 and Black Jack 100, are proven line honors victors in both their current and former iterations. Black Jack, in particular, had notable success finishing first on elapsed time at the Rolex Middle Sea Race when it sailed as Alfa Romeo 2 in 2006 and then as Esimit Europa 2 from 2010 to 2014. Meanwhile, Scallywag, owned by Seng-Huang Lee and skippered by David Witt, was once the Maximus, which raced here in 2006, finishing second to Alfa Romeo 2. Recently changing ownership, Black Jack’s new owner, Remon Vos from The Netherlands, has already achieved line honors success this summer at the Giraglia and later the Palermo-Montecarlo Race, setting a new course record in the process.
The third notable debutant is Didier Gaudoux, who won the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2017. Gaudoux’s latest yacht is Lann Ael 3, a Manuard-Nivelt design specifically built for double-handed sailing. Its capabilities were affirmed at the Giraglia this year, where Gaudoux, racing two-handed alongside Ewan Tabarly, delivered a phenomenal performance to secure overall victory.
Other noteworthy credentials include Franco Niggeler’s Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka 3, which came in third in class in 2023 and previously won the RORC Transatlantic Race; Red Bandit, winner of the 2023 Giraglia; and Black Pearl, which achieved a class victory in 2019 sailing their previous yacht, a Carkeek 47. Now competing in a water-ballasted Botin 56, the crew claimed overall victory at the Aegean 600 in 2024.
Additionally, three female-skipped yachts deserve recognition. The Swan 53 Bedouin from Australia, helmed by Linda Goddard, has participated in the Aegean 600 twice and recently competed in the Rolex Swan Cup in Sardinia, finishing second in class. Nikki Henderson, the youngest skipper ever to lead a Clipper Round the World Race team, commands the First 53 Yagiza. In 2019, Henderson led an all-female crew on JYS Jan during the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Ursula Berger’s mainly Austrian crew on Sportski Vuk 44 have been racing together since 2017. Their first attempt at the Rolex Middle Sea Race ended in disappointment as they, along with nearly half the fleet, had to retire due to a lack of wind on the course, marking the race as unfinished business.
These represent just a few highlights. The impressive international fleet harbors many more stories, and surely, numerous surprises await once the race commences.
The 45th Rolex Middle Sea Race will begin on Saturday, October 19, 2024. Late entries will be accepted until Friday, September 27.
