Quick Departure in the 45th Rolex Middle Sea Race
by Rolex Middle Sea Race Media 19 Oct 11:03 PDT
19 October 2024
The 45th Rolex Middle Sea Race kicked off this morning from Grand Harbour, Valetta, where crews faced lively conditions as they departed the historic site. Unlike recent years, a stable breeze lasted throughout the initial 90 minutes of the start sequence.
Gusts were visible from above, swirling across the stunning harbour as the south-easterly winds provided a perfect lift for the boats. The region’s geography and structures contributed to varied conditions, with yachts experiencing both calm spells and stronger gusts. A total of 112 entrants commenced the challenging 606 nautical mile race, and by early evening, they were steadily making their way toward Capo Passero, Sicily’s southeastern point.
As frequently occurs with the Rolex Middle Sea Race, discussions on the dock centered around the unpredictable weather conditions along the race route. A low-pressure system has swirled above the Maltese archipelago throughout the week, producing uncertainty. The positive news: rain was not expected at the start. However, the desired fast run north seemed unlikely. By 16:00 CEST, the fleet found itself between Malta and Sicily, making the most of an unstable northwesterly wind with a looming threat of thunderstorms. Leading the pack was Black Jack 100, having maneuvered past the Class40 Marvic 40, skippered by Aurélien Ducroz, which had started an hour earlier and surprisingly fended off the Maxi division longer than expected. Tactical questions are emerging, with one group including Remon Vos’ Black Jack and Seng Huang Lee’s Scallywag 100 positioned east of the rhumb line. Marvic 40 is the furthest west, while Bryon Ehrhardt’s Luck from the United States is the furthest east. Among a mix of smaller entrants, Slovenian Maks Vrecko’s Elan 450 Karpo is closest to the leaders, with local Maltese entry, Stefan Debattista & Sam O’Byrne’s IMX 40 Geisha, trailing behind. The fleet is widely spread, with the German Botin 56 Black Pearl, helmed by Stefan Jentzsch, positioned centrally.
Start 1
Each start had its unique characteristics. The first group to depart was comprised of six Class40s and one multihull, Aldo Fumagalli’s Rapido 53XS, Picamole. Fumagalli’s crew includes Patrick Phelipon, a participant since 1972. Andrea Fornaro’s Influence 2 and Matteo Serricano’s Lucente executed excellent timed runs to cross the line successfully. As the cannon smoke dissipated, Influence 2 took a commanding lead at the Saluting Battery. Lucente struggled to hoist her spinnaker and nearly lost ground to the older Talanta, helmed by Austrian Michael Pühse. By the time they reached the inner breakwater, Influence and Lucente were neck and neck, while the other four boats lagged behind. By the Dragonara turning mark, less than two miles from Grand Harbour’s entrance, Influence had gained the lead before stalling and unfortunately retiring half a mile later due to rudder issues. Lucente maintained her course at the mark, heading northwest before gybing northeast. Marvic 40 executed a hard right turn, a choice that seems to have been beneficial.
Start 2
Next up were the smallest and least powerful yachts, featuring 22 boats including six from Malta. The Croatian Sun Fast 3300 Munjek, helmed by Dusko Tomic, won the start by a considerable margin, with Massimo Licata D’Andrea’s Italian First 35 South Kensington in close pursuit. Two Maltese boats achieved impressive starts, both manned by young local sailors: the J/109 JYS Jan skippered by Claudio Bugeja and the Sun Odyssey 45 Janissah of Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC) Rear Commodore Mario Debono. The tracker showed that South Kensington, sailing near the rhumb line towards Capo Passero, claimed the top spot in IRC 6 and ranked second overall. Second in class was the oldest boat in the race, the 1974 Auzepy-Brenneur designed mahogany ketch El Oro from Australia, under the command of Kent King. Paul Sheahan’s Irish X-37 Chillax, participating in its first Rolex Middle Sea Race, was in third place.
Start 3
The third start included 17 teams, many racing double-handed. Fully-crewed boats took off well from the middle of the line, with Seb Ripard and Dan Calascione’s Maltese Farr 30 Calypso leading the way. Kazakhstan’s Peter Lezhnin aboard the J/112 Jedi was close behind, along with Geisha. At the pin end, Manuel Costantin’s Italian Oceanis 46 Jules achieved an excellent start and led the fleet out of Grand Harbour. The Maltese J/112 OpenPayd BeFree, co-skippered by Horst Huesley and Jonathan Camilleri Bowman, was also among the leaders as they ventured into open waters. At the time of reporting, Karpo was not only at the top of the IRC 5 leaderboard but also leading overall. The extended Karpo family in Malta will take pride in their achievement. Coming in second in class and third overall was Didier Gaudoux with his MN35 Lann Ael 3 from France, the most easterly entry in the class and racing with just two crew members. Geisha, situated furthest to the west, maintained third.
Start 4
The fourth start encompassed a variety of yacht designs, from the classic Australian Swan 65 ketch Eve, entered by Steve Capell and Fraser Welch, to modern designs like Margus Uudam’s Estonian MAT 1220 Nola. With 21 boats at the start and wind gusting over 20 knots, adrenaline ran high during the countdown. The First 45 Elusive 2, sailed by Aaron, Christoph, and Maya Podesta, nailed the start. Elusive hoisted their blue spinnaker as soon as the gun fired and headed directly toward the gap in the breakwater. To windward, Andrew and Sam Hall’s British J/125 Jackknife positioned themselves, while Jonathan Gambin’s Maltese Dufour 44 Ton Ton Laferla trailed to leeward. Jackknife’s speed was unmatched, allowing it to be the first out of the class, passing Elusive 2 to windward, with Ton Ton Laferla just two boat lengths behind. Elusive 2’s strong performance helped it maintain the class lead in IRC 4 as evening approached. Benoit Tuduri’s French S40 Firecrest ranked second after sailing west of the rhumb line, while Nola stood third, well east of it.
Start 5
In the fifth start with 17 boats, the gusts in the harbour likely peaked, with the German Judel/Vrolijk 43 Vineta, co-skippered by Wolf Scheder-Bieschin & Sonke Stein, crossing the line closest to Valletta. Gilles Caminade’s French Ker 40 Chenapan 4 positioned centrally, while the French Sydney 43 Long Courrier, 2018 Rolex Middle Sea Race winner Géry Trentesaux, sat at the pin. Aaron Gatt Floridia’s Maltese ICE 52RS Otra Vez had a powerful start, deftly controlling their large asymmetric spinnaker. The GP42 X-Day, co-skippered by Walter Watermann and Lars Hückstädt, had previously won the Yachting Malta Coastal Race. Vineta executed a perfect line to slip past the inner breakwater without altering her course. As they neared the outer breakwater, X-Day was also accelerating to reduce Vineta’s lead. Jean Yves Thomas’s ICE 53 Soleag from France followed closely to leeward. At the first turning mark, the three boats were nearly neck and neck, approaching the leg to Dragonara. Behind them, as the fleet emerged from Fort Ricasoli’s wind shadow, larger gusts than expected struck, prompting more than one boat to make emergency gybes. Vineta maintained her lead, followed by X-Day and Soleag as well as Alex Laing’s ICE 52 Goose, all heading northeast in search of pressure and positioning. The timing for returning north appeared crucial as evening set in. The Maltese HH42 Artie III had gained the class lead on the water and ranked second under IRC, with Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard making strategic moves to gain ground. Long Courrier was just behind, holding the lead after time correction in IRC 3, with another Sydney 43 Morpheus, skippered by Steven Verstraete & Michael Dreyer from Belgium, sitting in third.
Start 6
The Race Committee allowed a 20-minute interval between starts five and six. This time gave the large crowd a moment to catch their breath before the highly anticipated final two starts. As expected, the wind began to shift further south around this time. Consequently, the sixth start remained a reach, while the final start became almost dead downwind. In the 16-boat start six, the Turkish TP52 Blue Moon, led by Serhat Altay, launched from the middle of the line at speed, with Germany’s Carl-Peter Forster-helmed Red Bandit and Jean Pierre Barjon’s French Botin 65 Spirit of Lorina to her port. Gregor Stimpfl’s Italian Scuderia 65 Hagar V was closest to Valletta, with Michael Møllmann’s Danish Elliott 35, Palby Marine not far behind. As the wind shifted significantly, yachts had to gybe, and finding a clear path became a challenge. Ashore, spectators were on edge as crews ducked and dodged to stay clear of competitors. Franco Niggeler’s Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka 3 enjoyed an excellent leg to the first turning mark, overtaking her competitors. Spirit of Lorina’s waterline length was advantageous as they approached Dragonara, reaching the mark with a comfortable gap from Red Bandit and Blue Moon. Similar to previous starts, strategic decisions when heading north proved vital. Black Pearl navigated pressures skillfully, gaining a lead on the water and leading IRC 2 from Kuka 3 and Arto Linnervuo’s Infiniti 52 Tulikettu Redkik Racing from Finland.
Start 7
The seventh and final start was notable for Andrea Recordati’s Wally 93 Bullitt, which quickly approached the line. Scallywag and Black Jack restrained themselves, likely to avoid complications. This allowed the VO65s Sisi from Austria and Ambersail from Lithuania to shine, staying close to Bullitt. The 88ft Lucky positioned herself nearer to Fort St Angelo. The Maxi72 Balthasar, with Bouwe Bekking and Stu Bannatyne on board, took a line closer to Valletta, a decision that proved advantageous until the larger Bullitt managed to slip past, followed closely by the powerful Lucky. Lucky overtook Bullitt en route to Dragonara, with David Witt’s Scallywag ultimately advancing to second on the water. Black Jack joined the chase, as these top five boats set a brisk pace heading north, achieving speeds in the high teens and low 20s. As the wind lessened and the course shifted eastward, the larger boats began turning back north. Bullitt was the first to adjust, while the others continued for a brief distance. As this report concludes, Black Jack has claimed the lead on the water and in IRC 1, nearing the Capo Passero waypoint, with Balthasar and Bullitt following in second and third in their class.
You can track the fleet here.
